Racetrack Romance BOX SET (Books 1-3) (64 page)

It was eerie, sneaking beneath the flapping clothes. Squares of light shone from the tiny apartments, but no one seemed to be watching. She grabbed a pair of jeans, the smallest ones she could find, along with a brown sweatshirt, and clipped her last ten dollars on the clothesline, hiding the money beneath a pair of ratty socks with a hole in one heel.

She stashed the borrowed clothes behind the door of the women’s bathroom and headed back to collect the boy. No sense in alerting him to his bath. It was doubtful he’d be enthusiastic.

She eased open the door to her room but he barely looked up, his gaunt face set in concentration. He’d definitely made good progress with the ticket stub sorting. Race eight was the biggest so far, and clearly the little guy was saving her a ton of work.

She slipped a bottle of shampoo behind the waistband of her jeans then tapped him on the shoulder, motioning for him to follow. He rose so quickly, she was humbled by his trust. However, his steps turned reluctant when they neared the bathroom, and he abruptly balked and tried to slink away.

“It’s okay.” She grabbed him by his arm and propelled him into the building.

When she slammed the outer door, his protest rose into a sharp torrent. She held her finger against her lips but he ignored her, flapping his arms and yelling words she didn’t understand. Yelling so loudly the guard would surely hear. She backed against the door, folded her arms and began belting out every raunchy locker song she could remember.

After a few minutes, he stopped yelling, sullen but blessedly silent. She stopped singing, pulled out the shampoo and borrowed clothes, and tossed them at his feet. Pointed at the shower.

He shook his head.

She pointed again but he only crossed his arms, shook his head and stuck out a stubborn jaw. There wasn’t really much else she could do. No way would she manhandle the poor boy.

She jammed her hands in her pockets, frustrated and defeated. Felt the thick Mars Bar. Ah, an ace in the hole. She pulled it out, brandishing it triumphantly, watching as his eyes lit up. When he reached for it, she pointed to the shower and the clean clothes.

He gave a resigned shrug and stepped behind the curtain. Chocolate. Always effective.

He was quick, emerging from the shower in minutes, his gaze fixed on the bar. The new jeans were too long so she rolled them at the ankles then stuffed his old clothes in a plastic bag. He needed a belt, but there was always lots of baler twine around. She’d improvise. When she rewarded him with the Mars Bar, he ripped the paper off with his teeth, devouring it with much lip-smacking.

She felt a slight pang as the bar disappeared— her first present from Mark—but corrected herself. ‘First present’ implied longevity, something Mark didn’t want…and neither did she, of course. However, she couldn’t resist picking up the torn wrapper and tucking it into her back pocket. Nothing wrong with a little keepsake.

The boy was sweet and tractable again, ready to follow her back to the barn. His hair gleamed, his face clean except for a ridge of chocolate staining his lips and teeth. She could see Terry by the door of the shedrow, craning to see the bathrooms, so they detoured round to the back and slipped into her room unseen.

Kato had curled on the cot, scattering two piles of betting tickets in the process. The boy groaned. She grinned, resisting another urge to wrap him in a hug. He was such a cute kid. Not bad company either, but she had a few trust issues that needed to be resolved.

She grabbed a piece of paper and drew a picture of her cell phone and a question mark. Held it up. He ducked his head and looked scared, so she put it away. Obviously he was the fleet-footed kid who’d swiped her phone, so maybe the man by the paddock was the same man with the knife. The same creep who’d followed her to Dick’s. A chill skittered down her spine.

It was possible the man had credentials and lived on the backside. She no longer had a workable bike, and the idea that their assailant lurked around the barns made her gut clench. Especially if he were looking for the boy.

She wheeled and bolted the door, glad Mark had ordered such a heavy-duty lock. Glad the new guard, Terry, was around during these solitary nights.

The boy had already curled up under the blankets, his face relaxed in sleep. She eased a purring Kato off the tickets and checked the piles. The kid had done excellent work and if she could keep him another night, he might finish the sorting. It wouldn’t hurt to wait one more day before telling Mark. Get a few meals into his stomach. Find him some better-fitting clothes.

But her chest banded with panic, and she gave a hard gulp. After being robbed, she was penniless. She’d already blown next week’s pay, and her options were limited. Mark didn’t want her stooping, and clearly betting wasn’t as simple as she’d originally thought.

She tried to stack tickets, but her fingers were clumsy. Buddy and now the boy—both needed her. And never before in her insulated life had money been so important yet so very, very scarce.

Chapter Seventeen

Horses stomped, eager for breakfast, jolting Jessica awake. Grumbling, she rolled over to check her alarm. Four o’clock. Twenty minutes to shower and dress. She sat up and gently shifted Kato’s warm body. The cat must have left the boy and joined her sometime in the night. She switched on the light. Stared in dismay.

The boy had vanished. Worse, both blankets and the fancy leather jacket were gone too. So he was either searching for another sleeping spot or had bolted. His dirty clothes were here though, still stuffed in the white plastic bag, so perhaps he planned to return.

Voices drifted through the door. She scrambled from bed, realizing she’d soon see Mark. She’d been so busy with the boy, she hadn’t indulged in her usual brooding-over-the-boss time. Being at his house yesterday now had a surreal quality. She remembered his bed, but the rest was a little hazy, although her breasts tingled with traitorous warmth.

She rushed to the shower, throwing Terry a friendly greeting. When she finished, she jogged around the barn and in the back entrance, just in case Mark had arrived before she was suitably dressed. She flipped her hair in a ponytail and grabbed her favorite striped shirt off the handlebars of the bike, pausing for a moment to survey its damaged metal frame.

She’d hinted to both Mark and Dino that Lefty’s bike needed repairs, but neither of them had rushed to fix it. Very inconvenient because if the knife man was skulking around, speedy transportation was essential.

She burst from her room, buttoning her jacket, and checked the board. Her new horse, Missy, was scheduled to gallop with the first set and Buddy with the third. She liked to think Mark had split them up to give her more time, but it was probably just a coincidence.

She entered the stall, speaking softly to the filly. Missy stared and flicked her ears, as though surprised her groom was no longer Maria. Jessica checked her over, unwrapped her bandaged legs and brushed her until she gleamed.

“Good morning, Jessica.” Emma Rae’s pretty face appeared over the stall guard. “I’m galloping this filly today. Anything I should know that will help me earn points with your boss?”

“Can’t think of anything,” Jessica said, embarrassed to admit she barely knew the horse. “Good of you to get up early to gallop.”

“Mark suggested it. And you know he always gets what he wants.”

Jessica’s head shot up and she stared at the jockey, searching for a hidden meaning. But Emma Rae seemed focused on Missy.

“I’m tired this morning, so please tell me she isn’t flighty,” Emma Rae continued as she tightened her safety vest. “Last night Mark also said I should cut back on the drinking and lose a couple of pounds.”

Pain twisted Jessica’s gut at the realization Mark had been with Emma Rae last night. “Celebrating something?” she asked, surprised her voice sounded so level.

“No, but he promised to put me up on your Buddy horse for his last race, and then Buddy’s being retired. So maybe we can celebrate then.”

Mark appeared, silhouetted in the entrance to the barn and hollered for the first set.

“Come on. Tighten that girth,” Emma Rae urged. “I have to keep Mark happy.”

Jessica stopped Missy in the aisle and boosted Emma Rae into the saddle. She pasted on a smile, watching the effervescent jockey join Mark at the end of the shedrow. He didn’t glance in Jessica’s direction, just nodded at each rider as they passed him at the entrance.

She grabbed a pitchfork and cleaned the mare’s stall, working mechanically, telling herself she was overreacting. Mark met with different people every night, all kinds of people, all of it necessary for work. And, yes, Emma Rae was pretty, bubbly and single, but that was no reason to be jealous.

She’d never worried about Anton…who was now engaged to her best friend. She scooped up such a huge load of soiled straw, it almost tipped the muck bin.

“There’s a big box of donuts in the tack room,” Maria called as she rushed past. “Hurry, before the best ones are gone.”

Jessica hung up her pitchfork and followed Maria. Her stomach had growled for the last hour, and yesterday’s peanut butter and jam sandwich seemed weeks ago.

“Oh, wow, look at this.” She stared in glorious indecision at the generous box of donuts, unable to decide between a glazed or chocolate. “Who brought these?”

“Mark, I think. He’s in a super good mood. Assets had a bullet work yesterday.”

“Assets worked yesterday?” Jessica blinked in confusion. “But Mark wasn’t here…I mean…I heard he wasn’t at the track yesterday morning.”

“He wasn’t. He must have been doing something really important to miss Assets’ work. And to bring us all donuts today.”

“Yeah.” Joy warmed Jessica’s chest. She grabbed a chocolate donut, wrapped the glazed one in a napkin, and hummed as she left with Mark’s donuts clutched in her hand.

***

“Want me to cool out Ghost?” Carlos asked.

“No, send me Jessica,” Mark said. “Tell her to bring a helmet.”

Jessica appeared five minutes later, a battered helmet tucked under her arm and a wary look on her beautiful face. “I didn’t know we needed helmets to walk a horse,” she said.

“You’re going to ride.” He adjusted the stirrups for her legs. “Then maybe you’ll be more understanding of your jockey.”

Her eyes widened, and she backed up. “Is this punishment because I blamed Steve for falling off? Because I totally understand now that betting is risky. And so is riding.”

“Mount up.”

“This actually isn’t a very good time for me. I was just about to knock down all the cobwebs, and Dino has those boots he wants cleaned.” She took another step backwards. “Besides, I’ve seen Ghost on the track. He’s much too fast. I’m not sure what Gramps told you, but I’m really more of a pony rider. A very little pony.”

Her face paled and she tugged at her lower lip, but several grooms were in earshot. Had heard him give Jessica an order. He already gave her way too much slack. It was impossible to back off now.

“Please, Mark,” she continued, her eyes as wide as saucers. “I really don’t want to ride. The last time I did, the pony rolled and squashed my leg. It wasn’t the least bit enjoyable.”

“Climb on now,” he said quietly. “Job requirement.”

She set her mouth and stepped up to the saddle, but her expression was mutinous.

“Hands on the horn, toe in the stirrup and step up. Don’t kick him in the rump when you swing your leg over.”

“What happens if I do?”

Mark smiled. “He’ll buck.”

“My old boyfriend is looking better and better,” she snapped but stepped on with surprising grace. He even had an opportunity to admire her long legs without anyone guessing.

“Sit up and relax,” he said, leading Ghost down the road and away from the watchers. He gave her a few minutes to settle before glancing back, and from her ecstatic expression it was obvious she was already hooked. “How you doing, honey?” he asked gently.

“Oh, Mark, I love this.”

“So you don’t want to get off?”

“No, this is fine. But maybe you could release the reins and let me ride by myself.” She gave him such a beautiful smile, his chest tightened, and he was glad he’d been able to think of an excuse to get her alone.

He obligingly released the reins. She had a relaxed seat and good balance and soon was jogging circles like a pro.

“Loosen your reins a bit more,” he called. “Ghost has a curb bit and is well-trained. He’ll do everything better if you leave him alone.”

He propped his hip against a tree, ignoring the insistent vibration of his phone, and simply enjoyed her happiness. He should have realized she was a superb athlete after that incredible snag of Assets. It was clear in the way she moved, her easy grace, her toned body and the way she could wrap her legs around his back—

He straightened, filled with urgency. “Finish up and walk him back to the barn now. Ghost needs his lunch. And so do we.”

“Could I ride him later this afternoon?”

“If we get back in time.” But he had no intention of coming back until four-thirty. He’d been thinking of her all morning, staring at his horses but not really seeing them. Dino had been the one to notice the bay gelding was a little off, and that wasn’t good.

Observation was the most important element of training, not only of the horses’ physical appearance but also of their emotional and mental state. They needed balance in every area. When he was younger, he always had his horses physically ready but hadn’t been so attuned to their mental needs. Now he accepted that all aspects were equally important.

Buddy was the perfect example. Jessica’s loving care had the horse thinking he was the main man again, and the gelding bounced with energy. Of course, it couldn’t be sustained. After fifty-six races, Buddy had more than his share of aches and pains. But they only needed to nurse him through one more race, and then he’d earn his retirement.

Mark hated the idea of pushing another race on the old fellow, but Buddy was safer with him than any other trainer. And Jessica loved the horse. She’d be devastated if Buddy wasn’t in his barn.