Kate Sherwood - Dark Horse 01 - Dark Horse (2 page)

D
AN
likes the routine of the job, the rhythm of it all. He likes knowing that the horses expect to be fed at six, two, and eight o’clock, and will try to kick their stalls down if their expectations aren’t met. He likes it that every piece of equipment in the barn has a home, and every piece of tack has its own hook or rack to rest on. And he likes the riding, the “warm up, work, take a break, work, cool down” pattern. It lets him turn his brain off a little, lets him stop thinking and just work on doing. On being.

So he’s not exactly welcoming when something happens to break the rhythm. Molly and Karl both know this and generally try to shield him from intrusions. Not because he’s a prima donna, just because they’re caring people—caring people who don’t like it when their head trainer yells at prospective buyers.

They try, but they don’t always try hard enough, Dan realizes as he sees Molly waving at him from outside the ring. He sighs and brings Chaucer to a walk. They were just getting somewhere, too, with the big gelding finally seeming to realize that his nose doesn’t need to go up to the sky every time he’s asked to change paces. As a final reminder, Dan asks Chaucer to trot on the way over to Molly, and then go back down to the walk. Both times Chaucer’s nose stays where it should be, so Dan gives him a congratulatory slap on the neck and lets him have his head.

Molly is strong and athletic but middle-aged, and Dan isn’t used to seeing her jitter around like a teenager. “The California people are early. Robyn’s getting Monty in from the paddock, but he’s filthy, of course. We need you to help her get him polished up.”

Dan doesn’t like the sound of that. “If they can’t see through a little mud, they don’t deserve Monty.”
Molly’s excitement turns to frustration pretty quickly. “When you’re in charge of the bills around here, you can tell me who
deserves
what horse. Until then, we need to make a sale, and it’s the horse that’s being looked at, not the buyers.” She turns and heads toward the barn but then stops and comes back a few steps. “You behave yourself. These people have more money than God—they could buy and sell this whole place with their pocket change.” She looks like she might have more to say, but a group of people is coming out of the barn, so she puts her happy face back on and walks over to meet them.

Dan takes Chaucer out of the ring on the far side and avoids the crowd. The gelding is hot from the exercise, and Dan doesn’t want to make him stand still in the cool spring breeze. When they reach the door of the barn, he jumps out of the saddle and quickly untacks the horse, then throws a cooler on him. The light blanket will be enough to keep the animal from catching a chill, but Dan still wants to find a way to cool him down properly. The barn’s hot-walker broke down several weeks earlier and has still not been repaired. Dan spares a moment to wonder just how important this sale is. Molly’s right; Dan has nothing to do with the finances of the place, so he doesn’t really know the state of things. There never seems to be enough money, but that’s always been the case. Have things gotten worse than usual? Dan forces his mind away from thinking about the likely cause of any financial woes. He’s at work—not the place to get maudlin.

Monty is already in the crossties, with Robyn working away at him furiously with the curry comb. The Hanoverian hasn’t lost all of his winter coat yet, so despite being clipped short, he’s shedding hair as well as mud. Dan has to admit it to himself: the horse
is
a mess, and Robyn could use some help. He runs a hand down Chaucer’s chest, feels the heat and sweat still pouring off him.

“I can walk him, if you need.” The offer comes from behind them, and when Dan turns to look, he sees only a dark shape silhouetted against the bright sunshine outside. The shape moves forward and becomes a man, maybe forty or so, a decade older than Dan, his dark brown hair just starting to gray in the stubble around his mouth. “Jeff Stevens,” the man says, sticking his hand out for shaking. “We’ve met, but only briefly.”

Dan searches his memory. He really doesn’t think he’d have forgotten meeting this guy. He’s got a great face: lines creased in all the right places, warm, intelligent eyes, and from what Dan can see of the body, the guy might be a bit older but he definitely takes care of himself. And he’s dressed for riding, so Dan expects the muscles are from working, not from the gym.

Jeff seems to realize that Dan can’t remember him, and prompts, “Rolex, two years ago. You were a little… preoccupied.” His smile is gentle. “I know you must’ve heard it a million times, but… I’m really sorry. About last year, I mean.”

Jeff obviously realizes that a subject change would be appreciated. “I’m the trainer for the Kaminskis—the folks in from California. We’re a bit early, I know. Didn’t mean to catch you all unprepared. So, like I said, if you have something you need to be doing, I can walk this one.”

Dan mutely passes Chaucer’s lead rope to the other man, and then turns toward Monty. He wouldn’t usually trust a stranger with his horse, but somehow this feels okay. “Thanks,” he mutters belatedly, and Jeff smiles easily as he turns Chaucer and leads him back outside. Dan grabs a curry comb and gets to work on Monty’s off side.

It’s a good thing there are two of them working, because it’s only a few minutes before he hears Karl and Molly coming into the barn, their tag-team sales technique in full force.

“Oh, there he is!” Molly coos, as though she’d had no idea that Monty was being groomed. Dan grabs a clean rag and passes it to Robyn, who quickly mists it with show sheen and runs it over Monty’s lean body. He dances a little at the sound of the spray, but isn’t really spooked. He’s used to being fussed over and takes it as his due.

Molly is walking next to a girl who is clearly going through her awkward phase, all angles and braces and shyness. Maybe fifteen, Dan guesses. Prime horse-crazy age, but she doesn’t look strong enough for a mount like Monty. The guy with her, on the other hand…. Dan lets himself take an appreciative look before bringing his mind back to business. The guy would be a great match for Monty. They’re both tall and wellmuscled. Dan wonders if the guy bucks when he gets excited, and then has to call his mind back to work again.

The little group draws closer. “I’m sorry he’s not looking better,” Molly apologizes to the girl. “He was outside this morning, and, well, you know how boys are in the mud!”

Robyn looks a little offended. She’d practically performed a miracle on the horse, given the time she’d had, and it must sting to hear Molly dismiss her efforts. Dan catches her eye and shakes his head minutely. It’s just a sales ploy, making it seem as though Monty is usually even better looking.

Molly is encouraging the girl to get closer to Monty, supplying a chunk of carrot to feed him. Dan swallows a sigh. Apparently the girl is the prospective rider after all. He hopes they have sense enough to find another horse.

Karl nods his head at Dan, indicating that he should join Karl and the tall guy farther up the barn aisle. Dan looks at Robyn and says, “Their trainer is walking Chaucer for me. Do you think you could go take over, send the trainer back in?” She nods and heads toward the barn door as Dan walks over to Karl.

“Mr. Kaminski, this is Daniel Wheeler. He’s been riding Monty lately.” Now it’s Dan’s turn to feel a bit slighted. He’s been Monty’s trainer for almost five years, since the gelding was first introduced to the saddle. Everything the horse knows, Dan taught him, and Monty knows a lot. So why is Karl making it sound like Dan is some stable rat begging for rides? He guesses it’s another sales technique, but can’t really figure out what the point of it is—other than to remind Dan of his place.

Kaminski smiles warmly and holds out a hand to shake, and Dan catches himself before he takes it, and holds up his own hands to show how they’re covered in mud and horse hair. The guy is dressed casually, but he looks put together. Dan doesn’t want to get blamed for mussing him up.

“Oh, that’s fine, man; I don’t mind getting my hands dirty!” Kaminski leans in a little. “And my name’s Evan.” He grabs Dan’s right hand and gives it a few vigorous shakes, then looks over Dan’s shoulder. “What do you think, Tat?” he asks. She beams back at him, and he laughs happily. When they’re smiling, it’s easy to see that they’re related, both of them grinning so wide that their hazel eyes are almost invisible. “Looks like she likes him. Where’s Jeff? We should get his opinion.”

Dan turns to look in the direction Jeff should be coming from, and he appears as if by magic. He walks easily and confidently, taking a few steps to the side in order to look at Monty from directly behind, then continuing closer. He glances over for permission to approach the horse, and Dan feels a small satisfaction that he’s the one Jeff looks at, not Karl. Karl takes over, though, apparently deciding that Evan is just along to sign the check, and that Jeff is the one who needs to be persuaded.