Kate Sherwood - Dark Horse 01 - Dark Horse (5 page)

Chapter 4

W
HEN
Dan gets back to the barn, Robyn is at his truck before he’s even turned the engine off. He actually has to wait for her to step back before he can open the door.

She stares as if waiting for him to say something. When he looks blankly back, she says, “You were with Justin? Is he okay?” Dan doesn’t really know how to answer that question. “I didn’t actually talk to the doctors, but he seemed the same. Why?”

She backs up a few steps more. “Karl and Molly were down here looking for you, and it looked like they’d both been crying. They didn’t say what was wrong, so I thought, you know….”

Dan feels a burst of panic, but fights to keep himself calm as he tries to work out the timing. “When were they here? I left Justin about an hour ago.”

Robyn thinks for a moment, and then looks relieved. “No, it was longer than that ago. A couple hours, probably.”

“It’s still nothing good, though… they were
both
crying? I mean, Karl cries at TV shows, but Molly’s pretty tough.” Dan has only seen Molly cry once, when the doctors had first told them the extent of Justin’s injury, and he really, really hopes to never see it again.

“Well, neither one was actually crying when they were here, but they both had red eyes. They both looked upset.”
Dan doesn’t know what to do with this new information. He hates not knowing what’s going on. “Their car wasn’t in the drive when I pulled up. Do you know where they went?”

“They said they were going into town… and, Dan… they said to tell you not to ride.”
This makes no sense at all. “What? Not to ride anybody, or just not Monty or Sunshine or something?”

“No, they said not at all. Said you could help me, or take the afternoon off, but to not ride.”

Dan pulls out his cell phone and hits a speed dial number. He hadn’t wanted to involve Chris the night before, but things are getting ridiculous. When Chris’s cell goes to voice mail, Dan tries his work number, but the receptionist says that Chris is in a meeting.

“Well. Great.” He’s at a loss. “Do you
need
any help?” “Not really, to be honest. Without you guys around to mess things up, I’m actually ahead of schedule.” Robyn shakes her head. “I’m starting to get a really weird feeling about all this, Dan. I mean… what’s going on?”
Dan doesn’t have an answer for her. Even though she’d said she

didn’t need it, he helps Robyn haul some hay in from the feed shed, and then he cleans tack until his fingers ache. There’s still no sign of Karl or Molly by the time Dan has to go and get cleaned up for his shift at JP’s. It’s their turn to bring the horses in and do the evening feed, and he’s a bit worried that they haven’t appeared. He doesn’t want to cause an inconvenience for his boss at the bar, but he also doesn’t want the horses to be neglected if their owners don’t come back from wherever they are. On a normal day, he’d be totally confident that Karl and Molly would look after their animals, but this has not been an ordinary day. Robyn solves the problem.

“I’m just going to watch TV anyway. Let me watch at your place for a couple hours, and if they aren’t back in time, I can help out.”

He makes sure she really means it, and then they go upstairs together, Robyn to the couch and Dan to the shower. As he heads out the door, he tells her to help herself to anything in his fridge, and she rolls her eyes. “I already checked. You’ve got beer and three different kinds of hot sauce. It’s not exactly a balanced meal. But you’ve got a couple pasta dinners in the freezer—I can have one, yes?”

Dan grins sheepishly and nods, then reminds her to call him if she gets any news, to make sure Karl and Molly have his cell number if she sees them. He knows they do, but doesn’t understand why they haven’t used it.

He gets to JP’s just in time for the dinner rush, and for the first couple hours he’s too busy to think much. Things finally calm down a little, and he finds some time to tidy up and restock. In his peripheral vision, he sees a new customer come in and sit down, so he moves in that direction as he puts the final polish on a glass. When he looks up and sees the new customer, he’s greeted with miles of tanned Kaminski. Well, there’s not all that much tan showing, but Dan can imagine.

“Hi, Dan,” Evan says. He smiles, and it makes him look like Tat. They both smile with their whole faces, their whole bodies, practically.

“Evan, hey, what’s up?” This sounds a little vague to Dan, sounds like what he’d say to someone who
didn’t
have some mysterious connection to Dan’s employers and quasi-in-laws. He tries to clarify, make it clear that he actually wants to know. “You didn’t make it to the barn today… did something happen?”

Evan goes from almost sheepish to totally awkward. “Uh, yeah, kinda… I know it sounds weird, but I’m actually not supposed to talk about it.”

Dan’s had about enough of being out of the loop. “Oh. What can I get you, then?”

“A Bud and a Jim Beam, please. And I didn’t mean that I can’t talk at all, I just can’t talk about… that.”
Dan moves to get the drinks but isn’t really interested in playing games. “Okay, well, I don’t really know what ‘that’ is, so it’ll be a bit hard for me to avoid it.” He smiles politely as he says it. Evan is now a customer in the bar
and
a potential customer at the barn, so Dan really can’t be too rude to him.
Evan’s return smile is much more genuine. “Yeah, I can see why that’d be a little tricky. I could just ask you questions….”

“Uh, well… I’m at work, Evan. It’s not really the best place for chatting.” Evan looks a little unimpressed, and Dan realizes something. “You’ve never had a job, have you?”

“No. I have. I do!” Evan’s denials are a little too emphatic, and Dan closes in for the kill.

“Evan….” Dan walks to stand in front of Evan and looks him in the eye, trying to inspire honesty. “Evan, have you ever had a job at a business your family didn’t
own
?” Evan casts his eyes down and Dan laughs. “Yeah, it’s not quite the same, buddy.” That’s maybe a bit more casual than Dan should be, but Evan doesn’t seem to mind.

“Well, still… I’m a customer… doesn’t that mean I’m always right?

If I say I deserve some attention, isn’t it your job to give it to me?” The words would sound petulant if it weren’t for the open, teasing grin on the man’s face.

Dan doesn’t really want to get involved in this, but he seems to be having some trouble resisting the eyes and the dimples. “Okay, fine. Is there something you actually want to know, or are you just being a brat?”

Evan’s victory grin threatens to split his face. “There’s
lots
of things I want to know! I’m just not sure where to start.”
A customer down the bar catches Dan’s eye, looking for a refill. Dan moves away from Evan, saying, “Well, you can have
one
question, so make it good. I’ll be back in a minute.” Dan pulls a beer for the other customer while wondering what exactly he’s doing with Evan. It’s not flirting, exactly… or is it? But Dan’s not that guy. He doesn’t flirt with other people’s boyfriends, and he certainly doesn’t fool around on his own lover. Chris is Justin’s best friend, and as such has decided that it’s his right to tell Dan that he can do what he wants, but Dan knows that it’s not Chris’s call. Chris and Justin may have grown up together, but Chris doesn’t know Justin the same way Dan does. And apparently Chris doesn’t know Dan too well, either, if he thinks Dan would ever want to cheat on somebody who’s lying in a hospital bed.

Evan’s just a typical rich kid, Dan decides, taking something that means a lot to somebody and turning it into a game for his own amusement. Well, Dan doesn’t want to play. He has to be polite, since Evan’s a bit too powerful to insult, but that’s all.

Dan realizes that it’s easier to make this sort of resolution when he’s at the far end of the bar. When he’s standing in front of Evan again, faced with the full warmth of the man’s personality, Dan finds himself smiling a little more sincerely than he had intended. “You got one?”

“Like I said, man, I’ve got lots. I really don’t think one is going to be enough. Is there anything I can do to earn a couple more?” Yes, Evan is definitely flirting. Dan knows he should shut it down, but he’s a little curious to see just how far Evan will take it. And, if he’s completely honest with himself, maybe he’s enjoying the attention a little.

“I doubt it, but if your first one isn’t too horrific, I’ll think about it.” “Oh. Not horrific… I gotta be honest, that eliminates a lot of my ideas right off the top.”

Another customer needs a drink, so Dan just raises an eyebrow at Evan and moves around the bar. When he returns, Evan is smiling happily. “Okay, I’ve got one. It’s easy, no horror whatsoever.” Dan nods, so Evan continues. “How did you get started with riding?”

Dan knows that
should
be an easy question, so he can’t blame Evan for asking it. Still, he doesn’t really want to answer. “I was living with a family, and they had horses, and they taught me.” It’s a bit of a gloss, but it’s not a lie.

“With a family? Like, not
your
family?”

 

“You got one question, man. Not two.” Dan moves down the bar and picks up a glass to start polishing.

Evan shifts along to follow him, bringing his beer. “No, this is just a follow-up. A clarification, even. Your original answer was vague and incomplete!”

Evan doesn’t seem like the type to take hints, and Dan is reminded again that the other man is a spoiled rich kid, used to getting what he wants. “Okay. No, they weren’t my family.”

“But you do have a family, right?”
“What do you think, Evan, I was hatched from an egg?”

Evan’s face lights up. “Yeah, that’s good! We’ll exchange questions. That’s a great idea!” Evan almost claps his hands. Dan is pretty sure the innocent enthusiasm thing is an act, but he’s not quite positive.

Evan continues. “Okay, your question was, ‘Evan, do you think I was hatched from an egg?’ My answer to that is, ‘No, Dan, I do not believe that at all, and I am sure you were born from a traditional union between a human male and a human female.’” Evan’s smile is mockcondescending. “You’ll notice, I think, that I answered the question fully, and even gave a little extra. Perhaps you could use that as a model for your answer to my next question.” Dan refuses to smile, but Evan continues anyway. “Okay, my next question is… do you like your job?”

That one’s a bit easier, so Dan decides to play along. He has a question he wants to ask Evan, after all. “Yes, Evan, I like my job. It’s not perfect all the time, but in general, I enjoy it.”

Evan nods, looking impressed. “Excellent, you’re really picking the game up quickly. Okay, now it’s your turn.”

 

Dan puts down the glass. “All right, here goes… what were you doing at Molly and Karl’s this morning?”

Evan’s face falls. “Dan, damn. I’m sorry, but I really can’t talk about it. Not now, at least. As soon as things are settled, you’ll be the first to know.”

That was about what Dan expected. “So, you refuse to answer? I guess that means the game’s over.” Dan moves around the bar, this time going to check on the coffee pot. Again, Evan follows him.

“Dan, seriously… I know this must be frustrating for you. But I was just hoping that… I don’t know. I guess I was hoping that all that could be separate.” Evan looks awkward, and Dan wonders if this is what’s beneath the careless exterior, or if it’s just another act. “I mean, you must have people coming on to you pretty much constantly, but, honestly, I’m not just—I’m not just after your looks, not looking for just—you know. I really like you, what I’ve seen so far, and I’d like the chance to get to know you better.” Evan looks like he’s surprised himself with his little speech.

Dan just stares at him, and then says, “Okay, how about I give you an alternate question, then?” Evan nods enthusiastically and waits for Dan to speak. “Here it is, then, question two… Evan, where’s Jeff tonight?”

Dan can’t read the expression on Evan’s face, but his voice is agitated. “No, man, you’ve got it wrong. Jeff and me, we’re not like that. I mean, we’re like that, but we’re not… I mean, believe me, Jeff has no problem with me being here tonight.” Evan catches himself. “Well, no, that’s not quite true. He didn’t think I should come, but it’s because he thought it was stupid, thought it was making things too complicated, not because he has a problem with it in theory. I mean—”

Dan is suddenly tired, and strangely sad, and he cuts Evan off. “Evan, you should go home. There’s nothing for you here.” He fixes Evan with a level stare to show that he means it. This time when he walks away, Evan doesn’t follow.

Chapter 5

E
VAN
leaves the bar shortly after Dan starts ignoring him. Dan feels mostly relieved, and tries to disregard the tiny little niggle of disappointment. Evan seems like a good enough guy, and Lord knows he’s not hard to look at. Maybe in another life, Dan would have been interested, even if the Jeff situation is still a little confusing. But in this life, he knows that the whole thing is out of the question.

Dan helps close down the bar and then heads home to find a note pinned to his door. It’s from Molly, asking him to come by the house the next morning at nine.

So, that’s it, then. He’ll find out what’s going on in… he checks his watch. Six hours. He’s really just fed up with the drama—he’s been more than just an employee to Karl and Molly, and he doesn’t understand what he’s done to be shut out like this, and he doesn’t really appreciate it.

He falls asleep quickly but wakes up, as usual, when he hears Robyn arrive to feed the horses. He tries to get back to sleep, but then the sun shines in his window, and he knows it’s a lost cause.

He showers, dresses, and tries to think of a way to kill almost two hours. He settles on going down and helping Robyn take the horses out. Even if he’s not allowed to ride, it’s still calming to be around them. He and Robyn grill each other looking for extra information, but there’s none to be had.

Finally, he heads over to the house. He’s a little early, but he doesn’t think Karl or Molly will mind. In better times he would have expected to mooch some sort of breakfast from them, but he doubts that’s in the cards today.