We Can Laugh Together Too (Walnut Grove Trilogy) (5 page)

She nodded and pushed the bedclothes back. “I’ll jump in the
shower too.”

Half an hour later, they met outside and set off in search
of breakfast.

♠  
♠   ♠

After checking out, they secured their bags in the trunk of the car and
Matt drove north to the charming little town of Los Osos and Montana De Oro
State Park. Despite being so early in the season, they came up behind several
RVs crawling in procession towards the entrance, so once inside the park, Matt
consulted a map, then, intrigued by its name, headed for Spooner’s Cove, tucked
away in the north-west corner.

The cove boasted a ruggedly beautiful beach, hemmed in on
both sides by tall cliffs and along these were slanted rock formations, one in
particular where the cliff dropped down in the shape of an arch, allowing
passage through it. There were tide pools, and in the middle of the cove, a
giant rock hefted itself from the beach, and out into the water. It proved to
be easily climbable, and delivered a pleasing view of the blue ocean and white
froth from the surf crashing below.

They sat together, at its highest point, listening to the
sounds of the waves. Matt embraced Livi, holding her close; she snuggled up to
him, her head nestled against his neck.

“I don’t want this weekend to end,” he whispered, his lips
pressed into her hair. “Last night was more than I ever dared dream about. It
really did happen didn’t it, it wasn’t my imagination?”

She smiled, “It wasn’t a dream. Before I fell asleep I was
thinking I would wake up this morning consumed with guilt because of what we
did, but it wasn’t like that at all. I just felt ridiculously happy.”

He hugged her even closer to him. “I love you Livi, that’s
all I’ve been able to think about for weeks. Leaving you tonight is going to
break my heart.”

She took a moment before replying. “We have no choice. If it
was just you and me it would be different, but Chrissy was devastated when her
Dad died. She’s been brilliant accepting you as a friend, but asking her to
accept you as my lover is something very different. It’s going to involve a lot
of careful planning.”

“I know, and believe me, I understand, I really do, but it
doesn’t make it any easier to come to terms with. And how I’m going to deal
with moving up to Napa in a couple of weeks I honestly don’t know.”

Livi raised her head from his chest, “I thought we weren’t
going to mention work this weekend. Don’t be unhappy, please. We’ll sort it all
out, one way or another, I know we will. We’ve got to.”

He kissed her. “Yes, we’ve got to.”

He helped her down off the rock and they ambled hand in hand
back across the beach, occasionally, finding bits of blue and green sea glass,
tumbled by the constant motion of ocean and sand to appear as beautiful,
polished gems. Livi was enchanted and collected several pieces. “These are some
great souvenirs,” she said in delight. “Priceless!”

Eventually they returned to the car and started back towards
San Luis Obispo. The midday sun filtered through the trees and threw dappled
shadows across the road. The park was serene, yet splendid. In spite of the
obstacles looming ahead, Livi felt extraordinarily happy.

♠  
♠   ♠

They arrived back at Walnut Grove shortly after seven
o’clock. Rosa was sitting on the bench outside the kitchen door sipping
lemonade and Livi caught a glimpse of the girls and dogs half way down the
track to Isidoro’s house.

Rosa greeted them with a beaming smile. “Welcome home. I
hope you had a good weekend.”

“We did indeed,” Matt assured her, hoisting Livi’s overnight
bag out of his SUV. “Shall I put this in the kitchen?”

“Yes, please.” She followed him inside and gasped with
pleasure: the big room sparkled and fresh baked dishes of tamales and aromatic hot
breads sat temptingly in the middle of the table. “Oh, Rosa this look
wonderful, but you shouldn’t have. Thank you.”

“My pleasure Mrs. Leonard. I like to keep busy. Chrissy has
already eaten, so you won’t have to worry about her tonight, and I’ve washed
and ironed the sheets Katia and I used.”

Livi was lost for words. “Rosa, I bless the day you and
Isidoro came into our lives.” Impulsively she hugged the little Mexican lady,
who looked as if she might burst with pride at any moment. To cover her
self-consciousness, she picked up a cloth and wiped away a few non-existent
spots from the countertop. “I’ll be going then Mrs. Leonard.”

She started for the door, but Matt quickly stopped her.
“There’s no need to walk, let me drive you.”

Rosa protested, but Matt insisted. He was only gone a few
minutes, but Livi took the opportunity to dash up to her room and change into
shorts and a tee-shirt. She was sitting at the table munching a tamale when he returned,
accompanied by Chrissy and the two exuberant Dalmatians.

“Look who I found,” he said with a grin. “Three girls
looking for a ride home.”

“Hi Mom, have fun?” Chrissy planted a kiss on Livi’s cheek.
“I’m going to watch TV in my room,” and with a swirl of honey blond hair she
was gone.

Livi burst out laughing. “I don’t think she even missed me.”
She hugged her boisterous dogs, “but you did didn’t you? I hope you behaved
yourselves.”

They wriggled and squirmed with pleasure. “Dogs are so
uncomplicated,” she said. “You should have a dog — it would be good company for
you.”

Matt sat down at the table and helped himself to a tamale.
“My life’s not stable enough at the moment — wow this is good — going from
contract to contract, a dog could be an obstacle, I often have to live in a
motel.”

She looked at him wide-eyed. “A motel? That’s dreadful. What
will they provide for you to live in Napa?”

“Haven’t got a clue. Don’t want to think about it right
now.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “This unbelievable
weekend’s nearly over. How are we going to get some time together without
upsetting Chrissy?”

Livi shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. You’re working
during the day and she’s here most of the time now school’s out. She doesn’t
seem to have any suspicions yet, but . . .” A gleam suddenly appeared in her
eye. “But you can come and check on the horses with me.” She pulled him to his
feet. “Come on, I told Isidoro I’d do it this evening.”

Elated at the prospect of another walk, the dogs frolicked
ahead of them. Ignoring the horses in the paddocks, they let themselves into
the barn and immediately they were inside, Matt took her in his arms and kissed
her hungrily. Livi could smell the musk of his body and pressed closer to him, thrilled
by their closeness. “Let’s go into the tack room,” she managed to whisper.

The tack room was redolent with the scent of saddle soap and
linseed oil. Livi pulled a pile of horse blankets off a shelf and spread them
on the floor. “Not the Spyglass Inn I’m afraid,” she admitted with a giggle,
“but better than nothing.”

This time Matt undressed her, kissing her bare flesh, his
hands moving lightly, running his fingers over her breasts and stomach, his
touch little more than a whisper against her skin. Then he stood back up and
removed his own clothes; the fading light slanting through the window reflected
off his suntanned body in almost a patina.

He lowered himself back down into her arms and slid his own
arms around her. The undisguised emotion in his eyes consumed her and when he
spoke his voice was hoarse. “I love you Livi, I’ve never felt like this about
anyone before, actually, I never knew I
could
feel like this, you’ve
changed my life completely.”

Livi kissed his neck, then his chest and felt her back arch
involuntarily as she pressed against his hard, muscular body. “I love you too.
God knows, I tried not to, but like you said, we don’t choose who we fall in
love with; it just creeps up on us. Please," she added in a whisper,
". . . now fate has brought us together and it’s so perfect, don’t leave
me and go to Napa.” There were tears of distress in her eyes.

“I must,” he whispered. “If I let the agency down this late,
it’ll be another huge black mark against me. Six weeks will soon pass.”

He silenced her with another kiss, before slowly,
sensuously, his lips traveled down her neck to her breasts and her stomach. His
tenderness made her shudder and her need for him became palpable. They fit
together as if made for each other.

♠  
♠   ♠

It was nearly midnight when eventually Matt left. They sat talking
in the kitchen for ages, putting off his inevitable departure, but when he saw Livi
stifling a yawn, he got to his feet and kissed the top of her head affectionately.

“I’d better leave, you look exhausted. No . . .” he
interrupted her protest “. . . we can’t hide in your kitchen for the rest of
our lives. I’ll see you tomorrow, I promise.”

They walked outside to his SUV, and for once the dogs didn’t
follow; they were curled up sound asleep in their beds.

He kissed her one last time, then climbed into the vehicle,
started the engine and drove slowly away. Livi stood watching his tail lights
until they disappeared from view.

Monday morning brought Livi sharply back to reality. Her
attorney phoned to break the news that he had heard from Edward’s attorney.
They were pursuing Edward’s claim for a quarter of a million dollars in
compensation for his loss. Sitting at the familiar kitchen table, she buried
her face in her arms and wept.

She had absolutely no idea what to do, but clearly she had
to do something or she would lose Walnut Grove. Consumed in her thoughts, she
didn’t hear the front door bell — no-one ever used it, so it wasn’t a sound
familiar to her — consequently, she was startled when a man poked his head
around the kitchen door. “Livi . . . ?”

She raised her tear-blotched face, startled, and for a
moment failed to recognize her visitor, then she realized it was Sam Nichols,
the owner of their lone boarding mare.

“Sam!” she jumped to her feet. “What are you doing here?”

“Arriving in the nick of time to rescue the damsel in
distress by the looks of things. Whatever’s the matter Livi?”

She rubbed away her tears with the back of her hand and made
a futile attempt to conjure up a smile. “It’s a long story. I’ll make some
coffee and tell you.”

Sam was a rotund man in his late sixties. He’d accumulated a
ton of money negotiating shrewd property deals, and had, in fact helped Will
and Livi buy Walnut Grove at an especially good price.

He listened to her story attentively, then said just two
words: “Ben Veiga.”

Livi was bewildered. “Ben Veiga? I know the name, but I
can’t place . . .”

“He’s the mastermind behind Team Spirit — the biggest racing
syndication business in the world. He’ll steer you right.” He pulled his cell
phone out from his pocket. “I’ll give him a call.”

As it transpired, Sam had had to call two other numbers
before he eventually tracked down his quarry, but finally they connected and
spent several minutes in animated conversation.

In due course, he turned back to Livi. “You’re in luck; he’s
on the west coast for Barretts Sales and the opening of Del Mar. Can you meet
him at Moonshadows on PCH in Malibu for lunch on Wednesday?”

She was totally lost for words. “I guess . . .”

“Great,” he returned to the phone. “Yes, she can do that --
one o’clock in the Blue Lounge . . .” he raised his eyebrows at Livi, but resumed
the conversation before she could respond. “She’ll be there. I appreciate this
Ben, she and her late husband are -- were good friends of mine.”

He disconnected and beamed at Livi. “As good as solved.
Don’t concern yourself with travel details, I’ll send my car. I’ll have my
driver pick you up at, say eleven thirty?”

Livi felt as if she was being run over by a road roller, but
an especially benign and kindly road roller. “Yes,” she said weakly. “That’ll
be fine.”

“Good! Ben said take any and all paperwork you have relative
to the partnership. Everything! Now, let’s do what I came here for and see my
mare and her foal, then I’ll take you to Mother Hubbard's in Buellton for lunch.
I love the place.”

♠  
♠   ♠

Matt arrived at the farm a little before seven, his hair
still damp from the shower. Chrissy was nowhere to be seen, so he took
advantage of her absence to kiss Livi tenderly. She clung to him for a long
time before eventually steering him to sit down opposite her at the table,
where she poured out the latest chapter of events.

Consternation flooded his eyes. “My god, things don’t get
any easier for you do they? Actually, I know Ben Veiga too, Team Spirit always
have horses in Florida and I met him several times at Calder and Hialeah. He
seems to be a nice guy.”

Livi was intrigued. “Wow, it’s a small world. But let’s look
on the bright side. Sam Nichols is convinced Ben Veiga will be able to advise
me how to get Edward off my back.” A thought suddenly occurred to her. “I don’t
suppose there’s any way you could come with me is there?”

Matt spread his hands. “I honestly don’t know. I doubt it,
but I’ll certainly ask Doc Blair first thing tomorrow if he can spare me. Don’t
get your hopes up though, the midweek’s usually busy.”

She reached across and patted his arm. “No, I won’t, I
promise, but if you can make it, it would be great, especially since you
already know him.”

♠  
♠   ♠

Wednesday dawned. Needing a distraction for a few minutes, Livi
went out to the barn with the two dogs and walked round with Isidoro as he
checked on the horses, then she returned to the house to prepare for her trip
to Malibu. She had spent much of Tuesday meticulously collecting every document
and scrap of paper she considered relevant and assembling them in chronological
order in a folder. She was all too aware that their entire financial future
depended upon the meeting she would shortly attend.

Matt hadn’t been able to confirm whether or not he would be
able to accompany her. Doc Blair had been more than fair and told him to wait
and see how the day developed. If there were no crises or emergency calls, he
could leave at eleven thirty and Livi would ask Ben Veiga’s driver to make the
small diversion to the clinic to pick him up. He had promised to stay in touch.

He called at eleven and to Livi’s delight, said he could go.
She put the phone down feeling extraordinarily pleased, and realized how this
man’s presence was so significant to her. Matt’s sheer personality and the
connection they had forged were now fundamental to her being.

They arrived at their destination several minutes early. Livi
was concerned how the driver would pass the time, but he assured her he spent
most of his life waiting for his passengers. He opened the door of the Lexus
for them to alight and she felt the eyes of the parking valets upon them as
they walked into the restaurant. She was glad Matt was with her to lend his
support.

Once inside, Matt explained they were lunching with Ben Veiga,
and the hostess straightaway ushered them through to the Blue Lounge. Their
host was already seated at a table, sipping a drink, and he rose to his feet as
they approached. His face broke into a smile as he recognized Matt.

“Matt, this is a surprise. I had no idea you were in
California.”

Matt accepted his hand and shook it warmly. “Nice to see you
Ben. May I introduce my friend, Olivia Leonard. Livi, this is Ben Veiga.”

“Delighted to meet you Livi – may I call you Livi? Sit down
both of you and let me get you a drink.” He beckoned a hovering waiter who took
their order, before gesturing to the manila folder Livi was clutching. “I see
you’ve come armed with the evidence, but let’s get acquainted first, before we
talk business.”

She smiled in agreement and placed the folder on the floor
next to her. Their drinks arrived and they decided from the menu what they wanted
to eat. After a few sips, Livi began to relax and enjoy herself. Matt was
chatting easily with their host about what he was doing in California and Ben
gave them the names of several Team Spirit horses that he expected to perform
well during the upcoming Del Mar meet. “Opening day is July 17
^th
, you
should try to get down,” he urged. “We maintain a box there.”

Livi smiled wistfully. “By then, Matt’s scheduled to be on a
new contract in Napa, and to be honest, it’s not something I’d want to do
without him.”

Ben glanced at Matt sharply. “Napa? That’s miles away. Why
on earth are you going there?”

“Because I committed to the contract weeks ago and it’s too
late to back out. People tend to get annoyed when they’re let down.”

“True, true.” Ben drummed his fingers thoughtfully on the
table. “I’ve always been impressed by your abilities as a vet and I could never
get to the bottom of why you vanished from Florida so suddenly. Nobody wanted
to discuss it.”

“Personal reasons.” Matt replied. “Nothing professional, I
assure you. Looking back, I probably reacted to a situation much too hastily,
but . . .” he reached across and took Livi’s hand, “had it not happened I
wouldn’t have met Livi.”

“I see. Tell me, have you settled for just doing contract
work? If you and Livi are serious about each other, surely you need some
stability.”

“I agree, but there just aren’t any openings at the moment. Livi’s
horse farm’s not far from Buellton and the equine practice I’m locuming for is
one of just a few in the area. I’ve tried, believe me.”

“I’m sure you have.” Ben smiled benignly. “Give me your
phone number and I’ll keep my ear to the ground. Good grief, Napa must be more
than three hundred miles away. I spend my life talking to horse people so I
might just hear something to your advantage.”

Livi could scarcely believe what she’d just heard. Her face
lit up. “Oh, Ben, thank you. It looks as if Napa can’t be avoided, but
afterwards maybe . . . ?”

“We’ll see.” Ben pushed his plate aside and signaled to the
waiter to refill their glasses. “But now it’s your turn. Tell me your story Livi.”

Systematically, Livi explained her entire situation,
illustrating and enforcing various points with documents from her folder.
Occasionally Ben asked questions, but for the most part he was content to
listen attentively.

Eventually, when she was finished, he asked: “Was this a
general partnership? It seems as if it was.”

Livi was confused. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

Ben sipped his drink. “Was it a limited partnership the same
as Team Spirit where the horse runs under that name exclusively, or was it a
general partnership where all the percentage holders held a license and were
listed individually as owners?”

Her confidence returned. “Oh, a general partnership then,
definitely. Pink Parachute was always listed as being owned by William and Olivia
Leonard and Edward G. Leonard. Look --” she sorted through her folder. “Here’s
a race card. See --  race eight.”

A big smile overtook Ben’s face. “Then you’re in the clear Livi.
It’s the responsibility of all general partners to take out their own insurance
policies, relative to the percentage they own in the horse. Each partner
assumes equal responsibilities of ownership. On the other hand, had it been a
limited partnership, none of the partners are qualified to hold a license as an
owner, and certainly wouldn’t have been listed in the program. You should never
have given Edward any part of the insurance settlement you received; you need
to claim it back from him.”

Livi stared at him. “But my attorney told me . . .” her
voice trailed away.

“He’s obviously not conversant with California thoroughbred partnership
law; it’s a very specialized field. If you want a second opinion, I’ll put you
in touch with our insurance guru in Louisville, but I guarantee I’m right. Your
attorney can’t be blamed; he clearly isn’t familiar with horse racing
partnerships. I’ll give you the number of our expert, and I promise you, once
he’s called her, he’ll be in a position to tell your late husband’s cousin
exactly what to do with his ill-advised claim.”

“Thank you,” Livi responded emphatically. “Thank you so
much. Sam Nichols was certain you’d be able to help, and he was right. This is
such a weight off my mind; I was beginning to think I could lose everything.”

Their host smiled benevolently. “I’m pleased I could help. I
don’t want to appear rude, but now I really must be going, I have to meet
someone at LAX in an hour. Both of you give me your phone numbers and I’ll stay
in touch, and Livi, here’s the number for our insurance agent.”

They left the restaurant together. A valet hurried away to
fetch Ben’s car, and with flawless timing, their Lexus purred to a halt in
front of them. The driver jumped out and opened the door.

Livi paused and spontaneously gave Ben a quick hug. “Thank
you,” she said again. “You’re a life saver.”

He kissed her on the cheek and shook Matt’s hand. “It’s been
a real pleasure. We’ll talk again soon, I promise.”

♠  
♠   ♠

Despite her initial positive response to Ben’s tutelage, the
journey home passed in mounting uncertainty for Livi. As they were heading back
up PCH, she again found apprehension pervasively stealing over her like a black
shadow. Two attorneys, Edward’s and her own had believed he had legitimate grounds
to sue her, yet this man had been adamant both were wrong. Were they? Could it
really be that easy?

Unaware of her increasing misgivings, Matt took her hand and
squeezed it. “We need to celebrate. I’ll get some champagne for us tonight;
it’s time for a toast.”

Hearing this, the driver glanced over his shoulder with a
smile. “Actually, I have some Veuve Clicquot on ice in the trunk for you
Mrs.Leonard. Mr. Nichols instructed me to give it to you irrespective of
whether you need to celebrate or drown your sorrows, and I take it a
celebration will be in order.”

Matt laughed. “Did you hear that? You’re really going to be
celebrating in style. This definitely is a triumph for you; it looks as if you’ll
be getting Edward out of your hair once and for all.”

But Livi wasn’t entirely persuaded. “It does seem that way,”
she conceded, “but first I think I need to call that insurance agent and maybe
the California Horse Racing Board too. All I’ve got at the moment is the
opinion of one person against two attorneys. I have to be absolutely sure.”

Her unexpected uncertainties took Matt completely by
surprise. “That’s a quick about-face isn’t it? When we left the restaurant you
were convinced Ben was correct. He genuinely does know what he’s talking about
you know.”

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. “Yes,
you’re undoubtedly right, but after all the worry Edward’s created, I feel I
need to hear it from more than one person before I’m absolutely convinced.”

He fished his cell phone from his pocket. “Let me have the
business card Ben gave you and I’ll call now. You can speak to her as well if
you like.” He dialed and asked to be connected with the woman whose name
appeared on the card. He was put though almost immediately. He introduced
himself as an acquaintance of Ben Veiga, who had suggested he speak to her
regarding thoroughbred insurance and the law.