Willow Smoke (18 page)

“This
is
old
ground,
Nick.
You’re
trying
to
avoid
my
question.
We
would’ve
never
met,
and
you
know
it.
So
who’s
the
damn
woman?”

Nick
balled
a
fist
and
examined
his
curled
fingers.
He
loosened
and
flexed
them.
He
blinked.
“Her
name
is
Daisy
Matthews. She
trains
horses
at
Arlington
Park.”

“Horses.
You
mean
race
horses?”
Tom
cocked
his
head.
“You
mean
you’re
getting
into
the
ponies?”

“You
remember
Mike
Barnes?”

Tom
nodded.
“Sure,
he
bought
several
of
the
last
X-Tens
and
a
half
dozen
T-Nines
for
some
kind
of
resort
he
was
buying
in
northern
Wisconsin.”

“When
it
came
time
to
pay,
he
didn’t
have
the
cash.
Instead,
he
talked
me
into
accepting
a
race
horse
in
payment.”

Tom
shoved
back
and
laughed.
“You
are
such
a
soft
touch,
man.
It’s
amazing
we
make
any
profit.
So
the
woman
came
with
the
horse?”

“Sort of. She’s quite
attached to the mare.
If
I
sold
the
animal,
she’d
lose
the
horse,
too.
There
was
something
in
her
eyes
that
I saw. Don’t know. Anyway, I couldn’t sell the damn horse, so now I’m in the
horse racing business.”

“And in her pants?”

“No, she’s too young.
She can’t even be thirty.”

“Is she too young? Or
are you too old?”

Nick glowered at him.

“Can’t be too old if you
can still get it up. She can’t be too young if she’s over eighteen
.”

“Harrison,
sometimes
you’re
beyond
explanation.”
Nick
folded
his
arms
across
his
chest.
“Willow
is
different.
She’s
had
a
tough
life.
She
grew
up
on
the
streets,
the
best
I
can
figure
out,
and
has
pulled
herself
up
with
a
little
help
from
others. Courage,
man,
she’s
determined,
and
she’s
got
guts.”

“Sounds
good.
If
what
you
say
is
true,
she’s
probably
a
hell
of
a
lot
more
experienced
than
her
age
would
suggest.”

Nick
nodded.
“No
doubt
about
that.
I
wish
she
wouldn’t
dress
so
provocatively.
She
must
draw
guys
like
fresh
honey
attracts
bears.”

“Must be nice to look
at.”

“Oh,
yeah. Tall, willowy, strawberry
blond hair, legs that go on forever, and nipples that pout as much as she does.”

“You sound hooked.”

Nick flinched. “Nah, she’s
too young for an old guy like me.”

“Can’t get it up any
more, huh? I’ve heard of a remedy or two.”

“Cut the bullshit. You
know that’s not it.”

“Well, you’re not
planning on marrying her, are you? So why should age matter this much?”

“Of course not. Why
would I want to marry her?”

The phone rang and Nick
grabbed it after one ring. He closed his eyes and breathed. It was a buyer
checking on a delivery date. Who had he expected to call? During the past
several weeks
,
she’d
never
once
called
him.
He’d
always
called
her.
As
he
talked
with
the
buyer,
Nick
watched
Tom
get
up,
wave
and
leave.
Marriage?
Not
likely.
Once
was
enough.

- o -

Holding
the
phone
out
away
from
her
ear,
Daisy
cussed
herself
for
not
letting
the
answering
machine
take
a
message.
But
a
call
late
at
night
often
meant
a
problem
at the stable.

“Every time you fuck up
I lose money!”

Daisy
shivered
at
Reggie’s
rage.
He
must
be
on
something.
But
then
he
always
was.

“Well,
what
do
you
have
to
say
for
yourself,
bitch?
Five
losers
in
a
row.
And
I
really
laid on them heavy. After three winners
last week, I thought you were hot.”

Screwing up her courage,
Daisy replied, “You can’t count on horses winning. Too many things can go
wrong.”

“Not if you get your
facts right. I know how it is.”

Daisy winced at Reggie’s
slurred words.

“Are you giving me bad
information, bitch?”

“No, of course not.”

“You better not. If I
ever found out you were...”

Withdrawing into a shell
she knew well from her younger days, Daisy whispered, “I didn’t ask you to bet
on those horses. Maybe you should stop betting.”

“No! You just give me
some better
tips.
We’re
depending
on
you.
Maxine
is
depending
on
you.
We’re
the
only
family
you
got,
bitch.
Don’t
forget
it.”

She
heard
his
phone
slam,
and
then
there
was
blessed
quiet.
Daisy
hung
up
and
grimaced.
She’d
continue
trying,
for
Maxine’s
sake,
but
there
was
no
surefire
way
of
guaranteeing
winners.

Daisy
rolled
over
and
hugged
Bear.
Reggie
would
never
be
satisfied
with
sporadic
winners.
When
would
his
patience
snap?
And
then
what?

- o -

“That’s
a
no-brainer.”
Nick
stretched
his
long
legs
out
in
front
of
him
in
Sam
Gallagher’s
shedrow
office.
Sam
sat
in
his
desk
chair
chewing
on
his
unlit
pipe.
Daisy
sprawled
atop
an
upside-down
empty
feed
bucket.

Sam
nodded.
“So
where
do
you
want
to
race?”

Daisy
watched
Nick.
She’d
come
to
know
his
moods
fairly
well
during
the
past
six
weeks.
She
knew
what
his
decision
would
be.
They
had
a
choice
of
running
RainbowBlaze
in
a
mid-level
allowance
race
at
Arlington,
a
low
end
stakes
race
at
Iowa’s
Prairie
Meadows,
or
a
similar
race
at
Canterbury.
The
Canterbury
purse
was
smallest,
but
money
wouldn’t
be
the
key
for
Nicholas
Underwood.
He’d
want
to
take
Rainbow
to
Minnesota
to
share
his
newest
passion
with
his
family.