“Not me. He wasn’t my horse. But yes, it had to be done. A hundred-thousand-dollar stallion. But not worth the life of a young mother. I’ll never forgive myself for not having insisted on it sooner.”
“And this horse? Fire Dance?” Roper waited for an answer, but Tolson’s silence told him enough. The decision wouldn’t be his to make.
Tolson had moved to One in a Million’s stall. “I remember this big boy,” he said. “He was Frank Culhane’s horse. One of the great ones. So you’ll be riding him in the Run for a Million?”
“That’s the plan. He was supposed to be my backup horse, but now it’ll all be up to him.”
“It’s still hard to believe Frank’s gone,” Tolson said. “And the way he died—even thinking about it gives me chills. Was the bastard who killed him ever caught?”
“Not yet. The FBI is still working on that.” Roper struggled to ignore the gnawing sensation in his stomach.
“Any idea who might have done it?”
“No.” Roper knew better than to venture a guess. He was innocent, but the killer was almost certainly someone he knew, maybe even someone he cared about. And Sam Rafferty was relentless in his quest to close the case.
“I’ll take my leave and let you get back to work,” Tolson said. “If Hayden wants to take a chance on the stallion, he can talk to me. But you’ve already heard what I think.”
“I’ll pass that on. Still, it’s a shame. He’s a beautiful animal. And what happened to him was in no way his fault.”
“It’s almost never the horse’s fault,” Tolson said. “It’s usually the humans who deserve the blame.”
He had turned to go, but paused at the sight of Cheyenne coming down the row, looking preoccupied.
“Any word from Hayden?” Roper asked as she came closer.
“Nothing. I’d hoped he might let us know about his father, but I can understand why we might not hear. I’ll keep checking my phone.”
Buck held back for a moment before he spoke. “I understand this might be a bad time, Cheyenne, but I was hoping to invite you to lunch. You could ask me anything you want to know about cutting. After that, I won’t be available. The vet has cleared Chief to perform, so I’ll be busy getting ready for tonight’s competition.”
“That’s very kind of you,” she replied without hesitation. “I’d be a fool not to say yes.”
A faint smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Your choice. Do you have a favorite place?”
“No. Just something close and simple. Let’s go.”
Roper watched them walk away, chatting but not touching. He’d sensed a subtle vibration between them. But Tolson was older, close to Roper’s own age, with a face weathered by some hard living. Roper knew the signs. Hayden would be a better match for her. But Cheyenne was very much her own woman. He could only hope she’d make the right choices.
He moved to the gate of Fire Dance’s stall. The stallion laid his ears back, snorted, and lunged. His eyes reflected a nameless terror that no one could ease.
Buck Tolson’s chilling account of the stable hand’s death was a warning. But if anything could help Fire Dance, Roper vowed, he would move heaven and earth to see it done.
Jasmine’s shaking hand hovered over the phone. She was no saint, but she had a conscience. She couldn’t look the other way while her brother set a deadly trap for Lila Culhane. And she couldn’t be part of his plan.
But if she defied Darrin, and if he used those photos to betray her secret love, Sam’s life would be ruined.
She could wait—simply do nothing—or even leave town. But that wouldn’t stop Darrin and Simone. She could try to call her mother. But Madeleine had insisted on going no contact for Jasmine’s protection. And even if Jasmine could call her, Madeleine hated Lila and would probably side with her son.
There was only one person Jasmine could call for help.
Braced for the worst, she entered Sam’s number on the hotel phone. He answered on the first ring and listened without comment as she poured out her story. By the end of it, she was fighting tears.
“I don’t know what to do, Sam. My brother is a terrible person, and his wife is even worse. I would do anything to stop them. But none of this is your fault. I can’t let them destroy your future because of me.”
Sam spoke at last. “Let me be the judge of that, Jasmine. Nobody forced me to fall in love with you. That’s something I wouldn’t change for the world. As for the rest, you need to step back and let me do my job. Darrin’s threat to use those photos is just that—a threat. I’ll deal with it.”
“But what about Lila? She’s got to be protected.”
“That’s my job, too. I’ll handle it. But right now, for the record, I need to ask you some questions—the same questions a prosecutor might ask you. I’ll be recording them for your protection and mine. Answer them as if you were under oath.”