Page 22 of Lie for a Million

She called the cell number from her car and was lucky enough to reach Tony on the first try. She listened as he told her what to do, where to go, and what time to be there.

She would have to drive to Abilene to meet him, deliver the cash and samples, and get her blood drawn. That could be managed. As for the payment, Judd had drug money stashed in his room above the garage. Crystal still had the key he’d given her. She could help herself to the five hundred, with enough extra for the trip. It was only fair that Judd contribute to something that could be his fault.

As she started the car, she could feel the excitement pulsing through her veins. She was taking charge of her future. With luck, what she learned over the next few days would set a course for the life she’d dreamed of.

And if the baby turned out to be Judd’s?

That would be bad news.

* * *

Roper had passed a sleepless night in the stable. He’d spent most of the time talking to Fire Dance, brushing him, and even singing to him, getting the stallion accustomed to his scent and the sound of his voice.

One in a Million had needed attention as well. The older stallion was accustomed to sharing the stable and paddock with other males—his own offspring and other colts he’d known from their weanling days. And he got along fine with other stallions at show events. But this was different. It was as if, in Fire Dance, the big roan sensed a threat to his territory and his place as number one horse in the stable. His deeply buried ancestral genes were urging him to defend what was his.

Roper had spent time trying to calm him in the night. He’d never known a well-bred and well-trained horse to behave this way. Maybe witnessing Frank’s murder had traumatized the big roan in ways that even a horse expert couldn’t understand.

For now, the two stallions would need to be kept apart. Later this morning, after the grooms arrived, One in a Million could be turned loose in the paddock to run off his nervous energy. Roper hoped that, with time, One in a Million would calm down and come to accept his perceived rival.

At first light, Roper found the saddle, bridle, blanket, and leg wrappings that had been delivered with Fire Dance. The young chestnut stallion was still edgy, but wearing the familiar tack seemed to remind him that it was time to go to work. He followed meekly as Roper led him through the stable and out into the arena, talking to him all the way.

“It’s all right, boy. You’ll do your job, I’ll do mine. We’re going to become a team, and we’re going to win that million-dollar prize . . .”

As he put a boot in the stirrup to mount, Roper found himself wondering whether he believed his own words. Had he made the right decision choosing this horse? He thought about the times he’d ridden One in a Million in practice and in their single stunning competition—their wordless connection, as if the big roan could read his mind. Roper had known from the beginning that the great horse would give all that was asked of him, and more.

Even as he settled into the saddle, Roper could hear the muffled challenge calls from the far side of the stable. He closed his ears to the sound. One in a Million had been a true legend with the heart of a champion. But he was too old, too slow, and too fragile to compete for the year’s biggest prize in reining.

Roper felt Fire Dance’s body tighten beneath him as he nudged the stallion to a walk. But as the warm-up progressed, the horse began to relax. As Roper nudged him faster, he fell into the rhythm of an easy trot. His smooth gait was like the feel of driving a pricey new car.

As they eased into a routine of turns, gallops, and sliding stops, taking it slow at first, Roper’s doubts began to lift. Fire Dance was an impressive horse. With trust and communication, they could become a winning team—eventhewinning team.

Someone was watching from the open side of the arena, standing in a shaft of morning sunlight. Roper’s pulse quickened as he realized it was Lila.

He hadn’t expected her to show up. But it meant something that she’d cared enough to come. Now that she was here, he wanted to show her what Fire Dance could do. With a tightening of his knees, he urged the stallion to a lope. The horse responded to his touch, swift and sure, changing directions on cue. Confidence growing, Roper urged him to the gallop that would end in a sliding stop.

With his attention focused on the horse, Roper was barely aware that the grooms had arrived and started their work in the stable. Only as Fire Dance had completed the slide and was taking the backward steps that would end the pattern did Roper hear the frantic shouts and the sound of running feet.

In the next instant, One in a Million exploded out of the stable and into the arena. With a scream of fury, he headed straight for Fire Dance.

Startled, Fire Dance reared. Still in the saddle, Roper fought to pull the younger stallion back, away from the attack. Freeing a boot from the stirrup, he tried to distract the big roan with a kick to the shoulder. But One in a Million was relentless, rearing, flailing his hooves, flashing his teeth as he tried to bite his rival. Fire Dance screamed as a flying hoof struck his hindquarters. Roper reined him back, but One in a Million kept coming, determined to do some damage.

Suddenly someone was there, leaping in from the side to seize One in a Million’s halter. Roper’s heart lurched as he realized it was Lila. She gripped the halter with both hands, trying to pull the big roan down, but against his strength, her slight weight was no more than a feather. She was pulled off her feet and swung like a rag doll against the stallion’s side.

“No!” Roper cried out as she lost her hold and fell to the arena floor, landed hard, and lay still.

The grooms—three strong young men—were running in from the stable. Two of them flanked One in a Million and seized the stallion’s halter from either side. Wrestling him under control, they maneuvered him back to a safe distance. He stood between them, eyes rolling, sides heaving. The third man grabbed Fire Dance’s reins, freeing Roper to fling himself out of the saddle and race to where Lila lay.

Sick with worry, he dropped to his knees next to her. She lay curled on her side. Her eyes were closed. The slight rise and fall of her ribs, beneath her cream silk blouse, told him she was still breathing, but that didn’t mean she was all right. She could be badly injured, even dying. Lord help him, what if he’d lost her?

Not daring to move her for fear of injuries, he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Lila,” he murmured. “Can you hear me?”

A whimper rose from her throat. Her eyelids fluttered and opened. She blinked, her expression confused. “What . . . happened?” She mouthed the words.

“You got tossed,” he said. “Can you move?”

Cautiously, she straightened one leg, then the other. Her hands stirred, opened, and closed. So far so good. Watching her, Roper realized he was sweating with relief. “Take it slow. Don’t try to sit up yet,” he said. “You’ve had a nasty fall. You could be in shock, maybe even have a concussion or internal injuries.”

“The horses . . . ,” she said, finding her voice.

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