Page 12 of Shine On Oklahoma

“And the cop believed it?”

“No, but Dad also had photos of him in somepretty compromising positions with a whore, so…” She shrugged.

God, that family of hers.

“Kiley said that if you were pretending to bedead, you must have had a good reason. She suspected someonedangerous was after you.”

She shrugged. “Mmm.”

“Mmm? What kind of an answer is that?”

She shrugged. “I dated a guy who turned allstalker on me, and I got scared. Whatever, it’s history now. Youknow what I’d like? I’d like to go riding. Here I am in Big Fallswith a brother-in-law who has a whole herd of horses anda…friend…who’s an expert trainer. I almosthave togoriding, don’t I?”

“You almost have to,” he agreed.

“Will you take me?” She tipped her head upand made her eyes as Disney princess as possible.

His internal reaction was to go warm andgooey. His brain was the only part of him still onto her lies. “Youreally want me to take you riding, even now that you know I’m notgonna inherit a nickel?”

Her smile died. Her eyes turned wounded. “Iguess I deserved that.” She looked at the ground. “I’m sure Robwill take me if I ask.” Heaving a gigantic sigh, she started backtoward The Long Branch. “Thanks for showing me this. I’ll see youaround.”

She walked away.

And he let her go.

For about a hundred steps. He counted them.And then he ran to catch up to her and said, “I’m heading out tothe ranch anyway in the morning. Come out around eight?”

Her smile was as bright as a supernova. “Ican’t wait.”

CHAPTER FOUR

As she stood in the fragrant stable watchinghay dust dance in a beam of morning sunlight, Dax saddled a pair ofhorses for them. Kendra still couldn’t believe it. Sweet, kind,loyal, honest Dax Russell was lying to her.

Lying.

Toher.

He was his father’s heir.

Nealand Russel had only died a couple of daysago, though. They’d just had the funeral day before yesterday. Daxhad attended with his mother, and taken the next flight home.Kendra wasn’t supposed to know those things, but she did. The willprobably hadn’t even been looked at yet by anyone other than thelawyers, who’d probably torn into it before the old man finishedhis final breath. Greedy bastards. She hated lawyers.

Well, except for Caleb Montgomery, on MainStreet. He was country, through and through. Could’ve had a futurein politics, if he could’ve stomached it. She imagined he was toohonest for it, though. He was one of the good guys. They were arare breed, but Texas and Oklahoma seemed to produce more thantheir share. They were the boys who grew up around cattle andcrops. Even if their daddies weren’t ranchers or farmers, thosewere the summer jobs they took all through high school. They likedcars, country music, fishing, and they didn’t mind fighting when itwas called for.

Dax was like that. Born and raised inTennessee, another state with a bumper crop of good guys. He’d toldher all about it one night when they’d had too many beers together,and wound up snuggled on her sofa back in Aurora Springs, NY. She’dbeen there with Jack, scoping out the rich widows who frequentedthe horse races wearing big brimmed hats and sucking down mintjuleps and pretending they were in Kentucky instead of a littletown in New York. The whole place looked as if it had beenteleported from the 1890s. The houses. The shops. Jack had alsobeen scoping out connections. Horseracing drew bosses likehorseshit drew flies.

That was where she and Jack had met VesterCaine, the “business man” responsible for most of the heroin in thenortheast. Jack said he was a lucrative connection to have. Kendradisagreed. She’d pegged him as evil right from the start. If thatbastard hurt her father….

She shifted her thoughts deliberately back toDax, wondering why he’d lied to her.

Dax had told her one night long ago,something she’d already known. That his father had inherited AuroraDowns from his grandfather. And how all the other nearby trackswere owned by the State Racing Association. All but Aurora Downs.The SRA had taken them all over decades ago, to get rid of theorganized crime elements that had infiltrated so many of them. Butone of Dax’s ancestors had pull with somebody important, and agrandfather clause had been created. The clause allowedfamily-owned tracks to remain family-owned, so long as there was anheir to inherit them. And at the time, Aurora Downs had been theonly family-owned track left.

If Dax’s family ran out of heirs, the trackwould go to the SRA. It could never be sold.

Dax’s family had moved from Tennessee to NewYork once his father inherited the track, and he’d spent his teenyears working there. He didn’t have any siblings. His parents haddivorced. There was no one else to inherit. The track was eithergoing to him or to the SRA.

Dax had lied to her. His old man didn’t havea choice but to leave him that track.

So his offer to take her riding might not besomething to celebrate after all. What if he was up tosomething?

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