Page 44 of Shine On Oklahoma

“But…but you could give the profits to yourmother,” she said.

“Mom and I had a heart-to-heart this morning.She feels the same way I do. She’s a successful woman in her ownright. She’s got her boarding stable, and she does really well forherself. She’s ready to let the track go, too. The SRA will paymarket value if living heirs give it up.”

Kendra swallowed hard. “So…then, you’vedecided?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I have a few technicalitiesto work out first, but yeah. Ultimately, we’re letting it go.”

“I think that’s a mistake, Dax.”

“Maybe. I just keep thinking how I’ll feelwhen the newspapers run my name next to that track’s name, and talkabout the family legacy. Maybe they’ll run my photo beside my oldman’s. It’ll feel like a lie.”

“Newspapers,” she said softly. Then she satup quick, hugged her knees to her chest, rested her chin on top ofthem. “And my shot at a new life? At a new career?”

“You already have a new career. Whether youkeep it going, that’s up to you. If we’re gonna make this work, wehave to give each other autonomy over our own lives.”

“Autonomy, huh? So if I choose to go back tohustling fools?”

“Autonomy within reason.”

“That’s a double standard.”

He nodded and sighed, sitting up beside herin the bed. “I only want to be with you if you can give it up forgood, Kendra. I can be honest about that. Just tell me, do you onlywant to be with me if I own a racetrack?”

She looked at him for the first time, and hewanted to believe it was honesty he saw in her eyes. But withKendra, you could never be sure. “My feelings for you haveabsolutely nothing to do with your father’s racetrack. That’s thetruth, Dax.”

He clasped her hands. “I want to buildsomething of my own,” he said. “No. I wantusto buildsomething ofourown. Together.”

She sighed, lowered her head, breaking eyecontact.

“Do you want that, too?” he asked atlength.

“I…I’ve got too much going on right now tofigure out something that deep on five minutes’ notice, okay?” Shedropped her face to her palms, pushed them up and back through herhair.

“That’s fair,” he said. “You’re right. Takesome time. I know this is a big change, Kendra, but I need yourhonesty. I need you to trust me. If we’re gonna go forwardtogether, I need there to be no secrets between us. That’scrucial.”

She lowered her eyes, hiding whatever washappening behind them. Again.

Sighing, he rolled out of the bed, stood up,and felt her looking at his naked body while he gathered up hisclothes. “I’m gonna go.”

“Stay,” she said.

He turned around, his pants in his hand. “Youneed space to think about all this.”

“I think better when I’m wrapped up in you.Stay, Dax. Really.”

She could hurt him so bad if she wanted to.She was still keeping secrets from him. She might be sincere, orshe might be a spider inviting the fly to a sleepover in her web.Man, he was some kind of idiot where this woman was concerned.

He dropped his pants on the floor and crawledback into her bed.

#

The idea had come to Kendra full blown, as ifleft behind by the vodka’s receding tide. She knew exactly what shehad to do. As soon as Dax was snoring peacefully, she crept out ofthe bed, took his cell phone from the nightstand, and pressed histhumb to the home button to unlock it. Then she grabbed a robe andslipped out into the hallway, pulling the door closed behind her,but not letting it lock.

She walked a few feet down the hall in onedirection, only to be brought up short by creaking and thumping andMiss Dolly saying, “Oh, Ned, oh, Ned!”

Kendra pivoted and tiptoed in the oppositedirection as fast as she could go, clicking icons to keep the phonefrom locking up again on the way. In a quiet spot, she gave agentle shudder to try to disengage the images of Dolly and Ned fromher imagination as she surfed for the email address she needed.

#

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