Page 46 of Irish Rebel
“You’ll be in college this time next year,” Burke reminded her.
“Not if I can help it,” Mo said under her breath.
Recognizing the mutinous look, Erin changed the subject. “Keeley, Burke tells me your new trainer is a natural with the horses, with Travis, and with cards as well.”
“And I hear he’s gorgeous, too,” Mo added.
“Where’d you hear that?” Keeley demanded before she could bite her tongue in two.
“Oh, word gets around in our snug little world,” Mo said grandly. “And Shelley Mason—one of your kids? Her sister Lorna’s in my world history class, ahugebore by the way. The class, that is, not Lorna, who’s only a small bore. Anyway, she picked Shelley up last week from your place and got a load of the Irish hunk, so I heard all about it. Which is why I’m planning on coming over as soon as I can and getting a load of him myself.”
“Trevor, give your sister your pork chop so she can stuff it in her mouth.”
“Dad.” Giggling, Mo snatched another fry. “I’m just going to look. So, Keeley, is he gorgeous? I respect your opinion more than Lorna Mason’s.”
“He’s too old for you,” Keeley said, a bit more sharply than she intended and had Mo rolling her eyes.
“Jeez. I don’t want to marry him and have his children.”
Travis’s laugh prevented Keeley from snapping back with something foolish. “Good thing. Now that I’ve found someone who comes close to replacing Paddy, I don’t intend to lose him to Three Aces.”
“Okay.” Mo licked salt from her fingertip. “I’ll just ogle him.”
Annoyed, and feeling ridiculous at the reaction, Keeley pushed back her chair. “I think I’ll go down and take a look at the field, and check on Lonesome. He’s always a little sulky before a race.”
“Cool.” Mo sprang up. “I’ll go down with you.”
Mo rushed out of the dining room, heading out past the betting windows at a fast clip, so that Keeley was forced to step lively to keep pace. “It’s going to be so much fun for you, having your mom work at the school. There’s nothing like a family operation, you know. Which is all I want. I mean, come on, I don’t have to go to college to be a trainer. If I already know what I want to do, and I’m learning how to do it every day right at home, what’s college going to do for me?”
“Expand your brain?” Keeley suggested.
Ignoring that, Mo hurried outside where the air had turned crisp. “I know horses, Keeley. You understand what it’s like. It’s instinct and experience and it’sdoing.” She gestured widely. “Well, I’ve got time to nag my parents into submission.”
“No one does it better.”
With a laugh, Mo hooked her arm through her cousin’s. “I’m so glad to see you. The summer just winged by, you know, with all of us so busy with stuff.”
“I know.”
They made the turn for the shedrow and the world was suddenly horses.
Some were being prepped for the next race. In the boxes, grooms wrapped long, thin legs that would carry those huge bodies in a blur of speed and power. Trainers with keen eyes and gentle hands moved among the horses to pamper a skittish ride or rev up another.
The hot walkers cooled down horses who’d already run. Legs were examined, iced down. Through the sharp air came the hoofbeats that signaled another field was coming back from the race. Steam rose off the horses’ backs, turning into a fine and magical mist.
“Of all the shedrows in all the world.” Brendon came out of the stables, grinning.
“You’re back.”
“Just.” He strolled over to rub a hand over Mo’s hair. “I talked to Ma a couple of hours ago from the road and she said you were all coming here tonight. So we swung by on the way home.”
“We?”
“Yeah, Bri’s taking a look at Lonesome, giving him a pep talk. Moodiest damn horse. Figured we might as well catch the race, then I can hook a ride back with you guys and Brian can trailer Zeus back home.”
“Sounds like a plan.” It pleased her to hear the calm of her own voice while her heart was galloping. “Actually I came down to take a look at Lonesome myself.”
“He’s all yours—and Bri’s. Hey, I’ve got time to get some dinner. See you up there.”
