Page 26 of The Billionaire's Baby Betrayal

Piper squeezed her eyes shut and laid her head back on the cushioned headrest. She assumed he had the usual reason that such intermingling caused workplace complications, but she followed the rule for a more dire reason—the ruination of a career and loss of peer respect. Piper had enjoyed the company of lovers in her life but never allowed herself to get too close, and with her constant travel, she found it easy to slip in and out of those relationships. But if she were to begin a relationship with Andrés, she wasn’t sure she would want to see it end.

The driver insisted on seeing Piper safely to her door when they arrived. She thanked the driver and unlocked the casita door.

Piper had purposely left her mobile phone at home for the evening, and it was ringing as she stepped through the door. It stopped before she could get to it, but she noticed three missed calls from Felix. There was a light flashing, indicating a voicemail. As expected, it turned out to have been left by Felix, her former boss commanding that she call him back.

“I’ll need a glass of wine if I’m going to talk with Felix,” she said as she chose a Malbec from the wine rack.

Piper sat on one of the high-backed stools placed at the kitchen island and stared at her phone as she took a drink of the full-bodied Argentinian wine.I should get this over with. He won’t give up until I call him back, she thought. She entered his number, and he picked up on the first ring.

“It’s about time,” he said sharply. “I’ve been calling for hours.”

“I noticed, Felix. What do you want?”

“Information. Our deal is that you gather information. What have you learned from the staff about training methods?”

“Felix, need I remind you that it is only three days since I arrived? I only met the staff this morning, and it was hardly appropriate for me to be asking questions to people today, don’t you think?”

The question made him even more aggravated. “Apparently, I need to remindyouthat the race in Kentucky is a little more than a month away, and I want information that will guarantee Sir Valor wins that race. I expect you to have something by the end of the week.” He disconnected.

Piper laid her chin on her crossed arms resting on the counter. She pondered what information she could gain in less than a week that would meet Felix’s demands. She would have to learn from Emmett how Señor Alberto Luis was trained to win a race and how the methods were decided. When preparing a trained thoroughbred for the next race, she made it a habit of considering the racetrack surface, how the horse did at similar tracks, and any adjustments needed in diet or workout strategy. That kind of information would be reasonably generic and not harmful if shared. Piper supposed that working solely with Emmett and Señor Alberto over the next few days might offer some knowledge that Felix would accept.

She sighed deeply and raised her head to reach for the glass of wine. Wanting to think about something happy, she decided to look for the medialuna recipe the cook at the racing yard in Argentina had given her. She opened her laptop, found the recipe, and finished her wine while making the list of needed ingredients. The thought of sharing breakfast with Andrés happily outweighed any thoughts of Felix Bankes.

* * *

“Buenos días, Piper,” greeted Emmett early the next morning. “You’re in early today. How long have you been here?”

Piper twisted around from the file cabinet and smiled. “Buenos días, Emmett.” She shrugged. “I got here about five thirty, and I thought I’d get a head start reading through the thoroughbred records to get a feel for how training was approached.”

“In the mornings, I like to grab some coffee in my thermos and scramble some eggs. You should join me in the dining room. Bring any records you questioned, and I’ll gladly give you the lowdown.”

Her smile broadened. “I welcome that, thank you. Plus, I’m ready for my next espresso.” She chose several files and walked with him to the dining room.

Piper put the files on one of the window tables and put on a pot of coffee while Emmett whisked several eggs with jalapeños and pre-cooked bacon bits. She waited until the eggs were done cooking before she made an espresso.

“Andrés thinks I’m nuts the way I sometimes make my coffee,” said Emmett, chuckling as they sat at the table. “When we’re on the road or it’s going to be a long day around here, I’ll put a shot of that espresso in my black coffee. It gives a little extra kick, if you know what I mean.”

“I do. I started drinking it when I worked in Argentina. Funnily enough, the caffeine in espresso doesn’t bother me, even after two or three shots each day. But it does have to be prepared correctly—strong and scalding hot.”

Emmett glanced at the files Piper had brought with her. “I see you have two files there. Have you figured out which thoroughbred we’ll be training next?”

“From the notes, I suspect either Alvarado or Señor Roca.”

“It will be Señor Roca. I’ll give a hint about which horses are trained for flat racing. Those horses will be titled señor or señora.”

“Really? Do I sense a theme there?”

“Andrés is proud of his Latin roots.”

Piper took a sip of the espresso. “I got that from our conversation when we toured the property on Sunday. It seems he was close to his grandfather.”

They continued to discuss training schedules, and Piper inquired about Señor Alberto’s workout schedule. Emmett showed her the daily plan he had given to the groom assigned to Señor Alberto and agreed it would be an excellent idea for Piper to attend the workouts. She said that for the following two days, she would also meet with individual employees to get to know them and the scope of their work.

After spending time with Emmett, Piper stopped into Rosamund’s office to say hello.

“Buenos días, Piper! I was hoping you would have lunch with me in the dining room today. I made chicken empanadas yesterday and had enough leftovers for today, and there are enough lettuce and tomatoes in the kitchen to make a salad. Please say yes.”

Piper grinned. “How could I say no? It sounds wonderful.”

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