Page 7 of My Queendom for a Horse

“That was an amazing run,” he says, “but what happened at the end there? It looked like that demon horse just tired out.” John’s calloused hand brushes mine as he takes the reins, the sweet and pungent smell of his chewing tobacco familiar. John’s not quite as old as my dad, but I’ve known him since birth. He was a groom at our stable for a while, but everyone starts there. He left our stable for almost a decade to prove himself, and when he returned, he was a renowned trainer. Thankfully, he wanted to come back. He’s British, but he saw our stable as home.

I’ve long suspected that my maternal grandpa pays him a little something to stay with us, because I’ve seen the books. We don’t pay him nearly enough for a trainer of his caliber. We would, but we’ve never been able to afford a raise.

“I guess so.” I shove down my discomfort over the fact that John noticed something strange, too. “Finn didn’t want to ride him, and maybe that’s why. He isn’t a winner.” Some horses just don’t care about the race.

John’s dark grey eyes fly wider, and his bushy red eyebrows bob. “Finn never takes a ride he doesn’t want, not anymore.”

I shrug. “I heard his niece is sick. I think he may need the money.” I can’t help my guilty feelings. Winning jockeys get success bonuses, and I kept him from getting one today.

But Finn almost always wins. One loss won’t set him back too much.

I’ve barely passed Five off to John when I hear a commotion around the corner. “What’s that?”

John glances back in that direction. “No idea.”

“Did you hear it, though?” The sound of screaming pierces my ears again, and I cringe. “It’s an animal, right?”

John shrugs this time. “Maybe. I can’t tell.”

He must be losing his hearing. “I need to get our winnings right to the bank. Are you alright handling Five for now?”

John nods. He never has too much to say, but I love that about him.

In a rush or not, as a vet, I need to check on that horse that’s in pain. I move as quickly as I can toward the noise coming from the front of the parking lot. It isn’t as loud as it was, but I still intermittently hear it.

Before I can figure out what’s going on, I round a corner and bump right into Sean. Why is he still here? He’s everywhere. My hands fly wide so I don’t lose my balance, but he catches me, circling both my wrists with his hands. “Whoa, there.”

“Let go,” I say.

“I think we need to talk.”

I shake my head. “We don’t.”

“When I bumped into your dad,” he says, “I almost couldn’t bring myself to ask about you. I was sure you’d be married by now with a handful of beautiful children.”

The very future I’d planned for the two of us.

His voice drops to a husky whisper. “When he said you’d never married. . .”

I shake my arms free. “Sean, I can’t.”

“That’s why I came today,” he says. “Your dad told me you were still angry. I hated hearing that, but I didn’t barge in because he said it wouldn’t go well.” He inhales sharply. “But then he called me.”

I open my mouth to argue.

Sean’s brilliant smile stops me cold. “I’ll loan you the money. You can pay off that other note in full, and then you can repay my bank whenever you want.”

I swallow.

“Even if you make that first note, the huge payments just keep coming.”

If I don’t get away from him soon, I might not be able to keep saying no. I need him to stop telling me how he got divorced and how happy he was to hear I’m single. I need him to stop offering to save me, or I may forget that I save myself. “I’ll figure it out, okay? Still no.” I step around the corner, and the horse who’s been screaming comes into view.

It’s Obsidian Devil. It looks like they’ve finally calmed him down, though. He’s standing utterly still, staring right at me. His ears are pricked up, like he’s listening to me.

“One date.” Sean followed me around the corner, blast him.

Obsidian Devil paws at the ground, his nostrils flaring, and he lets out a loud neigh.

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