by Robyn Grady
A sexy grin hooked his mouth. “I did not know that.”
“Some say pigs are the fifth most intelligent animal in the world. They’re capable of learning how to do simple jigsaw puzzles and work basic remote controls.”
“Sold. We definitely need lots of pigs.”
She laughed at his gorgeous smiling eyes. “Lots of everything.”
“You might need more than a couple acres then.”
“Sure. Like I said. It’s a ways off yet.”
His hands were sliding up and down her back, making her tingle...making her hot.
“So, what are you going to call your first pet pig?”
“Well, Wilbur and Babe are already taken.”
“Porky, too.” Sliding and swirling, he touched his nose to hers. “I’ve got one for a sheep. Baa-bardos.”
She smothered a bigger smile. “And people say you aren’t funny.”
“Oh, yeah? Want to hear a dirty joke?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“A white horse fell in a puddle of mud.”
Before she could roll her eyes, he started tickling her ribs until she was splashing around, laughing so hard.
“I can do this all day,” he said. “Take it back. Take it back.”
“Okay, okay! You’re funny. So funny.”
“And you’re beautiful. And really easy to tickle.” He came in to graze his lips over hers. His deep voice rumbled through her when he said, “I’m glad we’re here together.”
Catching her breath, easing out a sigh, she ran her palms over his warm, wet shoulders. “I’m glad we are, too.”
As he held her by the hips, his eyes drifted shut. Then he nipped her lower lip and ran the tip of his tongue over the seam.
“What’s your intuition saying now?” he murmured, staying close.
“That you need to prove just how good you are in the water.”
When she found his arousal well below the surface, his mouth automatically claimed hers. By the time he broke the kiss, in Veda’s mind, they were completely alone. In their own world.
She shivered as he nibbled that sensitive sweep of her neck.
“Veda?” he asked.
Eyes closed, she cupped his scratchy jaw. “Hmm?”
“I think we need to go back to the room.”
And then he was kissing her again, and in that wet, steamy, crazy-for-you moment, she was already thinking about next time...dreaming about seeing her Ajax again.
Ten
Early the next morning, Veda and Ajax said a reluctant goodbye at the airport before boarding separate flights. Back in New Jersey hours later, still unpacking while smiling over the memories, Veda answered a knock on her condo door and almost fell over. This was the last person she expected to show up unannounced today. And, given her ongoing fling with Ajax, pretty much the last person she wanted to see.
“I was down this way,” her father said, placing his tweed duckbill cap on the hatstand as he made a point of stepping around her to walk inside.
She took a moment to remember to breathe while Drake assessed the surroundings, taking a token interest in the bookshelf while running a fingertip over the self-help titles. He had asked for her address ages ago but had never arranged to visit, let alone simply dropped in.
“Well...can I get you something to drink?” she asked.
“Green tea?” He retrieved a handkerchief from his dress pants pocket and wiped his fingertip clean. “Very hot.”
“I have coffee. Freshly brewed.”
He took a moment to accept that option and then added, “No sugar, of course.”
Walking to the kitchen, she felt rather than heard him behind her. For as long as she could remember, Drake had worn the same aftershave. More often than not, the scent stirred feelings of unease. As she had told Ajax yesterday, Drake wasn’t a total monster; after her mother’s accident, he had gotten her help. But he wasn’t demonstrative as far as fatherly affection was concerned. He certainly hadn’t shown love toward his wife.
Now the nostrils of his long thin nose flared like he was either opposed to the aroma of her coffee or, more likely, the space in general. Her condo was the polar opposite of Darnel Manor, as in modern and personal rather than ridiculously grand and, in so many ways, stuck in the past.
“There’s a courtyard,” she said, retrieving cups from the cabinet. “It’s such a nice day out.”
He nodded, then asked, “How long have you been here now?”
“Three years. It’s home.”
He grunted—the sound someone might make when they were on the verge of being bored stiff.
She led him through to the courtyard, which was littered with fallen leaves and petals from a vine. As she set down their cups on the tabletop, Drake snapped out his handkerchief again to dust down his seat.
“Are you staying in the city?” she asked, taking a chair. Drake had friends in Manhattan.
“I’m here to speak with you.”
Veda caught something knowing lurking in the shadows of his eyes and then, of course, this shock visit made sense. Drake must have heard through the grapevine that she was romantically involved with a Rawson and couldn’t wait to express his opinion. On the outside, he was his usual uptight self. On the inside—oh, how it must bite.
His question, “Is it true?” confirmed her guess.
She wasn’t after a fight. Nor would she lie or shrivel up in a corner.
“Yes.” She lifted her cup. “It’s true.”
He carefully lowered himself into his chair. “You’re asking for trouble. You know that, don’t you? It was bad enough when you became friends with the girl.”
“You mean Lanie Rawson.”
“Yes. Rawson.” His lips pursed and twitched. “I can’t believe it. Can’t believe it of my own daughter. You know the kind of people they are. The kind of men. The father has no scruples. And the sons...” He made a face like bile had risen in his throat. “I wouldn’t be the least surprised if they all had diseases.”
“Like Ebola?”
“Sexually transmitted.”
After tsking, he took a mouthful of coffee, rather inelegantly, Veda thought.
“That boy is even worse than his father,” he said.
“Worse?” She arched a brow. “Or better?”
Drake’s chin began to quiver. Not because he was going to cry. Because he was livid and showing it.
“I didn’t think you could ever betray me like this. Not like this.”
Using that grudge from his past as an excuse to act out had been warped enough when he’d used it against her mother.
“You do realize that I’m your daughter, right? Not the woman who left you for Hux Rawson.”
Getting to his feet, he retrieved something from his shirt pocket—a page torn from a magazine—and read it out loud.
“‘Ajax Rawson, also known as the Stud, was spotted with another beautiful female companion. Life coach Veda Darnel, daughter of longtime Rawsons critic Drake Darnel, looks smitten. We wish her luck.’”
Her father was coming around the table, standing beside her, almost begging.
“Veda...darling...he’ll hurt you. Then he’ll leave you.”
She glared at him. “Because everyone leaves you, Dad?”
She and Drake had words after that. She said some things that she’d kept buried for way too long. And she was still pacing, fuming, long after he’d left.
She didn’t owe that man an explanation. This was her life now, not her mother’s and certainly not his. And yet in some ways she felt fourteen again, when her father could barely look at her because she had sided with her mom. Now she wondered more than ever: Would Drake have loved her less or more if he ever found out she was responsible for the death of his wife?
When her cell phone rang later
that day, Veda had almost succeeded in pushing her father out of her mind. She needed positivity in her life, not smothering and controlling.
When she answered the call, an official-sounding woman asked to confirm with whom she was speaking. Then this woman passed on all the information that she had...said she was sorry...and, yes, most definitely...it would be wise to come to the hospital right away.
* * *
When Ajax arrived back at the farm, all kinds of shit was hitting the fan.
Even before entering the office building, he heard the raised voice. Striding through, he found his private door open. When he saw papers and files strewn all over the damn place, he was so taken aback, he couldn’t contain the growl.
“What the hell is going on?”
Hux sat behind Ajax’s desk, poring over an assortment of splayed documents. When he looked up from the mess, his eyes were more unhinged than blue.
“What do you think is going on?” Hux fell back in the high-backed chair. “Did you even bother to open Jacob’s messages?”
Charging forward, Ajax started stacking papers. “I spoke to Jacob an hour ago.”
“So you know they want to look through your veterinary records.”
“We went over them two weeks ago. There’s nothing to see.”
“The stewards have scheduled a meeting with you and Booshang this Friday. After the delay, the test results are expected to land that morning.”
“We’ll be ready. If there’s a fine or suspension, we’ll deal with it.”
Hux shot to his feet. “Damn it, Ajax! This is serious.”
For God’s sake. “My books and stables are clean.”
“A Triple Crown trainer...and now your reputation will be—”
“Hux, get off my back!”
His father’s eyes blazed before he moved to the window to gaze out over the stables. “Yesterday, two clients loaded their horses and took them away.”
Which clients? What horses?
Exhaling, Ajax shoved the documents aside. “They’ll come back when this is sorted out.”
“And if there’s a next time?”
Ajax studied his father and said it out loud.
“You can’t seriously think I’m actually involved in this.”
Hux slumped and shook his head. “No, no. Of course not.”
“Then what were you thinking going through all this? There’s nothing to find here. I told you. I’m clean...even if a lot of other trainers can’t say the same.”
Hux waved that away, but it was a valid point. As much as he loved horse racing, Veda was right. Everyone in the industry knew that doping, or at the very least overmedicating, was a problem.
Hux visibly gathered himself before asking, “Where were you this weekend?”
“I haven’t had a day off in months. I needed a break.”
“With the Darnel girl?”
“Her name is Veda.” He grabbed his work hat, stuck it on his head. “And she’s not a girl.”
“Don’t you think it’s strange that she suddenly befriended Lanie and now you? When we spoke alone at the party, frankly I thought she was hiding something.”
“Like she’d joined her father and Booshang in a vendetta against us?” Oh, please. Ajax headed for the door. “We don’t know that Drake is involved in any way.”
“Griff heard his name mentioned that night. Darnel is spouting off to the press.”
Ajax had his doubts, too, but, “That’s not proof. And it’s certainly not any reason to ransack my office and send the hounds after Veda.”
While Ajax stood at the door, his demeanor more than implying that Hux needed to leave, Hux’s expression changed from frustration to something akin to enlightenment. His voice was a disbelieving rasp.
“My God. Ajax...you’re serious about her, aren’t you?”
“Dad, that’s none of your business.”
“You’ve always wanted to do things your own way,” Hux said, moving closer. “Always wanted to lead the pack. Make an impression.”
“If you mean like working my ass off to keep this place afloat when you could barely drag yourself out of bed—” Ajax thumped the door “—yeah, I lead the pack.”
“Your mother had died—” Hux snapped his fingers “—just like that.”
“She’d been sick for months.” Ajax swallowed hard. “And she was my mother as much as your wife. Damn it, I was hurting, too. But I kept pushing forward.” He gritted his teeth, shook his head and ground the words out. “I never understood why you resented that.”
“I’m sure I’ve thanked you, and way more than once.”
“With a clap on the back and a wage that hardly reflects what I bring in for this place. Griff just has to smile and you gush over how brilliant he is. I’ll puke if I have to hear again how proud you are of Jacob.”
Hux pulled a pained face. “You’re jealous of your brothers?”
“I’m tired of bending over backward trying to please you.” Ajax squared his shoulders. “This place would fall apart without me.”
Hux’s chin lifted. “Please don’t think you’re indispensable, because, I can assure you, none of us are.”
When his father stormed out, Ajax fought the urge to follow and bawl him out some more. It hurt like hell to have that conversation. Hux was a good father, but this had been brewing for too long. Since his mother had passed away, rather than a son, Ajax had felt like an employee needing to jump through higher and higher hoops. Well, he was sick and tired of proving himself.
He slammed the door and wandered over to the window. An assistant trainer was working with a new boarder in the arena. In the lower paddock, a stallion was shaking his mane, enjoying the sunshine. Ajax loved this life, from keeping a close eye on foaling rates to writing up owner updates and finalizing racing nominations.
But what was his future here? He wanted his father to live to a hundred, but was he prepared to do pretty much all of the work only to be reminded in times like these that he wasn’t really in charge? Had Hux ever truly considered handing over the reins one day?
And Veda...
No one would tell him whom he could or could not see. And if his father didn’t like it—if Hux had suspicions with regard to Veda’s motives—he could blow it out his pipe. Because Veda was not working with her father to bring them all down. She had way more integrity than that. He’d bet his life on it.
Ajax drew out his phone.
He might come across sounding needy, but he had to hear her voice about now. Although it had started off shaky, their time in Barbados has been the best. They had parted with an understanding that they would see each other again soon, and he appreciated that was a huge deal for her.
It was for him, too.
“Ajax?”
The boost he felt from hearing her say his name didn’t last long. Rather than sounding pleased that he’d called, in that single word she sounded upset. Panicked even. He pressed the phone closer to his ear.
“Veda, are you okay?”
Obviously on speaker, she talked in a series of halting phrases. There’d been another phone call. She had left immediately. Would be there inside half an hour.
“Whoa. Hold on. You’re driving up here? I’m guessing this has something to do with your dad.”
“There’s been an accident,” she said, followed by a sharp intake of breath. “He’s in the hospital.”
Ajax’s priorities did a one-eighty.
“Which hospital?” He was already rushing for the door, car remote in hand. “Don’t worry, honey. I’ll meet you there.”
Eleven
Veda had kept it together the entire drive from Jersey, but when she saw Ajax waiting for her as she ran from her parked car to the hospital’s entrance, all that built-up emotion threatened to break through. Being told that her father had be
en in a serious car accident had thrown her like nothing else could. Now she flung herself into Ajax’s open arms and dissolved as he stroked her hair and murmured her name.
“It’s okay, Veda. We’ll go in together. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
She dashed away tears she’d held back until now. “Apparently he was only a few minutes from home when he ran off the road. He said he thought he saw something...”
“So he’s conscious?”
She nodded as they headed inside. “He hit a tree.”
Walking to the elevator, Ajax held her hand so tight, it almost hurt. But she only gripped his hand back in return. God, how she needed an anchor...this depth of support.
Earlier on the phone, the administrator had passed on ward details. At the nurses’ station, Veda provided her father’s name, approximate time of arrival and reason for admittance. When the nurse looked up from the computer screen after checking, Veda knew something more was wrong.
The nurse adjusted her eyeglasses and tried on a smile as she got to her feet. “I’ll see if I can find a doctor. Please, take a seat.”
Veda’s face began to tingle and go warm. As she turned to Ajax, the room seemed to slope and wobble on its axis. This wasn’t the hospital her mom had been rushed to after that other accident, but it looked the same, smelled the same, and the look on that nurse’s face...
Veda was aware of Ajax’s hands bracing her upper arms as he rushed to reassure her. The nurse wouldn’t be long. He was sure that Drake was all right. The entire drive here, Veda had told herself that same thing: as big a shock as this was, her father would be fine. But her thoughts were bombarded with phrases like Fate can be cruel and History might not repeat itself but it often rhymes. She seemed to have always been at war with Drake, but that didn’t mean she wanted him taken from her, particularly the same way she had lost her mom.
A tall man with a lilting voice was introducing himself...the name badge said Dr. Wasley...or was that Sawley?
Veda couldn’t wait a second longer. She had to know.
