The Girl in the Window

by Douglas, Valerie

  It seemed right.

  Beth took a breath, seeing the two men living there in her mind’s eye, walking across the yards each morning rather than driving in.

  Word was going around town that Russ was seeing Tyler’s mom.

  Tyler, though, wasn’t talking about it. It wasn’t surprising. Beth had caught him eyeing Russ speculatively from time to time.

  She had no doubt Russ would like more privacy than the room he rented in town. How much of that he’d get with Will there was questionable, but it would give him some, and a chaperone to satisfy the folks in town.

  It would work.

  She looked at Russ. To be honest she couldn’t think of anyone she’d want there more, except maybe Tyler and his mom. Which might work out anyway.

  The thought made her smile.

  “Sure,” she said with a smile. “Why not?”

  Russ nodded once, sharply, with satisfaction.

  Glancing at Josh, Beth saw him smother a grin. She grinned right back at him.

  There was a pregnant pause.

  Both Josh and Beth knew that Russ would get to the subject in his own time.

  Russ forked another few mouthfuls of eggs and toast into his mouth, but he was clearly considering something.

  “I was thinking,” Russ said, his big hands cradling his cup of coffee, “that we need to give Fair a jump start.”

  Josh stood back and eyed his trainer.

  There was no ‘season’ in harness racing. Fair was already making a name for himself in winter races across the Midwest. It wasn’t enough, though, for what Fair was capable of, for what they wanted to achieve. They didn’t have much time, though, for his best years, and Josh was all too aware of that.

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “It’ll be expensive,” Russ said, his gaze meeting Josh’s.

  Russ paused, hesitant.

  “I was considering a stakes race.”

  They all knew money was tight.

  Beth glanced at Josh.

  Josh considered it, feeling a weight settle over his shoulders.

  It was a constant battle – his dreams over money.

  A stakes race would require thousands of dollars, or in some cases, tens of thousands.

  Part of him knew that a stakes race was Fair’s only real chance to gain some attention. In the back of his mind Josh ran through his finances, trying to figure where he could free up some money.

  Could he get a loan? Would it be worth it, to take that chance? He already knew what Fair was capable of, but it was still a risk. Fair could pull up lame, there could be an accident anytime between now and then. There were so many risks and people depended on him – Will and Tony, Ty and his mother… Could he put his dreams before their lives? Their livelihoods?

  “How much?” Beth asked.

  Both Russ and Josh turned to look at her, surprised by her question.

  Once she’d had a dream of a bed and breakfast, but that dream had been shared with Matt and he was gone. There was also the money her parents had left her.

  “For the race I want to enter him into,” Russ said, tentatively, a rare thing for him, “at least twenty-five thousand.”

  It was impractical. Her pragmatic father would have hated it.

  Beth loved it. Knowing Matt, she knew he’d have loved it, too. After all, if they couldn’t make their own dream come true, then could make this one.

  She saw the look in Josh’s eyes, the hope and yearning, his own dream just out of reach.

  That expression was mirrored in Russ’s face.

  She knew something of Russ now. She knew he went to ‘meetings’ regularly and that it was alcoholism that had destroyed his career as a trainer. At least until Josh had taken the risk of bringing him on once Russ was sober, giving the man a second chance. Not just with Fair, but with Bella, Adagio, and Chord, Josh’s other horses.

  It was his moment of redemption.

  Seeing that look in their eyes, it wasn’t so hard after all.

  “Enter him.”

  Both men stared at her.

  “I can do that,” she said softly.

  Beth took a slow deep breath.

  “I had a dream to someday open a bed and breakfast, but it wasn’t just my dream.”

  It had been hers and Matt’s, but Matt was gone now.

  She closed her eyes against the sting of tears, and then felt a hand cover hers.

  Josh.

  “You don’t have to do this,” he said.

  Even as tears slid down her face, she smiled at him. “Yes, I do. Dreams are precious things. That dream is gone, but I can make this one come true. And that’s all that matters. I have the money. What else am I saving it for but this?”

  She could almost see the relief in Russ as his shoulders grew less tense.

  That money, the money she and Matt had saved, had weighed on her. She hadn’t known what to do with it.

  Now she did.

  The days that followed settled into a comfortable rhythm of work and home, training or racing Fair – as well as the other horses – in local races to give them experience and start building their reputations.

  One morning she drove up the driveway to the Home and somehow knew instantly as she walked into the kitchen that something was wrong. It was too quiet.

  Something within her went still.

  She walked out into the common room.

  It was quiet there, too, but not empty. Most of the residents were gathered there.

  All but one.

  She went into Carter’s room. His face was peaceful, but the room smelled of death.

  In the depth of winter, Carter Wainwright had finally given in to the years he’d lived and had passed away quietly and completely unexpectedly in his sleep. Beth let the tears fall where they may. Save for his age, there’d been no sign of warning, no sign of illness.

  She bent her head, missing his quiet presence already.

  Tyler was devastated.

  The two – Tyler and Carter – had grown close over the fall and winter. Tyler had even bought Carter a Christmas present. Carter had gotten him one as well, wrapping one of his service badges to give to the boy. He said Tyler had earned it, had straightened up and learned to fly right. It took courage, Carter had said.

  Beth held Tyler while he grieved.

  She mourned Carter more quietly, as did Josh, who’d grown to know the man through Beth and Tyler. She wished Carter could have lived to see the day Fair won a major race, but she hoped he was looking down while they prepped Fair for that day.

  Snow covered the ground the day Carter was buried. It looked bleak, the clouds hanging low, the only bright spot the gilded bow on Carter’s wreath.

  The funeral was sparse but dignified. Carter had outlived most of his compatriots, but he’d been awarded the Silver Star and a Purple Heart on the battlefields of Korea and Vietnam.

  Looking around at the snow covered graveyard, at the number and variety of uniforms of his friends, children, and grandchildren, Beth thought Carter would have been proud of those who attended.

  They presented Carter’s flag to his eldest granddaughter, sharp and correct in her uniform, her prosthetic leg a testimony to her service in Iraq as she stepped forward to receive the flag.

  Like her grandfather, she, too, was veteran.

  Time passed. Seasons and people did, too.

  Chapter Twenty

  The day dawned bright and sunny, if a bit chilly, and without a cloud in the sky, to everyone’s relief. Some of the oldest folks had been concerned as many of them were dependent on wheelchairs or walkers to get around. Spring was like that, though, the weather was always uncertain and unexpected.

  It was like an omen, though, a sign that they were meant to be there to watch. Most took it that way.

  It had become quite the adventure for Beth just to arrange the trip. First to get the administration of the home to agree, to get waivers and permissions from families signed. Then she’d had to round up a
ppropriate transportation and a driver as well as making sure all the guests would have everything they needed - medicines, oxygen, snacks, and so on. They were all deliriously excited at their first major outing. Many didn’t get out on trips often with their families so busy and sometimes distant.

  Beth smiled as she counted heads.

  She wished Carter was still with them. He would have loved this trip and would have been sorry he’d missed it. He’d followed their exploits closely, always asking about Fair and his training, how he’d run against Bella, his stable mate, or how Adagio and Chord – Josh’s pacers – were running. If there was a heaven, she knew he was there watching them.

  “All right,” she said to the driver.

  The clients cheered, some shakily, some breathlessly, but they did cheer as the small bus pulled out of the drive and turned onto the highway.

  Josh, Russ and Will had gone ahead, only Tyler had remained behind to help her get things organized. Not that Beth minded, she was just as excited as everyone else. It had just seemed fair to invite all the folks from the home since so many of them asked about how Josh and his horses were doing.

  They arrived at the track in plenty of time, and, small as it was, as precious as every hand was at such places, those who worked there who could lend a hand, did, helping to get everyone off the bus.

  Like many small local racetracks this one had turned to slot machines in addition to racing to keep the track going and to bring people in, so the parking lot was pretty full, and there was a large neon sign to mark it.

  It was clear the small track was holding its head above water, but only just. Beth could see signs of age everywhere except on the casino side. Age, though, not neglect, and not in the places that mattered. Those who owned it hadn’t forgotten it had begun life as a racetrack. At least not yet.

  The stables were shabby but clean, the rails in need of new paint but portions that had been rotted or worn had been replaced with a patchwork of new. Most of the seating in the racing section was old but still functional. If there were cracks in the plastic that covered some of them, there was nothing that could be done except replace them. That wasn’t cheap.

  The buildings were cinderblock mostly, but the metal roof on some of them was new. With so much combustible stuff around fire was always a constant worry, Still, Beth wondered what it would sound like in the rain.

  A small group of her people headed inside to the slot machines while the others went in search of the best seats to see the race from before the game players came out to watch and hogged them.

  Once they were settled contentedly Beth went in search of Josh, Russ, and Will, with Tyler beside her.

  The days of dropping an arm across Tyler’s shoulders were gone. His long awaited growth spurt had been presaged by food binges, aches, pains, and sleeping jags. It seemed he shot up inches as she watched.

  Of course, he’d never been that much shorter than she was.

  Now, to her and his amusement, he dropped his arm over her shoulders instead.

  Beth shook her head and grinned at him, spotting Josh and Russ standing in the yard beyond the stables talking as horses and drivers moved around them.

  “It’s a good place to try him out,” Russ said, looking around at the track as Beth and Tyler joined them. “Get him used to the noise and commotion.”

  They had already run Fair against Bella, with Russ and Will the drivers, and he’d raced at few other small tracks with Josh at the reins. This track was a little larger, thanks to the slot machines. Fair had won by clear margins, but he’d needed the experience. As he’d need this, with his history.

  Adagio and Chord, Josh’s pacers, had been left in the dust as Fair and Bella, the trotters, had passed them with Fair clearly in the lead. Facing real competition at home as well as at the track, all the horses had been forced to push themselves harder.

  It showed.

  Seeing Beth and Tyler making their way through the crowd, Josh smiled as he went to join them, sliding his arm around Beth’s waist to pull her close for a kiss.

  “Everyone get here okay?” he asked.

  “All set,” she said, smiling up at him.

  “The first race is coming up,” he said, kissing her on the forehead, “I’ll see you when it’s over.”

  With a nod to Tyler, he and Russ went to get ready.

  This wasn’t Fair’s day, but Adagio’s. It would be a good warm-up for Josh for the main race of the day with Chord, and a chance to see how much Adagio had improved with Fair to push him, although the horses had different strides.

  Unlike many of his peers Josh didn’t like to just own the horses, he liked to race them. He’d started out as a driver, so that had always been his dream. Knowing how precarious the sport was he’d had the farm to fall back on, but he’d bought it to support his racing, not the other way around.

  Josh loved to race. He loved the challenge of pitting horse against horse, of setting each horse to the right location on the course, of looking for the hole between the racers and finding it, those magical moments when it was just him and his horse against all of the other horses and drivers. He loved watching the action of the animals, of judging their pace and the skill of their drivers, measuring them, and drawing the best out of his own horses.

  There was just nothing like sitting in the bike and feeling the track beneath you, the wind of your passage. It had a magic all its own.

  With his other horses winning had been possible but a rarity. The truth was he just couldn’t afford to buy top of the line horses to train, so like many he relied on breeding, training and luck.

  He expected different from Fair.

  As Josh guided Adagio and the bike out onto the track to line up for the start, Russ came to join Beth and Tyler at the rail, his stopwatch in hand.

  This was the part Beth loved the most. Watching Josh race.

  The calm, competent look of him sitting in the bike. The easy way he sat, with his hands steady on the reins as he guided the horse. For all that the drivers sat it was a surprisingly athletic sport, using almost every muscle.

  She was learning the terms of racing, that the sulky was called a bike, for instance.

  Josh’s colors of gray and brown suited him.

  At a track this small, gates opened and the horses were off, to a roar of approval from the crowd.

  Beth watched Josh’s distinctive colors as they rounded the turn.

  “Against this competition Adagio should at least finish at the front of the pack,” Russ said, his eyes on his stopwatch. “There’s a good chance he’ll place if he can keep this pace.”

  The horses were running the backstretch, spreading out, and Beth could see Josh holding Adagio to the middle front of the pack, waiting for the right moment to make a move. It couldn’t be too soon or Adagio would tire, nor could he let the leaders gain too much distance.

  Rounding the back curve, they entered the front stretch and she saw the whip sail out to stroke along Adagio’s shoulder as Josh asked the horse for more speed.

  Adagio answered. The horse opened up, his feet striking out, his neck straining as he closed on the leaders.

  He was gaining.

  Another horse pushed, too.

  Josh and Adagio fought back, now in a battle for a possible third as the horse in that position faltered, called up too soon.

  Josh and the other driver fought for the position.

  It was exciting to listen to the announcer calling Josh’s name as the two horses and drivers fought it out.

  At the last moment the other horse surged forward to take second. Adagio took third by a nose. It was still a win.

  Josh shrugged it off when he guided Adagio back.

  “I’m not disappointed,” he said, with a glance at Russ for confirmation. “That was one of Adagio’s best showings.”

  “It was,” Russ said. “All right. Chord’s race is coming up shortly. We’ve got Fair’s stakes race coming up. Consider this next race Fair’s training r
ace.”

  They had already paid the money.

  Josh looked at him. “We’ve been over this, Russ. I won’t push him. No heroics. I want to race him somewhere besides the back of beyond. Even so, I won’t take a chance with him. It’s the Triple Crown I’m after.”

  “I don’t want you to lay back,” Russ cautioned.

  Clapping him on the shoulder, Josh said, “Stop worrying, Russ. I’m not risking what might be our best shot to get into the big leagues. And there’s still Chord. He has a real shot here. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

  Still the excitement, the anticipation was there, Beth could see it in both their eyes.

  Despite all his admonitions, Russ nearly vibrated with all the pent-up energy he wouldn’t allow himself to show.

  There was still another race to go before Chord’s.

  A big bay stallion, Chord was a good horse, a game horse, with a great heart.

  She felt the anticipation herself, exhilaration seemed to bubble in her veins and Ty was nearly jumping out of his skin. That wasn’t helping.

  As much as she wanted to stay, she couldn’t. “Come on, Tyler, we’ll have a better view with the clients.”

  Then Josh was guiding Chord out onto the track, his colors bringing out the sleek brilliance of the horse’s coat.

  Once more Beth was caught by the sheer beauty of the horse, of the smooth sureness of his action, his gait. It was moments like these that had given rise to the phrase poetry in motion.

  Chord tossed his head a bit as they came up to the other horses and took their place, but whatever nerves had been brought on by all the excitement vanished the moment the gates opened.

  The race was on.

  It didn’t take long for the crowd to see it, for the voices of those who knew, who understood what they were seeing, to go silent.

  A chill went over Beth’s arms as she watched.

  Josh held him, but Chord’s pace and gait were so smooth, so sure, that some of the horses around him just seemed to melt away.

  Deftly, Josh showed Chord the hole between some of them and the horse went through it like thread through a needle.