Kentucky Rich

by Fern Michaels

  “Nice wedding, doncha think? Kind of silly to be getting hitched at their age, but still it was nice.”

  “You’re never too old to get married,” Nealy said.

  “So are you here for the long haul or are you just passing through? No one seems to know, and you don’t give up a whole lot. Why is that?”

  “Maybe because it’s none of your business, Wylie.” Nealy stopped walking and turned to face Jack’s son. “Look, I don’t like you, so I’m not going to pretend I do. I don’t like your rough handling of the horses. I just want you to know I’m going to be watching you. You drink at night, too. You know drinking isn’t permitted. And, no, no one told me that, I saw you myself. The others cover for you because of your father. I won’t do that, though, so keep it in mind.”

  “Do we have a tattletale here?” Wylie sneered.

  “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”

  “I think you’re pretty goddamn uppity is what I think.”

  “And I think you’re a horse’s ass,” Nealy said quietly. “Now, get away from me. You make my skin crawl.”

  “Just who the hell are you?” Wylie sneered again.

  “I’m the one who has eyes in the back of her head. I told you, keep away from me. You don’t want to take me on, Wylie. I’m here to work with the horses just the way you’re supposed to work but don’t. I think that sums it all up.” Without another word, Nealy dug her new shoes into the thick grass and sprinted for the backyard, where the barbecue was under way. She skidded to a stop next to a smiling Maud, who was graciously accepting wedding gifts and hugs from her farm family.

  She looks tired, Nealy thought as she led her to the nearest chair that was heavily padded with cushions. “What can I fetch you, Miss Maud?”

  “Nothing, honey. Jess is bringing me something. What did you think of my wedding?”

  “I thought it was beautiful. Jess loves you so much. Are you happy, Miss Maud?”

  “Very happy, child. I didn’t think this was ever going to happen. Now I am Mrs. Jess Wooley. I even have a paper that says so. I guess it doesn’t get any better than that. What about you, Nealy? Are you happy?”

  “Miss Maud, there are no words to tell you how happy I am. You bought me this beautiful new dress and these shoes I’m having a hard time walking in and all those things for Emmie. She looks like a little angel. I always wanted to get her a pair of shiny black shoes. She does love them. Jess showed her how to spit on her finger and rub the dirt off the toe.”

  “Tonight when she’s sleeping you have to change the penny in her bag. Jess got some shiny ones yesterday at the bank. I suspect you’ll want to save the . . . original one. I can put it in the safe for you if you like. I saw her staring at it, and I could just tell she couldn’t understand why it was no longer shiny. Later, when she’s older, you’ll be able to make her understand. I love that child, Nealy. So does Jess.”

  “And she loves you both, too. If you don’t need me, Miss Maud, I’m going to get Emmie some supper and get her ready for bed.”

  “Run along, child. I’m going to sit here and visit with my friends.”

  Nealy wound her way through the wedding crowd to the back door leading to the kitchen. When she felt her daughter tug on her skirt she looked down and smiled. “It’s a party, Emmie. For Miss Maud and Mr. Jess. They got married today. That means they love each other and are going to be happy forever after. It’s so pretty here, isn’t it, honey? Look out over the land at all the split-rail fencing. It just goes on for miles and miles. Kind of like forever. Everything is so spic-and-span, the grass is like the stones in Miss Maud’s ring. She said it was an emerald. I hope we never have to leave here. I’m going to say a prayer every night and ask God to let us stay. I’m going to tell you a secret, Emmie. I hardly ever think about Pa or the boys. They’re family, but they didn’t act like a family. Someday when you’re all grown-up, we’ll go back to Virginia so you can see where you were born. This is home now.”

  The little girl laid her head on Nealy’s shoulder. “I love you, Emmie,” Nealy whispered in the little girl’s ear. She was rewarded with a squeezing hug from the toddler. “I hope someday I can hear you say those same words to me.”

  I love you, Mama. Lots and lots. A whole bushel.

  Nealy stared out the office window at the long row of barns directly in her line of vision. She wished there was a magical way she could get through her chores here in the office so she could go to the barn and work with the horses. While she didn’t hate her duties in the office, she didn’t like them much. She wanted to be with the horses, doing what she did best. She clucked her tongue as she sat back down to complete the morning’s work sheets. She was able to do the payroll now, but while her bookkeeping skills had improved over the past month, they still left much to be desired. She did keep a tidy office though, according to Maud, who popped her head in from time to time to see how things were going. She sighed as she stacked a neat pile of sales slips. Deposits really. They flew out of her hand when the black dog named Molly tried to leap onto her lap. “I couldn’t have asked for a better diversion, Molly,” Nealy giggled. “If I could train you to pick them up and file them, we would be in business. I know, you miss Emmie. So do I. This school is good for her. She’s learning sign language. I have to learn it, too. I’m afraid you’re going to have to get off my lap now so I can tidy up the office, then you can escort me to the barn.”

  The black dog slithered to the floor and lay down, her big head resting on her paws as she waited for Nealy to gather up the sales slips. She didn’t move when strange sounds erupted from the young girl’s mouth, but her ears stood straight up. She did stir when she saw Nealy reach out to the chair she’d been sitting on. When her head dropped between her knees, Molly was on her feet, racing down the hall to the kitchen where Maud was sitting at the kitchen table. She barked once, tugged on Maud’s skirt, and raced back to the office.

  Breathless with the effort it cost her to hurry down the hall to the office, Maud took in the situation at a glance. “Nealy, honey, what’s wrong?”

  Nealy raised her head, her face whiter than the shirt she was wearing. “Nothing, Miss Maud. I just felt a little dizzy. I’m fine. Really, I am. I think I just need some fresh air. Would you mind if I went down to the barn? Later this afternoon I can finish up in here if that’s all right with you. I was almost done anyway.” She stacked the sales bills into a neat pile on the corner of her desk.

  “Run along, child. Take Molly with you. It is warm in here. Jess says I keep it much too warm. I guess he’s right. I like what you did with this office. It’s actually pretty now, with the green plants and the hanging basket by the window. This was my father’s desk. A real antique like me. The chair was his, too. It just fit his big frame. I never bothered to change things. Didn’t seem right because a person dies you throw away their things. Emmie’s drawings on the file cabinets add just the right touch. Go on, I’m just going to sit here a moment and think about how I used to run in here when Pa was working at his desk. Memories are a wonderful thing. Be sure to wear your jacket. It’s cold outside. And button it,” Maud called to Nealy’s back as the girl sprinted off, Molly on her heels.

  “Let’s just see what we have here to cause my girl to go white-faced,” Maud muttered to herself as she riffled through the sales slips. She knew what it was the moment she held it in her hands: Josh Coleman, SunStar Farms, Virginia. Nealy Cole. Nealy Coleman. The old man had two sons and a daughter. One of the meanest, orneriest men she’d ever come across. She hated doing business with him, but Jess said business was business and personalities didn’t belong in business. He also said Coleman’s money was as good as anyone else’s. He was good to his animals, Jess said. In Jess’s eyes, that said it all. Maud wondered what he would say when she told him about this little episode.

  Maud leaned back in the comfortable chair and closed her eyes. “Pa, I never called on you before. I always figured if you were dead, you were dead, a
nd as far as I know the dead don’t come back. That’s about as blunt as I can be. Like you, I don’t hold any truck with spirits and junk like that. As I recall, Pa, you didn’t even believe in angels. Jess and me . . . it’s possible we just opened up a can of worms. I can’t let that girl go. Or the little one either. I’ve been racking my brains for days now trying to figure the best way to do things. Whatever I want to do will be okay with Jess. You’d like that man, Pa. He’s just like you. Guess that’s why I picked him. Got myself married and even got gussied up for the occasion. When the pain gets real bad, Pa, I can’t think real clear. Course I’m half-liquored up, so that explains it. I think what I’m trying to say here is I could use some help. I need to know I’m doing the right things. Another thing, Pa. When I get there, I’m going to be bringing you another Derby winner. If you’re going to do something, give me a sign. Could you do it now so I can go back to the kitchen to finish my tea?”

  Maud looked around. When nothing happened, she shrugged. “Figured that,” she mumbled. “It’s all horse pucky, that spirit stuff. There probably aren’t any angels either,” she continued to mutter. She heaved herself to her feet and for a few blessed moments felt no pain at all. The walk down the hall, while painful, was easier than her earlier walk to the office. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she felt gentle hands ease her down onto the kitchen chair. Was this the sign she’d asked for? She sat quietly, motionless, hardly daring to breathe while she waited for the pain to take on its own life or ease up. She heaved a sigh of relief when she realized the pain was bearable, the kind aspirin worked on. Maybe today was going to be a good day after all. Later, if she felt good enough, she would make a trip down to the barns to see the October foals.

  Nealy let her breath out in a loud swoosh the minute she entered the warm, moist barn. She inhaled almost immediately, savoring the pungent smell of hay, warmth, and manure. She loved it, felt at home.

  She took everything in at a glance, much the way she’d done back home in Virginia. She knew her duties and the time allotted to each. The barns ran on schedules and she had to run on the same schedule. She ran, her jacket flapping with the breeze, to the stallion barn with its shady overhang and oversize stalls. She knew the barn held twenty-five, sometimes as many as thirty stallions a year. Unfortunately not all the stallions were Blue Diamond studs. Maud had told her earlier that Blue Diamond Farms had an excellent reputation as a breeding operation. People paid handsomely for the privilege of standing their stallions at the farm. As she walked under the overhang, she touched and caressed each stallion curious enough to see what she was about. They knew her now and always whickered softly when she stroked their beautiful heads. “On my way back, you each get an apple,” she whispered.

  Outside she watched the hot walkers take their horses in a counterclockwise walk around the walking ring. It took forty minutes of walking and then a pause for the horses to sip water, at which point, the overheated horses would be back to normal, resting pulse.

  She headed for the paddock where Danny Clay, the stud groom, would soon lead Private Dancer to his stall. If she hurried, she could have the stall ready for the stallion by the time Danny got there. All it took was new straw, a shaking of hay, fresh water, and a measure of grain mixture that Jess had concocted for this special stallion. With little grass at this time of year for grazing, Jess had left orders for extra feed for Private Dancer, who was on active stud duty. It was her job to make sure the horse was given preferential treatment, which wasn’t hard to do since she’d developed a rapport with the huge animal. She longed to mount him just to see if he’d let her on his back, but she knew she would never take the chance unless Jess or Maud said it was okay to do so.

  Nealy worked in earnest, breaking into a sweat as she forked hay into the stall. She tossed her jacket over the railing and never gave it another thought. She finished just as Danny led the snorting stallion down the middle of the barn to his stall. Nealy stood quietly to the side, waiting to see if the big stallion would pay attention to her. He snorted, reared back, and came down prancing and pawing the concrete. He tossed his head to the side, jerking free of Danny’s hold, trotted over to the stall, picked up Nealy’s jacket, and backed up until he was abreast of her. His big head bobbed up and down, his signal that she should take the jacket. She did. She slipped it on. “You’re just an old softie, Dancer,” she whispered. “How’d you know it was mine, huh? Did it smell like me?” While she talked her hands were busy rubbing and stroking the big animal. “C’mon, now, show me you appreciate this. A little love and devotion go a long way. We both know that.” The stallion’s body quivered as he used his big head to nuzzle Nealy’s neck, making her laugh in delight. “Look what I have for you!” Nealy held out an apple from her pocket. Dancer nodded before he lowered his head to take the apple from the palm of her hand.

  “I don’t know how you do it, Miss Nealy. That horse won’t take anything from me or Wylie. The truth is, this animal hates Wylie, and Wylie is afraid of him. Maybe Dancer senses his fear. He’s gentle as a lamb right now. He lets me handle him, but he won’t cozy up to me the way he does you.”

  “I’m a girl, Danny. He knows the difference. You have to talk softly, and your hands have to be gentle. Why am I telling you this, you already know it?”

  “I do, but it doesn’t work for me. And Dancer is my favorite. This big guy is so highly valued as a sire he’s made the leading sires list for his progeny over three hundred times. One of his foals, Lead Dance, was undefeated. His next foal goes to SunStar Farms in Virginia. I heard they’re going to be paying some big dollars for the foal.”

  “I’d like to talk to you more, Danny, but I have other stalls to get ready,” Nealy said, her body going all jittery at what the groom had just said. “You’re sure about his foal going to SunStar Farms?”

  “Yep.”

  “Do they come to pick up the foal, or does Miss Maud transport it to Virginia?”

  “It’s one of those either/ors if you know what I mean. SunStar does a lot of business with Miss Maud. Can’t say I much care for the man, but he’s good with the horses. Runs a respectable breeding farm. Has two sons if I recall rightly. Met them once or twice. The old man is the boss; those boys of his never say a word. You best get a move on, Miss Nealy. Starbright is heading this way, and right behind him is Perfect Pa.”

  “Yes sir, right away, Danny.”

  Nealy worked tirelessly until she heard the bell at the end of the barn chime the hour. Time to head up to the house to wash up and sit down for her lessons. Emmie would be home soon. She looked forward to story hour, with milk and cookies. Nealy sighed. One day the lessons would be behind her, and so would the office routine. Now that she was eighteen, she would be of age in three years. The day she turned twenty-one, she would no longer have to fear her father. But would she still live in fear that Emmie’s father would somehow find them and reach out for her? As unlikely as that was, she still couldn’t rid herself of the fear. When, she wondered, would she ever feel safe?

  She thought about her brothers then. What were they doing? Did they ever think of her? Were they better off without her? Surely they must miss her a little. Now that she was out of their lives they would have to take up the slack and work harder and put in longer hours. Or did they feel getting rid of her was worth getting their reputations back? Probably so.

  Nealy’s shoulders slumped. Everything happens for a reason, she told herself as she headed for the bathroom to wash up.

  5

  Nealy tiptoed down the steps, feeling her way in the early-morning darkness. In the kitchen she reached for her jacket, opened the door quietly, and slipped out. This was her favorite time of day—right before the sun rose. She wrapped her arms about her chest to ward off the November cold as she walked out to the road, the same road she’d stumbled onto one rainy day five years earlier. God had been watching over her and Emmie that day. A day she would never forget as long as she lived. She threw her arms into the air and whispere
d, “Thank You, thank You!”

  Perched on the split-rail fence, she strained to see in the darkness. She wanted to burn it all into her memory so she would never, ever, forget it. Not that she would. All she had to do was close her eyes, and she could see everything. She knew every rock, every pebble, every blade of grass on Blue Diamond Farms. She knew each one of the eighty-seven employees by name, knew their families, knew about their secrets, their hopes, and their plans. They were her family now, a family she loved and cherished. The horses were part of her life, too. God, how she loved those magnificent creatures. She closed her eyes, trying to calculate the number of nights she’d spent in the barns, sleeping on straw and covering herself with horse blankets when there was a problem with one of the Thoroughbreds. Those were treasured times because the horses trusted her, recognized her voice and her touch.

  Life was wonderful.

  Years ago she’d accepted the fact that her daughter, normal in every other way, was never going to speak. What was it the specialist said? “There is no medical reason that we can find as to why your daughter doesn’t speak.” He’d used words like trauma, fear, anxiety, and a few others that made no sense to her at the time. Emmie was seven now, and so beautiful Nealy often felt tears burn her eyes when she looked at her. They all had learned sign language, Maud, Jess, her, and some of the workers at the barns. There were times she swore even the horses understood the little girl’s flying fingers.