Kentucky Bride
By Jan Scarbrough
Resplendence Publishing, LLC
http://www.resplendencepublishing.com
Resplendence Publishing, LLC
P.O. Box 992
Edgewater, Florida, 32132
Kentucky Bride
Copyright © 2009, Jan Scarbrough
Edited by Courtney Hoffman
Cover art by Rika Singh
Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-094-1
Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Electronic release: December 2009
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.
For Paula and the staff and volunteers of The Luci Center
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Epilogue
About the Author
Chapter One
Downtown Chicago
“Hell, Brennan, this is a nice deal.” Construction company owner Ray Elliott riffled through the pages of the thick business proposal with the diligence of a general readying for a campaign.
Relaxing his shoulders, Camden Brennan sank back into the plush leather chair across from Elliott’s polished cherry office desk. He crossed one crisply-pressed trouser leg over the other and brought his fingertips up to touch his lips in a thoughtful steeple as he studied the man who held the future of Brennan Equipment Company in his hands.
With practiced indifference, he hid his true feelings. Half-closed eyes shrouded the gleam of excitement he knew to be in them. Slow and even breathing belied the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Not yet time to celebrate. He was willing to wait for Elliott’s decision, willing to bide his time like a cat stalking its prey. The rewards were huge. A multi-million dollar deal was in the works; a deal which, if he landed it, would restore a longtime customer to the Brennan fold and prove to his adoptive father that the fifty-year-old company tradition was safe in Cam’s hands.
Winning the Elliott contract had been too important to leave to a mere salesman. With the weak economy and over two hundred employees depending upon him for work, Cam brought the bid to Chicago himself. Brought it straight into the lion’s den with the confidence of a biblical Daniel.
Ray Elliott was a cagey and worthy foe. Cam knew him well. Elliott hadn’t built the biggest road construction company in the Midwest by being timid. That’s why playing it cool was important. It was part of the game and prelude to the incredible rush he always felt when he landed a big contract.
Yet there was more at stake this time. His mother’s cancer and subsequent long recovery had taxed even her second husband’s ability to pay. Cam owed it to the man who adopted him to make the company succeed.
Elliott looked up from the paperwork, his gaze steady and thoughtful, gauging Cam’s reaction. “Vince Clayton submitted a bid yesterday that was equally as attractive as yours.”
Never flinching to show his surprise, Cam let the words sink in. He wouldn’t put it past Elliott to play bidder against bidder with both heavy equipment companies vying for the business. Cam dropped his hands and sat forward, striving to keep his face blank. Only the trace of movement in his jaw hinted at his anger.
“My offer is solid.”
“Why should I do business with Brennan Equipment when I’ve bought from Clayton for five years?” Elliott asked in a clipped voice.
Why? Because you can’t turn me down. I’ve waited for this big deal all my life.
The question was a direct challenge to him. To his management of his father’s company. Okay. If Elliott wanted a recital of what he already knew, Cam would give it to him.
“As you know, my equipment comes from Sweden. Clayton’s doesn’t,” Cam said. “The European parts are assembled in the United States. You can’t beat the manufacturer’s quality or Brennan’s A-1 service department. We have a twenty-four hour a day hotline. Your broken equipment will be up and running within twenty-four hours after you place a service call.”
Before Elliott had the chance to respond, his secretary tapped twice and opened the office door. “Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Elliott,” she said, “but you told me to let you know if Aimee called.”
“Thank you, Cynthia.” Elliott reached for his phone. “Hate to do this, Brennan, but I’ve been trying to talk to my daughter for three days. Her mother is driving me crazy because we can’t get in touch with the girl. She doesn’t even own a cell phone.” He shook his head. “You married?”
“No, sir.”
“You’ll be married some day, and then you’ll understand how women can make your life miserable. Can’t live with ’em. Can’t live without ’em. Excuse me a moment.”
“Certainly.”
Cam shifted his gaze away from the man he’d come to do business with. This was awkward. Damn awkward. He didn’t want to eavesdrop, but Elliott was shouting into the phone. A vein pulsed in Cam’s neck.
He stood abruptly and walked to the window of the corner office, putting distance between him and the conversation carried in upper decibels. On the twenty-ninth floor of a high-rise, he had a panoramic view of the Chicago. Beneath him, the El snaked through downtown, and as he looked to the south, the city tapered off into industrial nothingness about a mile away. To the east he spotted landmarks—Grant Park and the Art Institute. He watched as glints of sunlight sparkled off Lake Michigan.
“Damn it, Aimee, your mother wants you home for the Renfro’s party in three weeks!” Elliott paused as if to steady himself. “Your mother wants you to meet their nephew from California,” he continued in a controlled whisper.
Cam took a deep breath and glanced back at Elliott. The businessman didn’t know Cam had a history with his treasured daughter, Aimee. Granted, not a long one, but he didn’t want Elliott to find out he had once slept with her. They had met at a frat party at the University of Kentucky. He was in graduate school at the time, and she’d just finished her freshman year.
He shrugged mentally. The fling hadn’t lasted long, but it had been hot and intense. It had been fun, if he remembered correctly. Aimee had been full of spunk and a real tigress in bed. No, Elliott didn’t need to know that particular detail about his daughter.
Cam glanced at the cherry credenza in the corner where pictures of Aimee were displayed—a blond child playing with a dog, dressed as a witch for Halloween, and wearing a prom dress. Aimee riding a horse. Always riding a horse.
In all of them, Aimee was smiling at the camera, her blue eyes sharp with determination. A determination he recalled well. His mouth tensed. When she told him it was over, he had gone willingly, but not happily. She wasn’t the only fish in the sea, or the only coed at UK.
Still, he had his pride. The gut-wrenching pain of her rejection was something he had tried to forget. He had loved her, but she’d taught him a lesson. He didn’t need that kind of emotional involvement. She had been his last serious relationship.
“Your mother won’t be happy about this,” Cam heard Elliot predict. Then his host slammed down the phone.
Interesting. Steely Ray Elliott bested by his only daughter. Cam’s instincts honed in on the tiny detail in hopes of finding a use for it later.
“The girl is too damn independent for her own good,” Elliott grumbled under his breath. “What she needs is a husband.”
Cam returned to his chair and sat down. He leaned back. “Problems?”
Elliott glanced up, as if just remembering his existence. “No,” he snapped after a brief hesitation. Then he sat up, visibly pulling himself together. He shuffled through the proposal again, his eyes narrowing on the documents.
A clock chimed somewhere. Minutes ticked away. Looking up again, Elliott leveled a pointed gaze at Cam. “You’re from Kentucky. What do you know about horses?”
“Thoroughbreds?”
“Hell, no. You can bet on them. They’re worth something,” Elliott replied with gruff disgust. “I’m talking about show horses. Prissy things with set tails and shaved manes. All they do is go around in circles.”
Caught off guard, Cam shifted in the chair. “I know there are big horse shows in Kentucky during the summer.”
“You’re right.” Elliott nodded. “Been there when Aimee was showing. Cost me a pretty penny, too. I even let the girl go to school in Kentucky. At the state university. She would have done better at Northwestern or Purdue, but no, nothing would do for her but to be in the heart of ‘horse country’ as she called it.”
Cam didn’t know where this was going. He cocked his head and waited. It didn’t seem as if his opinion was required, for Elliott carried on the conversation without any input from him.
“She’s got this wild idea about becoming a horse trainer. Hell, that’s a man’s job, but no…” He drew out the word no to emphasize it. “The girl thinks she can make a career out of it. Now she’s going to disappoint her mother by not coming home for the gala at Renfro’s. I’m going to catch hell for this.”
Elliott flipped through the proposal, focused, and once more returned to business. “I need to have time to digest the figures.”
“That’s fine.”
“I’ve got Clayton’s to review, too.”
Warning bells rang. “How long do you expect to take?”
“Hell, I don’t need the new equipment for another six months. I was just putting out feelers.”
“Six months?”
“That’s right. You got a problem with that?”
“No.” Cam shook his head. “But can you tell me how my proposal stacks up? Perhaps I can adjust the figures.”
Elliott stood. “No need for that. You and Clayton are dead even. I’ll let you know.” He extended his hand.
Muscles in Cam’s stomach tightened. He felt as if he’d been sucker-punched. Elliott had been trolling the waters. He had no intention of buying new equipment now. Six months, he’d said. It would be September before Elliott made up his mind. Five more months to sweat it out. This deal was big. Bigger than any other deal in his thirty-year-old life.
Cam jumped to his feet and accepted the offered handshake. “Good, I’ll keep in touch.”
“Yes, do.” Elliott ushered him to the door. “And Brennan, if you see my daughter in Kentucky, keep an eye on her, will you?”
Cam walked through the outer office, offering a thank-you smile to the secretary and exiting into the hall. He pushed the button for the elevator.
He didn’t mind waiting when he was in control of the situation. He could play the game as well as any of his competitors. But he didn’t like not winning the contract outright.
The door opened. Cam stepped into the empty elevator and pushed the first floor button. How could he influence the decision?
Once again he heard Ray Elliott’s soft words—words the businessman spoke only to himself. What she needs is a husband.
A spike of inspiration jarred Cam, and he straightened his shoulders. Aimee had flustered her old man. Got to him bad. Somehow Elliott’s daughter was the key to this whole deal.
And Elliott had asked Cam to “keep an eye on her.”
The elevator stopped on the fifteenth floor and the door opened. A tall blonde entered, her cloying fragrance filling the confined space. The businesswoman gave him a blatant “come on” glance, the side of her mouth turning up in a smile. Cam returned her glance with a dismissive nod. She got the message and turned her back on him as the door shut, and the elevator began to move again.
Wait a minute. What if he found the wayward Miss Aimee Elliott? He knew where she had worked as a groom six summers ago. Maybe she was still employed by the same trainer.
What if he somehow convinced her to fall for him? They’d clicked back then. Why not now? Elliott wanted her married. Cam didn’t have to marry her, just date her long enough to convince Elliott to give him the deal.
His palms started to sweat. He liked taking a risk, even an unwarranted one. And he liked being in control almost as much as he wanted to win. His chances of winning the contract were fifty-fifty now. To better them, he needed to do something drastic. Hadn’t he persuaded his share of women over the years?
The elevator stopped at the lobby and the door opened. The blonde tossed her head and left in a huff, letting him know in no uncertain terms what she thought of his indifference. Cam grinned, suddenly pleased with himself.
If he captured the heart of Ray Elliott’s only daughter, he would also capture the biggest business deal of his life, and maybe exact revenge on the only woman who had the nerve to dump him.
Chapter Two
Holt Stables
Near Simpsonville, Kentucky
Jimmy Burke needed her. Aimee knew that for sure. Watching the gnarled hands of her employer and mentor as they tightened the saddle girth and adjusted the curb chain was proof enough. Jimmy’s mind was still sharp, but his body was letting him down. Debilitated by severe arthritis, unable to ride, he could train the American Saddlebred horses under his care only with her help—with her following his instructions and being his hands and legs in the saddle.
“Ready?” Jimmy asked, standing on the other side of the horse with his hand on the right stirrup iron.
Aimee pulled on her leather gloves and nodded. She positioned herself with one hand on the reins and the other on the back of the saddle. Sticking her boot into the stirrup, she swung into the saddle, adjusting her seat and gathering her double reins. She glanced down at Jimmy for instruction.
He ran a practiced hand over the gelding’s well-muscled shoulder, trying to keep the big chestnut calm. “This is a good ’un,” he said, his voice revealing his admiration for good horseflesh. “Champions on both sides of his pedigree. Excellent show record, but still young. Let’s take it slow this morning and see what this big boy can do.”
Anticipation pulsed through Aimee’s veins. The huge horse with the improbable name of “Wedded Bliss” had arrived at the barn yesterday morning, and this was her first time on his back. She loved her job. Loved working with Jimmy and learning his techniques. Loved discovering what made a good horse tick and how to get the best performance from every equine athlete she rode.
Pressing her legs against the Saddlebred’s side, she signaled the horse to move forward. Rodney, the groom who stood at the horse’s head, jumped out of the way as Wedded Bliss shot forward, already dancing with eagerness for his morning workout. Making a mental note not to ask Bliss so severely with her calves, Aimee tried to relax. But with one thousand pounds of high-strung horse between her legs, it was hard to do.
Continuing at a flat walk, they entered the spacious indoor arena that smelled of cedar shavings. Jimmy didn’t have a facility of his own, but leased eight or nine stalls at Bob Holt’s training barn near Simpsonville. Jimmy had worked for many big stables in his seventy-odd years, and trained for many wealthy clients, including her dad. Now he only accepted a handful of horses from select owners.
Times had been hard for the hall-of-fame trainer, but Jimmy had persevered as always. What did he always say? When you fall from the saddle, pick yourself up and climb back on.
Jimmy took his position in the center of the arena, resting one lean hip on a wooden stool. Aimee glanced his way, g
ratitude rising in her chest. If Jimmy hadn’t believed in her, trusted her talent, and had faith in her willingness to give it her all, she would be stuck in Chicago right now. Stuck on the “Elliott dole.”
Being the only child of a millionaire had its advantages. She had learned to ride at the age of five and spent the next twenty years in the saddle thanks to her mother’s indulgence and her father’s money. She loved riding and she loved horses. A champion equestrienne in her teens, she now hoped to turn her riding expertise into a career as a professional horse trainer.
But being Ray and Martha Elliott’s daughter had its drawbacks too. She had not been allowed a life of her own. Expected to be the dutiful daughter and make a “good” marriage, she had finally rebelled. It was time to stand up for what she wanted in life and she’d made the break. She was a big girl now, with a real job, a job someone needed her to do.
Besides, how could she be assured that the men she met—the men who proclaimed undying love—actually loved her for herself? She was Ray Elliott’s daughter, wasn’t she? An heiress to a fortune. And she’d been burned one too many times.
“Ease on into a trot,” Jimmy called from his position in the middle of the arena.
Aimee nodded. She shortened her reins and clucked softly, prepared to use her whip if the horse needed urging. Instead, the gelding exploded into a trot. Adjusting to the surprise of his raring-to-go gait, Aimee went with him a few paces before beginning to post.
“Whoopee!” Jimmy stepped away from the stool and turned to watch her as she circled the arena. “Just let him go!”
Aimee did as she was told. She spent the next twenty minutes on the ride of her life, following Jimmy’s instructions and getting to know her new charge. Riding Wedded Bliss was like riding liquid adrenaline. He put out two hundred percent during the work out. By the time they were through, Aimee found herself panting hard. Bliss had barely broken a sweat.
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