by Megan Hart
Remi held her breath.
The bell rang, and the horses exploded down the track in a furor of pounding hooves and streaming colors. The crowd around them cheered and clapped and roared. She and Merrick watched the race in silence.
After two minutes and a mile and a half had passed, Shenanigans of Arden Farms was declared the unofficial winner. Remi should have been happy that their champion filly had won the race. A nice purse, a sweet victory, another trophy in the trophy room...
“You don’t look happy, Bubbalah,” Merrick said and put two fingers on either side of her face, forcing her lips into a smile. She gave him the most glaring of death glares. “Your little pony won her race. Smile like you mean it.”
The outrider led Mike and Shenanigans on a victory lap.
“Let’s go,” she said.
“Thank God,” Merrick said, as they stood up. “I’m starting to sweat. It’s October. I don’t let myself sweat in October.”
She grabbed her things, and Merrick let her out into the aisle. He followed behind her as she strode to the rails.
“Have you noticed anything weird here lately?” she asked him.
“Yes. Definitely. What the hell does that woman have on top of her head? A sailboat?” He pointed at a lady walking past their section. “Ahoy there!” he shouted at the woman in the white hat with the voluminous veil. “No one can see over your damn schooner! Full steam ahead!”
“Merrick, please behave yourself.”
“Why? You’re in the cheap seats. Nobody knows that YOU’RE REMI MONTGOMERY AND YOUR FAMILY OWNS SHENANIGANS, THE WINNING HORSE.” Merrick spoke so loudly everyone in a twenty-yard radius heard him. Of course they did.
“And you wonder why I won’t ever sleep with you,” she whispered to him.
“AND YOU AND I AREN’T SLEEPING TOGETHER,” Merrick said, still in his obnoxious booming voice. Everyone in the grandstands stared at them as they walked down to the viewing area in front of the track.
“Remind me why I hired you again.” Remi slid her bag over her shoulder as they headed to the clubhouse.
“Because you wanted someone outside the racing industry who didn’t give a fuck about horse racing to be your assistant. Also I’m brilliant and the sexiest man alive.”
“Two out of three ain’t bad. Come here, I want to show you something,” she said, pausing at the track to watch the jockey weigh-in. The results of the race wouldn’t be official until the jockeys were weighed.
“Finally. But let’s find a stall so we can have some privacy for our first time. I want it to be as awkward and uncomfortable as possible for the both of us.”
She opened her bag and handed him a magazine.
“Wow,” Merrick said, a word she’d never heard pass his lips before. Merrick was not easily impressed. “You don’t see horses on the cover of Sports Illustrated very often. Then again, I only ‘read’ the swimsuit issue.”
Remi stood next to him as they stared at the cover—Shenanigans, her family’s chestnut filly, and Hijinks, the Capital Hills colt, barreled down the center of the Verona Downs track toward the camera. The picture had been snapped in the final stretch of the Lexington Stakes—a glorious action shot of two beautiful beasts running their guts out.
“Look at that headline. The New Civil War—Hijinks Versus Shenanigans in the Horse Racing Rivalry of the Century,” Remi read aloud, trying not to roll her eyes at the hyperbole. “They called us the Hatfields and McCoys of horse racing.”
“That’ll sell some T-shirts.” Merrick handed her the magazine.
“This article is ridiculous,” Remi said, flipping through the pages. “It’s all about the vicious rivalry between Arden Farms and Capital Hills—two of the oldest Kentucky horse farms. Everyone’s picking a side—Team Shenanigans versus Team Hijinks.”
“I’m still Team Edward.”
“I saw a fight today right by the rails. It was between two guys, one wearing an Arden shirt, the other guy in a Capital Hills shirt. After this feature, the entire racing world will be betting on Shenanigans and Hijinks. They’re even selling Hijinks and Shenanigans stuffed animals..”
“Now that’s just sick.”
“Tell me about it. These horses are turning into money trees.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing. Shenanigans is your family’s horse,” he reminded her. “More notoriety, better attendance, better press, more money, more money for me, your faithful assistant who deserves a raise. Should I write this down for you?”
“Write this down for me,” she said, handing Merrick a pen and her journal. “One hundred million and two hundred million. Got it?”
He held up the page where he’d written the figures. “So?”
“One hundred million is how much money is bet on the Kentucky Derby. Two hundred million is how much is bet on the Breeders’ Cup.”
“And I wrote them down why?”
Remi shook her head and turned to the Winner’s Circle. Her mother and father stood next to Shenanigans while the assembled press frantically took pictures.
“You wrote them down because I want you to see how much money there is in horse racing.”
“Fine. I’ll buy a goddamn pony.”
“I wouldn’t trust you with a goldfish, Merrick. That’s not my point,” Remi said.
“What’s your point then?”
She exhaled hard and shook her head. She’d been dreading this question, because she’d been dreading the answer to it. Still, Merrick was the one person in her life she trusted right now, so she thought she might as well tell him.
“My parents bought a new farm a couple months ago,” she said. “Satellite Farm—five hundred acres.”
“So?”
“They paid cash for it. Ten million dollars. We shouldn’t have had ten million dollars in cash lying around.”
“And?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But we shouldn’t have that much money lying around. Capital Hills seems to have had a windfall, too. The auctions were this week—they dropped ten million the first three days.”
“Damn.”
“That’s kind of a coincidence, isn’t it? They suddenly have ten million dollars? We suddenly have ten million dollars?”
“A slightly suspicious coincidence,” Merrick said, narrowing his eyes at her parents.
“That’s what I was thinking. Three months ago Dad changed the passwords on the bank accounts. I can’t see how much money we have anymore. I told him a while ago to hire a new accountant, and that was his excuse—new guy, new passwords. Don’t worry my pretty little head about it.”
“Your pretty little head looks worried.”
“Rivalries always make for money and headlines. But, Merrick, I don’t know. Something doesn’t smell right about this. And trust me, my family and the Capital Hills family aren’t in anything together. They hate each other.”
“I’ve noticed that.”
“But still, I think someone at Arden and someone at Capital Hill might be stoking this rivalry in the press for a reason.”
“What reason?” Merrick asked. “Money?”
“Is there any other reason?” Remi asked, feeling sick to her stomach even saying that much. “Tyson Balt was at our house last night.”
“He owns Verona Downs, right? VD for short? He really should have rethought that name. What about him?”
“Balt’s been promoting the hell out of the Verona Downs Stakes race. Shenanigans and Hijinks are the two favorites already.”
“You think your family is getting the money from Balt?”
“Something’s not right” was all she would say.
Merrick pursed his lips and whistled.
“I don’t have the evidence yet. It’s only a hunch,” Remi said.
“You really want to dig this hole? You might end up falling into it, Boss.”
“I know,” she said, her stomach tightening. “But if my hunch is right, there’s a fraud being perpetuated here at Verona. I can�
��t look the other way even if my own family is involved. This farm has been my life for twenty-six years. I’m not going to let them fuck it up.”
“We should talk to someone at Capital Hills. What’s their name? The Brites?” Merrick asked.
Remi swallowed. Heat rushed to her face.
“Yes,” she said, her voice neutral. “The Capital Hills farm has been in the Brite family for 150 years.”
“The parents are out since they’re probably in on this, whatever it is,” Merrick said. “And we can’t talk to the daughters. I banged two out of three of them and didn’t call after.”
“Wait. When did that happen?”
“What was that thing with the big hats you dragged me to in May?”
“The Kentucky Derby?”
“That.”
“You had a threesome with two of the three Brite daughters at the Kentucky Derby?”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“This is why I can’t take you anywhere. Okay, so the sisters are out.”
“Two out of three are. Anyone else?” Merrick asked. “A trainer maybe? Maybe we can find a stable boy you can bat your tits and flash your eyelashes at.”
“I doubt a groom would know anything.”
“A higher-up, then? A secretary?”
Remi shifted uncomfortably as her parents smiled for the dozens of cameras in the Winner’s Circle. Even Shenanigans seemed to be smiling.
“Well...I guess we can talk to Julien Brite,” Remi said and a tiny tremor passed through her body as his name passed her lips.
“Which one’s Julien?”
“Julien is the son. He’s the youngest in the family.”
“Never heard of him,” Merrick said.
“He’s not in the business,” Remi said. “Not sure why. I don’t even know where he lives now.”
“You know him?”
“Sort of.”
Merrick narrowed his eyes at her. “You sort of know him? Can you trust him?”
“He’s the only member of the Brite family who doesn’t hate me. I think.”
“He sounds like our guy, then. You want to find him and go talk to him about this stupid rivalry?”
“Oh, he already knows about the rivalry,” Remi said with a heavy sigh. “But yes, he’s probably the only one in the Brite family we can talk to.”
“I’ll find his number,” Merrick said. “We can call him.”
“No calls,” she said, making the decision at once. “On the off chance he does hate me, let’s not give him a reason to hang up on us.”
Remi stepped away from the rails and headed toward the clubhouse.
“So we show up on his doorstep and beg for help?”
“Can you find his doorstep for me? I’ll do the begging.”
“On it, Boss. But if Julien isn’t involved in the business, how do you know he knows anything about the rivalry?” Merrick asked. The crowd ahead parted for them. The people in the grandstand might not have known who she and Merrick were, but the clubhouse crowd certainly did. Tyson Balt, the owner of Verona Downs, eyed her warily. The feeling was entirely mutual. And up in the boxes she saw Mr. and Mrs. Brite giving an interview to a reporter as a camera recorded their every word. She glanced up at them. They glared down at her with unmistakable loathing.
“Because,” Remi sighed, “four years ago, Julien and I accidentally started it.”
Chapter Two
Vive La France
On Friday morning, Remi and Merrick boarded an airplane. Halfway through the flight Remi realized she’d been digging her hand into Merrick’s knee for the past two hours. Flying didn’t scare her. She’d spent too many years on the back of high-jumping horses to be afraid of a little altitude. But even after four hours of smooth sailing, Remi remained a rapidly fraying knot of tension.
“Boss? You okay?” Merrick asked as he signaled the flight attendant for another drink. He was having way too much fun in first class, much more fun than she was. “I mean, I don’t mind that you’re squeezing my knee so hard I can’t feel my calf, but there are other body parts I could direct your attention to, if you’re interested.”
“Steady as she goes.” Remi took the vodka out of his hand and chugged it.
“Whoa, Nellie.” Merrick grabbed it back. “We’ve got five hours left on this flight.”
“Sorry,” she said. “Take it. I’m fine.”
“Yeah, you seem real fucking fine. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“How many times do I have to tell you that you’re the world’s worst liar?” Merrick asked. “You’re stressed about seeing this Julien guy again. Yes?”
“A smidge,” she said. “A skosh.”
“Are you going to tell me why?”
She shook her head. “Not if you won’t let me have your vodka.”
He gave her the vodka. “Sip it and talk. You can’t say something like ‘Julien and I started this rivalry’ and sashay off all dramatic-like without telling me the story.”
“It’s a humiliating story,” Remi said.
“Miss?” Merrick addressed the passing flight attendant. “I’m going to need some popcorn.”
“Merrick.”
“Talk,” he said. “And don’t leave out any juicy details.”
“I’m leaving out all the juicy details,” she said. “You get the bare bones.”
“Is there boning involved in the bare bones?”
“Near boning,” she said, wincing. She took a steadying breath and focused her attention on the hum of the airplane engines. It comforted her, the sound of the engines reminding her she was thousands of miles and years away from the time and place of her greatest humiliation.
“Go on...” Merrick said.
“This was back when I was in college—just graduated, actually. Winter graduation. I’d come home for Christmas, and Mom and Dad dragged me to a big Christmas party at The Rails.”
“That’s that huge horse farm in Versailles, yes?”
“Yes, bigger than Capital Hills and Arden put together.”
“Got it. So it’s Christmas. It’s a party. You’re what? Twenty-one?” Merrick asked.
“Twenty-two,” she said. “It was a formal party, so I had an excuse to buy an awesome dress. Jade strappy thing.”
“Did it make your tits look good?”
“You could have seen them from space,” she said.
“I approve. Continue, please.”
“Anyway,” she said and paused to sip Merrick’s vodka. She hated the stuff but needed a little liquid fortification. “I was there about an hour before I saw this gorgeous guy. He was standing on the other side of the room talking to a big, hotshot Kentucky basketball player. So I assumed he was a University of Kentucky student, probably a freshman. He was drinking a glass of white wine, and he looked so handsome in his tuxedo. He had messy red hair. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.”
“Gross.”
“Do you want to hear this story or not?”
“Tell.”
“Julien was so beautiful that I had to chug a whole glass of wine just to work up the courage to go talk to him.”
“And you did, and he was smart and funny and nice and all that boring shit women love?”
“All that and more,” Remi said. “We walked through the house together. Gorgeous house. Every room decorated in a different Christmas theme. It was like something out of a fairy tale or a movie. I’d never seen anything like it, never felt anything like it. The night was perfect. Ever have a moment so perfect that you know you’ll remember it the rest of your life while you’re still living in the moment?”
“Never,” Merrick said. “But it’s a good dream. Too bad dreams lie.”
“It felt like a dream, but it wasn’t. This was real.”
Remi closed her eyes and found herself once more in that house on that night. She and Julien stood by the fireplace mantel lined with a dozen yellow candles in antique brass candleholders. The room was fille
d with antique toys and a tree that soared all the way to the cathedral ceiling. The silver and gold stars on the tree reflected the dancing light from the fireplace. She’d never been the sort of girl who believed in love at first sight. And then she met Julien and that night, that one perfect night, she believed.
“This guy must have been special,” Merrick said.
“I thought he could be.” Remi knew she was the world’s worst liar. Might as well tell the truth. “I didn’t know how special he was, because he only told me his first name—Julien. We talked about everything and nothing. I don’t even remember what we talked about except that he made me laugh and asked me questions like he wanted to know everything about me. Before I knew it, there we were, standing under the mistletoe.”
“Best kiss ever?” Merrick asked.
“Best kiss ever,” she agreed, remembering how Julien’s lips had shivered lightly at the first gentle contact. The gentleness quickly turned to passion, and before she knew it, her arms were around his back and his mouth was on her neck, at her ear, at her throat. Every Christmas since then she’d thought of Julien. The lights, the tree, the scent of pine and candles brought the memories back. Maybe that’s why she couldn’t imagine spending Christmas with Brian Roseland. Christmas was already claimed by Julien and that one perfect night he’d been everything she’d wanted but never thought to ask for.
“I’m guessing the inevitable happened,” Merrick said.
“We found an empty guest room. I thought I remembered locking the door behind us.”
Merrick cringed. “I see where this is going...”
Remi nodded, her face flushing at the memory.
“We kissed for a long time. Julien seemed a little nervous, and I didn’t want to rush things since we’d just met. But then he unzipped the back of my dress and I unbuttoned his shirt...and his pants...and then.”
“And then?”
“And then while things were happening, he said something weird and I stopped.”
“Weird? What? Did he deny the Holocaust or something?”
“He said...‘This feels better than I ever dreamt it would.’”
