"And Rogue has done well?"
"Very well," he said, flashing her a proud smile. "He's won three tough stakes races and placed or showed in five others. So far, he's won more than three hundred and fifty thousand dollars."
She raised an eyebrow in surprise. "No kidding? I had no idea."
"Horse racing is big business."
"What do you get if you win the Derby?”
"The purse is a million dollars."
"No wonder you want it so bad."
"It's not for the money," he said quietly. "I just want to win the race."
And she believed him, because if Zach had ever been motivated by money, he wouldn't have walked away from his father's moneymaking schemes. He wouldn't have sunk every dime into a horse that might win or come in last. No, Zach wanted the win for personal reasons. He wanted to prove he could win without cheating. He wanted to prove he wasn't his father. She just hoped his horse could run like the wind. Or Zach would be running for the rest of his life.
As they neared Louisville, she sat up straighter in her seat. When she'd flown into the city the week before, she hadn't seen much more than the airport and the roads leading out of town.
Zach smiled. "Missing the big city?"
"No. But I didn't see much of Louisville on my way in."
"It's a nice city. It's got pretty much everything, the Ohio River, the Bat Museum, home of the famous Louisville Slugger--”
"The what?"
"It's a baseball bat.”
"Oh."
"I guess you know as much about baseball as you know about horses."
"True, but if there's anything you want to know about mutual funds, stock splits and foreign investments, I'm your girl."
"Sounds like fun. What do you do when you're not worshiping the almighty dollar?"
"I plant flowers."
"In your stepfather's acre of incredible gardens?”
"No. I have a garden on the roof of my condo building."
"You live in a condo? You don't have any land, no yard?"
"L.A. isn't Kentucky."
"You can say that again," he muttered. "I could never live there."
"Well, you don't have to," she snapped, feeling a little annoyed by his criticism. "But it works for me."
"If it was working for you, then you wouldn't be here, Kat."
She frowned. "This trip is about finding my father."
"Are you sure it isn't about finding yourself?"
His question cut to the quick and wasn't one she could answer, so she turned her gaze out the window, wondering why this man seemed to know her even better than she knew herself.
After a few minutes of unsettled silence, Katherine pulled out her notebook and flipped to an empty page.
Zach cast her a quick glance. "What are you listing this morning?"
"What we want to accomplish today so we won't forget to ask something important."
"We only have one question. Did my father get a vasectomy?"
"And what year did it take place?" she added, checking off one of the questions she'd come up with the night before. "Plus we should ask where it was done, if this woman knows, in case we need to check records. Then we should--”
"Kat?"
"What?" she asked, looking up from her list.
"Flexibility can give you an advantage." He sent her a small, intimate smile that made her toes curl inside her tennis shoes and made her heart flutter restlessly against her chest. Focusing on her lists, on her priorities, had kept her from focusing on him, but now she'd gone and done the unthinkable, made eye contact. She had to force herself to breathe.
"Besides, I'm not very good at following directions," Zach said.
She was so distracted by his gaze, she could barely follow his words. Fortunately, he had to look back at the road and the connection was broken. She took a deep breath, closed her notebook and set it back in her purse. "Are we almost there?"
"Almost. If you like flowers, you should stick around to see the Derby. Churchill Downs has its own greenhouses and on Derby Day the paddock and infield are a glorious blaze of color. It's spectacular."
"I wouldn't have thought you noticed anything but the horses," she said in surprise.
He tipped his head. "Well, the flowers I'm most interested in are the roses that will be draped around Rogue's neck when he wins the Derby."
"Pretty sure of yourself, aren't you?"
"I know what I've got."
"Isn't the Derby the biggest race of the year? Couldn't you have picked a smaller dream?”
"Only the big ones count."
She smiled. "I've always admired people who go for broke. Like those gymnasts in the Olympics who train every second of every day for years and years and then it's all over in one vault, one floor exercise, one mistake, one moment of brilliance. I can't imagine investing myself in anything like that."
"Can't you? Isn't that what you're doing right now? Finding your father is not only a risk it may be damn near impossible, but that hasn't stopped you from trying."
"You said before I was a fool," she reminded him.
He shrugged. "I still think it's crazy, but I admire your guts. And I think any man would be proud to call you his daughter."
Her eyes blurred with unexpected emotion, and she turned her heard toward the window to blink them away.
A few minutes later Zach turned in to the parking lot of the most famous racetrack in the country. It was still dark, but the sky had begun to grow lighter and Katherine could make out the enormous grandstand, the twin spires arising from the roof adding a sense of magnificence, importance, glory. She couldn't wait to see the inside, the track, the infield, the luxury boxes, but Zach bypassed the main parking lot and drove in as close as he could to the stable gates.
"We'll walk it from here," he said.
She hopped out of the truck, shivering as the cold air hit her skin. The weather wasn't quite as clear as it had been in Paradise. There was a heavy mist, almost a faint drizzle at times. She couldn't imagine what her hair was going to look like by ten o'clock.
Judging by Zach's purposeful stride toward the security gate, he wasn't at all concerned about the rain or his hair. He wanted to get to his horse as fast as humanly possible. The security guard waved them through, and Katherine had to hurry to keep up with Zach's long-legged strides.
She'd never been behind the scenes at a racetrack and was once again amazed by the number of people working so early in the morning. There were horses everywhere she looked, being walked, bathed, and bridled. Young girls who looked to be barely out of their teens sat astride tall horses, seemingly unaware of how frail they were compared to the enormous beasts they were about to ride.
"Watch out," Zach warned, grabbing her hand before she stepped into a pile of dung. "You've got to look where you're going."
"There's so much to see."
"And it only gets busier the closer we get to the Derby. Then there will be reporters and camera crews and trainers holding press conferences. It's a zoo."
"Will you be holding a press conference?”
"I let Rogue do my talking for me."
He turned her toward barn number 41. "This is Colin's barn. My trainer," he added at her look of confusion. "Let's go find my big ugly baby."
Zach walked down the row of stalls, not stopping until they got to the second stall from the end. A large black horse had its back to them, but immediately lifted his head as if catching the scent of his owner.
"Hey there," Zach said softly.
Rogue turned around and came over to the doorway with a whinny of pleasure. Zach patted his nose. "How you doing? They treating you all right?" He stroked Rogue's neck. "Not much longer now. We're almost to the stretch." He turned to Katherine. "Come meet my baby."
She smiled at the excitement in his voice, the joy in his eyes. The way to Zach's heart was obviously through his horse. She stepped closer, getting a better look at the enormous black colt. He held his head high in the air
, his black eyes compelling and somewhat frightening. He stood on long, slender legs, his muscled body as well honed as any runner's. But it was his stance, his proud, arrogant presence, that made her stay safely behind Zach's broad shoulders.
"Come closer, he won't bite. Will you, boy?"
Just as he spoke, Rogue tossed Zach's hand off his nose, obviously irritated about something.
She stepped back; she couldn't help it. Zach's big, ugly baby was somewhat frightening to a city girl whose only pet was a spoiled house cat.
"No treats until you show Katherine how fast you can run," Zach said.
Rogue snorted and stomped his foot.
"I don't think he's happy with your decision about the treats."
Zach looked at her and laughed. "He's just playing with me." His gaze narrowed. "You look a little nervous."
"That's because I am nervous. He's big."
"But not mean. I've been around mean horses; Rogue's a marshmallow at heart."
"He doesn't look too soft to me."
"You have to get to know him, that's all.”
"He is awesome-looking."
"Ugly as sin," Zach said with a laugh. "You don't have to pretend he's a beauty. But he can run when he wants to, and he'll run for me. We understand each other. Don't we, boy?" He stroked Rogue's nose, and this time the horse submitted to his touch. "His mother was the daughter of Irish Queen. His father was the son of Canon Shot and grandson of Bold Ruler. Although Rogue's mother never won a stakes race, his father won several and his grandfather won the Preakness. Unfortunately, none of the other horses sired by Canon Shot have lived up to their father's reputation."
"And that's important?" she asked, not quite able to keep up with the family tree.
"Very. Thoroughbreds are all about breeding. That's what we do at the farm. We match our winning stallions with mares around the country and the world, trying to produce the perfect genetic mix. The more races a horse has won, the more his value and the bigger the breeding fee. Triple Crown winners are being syndicated for millions of dollars these days."
"So you planned Rogue's birth by matching up bloodlines?"
Zach looked a little embarrassed by her question. "No, I picked him up at a yearling sale for a song. His bloodlines are decent but not stellar. His legs are too long. He got a reputation early on for being unpredictable, a troublemaker, and all other buyers stayed away from him."
"But not you."
"Not me."
"I don't understand, Zach. You just said you breed horses for a living. Why didn't you buy one of your own foals?"
Zach slid his arm around her waist and brought her closer to the stall, a little too close for her comfort, but she was reassured by the strength of his body next to hers.
"Rogue reminded me of myself," he said. "When I saw him, I knew he was the one. And I'll admit that his lack of breeding would only make a Derby win that much sweeter."
"You believe in breeding, yet you stick your nose up at it at the same time," Katherine commented. "But then, it's not really about the horses, it's about you, where you come from."
"Maybe."
"You want everyone to know they were wrong about Rogue and wrong about you."
"If that happens, fine. If it doesn't, whatever."
"You've invested everything you have for 'whatever'? I don't buy it." She turned her head so she could look him in the eye. "This horse, this race, means more to you than anything else in the world."
Zach's eyes darkened. "You're right. Rogue's the only thing that's ever been mine, all mine." His hand tightened on her waist. "Yeah, he means a lot to me.”
She caught her breath as Rogue decided to investigate her presence a little more closely. His big nose brushed her chest, and she had to force herself not to flinch.
"Did I tell you Rogue can be a little fresh?" Zach asked, a teasing note returning to his voice.
"Like someone else I know."
"You can touch him if you want to."
She sensed that Zach's casual comment was far more of a big deal than he was making it out to be. This was his horse, his love, his life. So she pushed all of her misgivings aside, all of the reasons she had mentally listed for why she should not get near to a horse that could crush her, kick her, and probably kill her. Because on the other side of the list was Zach, and what he wanted was somehow becoming very important to her.
She reached out her hand and touched Rogue's nose with tentative fingers, pleased when the horse didn't immediately snap at her. In fact, Rogue seemed to like her. She became bolder, stroking him with her hand.
It was all going so well until a fly landed on Rogue's nose and he shook his head with an impatient, irritated snort. Katherine couldn't help letting out a little cry. She jumped backward, causing the startled horse to back up in his stall and rear up on his hind legs.
Before Katherine could say she was sorry, Zach was in the stall, calming Rogue with soothing muted words.
She walked a few feet away, getting the distinct feeling her presence was no longer welcome.
When Zach stepped out of the stall, he looked nowhere near as gentle.
"He spooks easily, Katherine," he said in a cold voice.
She swallowed hard. "I'm sorry. He scared me."
"You scared him."
"I didn't expect him to jump like that."
He shook his head as if he wanted to say something but was stopping himself.
"Go on, you can say it. I'm a city girl and I don't belong here." She felt like she'd just flunked an important test. "I'll wait in the truck for you."
He sighed. "You can stay. The reason Rogue needs to be here is to get used to folks like you acting unpredictably."
"Are you sure?"
"Where you're concerned -- I'm not sure about anything," Zach said heavily. "You make me want..."
"What -- what do you want?" she asked, her nerves still on edge.
"What I shouldn't want." He gazed down at her mouth, settling in there as if he didn't intend to leave any time soon. "You."
Chapter Eleven
The early morning air crackled between them. Katherine felt herself leaning forward. What would be the harm in a small kiss, a brief caress?
The moment was shattered when a man called out Zach's name.
Zach immediately turned, clearing his throat. "Colin."
A man walked over to join them. Dressed in jeans and a black leather bomber jacket, he had light brown hair that was thinning on the top and the sides, a brown beard that wasn't quite grown in, a ruddy complexion, and smiling green eyes.
"I figured you'd be in for the workout," Colin said with a light Irish tilt to his voice.
Zach shook the man's hand. "It's not that I don't trust you."
"It's just that you don't trust me." Colin gave Katherine a big toothy smile that was very endearing. "And who's this lovely lady?"
"Katherine Whitfield," Zach said, stepping aside so Katherine should shake Colin's hand.
"Nice to meet you," Colin said. "I'm glad to see Zach has something to distract him from driving me crazy."
"I wouldn't count on it," she said dryly, remembering how fast Zach had turned away from her.
"Rogue's going to do a half mile today," Colin said, suddenly all business. "The track's wet this morning. I want to see how he likes the turf."
"He's not afraid of a little mud."
"Well, hopefully we won't see any real rain between now and the Derby. Bob Jenkins tested Sundance in a one-eyed blinker yesterday. He ran real nice."
"He can't compete with Rogue. Did you talk to Perdito about how to take him in the gate?”
"I did."
Katherine listened as the two men discussed their strategy for the upcoming race. She presumed Perdito was a jockey, because Zach seemed concerned with his ability to get Rogue to perform at the end of the race as well as the beginning. Not much of their conversation made sense to her. Blinkers, leg wraps, gate positions, training distances, all came together like
one big foreign language. But she did know one thing. This was Zach's element. He absolutely shined, and his very presence seemed to energize everyone around him.
"I'll meet you at the rail," Colin said, patting Zach on the back. "We'll see if Rogue can put on a show for your friend."
She smiled her good-bye and followed Zach up to the track.
Along the way, Zach pointed out the paddock where the horses would be saddled and the jockeys mounted on Derby day as well as the pavilion where the spectators would gather. When they reached the track it was after six and the sun was beginning to break through the clouds, but it was still cold and misty along the track. The grandstand rose up behind the rail like a shadowy monster, dark and empty at this hour of the morning. The rail along the track, however, was lined with early morning enthusiasts, steam rising from their coffee cups, mixing with their breathless conversations as they clocked horses, checked the racing form, and perused the horses with their binoculars.
Zach knew quite a few of the people walking by, but while many said hello, no one came up to talk to them. She had a feeling that Zach was much like Rogue, more comfortable at home in his own surroundings.
They stood at the rail, watching one horse after another. Zach explained the differences between the horses, but Katherine was more caught up in the speed and the beauty of the horses as they thundered by.
Zach checked his watch every few minutes, his body growing tense, his conversation falling off to nothing. When Rogue walked onto the track, Katherine held her breath. She sensed that Zach wanted to focus all of his attention on his horse, and she couldn't blame him. He had his whole life riding on Rogue.
Rogue warmed up on the backside, then sprinted down the stretch in a blaze of speed. He looked perfect to Katherine, but Zach muttered something about a choppy gait. And when he looked down at the stopwatch in his hand, he frowned with disapproval.
"Too slow," he muttered.
"'What?"
"Too damn slow. He couldn't beat a nag with that time."
"Maybe he's tired from the trip."
"Don't make excuses for him," Zach said, turning on her with a ferocity that shocked her. "You always want to make excuses. Why can't you just accept that something is bad? Why do you always try to make it good?"
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