She looked at him in astonishment.
"Oh, hell." Zach stormed off before she could even reply.
Deciding to leave him alone for a while, Katherine walked over to a coffee stand, bought herself another cup, and settled down to watch the rest of the field take their practice runs.
* * *
Zach swore all the way to the barn. He'd acted like a jerk, taking out his frustration with Rogue on Katherine, but he'd been reacting to more than just Rogue's slow sprint. He'd been angry with himself for not being able to concentrate on his horse with Katherine standing next to him. Instead of focusing on Rogue, he'd been thinking about her, enjoying the brush of their shoulders, the scent of her hair and skin, wondering just how much time had to pass before he could kiss her again.
Damn. He could not afford to be distracted so close to getting his dream. He had to concentrate on what was important and that was the Derby. He met up with Colin and Rogue at the barns. After a brief discussion and reassurance from Colin that Rogue was exactly where he wanted him to be, Zach watched as the groom walked Rogue around the shed row until he was completely cool. After a bath, an examination of Rogue's precious legs, application of ointment and clean bandages, Zach felt better about his big, ugly baby.
Making his way back to the track, he found Katherine sitting on the second bench in the bleachers, reading the morning newspaper, a cup of coffee in one hand and a white powdered doughnut sitting on a napkin beside her. Now that the sun had come out, she'd put on dark glasses, hiding her eyes and her expression.
Zach sat down next to her. She didn't even look up.
"I owe you an apology," he said.
"You do." She looked over at him and pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. "You acted like an ass."
"I did." He was surprised by the small smile that crossed her lips. "What's so funny?"
"I'm done making excuses for you or anyone else. When you act badly, I'm going to tell you," she said. "That felt good."
"I think I've created a monster."
"Be careful what you wish for."
"I was rattled. I took it out on you."
"Yelling at me won't make Rogue run any faster. I'm not sure yelling at him will do any good either."
"You're right." He paused. "How come you're not angry?"
Her expression softened. "Because anyone can see you're worried about your horse. But it's out of your hands, Zach. You've done everything you can do to get Rogue to this point. It seems to me, and I admit I don't know anything about horses and horse racing, but I think it's up to Rogue from here on out. You're just going to have to watch and wait."
"It's hell."
"Patience is not your strong point, is it?"
"I've never believed that good things come to those who wait. If you wait, all the good stuff is usually gone."
"Not always." She patted his hand. "And just think, learning to be patient will come in handy when you have kids."
He felt like she'd punched him in the stomach. "I'm not going to have kids."
She looked at him in surprise. "Why not?"
"I'd make a terrible dad."
"Kids aren't that different from horses. And you're great with Rogue.”
"Horses don't talk back.”
"True, but they need a firm hand, a calm voice, and a lot of love, and I saw you give all that to Rogue just a few hours ago."
"I don't think so." In fact, he'd never considered having kids. When he and Crystal had briefly talked about it, he'd been relieved to hear she didn't want children. Crystal had never struck him like the motherly type.
Not like Katherine. It didn't take much to imagine her holding some baby in her arms, smiling down with her wide-eyed wonder, hearing her soft voice sing a lullaby, watching her roll around in the grass with a toddler in her arms.
He shook his head, trying to get rid of the collage of images, because somewhere in the corner of the photos was him, watching her, loving her. No, it was never going to happen. He had Rogue to baby. He didn't need a kid.
"Are you going to eat the rest of that doughnut?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Go ahead." She held up the newspaper in her hand. "I've been reading about all the Derby events -- steamboat races, hot-air balloons, parades, music festivals, crazy hats, mint juleps, celebrities. The next two weeks are going to be wild, aren't they?"
"Kentucky's version of Mardi Gras," Zach replied, downing the rest of her doughnut in one bite.
"It must be incredible. I'm dying to taste a mint julep."
"I'm sure you'll be able to find one or a dozen if you look just about anywhere."
"It says here that Churchill Downs will serve eighty thousand mint juleps in the week before the Derby. That's a lot of bourbon."
"This is bourbon country as much as it's horse country. In fact, we have quite a few vices out here. We like our liquor, our horses, country ham and gravy and hot buttery biscuits. And God help us, we love our tobacco, too."
"Not a cucumber sandwich in sight, I guess.”
"Not a one. Are you ready to go?" he asked, deciding it was past time to get on with the rest of their day.
"Yes. Do you know how to find that woman you mentioned?"
"She runs a motel not far from here. I would guess that my father went through Veronica's on his way to Paradise, and if anyone can tell us what he's up to, it's her."
* * *
Fifteen minutes later, Zach escorted Katherine into the most wildly decorated motel she'd ever seen. The lobby was decorated with Victorian erotica, nude portraits, velvet drapes, scented candles, and bookshelves filled with sexually graphic novels. At the front desk there was a candy tray that also stocked twelve different kinds of condoms and a few other devices that were a complete and utter mystery to her. Everything was sexually oriented. She felt like she'd walked into the middle of an X-rated movie.
She could see Zach biting back a grin. The rat. "You could have warned me," she muttered.
"Didn't I mention that Veronica used to be a hooker?"
"No, you didn't. And are you sure she isn't still in the trade?"
Zach laughed. "She gave it up a long time ago and opened this motel. But a lot of her former customers still use it, so she likes them to have everything they need."
A woman walked out of the back room. She was tall and curvaceous, her breasts accented by the low-cut black knit top that barely covered her chest. Her face was almost clown-like, with thick heavy makeup, bright red lipstick, rosy blush, purple eye shadow, and eyebrows penciled in a thick black line. Black hair went down her back to her waist in long, straight, heavy strands. Despite her rather bizarre appearance, there was no mistaking the delight that spread across Veronica's face when she saw Zach.
She came around the counter and threw her large arms around him, pressing him against her ample bosom, so tightly Katherine wasn't sure Zach could draw a breath.
"Zachary. I've missed you," Veronica said, finally releasing him from her hold. "You're such a handsome boy now. If I were thirty years younger..." She sighed. "Who's this -- your girlfriend?" She gave Katherine an assessing look.
"This is Katherine Whitfield."
Veronica pursed her lips. "Now, where have I heard that name before?"
"Probably from my father," Zach said. "He seems to think he's Katherine's long-lost daddy."
The confusion on Veronica's face cleared almost immediately. "Oh, that's right, the lonely little rich girl."
She didn't like the description or the tone in Veronica's voice. "Do you happen to know if Mr. Tyler ever had a vasectomy?" she asked abruptly.
Veronica sent her a sultry grin. "Why don't you just ask him, honey?" she said, nodding to Zach.
"I don't mean that Mr. Tyler," Katherine said hurriedly, trying to ignore Zach's amused expression. "I'm not interested in his..." Lord, she was getting herself in deeper by the minute.
"How could you not be interested?" Veronica asked. "Why, this is one choice hunk of a man."
She shifted her feet. "I'm talking about Jackson Tyler, his father. Zach thought you might know if Jackson ever had a vasectomy."
"Now, why would I know that? Do I look like the kind of woman who asks a man such private questions?"
"Well..." Again, she had no idea what to say.
Zach finally helped her out. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill and stuck it in Veronica's cleavage. "To apologize for my friend's poor choice of words," he said. Then he pulled out another hundred. "Now, I'm guessing a lady such as yourself would probably have heard a few things over the years."
"A few," Veronica admitted, clearly appeased. "But sometimes it's difficult to remember."
Zach pulled out another hundred. "Will this help?"
She tucked the money down her shirt. "Now, you know your daddy never liked any loose ends, Zach. He made sure of that early on."
"That's what I thought."
"So he had a vasectomy?" Katherine asked.
Zach sighed. "Katherine."
"I'm sorry. I didn't get the same script you and Veronica did."
"I like her," Veronica said unexpectedly. "I'm glad she's not your sister." Veronica walked over to the candy display and picked up a package of condoms. "Do you need a room to go with these?”
"We most definitely do not need a room," she said.
"I guess not," Zach said with a dry smile.
Veronica took the money out of her cleavage and handed it back to Zach. "You know you don't have to pay me for information, honey. I was just having fun with you."
"Keep it anyway."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
Veronica pressed the package into his hand. "I have a feeling you might need these later," she said, eyeing Katherine.
Zach kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks. Take care of yourself."
"You, too, Zachary."
She didn't speak until they were back in the truck. "I hope you don't think I'm going to help you use those glow-in-the-dark condoms."
"Could be interesting," he said with a grin. "At least we know you're not my sister."
"Not that Veronica's word is exactly scientific proof."
"I didn't really need her confirmation. My father is working a con. That's the bottom line.”
"I'm sure you're right," she said, realizing that this little trip had only put her back at square one. She was getting nowhere fast.
"Time to give up and go back to California?" Zach asked.
It was the first time he'd asked the question without a hopeful note in his voice. In fact, there was something else in his tone that made her pause. "You don't really want me to leave just yet, do you?"
"What do you want?" he countered.
The reckless part of herself wanted to try out the glow-in-the-dark condoms. The responsible part of her wanted to put Zach out of her mind and go back to searching for her father.
"What's the verdict?" Zach drawled. "Or do you need to make one of those lists of yours?"
"Right now I just need to go back to Paradise and figure out what to do next."
Chapter Twelve
"What's wrong? You're fidgeting more than Rogue," Zach said as he started the engine.
She couldn't begin to answer that question. Her insides were a tumbling mass of emotions. She settled for something fairly easy and basic. "Do you think your father will back off?"
"He won't have a choice.”
"Are you going to tell him we saw Veronica?”
"She probably got on the phone to him as soon as we left.”
"You don't think she was lying, do you?"
"No. It would have been in her best interests to support my father's game.”
"If I cross your father off the list, that leaves me with Justin, J.T., Jimmy Callaway... so far."
"For your sake, I hope it's not J.T."
"What's between the two of you anyway?”
"Stanton Farms has been beating J.T.'s stud farm in just about every area of competition."
"So it's a business thing?"
"Not totally."
"Are you going to make me beg for more information?"
He tossed her an irritated look. "You're annoyingly persistent."
"Just answer the question. What's between you and J.T.?"
"Crystal."
It wasn't the answer she'd been expecting, nor was it a topic she thought they'd be discussing. Now that the name had been tossed into the ring, she wasn't quite sure how to proceed, and judging by the scowl on Zach's face, he wasn't happy he'd answered her question.
"Crystal is your ex-fiance?" she asked tentatively.
"Yes."
He didn't say anything more, and Katherine sighed. "Are you going to explain?"
"Crystal's father, William MacIntyre, and J.T. were in business together for many years. Once Crystal and I began seeing each other, she convinced her father to disassociate himself with J.T. and board his horses with me. It wasn't just a financial blow. It was a personal one as well. J.T. saw it as a betrayal. I would say that my wedding day was probably the happiest day of J.T.'s life."
"Why did Crystal leave you at the altar?"
He checked his rearview mirror, then changed lanes.
"If it's too private, you don't have to tell me," she said.
He sighed. "As if that would make you drop it."
"I could always speculate on my own."
"You'll make it far worse than it was."
"So tell me."
Zach drove another mile down the highway. The traffic began to thin as they got farther away from Louisville.
"Even though Crystal's father respected my business dealings, her mother was not quite as enamored with me," Zach said finally. "She had another man in mind for her baby girl. So she had me investigated. Crystal had already heard most of the gossip about Jackson, but she'd never been completely confronted with the rest of the story.”
"Like what?"
"Like the fact that my mother was a prostitute," he said without a trace of emotion in his voice. "Jackson being a charming con artist was one thing. My mother servicing men for money was another. She also became a drug addict in her later years, with tracks running up and down her arms. Crystal's mother had photos."
She hated the bitter pain in his voice. He'd certainly gotten the short end of the straw when it came to parents. "That must have been awful. You didn't know what had become of your mother?"
"She left when I was seven. I didn't even know why. When she never came back, I thought she was dead."
"What do you remember about her before she left?"
"She was barely around."
"You must remember something," she said quietly.
"She was pretty," he said after a moment. "She had red hair and dark brown eyes and she always smelled nice. She liked rocky road ice cream and watching soap operas. I remember sitting on the floor with her, watching television. She'd laugh sometimes and sigh and say things like someday we're going to live like that." He shook his head. "Then my father would show up and they'd drink and fight and I'd hide under my bed."
"Oh, Zach. How awful."
"What's funny is that both of my parents wanted to live the high life, only they had no idea how to get there."
"And you never wanted that," she said, reading between the lines. "Just like with Rogue. It's not about money or having a big house or an expensive suit, it's about finding a place for yourself. I can understand that, Zach. It's what I want, too, just in a different way."
"We're not the same," he said, flinging her a sharp glance. "Don't start thinking we have anything in common. We don't. You like the sun. I like the shadows. You want a family and I just want to be left alone."
"If you wanted to be left alone, why did you ever ask Crystal to marry you?"
"Temporary insanity. Thank God, she didn't show up."
"If she really loved you, she wouldn't have done that to you."
"Oh, I think it's pretty clear she didn
't love me. I was a fool to mistake a good lay for a good future. I won't do that again."
"Not every woman is like Crystal. I'm not."
"In some ways you are. You're just passing through, feeling like everything is fresh and new, because you're seeing it all for the first time. But in a few weeks, a few months, it won't seem that exciting anymore."
She put her hand on his leg, pleased by the sudden flinch. "If I were looking for excitement, Zach, I think I could find it."
"Not the kind of excitement you want."
"Are you sure about that?" She trailed her fingers up his thigh.
He slammed on the brakes, throwing her forward in the truck. She lost her breath for a second as the truck came to an abrupt stop on the side of the road. Thank goodness there wasn't any traffic. He released his seat belt and turned to her with an expression of pure sin in his eyes.
She caught her breath. "What are you doing?"
"Seeing if we can find a little excitement together. Isn't that what you suggested?"
"Uh, well. I wasn't talking about right this second."
He put his right hand around the back of her neck and pulled her forward, until her face was just inches away from his. "Show me some bright lights, city girl."
He put his mouth on hers in a hard, demanding kiss. At first she resisted the onslaught, but his lips turned persuasive, lingering, caressing, and she couldn't help opening her mouth to him, letting his tongue dance with hers in pure erotic pleasure.
His fingers trailed through her hair, touching and tugging and tangling, so she was captive to his mouth, which came back again and again, until she felt her entire body begin to respond. Every nerve ending tingled. Her breasts ached where they brushed the front of his chest. Her thighs trembled when his hand dropped down to her waist, sliding up and down the material of her shirt, as if he were searching for a way in.
And she wanted him in, all the way in. Katherine pulled away, her breathing ragged. "I think we better slow down."
"That wasn't what I was thinking."
"We're in your truck, Zach."
"Yeah," he said, his expression growing unreadable as he sat back in his seat. She hated the distance cooling between them. "Good call," he added.
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