Forever Ventured

by Kathleen Brooks

  “Don’t worry about me.”

  Wyatt tucked her head against his chest and kissed the top of her head. “I love you, and you need to know that my love won’t change because you are traveling or you are winning or losing. I love you and I will never stop you from chasing your dreams. It’s my job to support you in those dreams, Cami.”

  Camila blinked back tears as she looked up at him. “That was the sweetest . . . wait, you called me Cami.” And she loved the sound of her nickname on his lips. She didn’t use it in America because it didn’t seem as professional to her, but here in his arms, it felt right.

  “I talked to your parents tonight, and your dad let your nickname slip.”

  Camila sat up straight. “You did what?” Her heart pounded. Why did he call her parents?

  “Don’t worry. Your C.C. cover is safe. In fact, C.C. makes your dad a little nervous.”

  “He said that?” Camila grinned as she listened to Wyatt. “But I’m sure you didn’t call just to talk about the race.”

  Wyatt shook his head and looked up at the painting behind them. “My great-grandfather told me that a woman would come along one day who would make me want to give her the world. And when that happens, it’s important to love all of her. And your family is part of you.”

  Camila was stunned. No man had ever talked to her parents as if they were part of dating her. More like they put up with them because they were dating her. “That means so much to me, Wyatt.” Then it hit her, what if they didn’t approve? After all, Wyatt was her boss even though she was a contract employee. “How did it go?”

  “It went well. I told them that we’d video chat soon.”

  She’d been avoiding her parents because of her dreams and because she’d been afraid they wouldn’t approve of Wyatt. But now the whole world was open to her, and it was Wyatt who was giving her the confidence to take what she wanted. She wasn’t going to waste one minute. She was going after everything she wanted and that included Wyatt.

  Camila stood up and walked from the living room to the staircase. Wyatt watched as she walked upstairs and then leaned over. “I’m going to be naked by the time you get up here. Do you think you can be, too?”

  Wyatt sprang from the couch, ripping his tie off as he ran toward the stairs. Camila giggled and sprinted for her room, leaving her shoes and dress behind. In Wyatt’s arms, she was free and together they were one.

  The early April sun beat down on Camila as she stood back and waited for Bud to boost Michaela onto Gent’s saddle. She’d gone to Florida during the winter. It had taken a few second and third place finishes to get Blitz qualified for the Derby, but she had and Carter and Reagan were thrilled.

  Now they were in Arkansas. She’d been racing a full stable of horses for the past seven months. Daisy was at the top of her game. Camila had even gotten some good wins with Marco’s horse and several of Wyatt’s.

  The scandal of Popular was on everyone’s lips for a month, but then like centuries past, a new scandal came along to take its place. The racing commission bought Piper’s testing kit. Popular and the derivatives used to make Popular were now standard in all testing.

  Mr. Strinati held up his end and turned over mountains of evidence. Leo and his father went to jail. They never turned on the manufacturer of Popular, but Sloane had taken this case as a mission. She’d used all her contacts and knowledge of the illegal drug trade and tracked the supplier down. They’d all been arrested when the Colombian group got on a charter boat that was supposed to stay close to shore. They were arrested as soon as they crossed into international waters.

  The jockeys had all been either suspended or expelled from racing. Same with the trainers. Kyle Avery resigned and pled guilty. He’d gotten community service and probation and was working in his father’s office the last she’d heard.

  It had been hard keeping her identity a secret and she was sure many people had figured it out, but so far no one was telling her father. When she talked to her father, he’d told her everyone was giving Conor Donahue a hard time about his daughter being a better jockey. So far he was too mad to talk to Mike, but Camila’s dad had told her that privately he watched every race and took notes.

  Camila’s stable of horses was growing as people saw what she could do. Training jockey Bellamy Charron was going to join her team in June.

  And then there was Wyatt. They were closer than ever despite the distance. She was gone for two or three weeks at a time, but Wyatt never complained. He only increased the dirty talk when they phoned and then there were the video calls. She was living her dream, and it was worth every night of missing Wyatt by her side. It also made the time they had together that much sweeter.

  “Here we go,” Mike said as she looked down at her and Bud. “Should I let him fly or come in second?”

  Mike had come to Keeneston several times and raced Gent against Sandstorm and Blitz. It was their own private training facility with the best of the best. Through that training, Mike had found Gent’s other gear. She’d trained him that a neck tap meant to speed up and a double tug of his mane meant for him to go full speed.

  When they’d seen it the first time, Wyatt had laughed and Carter and Mo had cursed. Then Mo had offered to buy Gent for twenty million dollars. Wyatt just shook his head and smiled. He smiled because watching Gent race gave him goosebumps.

  “See how he does without being pushed. Then if you need to, overtake the field at the end. We don’t need a ten-length win, but I’ll take a win. Even if it’s by a nose.”

  Mike smirked. “No fun. Let’s see what he does.”

  “Don’t worry. You can have all the fun you want in a few weeks.”

  “I can’t wait. Ready to go win a race, Gent? Now, don’t beat them too bad.”

  Camila laughed at Mike as they walked off toward the track.

  * * *

  Wyatt stood in the middle of a field in Keeneston with his arm inside a cow when his mother came flying over the hills in her pickup. She parked a distance away and walked toward them, careful not to startle the cow whose calf had gotten stuck in the birth canal.

  “Hiya, doc,” the owner of the cow said.

  “Hello,” Katelyn smiled back as she took in the struggling cow. “Need a hand, Wyatt?”

  “I’ve just about got it,” he said, grabbing hold of a hoof. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, I just thought you’d like to watch Gent race. Then I need to talk to you.”

  “Don’t really have a free hand, Mom.” Wyatt laughed as he waited for the next contraction to hit to help birth the calf.

  “I do,” she smirked and sent a wink to the owner. She pulled out her tablet and there was the race. She placed it on the cow’s back. As Wyatt brought the calf into the world, he saw Gent in his signature move—flying up the outside for the win. And it looked as if Mike didn’t even send him into high gear. Wyatt fell back as he and the calf tumbled to the ground. Twenty minutes later, the calf was nursing, the mother was well, the owner was going to collect a bet on Gent, and his own mother was waiting.

  “What did you need to talk about?” Wyatt asked as he answered Camila’s and Mike’s texts.

  “Let’s go back to your place. Do you have a minute?”

  “Sure. I need to do some farm management things anyway,” Wyatt said with a groan. With Camila gone, he hired enough hands to care for the horses and the farm, but they were still a lean crew on a lean budget. At least now it was manageable. He was booking the breedings Camila told him to, and he was setting up breedings for some of his mares. Finally there was enough cash coming in to cover the amount going out. But he didn’t mind the long hours. With Camila gone, it gave him something to focus on besides missing her.

  The drive home was short and his mother was already waiting for him. She’d gone inside and was sitting in the living room across from the painting of Ruth and Beauford.

  “I still miss them everyday.”

  “I do too,” Wyatt admitted. “I hope I have
made them proud.”

  “You always made them and us proud, Wyatt.” His mother took a deep breath and reached into her purse. “The day Nana Ruth passed away I was the first to arrive. I never told you what happened.”

  “What happened?” Wyatt asked, sitting down next to his mother.

  She pulled out an old rectangular silver case about the size of a small shoebox with engraving of flowers along it and the initials REW on the top and held it in her lap. “Nana knew she was dying and she was ready to go. Her one regret was not seeing you and your sister married. Of course, she had her hand in Sydney and Deacon’s marriage before they even met. But you were different. You weren’t ready for marriage. She told me she worried there wasn’t anyone in Keeneston that would be a good fit for you—a partner and lifelong love such as she’d found with Beauford.”

  “I guess she was right,” Wyatt said with a forced smile. He’d loved to have Nana Ruth here now seeing what he and Camila were doing for the farm. “I never did find anyone from Keeneston.”

  “But Camila was worth the wait,” his mother said with a large smile.

  “She was,” Wyatt agreed.

  “I don’t mean to pry,” Katelyn started to say, and Wyatt had to smother a laugh. “But, I have a serious question for you and it all comes back to Nana Ruth’s last conversation with me.”

  Wyatt instantly sobered. “What is it?”

  “It doesn’t have to be now or even next month, but is Camila the one?” his mother asked.

  “Yes.” It was that simple and that easy to say. Wyatt had known for seven months that she was. In fact, the feeling had only grown stronger over time.

  “Then I’ll finish my story,” his mother said with a happy smile but with sad eyes as she remembered her grandmother. “Nana Ruth said that you reminded her so much of Beauford. That’s why she left the farm to you. She wanted you to have what she and Beauford had in all ways, not just the relationship. She’d already been plotting Sydney’s marriage and knew her path was in fashion and business. But she recognized your love of the farm. She talked about how every week you and she would go kiss the horses. How you’d ask about every one. How you pretended to fix the horses with wraps and how they stood patiently as you played veterinarian.”

  Wyatt took a deep breath and tried to regain his composure. They were all such happy memories for him. “It’s why she left me the farm.”

  “Yes. And it’s why she left me one last task. To wait until you found someone who fit on this farm and in your heart like she fit with Beauford. Once you did, I was to give you this.”

  “What is it?” Wyatt asked as his mother handed him the silver case.

  “She told me one of the things inside, but then told me to never open it. I have honored her wishes.”

  Wyatt swallowed hard as he ran his fingers over Nana Ruth’s initials. Finally steady enough, he opened the case. Inside it was lined with dark sapphire blue velvet. Wyatt looked down at the contents and started to laugh.

  “What is it?” his mother asked.

  “There’s a note.” He would read that in private. “Then there’s a small jewelry box.” He reached inside and slowly opened it. Inside was Nana Ruth’s engagement ring.

  “That ring has been in the Wyatt family for generations,” his mother said softly as they both took a deep breath. Nana Ruth had never taken it off. “Nana put it in the box herself that day before closing it and giving it to me.”

  Wyatt looked down at the rose-cut diamond surrounded in a halo of small rose-cut rubies. He set it back into the box. He would have it cleaned and ready for the plan he was even now formulating in his mind.

  “And then there’s this,” Wyatt said, turning the silver box in his hand so his mom could see inside.

  His mother looked down and then burst out laughing. The rest of the silver box was filled with black lipstick tubes. There had to be at least thirty tubes of lipstick inside.

  Wyatt looked up at his mom and reached out his hand to hold hers. “Mom. I think I need your help.”

  “Of course, honey. Uncle Pierce has a jeweler on call.”

  “That’s just the first part,” Wyatt said, leaning forward to tell the rest to his mother.

  29

  Four weeks later . . .

  * * *

  Wyatt stepped from the limousine he’d rented early in the morning of the biggest race day of his life and held out his hand for Camila. She stepped out in a stunning emerald green dress that showed off her curves, highlighted her eyes, and made her red hair shine.

  Wyatt turned back to the limo and held out his hand again. Michaela took it and emerged to stand next to them. She was in a sporty but elegant knee length ivory silk dress. His sister had somehow gotten a picture of Gent printed in a pattern on the silk. Wyatt had a matching tie in the same silk and the bottom of Camila’s tea length dress was trimmed in it as well.

  “This is Wyatt Davies, owner of Wyatt Farm and Ruth’s Gentleman,” the reporter said into the camera before turning to them. “Dr. Davies, who do you have with you today?”

  “My farm partner and girlfriend, Camila Callahan, and the best jockey out there, Michaela Donahue.”

  Wyatt was quiet as the reporter talked to Michaela about the race, her father, and Gent before asking both ladies, “Who are you wearing?”

  “The hats are by Paige Parker and the outfits are Syd, Inc., of course.” Camila laughed and looked over as Sydney and Deacon stepped out of their own limousine.

  “Will we meet the elusive trainer, C.C. Callahan today?” the reporter asked Wyatt.

  “I have a feeling you will.” He grinned while managing not to look at Camila.

  “Is Mr. Callahan a relative of yours?” the reporter asked, turning to Camila.

  “Mr. Callahan is my father, here for the race from the UK, who I am very excited to see today,” Camila replied innocently.

  “We need to get to the barn, thank you,” Wyatt interjected smoothly as he held out each arm for the ladies and began walking off.

  “I mean, C.C. Callahan,” the reporter called out, but they just kept walking.

  “You’re evil.” Mike laughed at Camila.

  “I never lied,” Camila said proudly.

  * * *

  Camila took a deep breath and headed to the barn with Wyatt and Mike. She’d only come to the track at night to avoid running into her father. She made sure Gent was comfortable with the track. During the day, Mike worked overtime with him, which was above and beyond what was required of her.

  But now hiding was over. It was game time.

  “Wish me luck,” Mike said as they stopped at the entrance to the jockey’s room.

  Mike had picked up some more rides during the days leading up to the race, but she had refused to ride any horse besides Gent that day. In a rare move, she’d declared she wanted to focus one hundred percent on Gent and their big race today.

  “Your dad will be proud of you. Even more so than I am,” Wyatt told her. “And if not, the Rose sisters will give him a talking-to. My mom told me she saw Miss Daisy slipping a wooden spoon into her purse this morning.”

  Camila fell even more in love with him as she held his hand.

  Mike laughed then and, with a deep breath, walked into the jockeys’ lounge.

  “How about you? Are you ready?” Wyatt asked Camila.

  “I’m so nervous. What if he’s so mad at me he won’t talk to me anymore?” Camila felt as if her whole body was shaking. She and Wyatt had talked to her parents every week or so, but they’d agreed not to talk about their competing horses. That had enabled them to dodge all questions about C.C. Callahan, but now was the time to admit the truth.

  Ahead, the flag for Wyatt Farm marked the barn where they had stalls. They’d requested, and were granted, a Keeneston barn. The entire length of this barn was filled only with Keeneston horses. Desert Sun Farm, Ashton Farm, and then Wyatt Farm. They only had two stalls, but they were already talked about. Daisy had run yesterday and had e
arned a large purse. Outside her stall was a large container of daisies. Next to her was Ruth’s Gentleman. Next to his stall was a large container of Nana Ruth’s favorite flowers.

  Bud was fussing around the tack box dressed in a suit and wearing his Wyatt Farm hat. Dangling around his neck was Sydney’s Gent tie and Camila thought there was a fifty-fifty chance the tie would ever actually be tied.

  Sitting between Daisy and Gent’s stalls was Cody Gray. Matt Walz, the sheriff of Keeneston and Wyatt’s cousin-in-law, had gotten permission for Cody and Luke to be the guards instead of the local sheriff’s department. The two men felt invested in the horses and wanted to be the ones watching them.

  “Good, you’re here,” Bud called out. “I was about to bring Gent out.”

  “Go ahead,” Camila replied as she waited for Gent to be walked out of the stall. Camila hiked up her skirt and bent down to examine each of Gent’s legs, making sure all was well. “Go ahead and trot him,” Camila told Bud.

  Bud trotted Gent in a large circle and Camila breathed a sigh of relief. Gent was in perfect shape. He nickered and tossed his head before pawing at the ground.

  “Don’t worry, boy. Soon you’ll have your chance, and I reckon you’ll beat them all.”

  “Cami?”

  Camila took a deep breath and turned to see her parents walking quickly toward her. Her mother dropped her father’s hand and ran the short distance to wrap Camila up in a tight hug.

  “Oh mija. I have missed you so much, lovey.”

  “I’ve missed you, too,” Camila told her and realized that while she’d been trying to hide what she was doing, she had very much missed her family.

  “Don’t you look grand,” her father said, hugging her the second her mother let go.

  “Thank you, Da.” It felt so good to be in her father’s arms again. Suddenly Camila felt very emotional as she pulled back. “This is Wyatt.”

  “It’s nice to meet you both in person,” Wyatt said, shaking hands with her father and then kissing her mother’s cheek.