Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
L yris didn’t see Ray except at breakfast. Racing season was in full swing, and he traveled with the horses all over the country for various races. He had a private jet, which she had yet to see. She decided not seeing Ray was a good thing because she wasn’t looking forward to telling him they couldn’t see each other. Not when they had so obviously had a spark. Oh, who was she kidding? The spark was like lightning between them. She’d never been with a man who understood her so well and who she had laughed with so much as she did with Ray.
She couldn’t help her depression. Her heart hurt, but if she was to protect it from completely breaking, she needed to keep Ray at arm’s length. If she was smart, she would leave. She would cancel her contract and just go. The cost of breaking her contract wasn’t something she could bear right now. She had to work at least six months, through the racing season, before she could quit. And with the doping she found in Stormchaser, she was afraid for the horses if she left. Clearly, Ted didn’t have the animals’ best interests at heart.
She was heading out of the barn after a long day, when an unfamiliar silver Jag pulled into the yard. The woman who got out was not unfamiliar. Marissa Holloway headed across the yard. She was tall and held herself almost rigidly. Her black hair was in a chignon with long curled tendrils framing her face, emphasizing her angular cheekbones. Lyris was tall but not willowy like Marissa, and the differences between them was never more apparent than right now after Lyris had just delivered a colt before she left the barn and was covered in birthing matter. She’d managed to wash her hands, but her clothes were another thing.
Ray wasn’t home from the races and this woman had to know that, so what was she after?
“Lyris, right?” she asked when she was close.
“That’s right. Marissa, correct? We met at Ray’s gala.”
She chuckled. “Yes, it was a tense meeting. You and Ray disappeared after that. I had things I wanted to discuss with him.”
Lyris placed her hands on her hips. “Well, he’s not here as I’m sure you’re aware. So, what do you want?”
“A woman who gets straight to the point. I am here to see Ray. I want to fix things between us. We were close once. He even wanted to marry me.”
“You know he’s not at home. You have horses at the races, too. What are you really doing here?” She didn’t believe for a minute that Marissa wanted to get Ray back. Ray was adamant that wouldn’t happen. No, she wants to talk to me. That’s why she’s here.
Marissa chewed her bottom lip for a moment.
The action proved to Lyris that she was nervous about something.
“I heard that one of Ray’s horses had been doped. I wanted to confirm that with you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, unmindful of the mess on them. “You’ll have to talk to Ray about anything that has to do with his horses. I’m just here to keep them healthy…and safe.”
Marissa pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “We don’t have to be enemies. As a matter of fact, you could come to work for me. I’ll pay you twice what Ray is.”
Lyris pretended to be contemplating the proposal. “While your offer is generous, I have to decline. I’m perfectly happy here.”
“You mean you’re happy with Ray,” she sneered. “It won’t do you any good. He’ll never marry again. He’ll find a reason not to go through with it, just like he did with me.”
“Weren’t you cheating with his best friend? I can’t think of any man who would marry you after that.”
She waved her hand with obvious annoyance. “It was a dalliance, nothing more. Ray could have forgiven me for my tiny indiscretion.”
“Cheating isn’t a tiny indiscretion.” Lyris saw red. Tiny indiscretion! Nothing was tiny about it. She would know. Kevin cheated on her with Sarah before he ever broke it off. I guess he had to see if they were compatible before he married her. If he said no, then I’m sure his father had someone else waiting in the wings.
Why am I even thinking about Kevin? That was years ago and has no relevance to today.
Hearing gravel crunching under the tires of an approaching vehicle, Lyris turned away from Marissa. The Corvette that approached belonged to Ray. She would never forget that car or the role it played in what had been the best night of her life.
Ray stopped next to Marissa’s silver Jaguar. When he stepped out of the car, he wasn’t smiling. He glared at Marissa. “What are you doing here?”
“Why Ray, darling, you can’t still be mad over my tiny lapse in judgement, can you?”
“I don’t call cheating with my best friend a lapse in judgement. I call it a betrayal.” He waved her off. “It doesn’t matter. I want you off my property.”
Marissa’s eyes narrowed. “This is also my property, or did you forget the shares you gave me as an engagement present? You never took them back. I own approximately one percent of Whispering Wind Ranch.”
“I was never worried about those shares,” he waved his hand away. “And I’m not now. You can’t do anything with them. Nobody wants to buy fifty shares of the ranch except me. What do you want for them?”
“Oh, I don’t need you to buy them. I already have a buyer. Someone I’m sure you will like.” She dropped her chin and looked at Ray through her eyelashes with a smile that couldn’t be considered anything but evil.
He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “Who do you have willing to buy those shares?”
“Why David Gardner, of course. You’re right about one thing; you and he are the only ones who want those shares.”
Ray’s hands fisted at his sides. “Why would he want those shares? He can’t do a thing with them. They aren’t even enough for him to have a vote on anything.”
Marissa shrugged. “I didn’t ask. He told me he’d give me one-hundred thousand for them. I told him I have to see if you would offer me more. If you will, I’ll sell them to you right now.”
“You’re a mercenary, Marissa. I’m glad I found out your true nature before I married you.”
“Yes, well that was too bad for me. I had plans for you, for us.” She shrugged, “But they will never come to fruition now. So, what is your offer?”
Ray thought for a moment, then with his eyes narrowed, he relaxed his hands. “I’ll give you one-hundred-and-fifty-thousand dollars. What’s your answer?”
She grinned. “Sold. I know David won’t go higher than he already has, you know that, too.”
Ray nodded. “I do. I’ll have my attorney contact your attorney later today and get the paperwork done. I’ll expect you at the office prepared to sign over those shares. Do you want cash or a cashier’s check?”
She cocked a brow and looked at him hard. “A check will do.”
“Until nine o’clock tomorrow morning.”
“Until then.” Marissa held out her hand.
Maybe this would be the last that Lyris would have to endure the presence of Marissa Holloway. She couldn’t stand the woman but was it jealousy or something more, she couldn’t say.
Ray didn’t oblige her.
“Afraid to touch me?” she sneered as she pulled her hand away.
“I don’t want to get my hand dirty,” he shot back.
She sniffed. “No need to be rude.”
“You know how I feel about you on my property. Now go away. Until tomorrow.” Ray turned his back and started for the barn.
Lyris watched him go and then turned to Marissa. “Well, I guess he told you. You should leave now, there is nothing for you here.” She turned and followed Ray to the barn. Lyris had things to discuss with Ray, and she wasn’t looking forward to it.
The barn, with its twenty stalls, was quiet. Even the horses didn’t make a sound. Then Lyris heard Ray. He sounded like he was on the phone. His office was in the back, on the right side of the barn, between the tack room and her office. The stall with the hay and straw was across the aisle on the left side of the barn.
“I want those papers drawn up as soon as possible. I’ll be at your office at nine in the morning and it needs to be done.” He listened. “Good. See you then.” Ray walked out of the office toward Lyris. “I’m sorry you had to see that. I only wanted a mother for Maddy. I know now I need more than that.”
When he got close, he opened his arms.
She wanted so badly to hug him. To tell him everything would be all right, but she had to be strong. She couldn’t take another broken heart. Lyris put her arms out to stop him.
He furrowed his brows. “What’s wrong?”
Lyris swallowed hard. “I don’t believe we should see each other. For all intents and purposes, you are my employer. And though I’m not a regular employee, you’re the boss. That makes you off-limits.”
Ray shook his head. “You are a contract worker, not my employee. What’s really going on? I felt a spark with you, and I know you did, too.”
She decided to lay it on the line and paced from one stall across the aisle to another. “I’ve been involved with my employer before. It didn’t end well. I wasn’t good enough for his father—or, I guess, for him because he didn’t put up a fight. He continued to see me, even though he was getting engaged to another woman. I still thought we had a future. He told me it would all go away and it could be like it was. I believed him.”
Ray crossed his arms over his chest. “What does that have to do with us? I’m not engaged and don’t plan on getting engaged any time soon. I won’t use you like that.”
“Those are the words I want to hear, but I’m scared. I won’t survive another broken heart. That one nearly killed me. I spent months getting over it.”
“Who did this to you? I want a name.”
“His name was Kevin Chandler. I worked for the Triple C, more than three years ago. It’s done. I’m fairly sure he married Sarah Jacobs, the woman he cheated on me with.” Lyris heard the bitterness in her voice but couldn’t stop it.
Ray’s jaw clenched and unclenched. “He did. I attended the wedding. I am acquaintances with his father, Geoffrey. They married three years ago, probably only months after you left. They’ve separated now. It’s really too bad. They have a two-year-old daughter. Kevin will probably get custody because of who his father is. That’s not in that little girl’s best interest, but I can’t do anything about it.”
Lyris expected to feel more…pain at the confirmation of the marriage and glee at the subsequent separation. But all she felt was sorry for the child and the mother, who was a pawn in Geoffrey’s machinations. She couldn’t care less about Kevin or his father.
“Hindsight is always 20/20.”
“What will you see in hindsight when you do this? You’re not even giving us a chance?”
She shrugged and lifted her hands, palms up. “I…I don’t know. All I can do is this. I have to protect myself. I’m sorry. I’ll leave, if you like. You don’t have to honor my contract.”
Ray shook his head. “Your contract remains in effect. You might have given up on us, but I haven’t. I’ll prove to you that we are meant to be.”
Lyris closed her eyes, her heart breaking all over again. Why can’t he understand? “I have work to do. Majesty is about to foal and Black Beauty just did about thirty minutes ago. I need to be ready.”
“I’ll be there with you.”
She shook her head. What she didn’t need was Ray being so close. “That’s not necessary.”
He gazed at her with a grin that was almost feral. “I’m not one to give up easily, especially when it’s something so important.”
Lyris moved a hand with the index finger pointing back and forth between them. “This isn’t important. We are not important. I’m here for the horses.” I never expected to fall in love. Stop it. I can’t be in love with him. I’ve only known him for a couple of weeks.
He grabbed her finger and held it.
She tried pulling it away. “I’m a mess from Black Beauty’s foal.”
“I don’t care.” He pulled her closer until they were chest to chest, with only their arms between them. “You’re wrong. We are very important. I want to give us a chance and I’m willing to do whatever it takes for that to happen.” He leaned down, his lips a whisper from hers.
She watched him. Her eyes searched for lies, but she saw only concern before he pulled her close. She was sure he would kiss her, something she desperately wanted, and her lids slowly dropped shut.
When nothing happened, she opened her eyes. She found him looking at her with a smug smile.
“Nothing between us, huh?” He let go and walked back to his office.
She clenched her teeth and breathed hard, her chest heaving. Lyris wasn’t sure she’d been this angry in years. She stomped to Majesty’s stall. Standing outside it, she calmed herself before going in. The horse needed her to be calm and reassuring, not screeching like a maniac about what a butthead Ray was.
Lyris walked up to the black mare. She didn’t have a hint of white. Majesty had the longest lashes Lyris had ever seen on a horse, and they actually were curled just a little. She placed her arms around the mare’s neck. “How is my special girl? Are you getting ready to let that little baby come out and meet me?”
“And me.” Ray’s voice came from behind her.
She turned toward him. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you I’d be here for the birth. I try to be there for all the foals born on Whispering Wind Ranch. Though I’ve missed a few lately.”
For some reason, Lyris found that rather commendable, and she didn’t want to feel anything nice about Ray. That made her angry all over, and at herself, not him.
“That’s nice but doesn’t it make it harder to give the foals to their owners?”
“Not really. I know when the baby is born who it belongs to. I guess I look at them like a doting uncle, not a parent.”
She chuckled. “You’re a funny man, Ray Kincaid.”
He grinned. “I’m many things, Lyris Jennings. I intend for you to find out about all of them.”
Lyris pursed her lips. “Not, bloody likely.” She turned back to Majesty, ran her hand down her back, then over her belly. The foal felt like it was in the proper position to be born.
Majesty’s teats were leaking milk. She was ready to have her baby.
Running her hand over the mare’s belly, she felt a hard contraction.
Majesty walked away and circled the stall. The floor was covered with a thick layer of hay so she could eat when she wanted and had a soft bed to give birth on.
Finally, after circling a couple of times, she laid down, then rolled to her side.
Lyris saw the birth sac appearing.
Majesty lay like that for a while and then stood. She ate a little hay and drank some water. Then she circled again several times before returning to her side and then rolling to her back.
The foal worked its way out after several more rounds of Majesty walking in circles, lying on her side, and rolling to her back. When the sack finally succeeded coming out, she was on her back and the foal was headfirst on the floor of the stall.
Majesty helped break the sack, and the foal worked its way out. It lay there for a few minutes and then attempted to stand. It fell more times than Lyris kept track of, but after about five minutes of trying, it stood.
Lyris walked over and checked on Majesty to make sure there was no excess bleeding. She didn’t like to interfere in the birthing process unless necessary. After determining that Majesty was all right, she checked the sex of the foal. It was a little filly.
The mare was fine. Tired, but still more interested in her filly than anything else. She stood and sniffed the baby’s rear.
When the baby was standing and surer of herself, she went to her mother’s side and found her way to her nipples, where she began to nurse.
“She’s pretty small.” Lyris rubbed the baby with a towel to dry her quickly. “I’ll run some tests.”
Ray shook his head. “I think you should wait a few days and see how she acts. Both her sire and Majesty are on the small side, so she’s predisposed to be little.”
Lyris considered his request for a moment and then nodded. “Okay. If she shows signs of trouble, though, I’ll remove her from Majesty. Doing that would hurt me, but leaving her in a bad situation, hoping it will get better, would hurt worse.”
“I agree. But we’ll just watch.” He stayed a while longer.
She kept expecting him to say something…make some inappropriate remark, but he watched her interacting with the mare and filly.
“I’ll see you at dinner. Thank you for taking good care of Majesty. She’s special to me. She was Francie’s horse. Not the one that tripped. That horse had two broken front legs, and we had to euthanize him.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I never like it when an animal has to be destroyed.”
Ray scratched the mare’s ears. “I don’t, either. It’s always the last resort. Until later, Dr. Jennings .”
Lyris ducked her chin. “ Mr. Kincaid. ”
As he walked off, he chuckled.
She fumed. How did he get her dander up so easily?