Forty
He was engaged.
Tuck smiled up at the ceiling. The shades were drawn, and his hotel room was still pitch black, but that didn’t matter. Piper had said yes. More importantly, God had said “Now.” He’d been so grateful that the server understood how important it was for Tuck to get the song and ambiance for the booth.
The guys had given him congratulatory pats on the back once they’d returned to the hotel, then he and Piper had spent some time in her suite, sitting on the couch and dreaming of the future. She’d shared her dream of a rustic farm wedding at Bolt Brook, and he shared his dream of running a Thoroughbred farm with her.
It had been amazing to finally tell her all the thoughts he’d had about the two of them and not worry about ruining their friendship. It didn’t matter that she had more money than he did. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t attended an Ivy League school like her folks and Piper had. Piper loved him for him.
Honestly, that was mind-boggling in and of itself. He was so grateful. Thank You for Piper. Please help me be the man she needs. Help me help her.
Tuck grinned, then hopped out of bed and grabbed a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Soon, he’d have to be on the track watching as Gabe took Dream for a run. Tuck prayed over the colt and all the other horses racing in the Derby. He could only hope there would be no deaths this year.
Too much had happened last year at Churchill. Horses had broken their legs, and some mysteriously died. The 149th Derby had been under a cloud of death with people demanding answers. Fortunately, new rules had been applied, and so far, so good. Still, Tuck couldn’t help but be a little wary. If he had to tell his fiancée—oh yeah, he’d be using that term at will—that her horse had to be euthanized, he didn’t know what he’d do.
Tuck went down to the breakfast area, grabbed some food to go, and headed for the track. He shifted the Stetson on his head to block the slight breeze as he turned toward the stables. The horses were all in stalls labeled with the number of the gate they’d shoot out of on Saturday, Derby day.
The smell of hay and horses calmed the nerves drumming through him.
He found Dream being saddled by Gabe. “Hey.”
“Hola, Tuck. You ready to see what this boy can do?”
Tuck grinned. “Absolutely. Did you even get any sleep, or have you been partying since you got here?” There were so many Derby parties to attend during the week’s festivities.
“Nah. I got here and crashed. I knew we’d have to be here about now.”
They’d be on the track by six. Tuck had managed to grab an early start time for both Dream and the filly, which meant he’d have a bunch of free time later on. Maybe he and Piper could plan how they could turn some of their dreams into reality. He’d love to be married to her by the end of the year. He was done waiting and sticking to a rigid timetable.
Gabe got Dream in the starting gate as the other jockey did with the filly, and Tuck turned his focus to both horses. They were the only ones in the gate. They lifted their hooves as if feeling the track and taking in the sensation. Tuck pulled out his cell to take notes. So far, he was pleased with Dream. The Thoroughbred wasn’t doing anything unexpected or that needed correction. And he was all healed, so this should be a good training session.
At this point in the season, the colt knew the drill. Warm up on the track and get a sense of how he moved across it. Listen to the prompting of the rider and try to outrun the other horses. It was simple, yet it wasn’t. Racing was always a gamble on how a horse would perform. He could be pure perfection in training and then fail a race because of something as trivial as an upset stomach from a delayed bowel movement.
Tuck had seen horses eliminate waste in the middle of a race and jockeys fall off and land in it. Horse racing wasn’t a clean sport, but it gave the riders the same feeling as winning a medal or trophy. It just so happened they also got roses.
And Tuck was betting on roses draped across Gabe Moreno’s lap. Then Piper could stand in the owner’s box with pride and realize her dream had come true.
Or maybe Tuck had done that by proposing last night.
Focus, man. Think about the colt, not about your fiancée.
The gates opened, and the horses galloped out. Tuck noted their form and the speed with which they ate up the track. As they rounded the curve, Tuck whispered “Go” at the exact spot he wanted Gabe to spur Dream on—only, the Thoroughbred lagged behind the filly.
Tuck frowned. “What are you doing?” he whispered.
This wasn’t how he’d envisioned training would go. Dream should’ve passed the other horse, not come in second. He needed to see if the colt was sick or favoring a leg.
Lord God, please let him be fine.
Tuck checked Dream’s run time. So bad. It wasn’t a winning number, though Tuck felt good about the filly. Hopefully, she’d do spectacularly in the Kentucky Oaks. Tuck hopped off the track railing and made his way toward the stables.
“Hey, you’re Tucker Hale, right?”
He turned to see a man proffering his hand. “I am.”
“Kerry Shaw.”
Kerry Shaw? The trainer who had three Derby wins under his belt? “Nice to meet you.”
“I’ve been watching your journey. This is your first time being lead trainer, if I understand that right.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Hmm. Bolt Brook seems to be making a lot of reckless decisions lately.”
Tuck flushed. On the one hand, he appreciated the backhanded compliment. On the other hand, the McKinneys were his future in-laws. “People make mistakes, but they can recover from them.”
“Ah, so the rumor about you and Ms. McKinney is true?”
“I don’t listen to rumors, so I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”
“They say you’re dating.”
“We are. She’s my fiancée.” Bonus points for dropping that casually into the conversation.
“Congratulations.”
Tuck nodded.
“Anyway, I’ve been thinking of forming a small organization of trainers. We’d have a lawyer on staff to oversee any contracts and basically be a company owners could approach to find their next trainer. I’m wondering if you’d be interested in joining.”
Huh.Tuck had never thought of something like that. He liked being his own entity. But if he and Piper decided to merge their operations, it might be wise to have a network of trainers to pull from. Maybe he should hear more and get Piper’s take before automatically saying no. “I might be. I’d need to hear more first.”
Kerry nodded. “Understood. I’ve invited some of the other trainers here this week to a lunch today at noon.” Kerry named a local restaurant. “Can you come? You can meet them and get a feel for how things would work.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Great. See you then.” Kerry jogged away.
Tuck met up with Gabe, who was hosing Dream down.
“Hey, Boss. Sorry that run wasn’t faster.” Gabe sighed.
“What happened?” He tilted his chin toward Dream. “He okay?”
Gabe grinned. “Just a delayed bowel movement. He’s good now.”
Tuck let out a breath. “If we can get that to happen sooner on race day...”
“Understood. I’ll talk to the groom. Make sure he notifies me or you.”
Sounded weird getting a bowel movement update, but Tuck didn’t want anything to spoil Derby day. “Thanks for hosing him down.”
“No problem. Tell Ms. McKinney hola.”
“Will do.” Tuck wished he could avoid telling Piper the training session wasn’t great, but hopefully, she’d understand.
Back in his room, he made use of a quick shower. By the time he was dressed and ready, the clock said nine. He could wake up his lady love and see if she wanted to grab second breakfast—well, her first.
His cell rang, Dad flashing on the caller ID.
“Hey, Dad. Y’all make it in?”
“We’re actually just pulling out of our driveway. We’ll be there in about two hours. You know we’ll have to stop and stretch after an hour.”
“Don’t rush. I have a lunch at noon, but we can definitely do something later.”
“Oh, don’t worry about us, son. Your mom wants to go shopping. We know your friends are in town, so hang out with them.”
“You sure?”
“Positive, except that’s not actually why I called.”
“Why did you?”
“Your mom keeps hounding me about your proposal. Wants to know when you’ll ask Piper to marry you.”
Tuck grinned. “Doesn’t she think I’d let her know?”
“You know you’ll drag it out, son,” she yelled in the background.
He laughed. “Well, your timing couldn’t be better.”
“Does that mean what I think it means?” Dad asked.
“You proposed, Tuck?” his mom shouted.
He winced. She’d never learned talking so loudly wasn’t necessary with Bluetooth, no matter how many times he’d told her.
“I did.”
“She said yes, of course. Oh, I hate to have missed it. Did anyone record it by chance?” Mom rushed out.
“Actually, yes. Our server did. I didn’t even realize it until he asked for my email address to send the video to me.”
“What are you waiting for, Tucker Hale?” Mom whined. “Send it to me stat. I have to see if I should be proud or ashamed.”
“Hush, Caroline. He’s a Hale. Be proud. I know he made sure the proposal was perfect.”
“He’s right, Mom. I think you’ll even like the ring.”
“Send it now, Tuck.”
He laughed. “Yes, ma’am. Y’all drive safely, ’kay?”
“We will. See you later.”