Chapter 23 #3
The Devil made a thoughtful sound. “You earned his respect, and he wants you to succeed, because yes, he views racing against you as a challenge.” His attention drifted to Yuless.
“He is married with children and is loyal to the death to his wife, so you have nothing to worry about. She just reminds him of a younger version of himself, and he regrets he hadn’t stayed that better version of himself, so he is doing what he needed done for him, a kind hand in a sea of greed and ambition.
And that is how he will find his better self, who can still win races but do so in a way that does not betray his heart, who loves horses.
Also, you gave him the best answers possible, Crystal.
The other horses I circled who would have lost their lives in slaughter sales have futures now. If you do not buy them, he will.”
“He’s registered to buy?”
“He is not, but the owner he rides for would purchase on his behalf. They have a good relationship. I would still buy them regardless, but he is now flipping through the catalog searching for those horses. He knows horses, and he will see the ones at risk. I will do him a favor and point him to the unscrupulous markets so he can have pasture ornaments at home, which will go a long way towards healing the holes in his soul.”
I could make a guess: the deaths of the horses he had raced against had done damage. “He didn’t want any of those horses hurt.”
“Precisely. He couldn’t care less about most of the jockeys, but the injuries to the horses legitimately pained him. It doesn’t make his choices right, but it does make the injuries accidents.”
I settled in to wait for the next entry on my list, another one of the poor prospects.
Lucifer proved half the reason why some horses were marked with an x, Darlene bought a tiny filly I doubted could race even if she wanted to, and Yuless, in a move that stunned me, won an auction valued for a million and a quarter dollars.
I spluttered, as while the black beauty of a mare turned every head in the pavilion, I hadn’t expected him to bid early and often, refusing to accept defeat.
The instant someone competed against him, he bid, snatching away the hope of victory without remorse or care for his wallet.
As it was none of my business where he got the money, I decided I wouldn’t worry about it. If he had the money to bid on the mare, he had the money to care for her, and that was all that mattered.
When a giant of a dark colt came out, Yuless leaned over and whispered, “If you don’t like him, now is the time to tell me, because that’s the boy I saw and decided I was getting for you.
” When I reached for the catalog to review his pedigree, the tall, dark, and handsome clucked his tongue and batted my hands away.
“No peeking. You have to judge by how pretty he is.”
I observed the colt, who put up a fight against the handler, squealing and showcasing how much work he’d be gentling him to be eligible to remain a stallion. “He’s absolutely stunning.”
The auctioneer opened his mouth to start the bidding, and Yuless raised his hand. I leaned back to regard Darlene, who glared at Yuless. “I take it you were going to bid on him?”
“I really was, too. He was faster, and I promised myself I wouldn’t ruin his fun today.
I can ruin his fun tomorrow. And yes, we’ll be at the auction tomorrow.
I took care of your boss already. I threatened to shave his scales off if he even thought about interfering.
We’re staying for the entirety of the first book.
If you see a horse you absolutely must have in the other books, we can stay longer, too. ”
I laughed at that. “Dare I ask what Lucifer is planning to do with his new herd?”
“He’s going to cry when he has to free up space in the conservatory, coerce the fucking assholes to help work with his new children, and decide if he’s going to actually begin competing as an owner. I’m sure he is going to force one or two on you. That is how he operates.”
“It really is,” Lucifer agreed. “And yes, we can stay the entire auction if you want. I have made arrangements with someone who lives nearby to hold our beasts until we’re ready to leave.
Tonight, you can review the rest of the books and decide how many grain guzzlers you will be adopting.
Just try to keep it below your barn capacity, otherwise you’ll be spending all your time growing grass for your beasts, thus earning your boss’s wrath. ”
“Remind me to thank him. I’ll even make him a pie to show my gratitude, however much that pains me.”
All three of them pouted at me.
I feared baking pies once had condemned me to become the provider of the baked good joy in life, eliminating my hope of a tall, dark, and handsome sweeping me off my feet with my favorite food. Oh well. “I suppose I can bake you gluttons some pie, too.”
Once again, with zero regard for his wallet, Yuless bid on the feisty stallion until he proved to be the victor, spending half a million dollars without any evidence of regret.
“That should keep you busy. That boy has fire in his blood and is going to need you to teach him how to become a legend among stallions.”
“Thank you. Can I check his information now?”
“You may, and in good news, you can change his name to whatever you want.”
“His name is now Peach Pie to honor how I suckered you into buying him for me. I will love him dearly, and he will be the king of my pastures.”
“I’ll even pay the fees for his name change,” Yuless promised.
“You two are pathetic,” Darlene informed us before settling back into the serious business of buying yearlings.