-4-
A week after the Breeders' Cup, Pride returned home with a bandaged left foreleg and strained tendons in his shoulder. It wasn't a break, but a very bad strain that would have him out of work for months. I couldn't help but feel frustrated. Even more so as the press only seemed to care about Mumbo Jumbo's 'spectacular win'.
I drove out the Whitebrook to visit Pride, mainly to give myself something to do. There were hardly any horses worth working with at Townsend Acres. At least, not until the New Year. I didn't want to admit it, but I also wanted to see Ashleigh too. She'd hurt her back pretty badly in the fall. From what I'd heard, she was wearing a brace and couldn't get on a horse until February.
I parked my Ferrari outside the racing barn and walked inside, heading straight toward Pride's stable.
"I was wondering if you cared enough to visit him." Ashleigh was standing outside the stall, her face pale and withdrawn. She looked me over tiredly.
"Of course I care. Pride is a very valuable animal." I looked in on the horse. He was picking listlessly at his hay net and I would have put money on the fact that he'd lost one hell of a lot of weight. His whole foreleg was wrapped in thick bandage.
I turned back to Ashleigh. "He seems okay, considering."
"He'll get there," she winced as she slowly sat on a chair, carefully leaning back. Her thick sweater was hiding the bulky brace but it was obvious that she was in pain.
"Are you doing ok?" I sat next to her, feeling a twinge of concern. She looked so frail.
Nodding, Ashleigh said, "It's nothing I can't deal with."
An uncomfortable silence followed, broken only by Pride's snorted breaths. I wanted to say more to her, but the words didn't come.
Finally, Ashleigh spoke, her voice soft. "I may have to ask a favor of you."
"What?"
"Pride may need to go back to Townsend Acres, much as that pains me."
"Why?" I asked and then remembered how tense she'd been at the party a few weeks ago. Those few weeks seemed like an eternity now. I figured something was wrong with the happy couple and Ashleigh no longer had any long term plans with Mike. Whatever.
"He can't stay here," she said guardedly.
"Right. You and Reese are clearly having trouble and you want to get away from here in case things turn ugly. I get it," I said with my usual tact.
She gave me an unreadable look. "It's none of your damn business," she snapped finally. Wrapping her arms around herself, Ashleigh looked away toward Pride.
I didn't push the issue. For once. "I'll pick him up when ever you're ready to move him."
The next week, I drove the rig to fetch him. Normally it wasn't a job I would've done myself, but I'd been feeling restless.
Ashleigh had him waiting outside. There was no sign of Mike. "We have to be careful," she told me, barely hiding her surprise at seeing me. I guess she expected one of the hired help.
Hank, one of the Townsend Acres grooms, took the lead from her hand. "We'll handle it, Ashleigh," he said gently.
Biting her lip, Ashleigh suddenly blurted, "I'm riding with him. Do you think you could…"
"I'll take you home once you've made sure he's settled in," I cut in, knowing what she was going to ask. I guess seven years gave me enough time to pick up on things like that.
She nodded, barely looking at me and walked to the passenger side of the track. I watched her struggle to climb into the cab for a few moments before going to assist her.
"I'm fine!" she snapped, seeing my intentions.
I put my hand on her elbow anyway and lifted her up into the seat carefully. "It's a pleasure," I said, when she scowled and didn't thank me.
The drive to Townsend Acres seemed much longer than it really was. Ashleigh's cold demeanour could've given me frostbite.
Finally, we pulled into the long, winding drive and I stopped the rig by the grass so that Pride would not have to walk on the hard gravel. Jumping out, I waited beside the passenger side of the cab, ready to support Ashleigh.
Grudgingly, she held onto my shoulder and climbed down. I felt a twinge in my chest as her hazel eyes locked onto mine for a second, but I passed it off as gas.
Once Pride was settled into his new stall, Ashleigh said, "I want to go now."
"I'll fetch my car," I said and started to walk out the barn.
She started to follow me. "I'm not a fucking invalid. I can walk there!"
I slowed down so that my pace matched hers. "Suit yourself."
"Stupid, fucking brace," she muttered savagely. I wished I knew what Mike had done to her. It was like someone had pulled off a body snatching prank and she wasn't really Ashleigh Griffen at all. What was even odder was that I liked it. I looked at her and found this new Ashleigh-hybrid appealing.
"What are you looking at?" Ashleigh snarled.
"I don't know."
"Stop staring."
"I'm not staring!"
"Maybe I should walk home."
"Sure, if you don't mind getting there next year."
She shut her mouth, which was just as well. We'd reached my Ferrari.
During that drive, all I could think of how much I wanted to kiss her. Which was pretty amusing considering how much she seemed to want to kill me. Maybe Lavinia was right.