Marion especially didn't want Amy to have her head turned by hanging out with too many wealthy people. Marion had never particularly liked Jesse Stanton. But Amy seemed to enjoy spending time with him, which she tried to respect. But Val and Ashley Stanton were not good influences on her still sweet, unspoiled daughter. Working with high end horses was all well and good, but Marion wanted Amy to remember the values she had instilled in her. And to remember that there's more to making a good horse than money. And more to a good person than money or status.
But having money in and of itself wasn't a problem. Look at Lisa! She was rich, but she was still a good, kind person. And Lisa had tried to send Marion good horse people, but a few people had snuck through who were rich but not good. The man who was coming later this morning had not mentioned Lisa. But he ran a large racing and breeding facility that had apparently just set up shop in Hudson, so Marion assumed that they knew each other. And this man had not made a good impression on Marion.
The man was American, and he had been curt and condescending on the phone. He gave off smarmy vibes. And Marion could tell she wasn't going to like him just from talking to him. But, Marion had been wrong about Lisa, when she got a bad impression of her from their first phone call, so she was trying to give this guy a chance and the benefit of the doubt.
Marion smiled to herself as she thought about Lisa. She had really been wrong there. Lisa was a great horsewoman and a caring person. And the fact that Lisa and her dad got along like a house on fire had surprised her right from the beginning. But she loved seeing them together. It was really clear that Lisa made her dad happy. She just hoped that he would let his guard down and let her in. He needed someone like Lisa to challenge him, keep him on his toes, and to keep him young.
Marion grinned, they were currently out having coffee at Maggie's. They'd been seeing a lot of each other. A trail ride here, a picnic there, coffee, roping lessons. And yet her dad was loath to admit that they were dating or to refer to her as anything other than his 'lady friend.'
Marion was interrupted from her musings by the sound of a truck pulling up. She carried her coffee cup to the sink and looked out the window. In front of the barn, there was a gigantic truck and trailer. She pursed her lips, so the man had brought the horse along. He'd said he was just coming for a tour. She rolled her eyes, thinking that he certainly had to be overcompensating for something with that ridiculous rig. She pulled her coat on and popped her hat onto her head and headed outside.
A man wearing a tailored leather jacket stood near the truck, hands in his pocket, tapping his toe in an impatient manner. Beside him stood a young stable hand who was wearing a flashy blue jacket.
"You must be Marion Fleming," the man said, holding out a hand.
"Guilty as charged," Marion said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She took his hand, "Did I know you were bringing a horse?"
"Well," he said, putting his hands back into his pockets, "I know I said I was just planning to come have a look at your facility, but your reputation precedes you, and time is money. I need to get this horse figured out as soon as possible"
"What's wrong with him?" Marion asked, her interest piqued despite herself.
"Won't break from the gate," he said, seriously. "He's a three year old stud colt. Costing me a fortune, because he won't pass his gate training."
"Go ahead and get him off the trailer, and I'll show you the barn," Marion said. She knew she was going to be stuck taking this horse on as a project even if she had misgivings about his owner.
"Sam," the man said, with a nod of his head, and his stablehand hopped to action unloading the horse.
"So are you new to the area?" Marion asked, hating small talk.
He nodded, "Just moved up from the states."
"And someone in Hudson referred you to me?" Marion asked.
He nodded again, "Everyone at the race track mentioned what a genius you are with horses." He added, "They failed to mention how very beautiful you are."
Marion shot him an annoyed glance, "Do you know Lisa Stillman?"
He laughed; one harsh, nasty guffaw, "Yeah. You could say that."
Marion filed that away for another day. It was official, she did not like this man.
"Anyway," he said, "my contacts said you're the best, and I only work with the best."
"I'll show you to the barn," Marion said, leading the way as Sam led the horse.
Marion showed them the barn and got the horse settled into his stall. She had agreed to work with the horse, despite not liking his owner, because he would be a straight export deal. She would fix his gate issues as soon as possible. Then the horse would be back on his way home and this nasty man would be out of her life. Plus he had agreed to pay twice her normal rate for her to work with his horse.
Once the horse was settled, Marion led the men back to their truck and trailer. She was just bidding them adieu, when her dad's rusty old truck pulled up in the driveway.
"Hey, dad!" she called in greeting, waving him hello.
Marion finalized the details of the deal with the men at the trailer.
Jack hopped out of the truck and headed over to Marion, "I didn't know we were getting a new horse in," he said as he crossed the yard.
Marion smiled, "I was a bit surprised myself. Dad, this is my new client, Dan Hartfield. Dan, this is my dad, Jack Bartlett."
"Pleasure to meet you, Dan," Jack said, amiably, taking his hand.
Dan shook Jack's hand. "How many acres you have here, Jack?" he asked.
"Just over 500," Jack responded.
"Pretty small potatoes," Dan said, and hopped into the passenger seat of the truck.
Jack stood there, dumbfounded.
That cinched it, Marion really didn't like that guy.