Happy Tuesday, all. Enjoy the new chapter.

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The next two weeks were a whirlwind of activity. Pam's Song was going through her distance workouts as best they could manage on the small training track at the farm, while Alec started reassigning training duties to Brian and Jinx. Jinx spent a good deal of time with Golden Dancer, meeting regularly with Alec to discuss her prospects. The other man was skeptical that she was worth the trouble, but would continue working with her.

Storm Front and Night Sky resumed their training, and Brian suggested that sprints might be the right direction for Night Sky. Storm Front was finally breaking well from the gate with some consistency, and Alec hoped he might be able to make a miler out of him after all. The colt had some power and speed once he got going, but it was still taking him longer than Alec wanted for him to hit the paces Alec was looking for.

Henry was released from the hospital into his daughter's care, where he continued to steadily improve. Alec kept him updated on everyone's training, and if he was displeased at the way Alec had delegated training duties, he never said so. Instead, Henry complained about the bland diet his daughter was preparing for him. "You might as well keep that damned bourbon, Alec." he grumbled on one phone call. "I'll never get to drink the stuff again."

Finally, a few days before the Belmont, Alec and Sarah packed up the truck and trailer and prepared to make the trip. Sarah was still nervous, but seemed to get past the doubt that had plagued her these last couple of weeks. She and Alec had become a good team when working Pam's Song, and Alec hoped to continue the partnership after the Belmont, in more ways than one. He still hadn't figured out what it would take to convince her to stay.

Jinx brought Pam's Song from the barn and rubbed her affectionately on the nose before handing her off to Alec. "Gonna be tough for her."

"She's as ready as she's going to be." Alec answered, although he could feel the doubts creeping up himself.

Jinx shook his head. "Felt like this just before Satan won it all. Maybe that's a good sign."

"Maybe." Alec held out his hand to Jinx. "See you in a few days."

Jinx shook Alec's hand. "You just bring home that win. For Henry. You know."

Alec nodded and led Pam's Song into the trailer, ensuring she was secure before loading in the ramp and closing the doors. Sarah was putting their bags in the bed of the truck and covering them with a tarp as he circled around to the driver's side.

"Ready when you are."

Sarah flashed him a little grin. "Let's go."

Alec started the truck down the driveway as Sarah fiddled with the radio, finding a country station. She settled back and pulled out a pack of stationery and a pen, singing along softly as she started writing.

She seemed far more relaxed now that they were on the road, and for that Alec was grateful. He knew all too well the media circus that would await them at the track, and that she would be riding with a target on her back. The Belmont was still a big deal, and the competition would be fierce. Those looking to play spoiler would do whatever was necessary to stop Pam's Song from notching that win. His own firsthand knowledge made it that much more nerve-wracking for him.

But this wasn't about him, he had to remind himself. Henry had done the bulk of the work, he was just finishing the job. In reality, there had been very little for him to do. The resentment did occasionally bubble up, but he almost always managed to check it before it got the better of him.

Within a few hours they pulled into Belmont, finding their barn and stopping the truck. A few reporters were milling around, and Alec let out a long sigh. He had hoped to at least get Pam's Song unloaded before the madness started.

"Get ready for the ambush." Alec warned her as Sarah opened the door.

Almost immediately the reporters gathered around her, asking her a million questions before Alec had rounded the front of the truck. He could see that Sarah was already getting overwhelmed.

"Guys, that's enough for now." he told them firmly, taking Sarah's arm. "You'll have all week to get your stories."

"Alec, how's Henry doing?" one of the reporters shouted.

"He's recovering." Alec told him.

"Is he going to retire? What does that mean for the future of Hopeful Farm?"

"No further questions." Alec answered in a sharper tone that let them know their time was up. To Sarah he muttered, "Let's get our girl unloaded and settled."

Sarah seemed relieved to have something to do, and quickly slipped away to unlock the trailer. "Lord, is it always like this? Talking to those folks at the Derby and Preakness was bad enough."

"Only when there's a potential Triple Crown winner involved." Alec replied with a little laugh. "Now that there's a filly and a female rider involved, it creates more interest."

"Great." Sarah muttered.

"I don't enjoy it either." Alec told her. "Henry likes sparring with reporters. He'd talk to them all day long if I let him."

Sarah looked pensive. "I wish he was here."

Alec nodded. "I wish he was, too."

Soon they had Pam's Song unloaded and settled, and they pulled into the familiar little motel. Alec trotted into the office for the room keys, returning to the truck. "They gave us two rooms again. I guess Henry must have made the reservation a while back."

"It'd probably be good for us to have our own space."

Alec would have been only too happy to share a room, but decided not to argue the point. They had been spending more time together than usual. A little breathing room wouldn't be bad for them. Instead he simply handed her the key.

She took it with a smile and hopped down from the cab of the truck, grabbing her bag out from under the tarp and jogging up the stairs. From the balcony she yelled, "Are you coming up or what?!"

Alec quickly grabbed his own bag and followed her. He found himself breathing a little heavily once he reached the top. He had definitely lost some fitness since he quit riding.

Sarah glanced at him with what appeared to be concern, but Alec waved her off. "I'm fine. Just a little out of shape."

"Mm-hm." Sarah looked him up and down.

"Seriously. I'm fine."

Sarah regarded him skeptically, but seemed to let it pass. "Think I'm going to lay down. Wouldn't mind some company."

Alec was only too happy to join her. Their contact had been limited since they'd been up at the farm, a few stolen moments here and there. At the moment, just sharing a bed with her was enough.

He followed her into the room and closed the door. Sarah opened the blinds a bit and turned on the air conditioner. "It's stuffy in here."

She pulled back the covers on the bed and plopped down, taking out her ponytail holder and running her fingers through her hair. Alec moved to join her, finally feeling himself relax as he lay across the bed.

Sarah let out a little laugh as she lay down next to him, draping her arm over his chest with a sigh. "This is nice."

Alec shifted so that he faced her. "I have missed this."

"Mm-hm." Sarah leaned in and kissed Alec deeply, catching him by surprise.

"Thought you wanted to rest." Alec murmured.

"I just said I wanted to lay down." Sarah replied. "I never said anything about resting."

Alec let out a low chuckle, rolling over on top of Sarah and returning her kiss with equal force, eliciting a squeal and a giggle that Alec was sure he hadn't heard before. They were soon tangled up with each other, Alec's hands finding their way under Sarah's shirt, exploring every inch of skin, willing himself to slow down, to stretch these moments out.

Time was getting short for them, Alec knew, and he wanted to enjoy this time as much as he could. He pushed the thoughts out of his head as Sarah's hands slid up the back of his shirt. Somehow he was always surprised by their roughness, but never unpleasantly so.

He let her pull off his shirt as he moved further down her body, fumbling briefly with the button on her jeans, managing to work them down and off. Alec's fingers brushed the soft skin on her inner thighs, and he heard the breath catch in Sarah's throat as he moved closer to her more sensitive spots.

He felt her fingers run through his hair, clutching the back of his head as he gently spread her legs apart further, diving in and losing himself in her softness. Sarah's fingers tightened their grip, her body arching as she let out a sharp gasp followed by a little sigh, her fingers relaxing their hold to stroke his head.

Alec worked his way back up Sarah's body, leaving a trail of kisses all the way, as Sarah quickly undid Alec's jeans. She rolled over, Alec suddenly on his back as Sarah further pushed his jeans off his body before straddling him. Alec matched her stroke for stroke, clutching her hips as the tension built and finally released, letting go of her with a deep sigh.

Sarah leaned over him, setting her head on Alec's shoulder while Alec absentmindedly stroked her back. Reality was starting to settle over Alec again, thoughts of all he still had to do to prepare Pam's Song intruding into the moment.

"You're thinking too hard again." Sarah's voice broke into his thoughts. "That little wrinkle between your eyebrows. It always gives you away."

Alec huffed and rolled his eyes. "Still just too much to do this week."

Sarah nodded, shifting so that she lay next to Alec. "I still need to get to the track and see about getting some mounts this week."

The thought worried Alec. "You know the place is going to be crawling with reporters, right? Are you sure you want to subject yourself to that?"

Sarah let out a little hmph. "I'm not going to hide out here all week."

"I don't want to see you get hurt, either." Alec told her. "I would have a hell of a time replacing you."

Sarah scowled at him. "Just because I'm sleeping with you doesn't mean you get to control my rides."

Alec was baffled. Where the hell had that come from? "I'm not trying to control you. And I thought we were more than...this."

Sarah's face fell a little. "Maybe I shouldn't have put it quite like that. You still don't get to control me. I'm done letting men run my life."

"I'm not trying to run your life." Alec told her. "Hell, I can barely run my own."

A twitch of amusement crossed Sarah's face, and she gave him a quick kiss. "You're doing better than you think. And I'm still going to find some mounts."

Alec gave up trying to argue with her. "Do you want a ride?"

"Sure."

Soon they were headed back to the track, Alec's mind working at what she had said. Was it really only physical on her end, or was she trying to deny her feelings for him? He had to admit that as hard as he had tried to not get attached to her, he had failed.

It was going to be hard to let her go.

Sarah shot him a quizzical look as Alec pulled up to the Hopeful barn. "Are you alright?"

Alec flashed her a quick smile. "Just thinking too hard again."

"Okay." Sarah's tone was skeptical. "I'll find you when I'm done."

Alec nodded, watching as Sarah hopped down from the cab of the truck and started off toward the jockeys' room. He sighed and climbed down himself.

The barn was quiet, being late in the day. Pam's Song poked her head out of her stall when she heard Alec, and he reached out to scratch her on the nose.

"I don't know what I'm going to do about her, girl." he spoke softly to the filly, whose only response was to swivel her ears and snort. "Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say. I can't force her to stay, right? Right. I shouldn't even try. She's going to do what she wants anyway."

Pam's Song whinnied and bobbed her head as if in agreement. Alec chuckled softly and rubbed her nose. "Ah, you're a good girl."

Alec left her to wander around the grounds. There was a good deal of activity elsewhere as the afternoon's races were well underway. He found the activity comforting, allowing him to take his mind off the situation with Sarah for the moment.

There were a few familiar faces, and he immediately recognized more than a few of the horses from either the Derby or the Preakness. Indeed, the competition would be tougher this time around.

Alec huffed irritably and decided to return to the barn. Sarah would probably be looking for him before too long.

"Alec!" he heard a familiar voice call out. It was one of the reporters for one of the daily horse racing papers, one Alec had talked to many times.

"Jim, good to see you." Alec did his best to put on a good face for the man.

"You too, you too." Jim nodded, taking out a notebook and a pen. "Got a few minutes?"

"Sure."

Jim asked some of the usual questions, and Alec was happy to talk about Pam's Song, Henry's condition, and how he felt about taking the filly the rest of the way.

"Now, you know I have to ask about the girl, right?"

Alec scowled. "She has a name."

Jim sighed. "Yeah, the guys have been doing a little digging. You know she and Tyler Fenton butted heads down at Louisiana Downs last fall, right? Guess there was some kind of incident?"

Alec shrugged. Sarah had briefly explained it, but hadn't given details, and Alec assumed it was just the normal jostling that often happened at the beginning at a race.

Jim continued. "Well, like I said, we dug into it a bit. There were some allegations of race fixing going on. Seems that Sarah Palmer was supposed to throw the race to Tyler Fenton. Something to do with some deal her husband made with Tyler Fenton."

A chill went through Alec. Surely Sarah had nothing to do with this. Maybe that was the real reason she left Louisiana, and why Tyler had been so angry with her after the Preakness. Something wasn't adding up.

"So I guess the question is," Jim went on, "is Sarah Palmer still going to be your rider come Saturday?"

"Jim, unless you have some kind of concrete proof that Sarah was involved in some kind of race fixing scheme, she's still riding Pam's Song on Saturday." Alec could feel his temper rising. "Officially, I have no comment. And if you even think about running that story, I'll wring your neck."

"I'm just asking questions, Alec." Jim replied defensively. "Seems like something you should know about, given the...nature of your relationship with her."

Alec grabbed Jim by the collar of his jacket, catching him off guard. "My personal relationships are none of your damned business. Got it?"

Jim nodded, startled, scribbling in his notebook. "No comment. Got it."

Alec turned and started back to the barn. Surely there had to be some kind of explanation. But Sarah had kept other big secrets from him. Alec tried to shake off the thought.

He was still ruminating when he returned to the barn, spotting Sarah at Pam's Song's stall, speaking to her in low, soothing tones. She looked up with a bright smile when she saw Alec. "Where'd you wander off to?"

"Just...around." Alec tried to sound casual. "One of the reporters caught up with me."

Sarah nodded. "A couple of them got me, too. Came in here to settle down."

Alec took a deep breath. "Did they by some chance ask you about Louisiana Downs?"

Sarah's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "How'd you know?"

"Jim Nichols asked me about it." Alec studied her face. "Is there something I should know?"

Sarah's expression turned dark as she focused on Pam's Song. "Jeff and Tyler tried to fix the last race I rode down there. I didn't want no part of it."

"But you knew about it."

"Of course I knew about it." Sarah scoffed. "I even went to the track board about it. Didn't have enough proof, they said. Jeff told me this was the last race I was ever gonna ride, that I'd be done one way or another. We fought about it just before I went to the gate."

"Wait, you rode for Jeff?"

"No. I was riding for one of his rivals." Sarah let out a short, ironic laugh. "He didn't like that. Didn't want me riding at all. Tyler was riding for him."

"Jesus." This was getting more convoluted by the minute.

Sarah shrugged at Alec's reaction. "Jeff was gonna get me to quit one way or another. He didn't care how it happened. So we get in the gate, we take off, and I bumped Tyler's mount by complete accident. I guess that wasn't how things were supposed to go. I ended up beating Tyler's mount by four lengths. He was mad as hell, Jeff was mad as hell. That's when I decided I wasn't sticking around. I filed for divorce and hightailed it to Florida."

Alec was still trying to absorb the details of the story. He couldn't believe the lengths Jeff had gone to in order to derail Sarah's riding career. "I guess it's a good thing Henry found you."

"Oh, I would have made it one way or another." Sarah answered defiantly. "Sure as hell wasn't counting on riding a Triple Crown mount. None of this would have come up if it weren't for that. Wasn't counting on Tyler ending up here, either."

"He's still slated to ride Saturday."

"I know. I'll be careful."

"Would you at least reconsider not taking on any additional mounts this week?" Alec asked. "It's not like you need the money."

"It's not just about the money, Alec." Sarah told him with a little scowl. "I just love to ride. And anyway, I already have three mounts for tomorrow."

Alec groaned and shook his head. "You're unbelievable."

"I'll be fine. You worry too much."

"I don't want to have to scratch Pam's Song because I can't find a damn rider."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding? There's guys here that would give their right arm to ride that filly."

Alec moved closer to Sarah, brushing a tendril of hair out of her face. "I don't want anything to happen to you, either."

Sarah laughed softly. "I see what your priorities are."

Alec huffed irritably. "Come on, Sarah. This is about more than one race. I've got a whole damn farm to look out for."

"One race isn't gonna ruin the farm's reputation."

"Well, I don't want to be the one responsible for it." Alec grumbled.

Sarah leaned in for a quick kiss. "You won't be."

Pam's Song whinnied as if in agreement, making both Sarah and Alec chuckle. "See? Even she agrees." Sarah told him.

"I guess I can't argue with that." Alec answered as he rubbed the filly's nose.

Sarah took Alec by the arm. "What say we find some food?"

Alec nodded in agreement as they left the barn. So far, the situation had resolved itself. Alec hoped there weren't any more surprises forthcoming. He wasn't sure he could handle another bombshell.