THINKING
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WALKER FARMS
Cassie had been back in Kentucky for a month. The Grand Prix was a week away and she was working to get everything ready. Each year at least two of their horses were entered in the competition with riders who worked for her. Then they had a big party at the close of the events. It didn't matter if they won or lost, although they usually won at least one event. The party at Walker Farms was legendary. Through the years others hosted parties, but in the end it was the Walker party that everyone attended. Cassie finished with the caterers and was now in her office reviewing papers and the mail. She saw an envelope with a Webb's return address and immediately forgot about all her other work. She carefully opened the envelope to find a picture of Tatiana. It was obvious it was taken at school and was absolutely adorable. Cassie rummaged through her desk drawers until she found a frame. She replaced a picture of her parents with Tatiana and proudly displayed it on her desk. This is silly, Cassie thought as she looked at the picture. That little girl is really nothing to me.
Cassie was about to put the picture in a drawer when she decided not to. She really didn't care if people thought she was crazy. Spending time with Tatiana was the closest she would ever get to being a mother and she cherished the two weeks she spent with Clay. Tatiana, I mean. She quickly corrected. Her chance at motherhood died with Michael. The day they came to inform her of his death, Cassie put any notions of being a mother out of her mind.
She was tempted to pick up the phone and thank him for the picture. She had already called at least a dozen times since she returned. As she reached for the phone, she glanced to her bookcase where she saw a picture of Michael. He looked so handsome in his uniform. She took the picture down and put it next to Tatiana's. She looked from picture to picture and realized that if they had a daughter, she might have looked like Tatiana. She missed Michael so much, it hurt her. She also missed Clay, Tatiana I mean, she corrected again.
She sat at her desk staring into space. She had so much work to do. In addition to everything else on her plate, she had two auctions coming up and needed to figure out just how much she was going to pay for the three horses she wanted. She thought about Clay and Tatiana and wondered what they were doing. Tatiana was probably at day care playing with her friends and Clay she figured was sitting in his office not hiring a stable manager.
She picked up a stack of papers and saw the photo Mac had sent her. It was from the party the last night she was there. It was of Cassie and Webb standing together looking at each other. Neither had realized the picture was being taken at the time. Cassie wondered if Mac had also given a copy to Clay.
WEBB ESTATE
Webb sat in his office reviewing the list of possible stable managers Cassie had faxed over. He rejected every one of them and went back to the trade journals, hoping to find someone there. He looked at the phone and was tempted to call Cassie. By now she should have received the picture. When the pictures had come from the day care center, Webb immediately mailed one to Cassie. He mailed hers before he even gave one to Porter. He wasn't sure why, but it seemed like the right thing to do.
Since Cassie's departure, Webb had become a bit more social. He made it a point to meet up with Mac, Harm and the rest at least once a week. He would sometimes invite them out to the estate or he would go to one of their homes. It was good for him to be out, but he felt very lonely at times, being the only "uncoupled" person in the group.
He sat at his desk and reached for the phone. What reason do I possibly have for calling? Tatiana had done nothing earth shattering in the 24 hours since they last spoke. He didn't want to tell her he rejected every suggestion for a stable manager he had made. She just couldn't understand that he wanted the best. Walker Farms had the best stable manager available. Unfortunately, Cassie already had a job. He put the phone down and sat there.
He thought about the other night at Sturgis' home. They decided to split into teams and play Trivial Pursuit. They played men against the women. Webb knew this was done for his benefit, if they played couples it would have put him in an awkward position since Cassie wasn't there. "I mean Zoya." Webb said to no one.
He looked at the pictures on his desk. There was a picture of Zoya he had found when he finally went and cleaned out her apartment. He had donated most of her things to charity, keeping only her Faberge Egg for Tatiana and a few things for himself. He had found the picture in a box and as he looked at it, he was sorry there were no pictures of them together. That would have been something nice for Tatiana to have when she got older.
Self pity came over him as he looked at the picture. He could give his daughter everything in the world, except a mother. That was something he would always regret. He felt horrible that Tatiana would never get to know Cassie. Zoya, he corrected.
He sat back and ran his hands through his hair. He sighed loudly and then reached over and grabbed the fax from the feed store that had just arrived. He opened a drawer to put it in the file when he saw the envelope from Mac. He picked it up and looked at the picture. It was of him and Cassie. He wondered if Mac had sent Cassie a copy but didn't dare to ask.
TWO WEEKS LATER
WALKER FARMS
The Grand Prix had been a success. Both entries from Walker Farms did very well. The party was once again the social event of the season and everyone had a wonderful time. Cassie had been asked to dance by several men but declined them all. Today as she sat at her desk, she thought about her friend David who had asked her to dance. David, one of Cassie's oldest friends, realized that she still wasn't over losing Michael. He understood, the only arms Cassie wanted to hold her as she danced, were Michael's.
Although...she thought as she returned to her work.
WEBB ESTATE
Last night, Webb had gone out with the group. This time they decided to go to a restaurant. It was a pleasant evening but Webb felt completely out of place. It was more than obvious that he was alone and he hated it. On the drive home, he wondered why he declined the offers of Mac, Harriet and Bobbie to dance. He realized why, they weren't Zoya. If he couldn't hold Zoya in his arms, his arms were going to be empty.
Unless…he thought as he went back to work.