Chapter Four

"Crash Course in Polite Conversation"

I stood next to the rail with my arms wrapped around myself, trying to ward the early morning cold out. Brad and I had slept quietly next to each other last night and when I woke up he was already gone, heading off into his busy day without me. I didn't mind. Today I had walked straight passed him without even the smallest of glances. I'd stood there talking to Samantha and made her tell me if he was looking at me. He was.

Pride's work would be coming up soon. I was only planning on giving him a light jog to get him used to the track. We still had a week to go before the Derby, the first Saturday in May. The first Saturday in May would also be mine and Brad's one month anniversary. The wedding bliss had already worn off.

"I want to see how he does if we breeze him." Brad said in my ear.

I turned to look at him, stepping back because I was mad at him and that was just too close. Plus, he smelled good. "I was planning on a jog to get him used to the track."

"A breeze would be better. What if it's rainy on Saturday? I want to know how he takes to this track in the mud." He stepped closer again and people were watching. I couldn't step away from him without being obvious. "Please, Ash, don't fight me on this."

I looked over his shoulder and saw two very important looking men looking our way. They were talking amongst themselves and I sensed the tension. "What's going on?" I whispered to him.

Samantha was walking up with Pride. He was stomping his feet and snorting, showing his excitement. "Tell you later." He said, reaching down to give me a chaste kiss on the cheek before walking back over to the two men.

"We're going for a breeze." I told Samantha, noting her confusion and the glare she sent towards Brad. "It's chilly and rainy out so make sure that you have the blankets ready back at the stall. These next couple of weeks this boy is going to get spoiled."

We started off into the fog, me standing in the stirrups and trying to get a feeling for his rhythm today. He seemed to be in a particularly good mood and I took a deep breath of crisp air. I forced my muscles to relax and thoughts of Brad and everything else from my mind. And the fact that I'd been sick this morning.

"Easy, boy." I called to him, reaching forward to pat his neck. "We need to warm up first. You know the rules."

Pride was so much bigger than Wonder had been and his strides were marginally longer but they flowed the same. Riding them was like riding silk, so fabulously perfect that it made chills up your spine. Wonder had been a truly special horse and had made history with her accomplishments but Pride was no slacker either. I had a feeling that this weekend he would show himself to be a true champion, just like his mother before him. Maybe then things would settle down between Brad and everybody. Maybe then life would be what I wanted it to be. Maybe then everyone would just leave us alone and stop questioning my decision.

"Ready?" I yelled to him and of course he was. He flattened his ears and if I'd been standing in front of him I'd of seen the flat out determination that was within him. The part of him that made him pass over from good to great and it'd be his secret key to winning the Kentucky Derby. It was my job to guide him there.

I saw a flash of Samantha's read hair, Brad's blue eyes and the stern faces of the business men who were standing beside Charlie. I hunkered down lower and pushed Pride further. He rose up to meet me and he lowered his neck, rushing forward, the speed pouring out of him like liquid.

I felt my breath catch in my throat and a huge grin spread over my face as I rose in the stirrups because I knew we'd done it. We'd shown those snobby business men exactly what a fast racehorse looked like.

When I pulled up next to Brad his blue eyes were glittering. He hoisted me from the saddle and kissed my cheek. "Honey," He said as Samantha led Pride away. "I'd like to introduce you to Keith Banks and his son, David Banks. They own Runaway Farms on the other side of Lexington. Keith, David, this is my wife, Ashleigh Griffen."

"So nice to meet you." I said, my cheeks red and glowing as I shook their hands.

"Ashleigh as in Ashleigh's Wonder?" Keith Banks asked me.

"Yes." I said, pulling my hand back and looking up at Brad. He smiled at me and pulled me a little bit closer and that's when I knew he was up to something.

"You looked great out there." David said to me. He was only a few years older than I was. He was what Caroline would of called "gorgeous" and Jennifer Marshalls would of fallen all over for. He had dark hair and striking green eyes, someone that I would of noticed but not paid any attention to even before I'd married Brad.

"Thank you."

"Ashleigh, Mr. Banks and his son are actually here because they like the way that you ride. They've been a fan of your work for some time and they were wondering if you'd be willing to do some riding for them." Brad said it all so fast that I barely registered any of it.

"Really?" I said, looking from Mr. Banks and his son to Brad. "I guess I haven't really thought about riding for anyone other than Townsend Acres, I guess."

"Well, think about it." Mr. Banks said, handing me a business card with his number on it. "We'd love to get you up on a few of the horses."

When they walked away, all that I could do was stare up at Brad. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" I asked him.

"They wanted to see you breeze a horse first. I figured that since Pride is the best we've got, we could use him."

"I guess I just didn't realize that I was now riding for other people."

He looked away from me, frustrated. "I just don't want to be the reason that you never went all the way with your jockey career. That you never really rode for anyone other than Townsend Acres. I thought that this is what you'd want."

I couldn't be mad at him. There really as no reason to be. I let out a breath and wrapped my arm around his waist, pulling him close. "Brad, I think that we need to do some talking before I go ride for anyone else."

"What do you mean?"

I felt frightened suddenly by the way that he'd stiffened in my arms and I had a sudden feeling that he wasn't going to take this very well. "What you said last night scared me so I went out and I bought a pregnancy test last night."

"And?" he said, raising his dark eye brows to look at me.

"We're pregnant." I whispered.

"Are you sure?"

"I bought three of them just in case the first two didn't turn out right. All three of them turned up positive. We're definitely having a baby." My eyes welled up with tears as I stare up at him, terrified. "Say something please?"

But he didn't. He just stare down at me, his face a mask that I couldn't even begin to read.