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“Bye, Dad,” I said as I hung up the phone and got back to work preparing for the big day.
The time passed by quickly and before I knew it the day had arrived and we were on the road to the derby. Emma and I were in one of the trucks, hauling a trailer behind us. We were the last in the caravan of vehicles traveling from Killarny Estate, and I was glad for the time with my daughter. She was a chatter box as always and had lots of questions about this particular derby since she had never been to it before.
“It’s a pretty big deal,” I said. “And the prize for this one is huge. It would be great for the ranch if we could win it.”
Emma chewed her lip. “Do we need money?”
“Oh…damn.” I regretted my word choice. “No, it’s nothing like that. Well, everybody needs money, sweetheart. But it’s not like we’re destitute or anything like that. It’s just that things happen, the market changes, and sometimes you have good years while others are not as good. You know how things got after grandma passed away? Your grandad was really sad, and our focus wasn’t really on the business at the time. It’s normal for that kind of thing to happen when you experience trauma. But now things are back on track, and we’re doing well. It would be great for the ranch if we win the race not only for the money. It promotes us quite a bit and helps us get a little more prestige.”
Emma nodded and seemed to understand, but at this point, she was tired of talking to her old man. She picked up a book and turned her attention there, and the rest of the drive to the derby was pretty quiet.
When we arrived, I found myself holding my breath, waiting to see if anything unexpected was going to happen when we arrived at the front gate. There was an attendant there checking people’s credentials and letting trucks and horse trailers in one by one. I breathed a sigh of relief as the first of the Killarny trailers pulled across the cattle guard and headed up to the area where the ranchers parked for the week.
When it came to my turn, I held out my ID, and our registration information and the attendant, a young woman in her twenties gave me a second look. Maybe Emma was right; I was still young. But I probably shouldn’t be trying to pick up young women here at the derby. Not with Sara so close by. I still had my sights set on her, and I needed to give that a good college try. The young woman smiled and let us through, but I noticed her make a call on her walkie as we passed over the cattle guard with a rumble.
I parked, and Emma hopped out, immediately running to find one of her friends from another ranch.
“Don’t go too far…call and check in every once in a while!” I called after her, but I knew she was safe here amongst friends…and rivals.
I started to unhitch the trailer and secure it to its place on the ground. This would be our little home for the next week, and it was just big enough for Emma and myself, though I had a feeling she would spend a few nights with her friends in their family’s massive RVs.
“Hey, stranger.” I heard the voice come from behind me and I turned to find Sara standing there, a smirk on her face. Well, at least it wasn’t a boot to my shin after the way we had left things.
“Howdy,” I said as I finished up the task at hand before turning to give her my full attention.
“You didn’t have any trouble getting in?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No, I suppose I have you to thank for that.” I smiled. “Thanks. What did you do?”
Sara cleared her throat. “Well, let’s be perfectly clear. My father still says you aren’t racing and he may be trying to pull something with the contract. I know he’s contacted our attorney. But as of right now you are still on the list to race, and I want you all to approach it that way.”
I ducked my head a little and shook it in dismay. “I haven’t even said anything to most of the guys. Didn’t want to get it in their head that it might not happen. That can mess with ‘em, you know.” I looked back up at her, and I could see that she was looking a little emotional. “Sara, I’m really disappointed in your father. He has no right in the world to attack us like this.”
She approached me quietly and placed her hand on my arm. “Pete…I know he doesn’t. I still don’t know what’s going on with him, but I promise you I am going to find out. I just hope that we can move forward and be friendly about things. Start fresh.”
I gave her a curious look. “You want to be friends?” Friends were the last thing I wanted to be with this woman. I wanted to scoop her up in my arms that very second and take her into the trailer where I could ride her until she screamed my name over and over again.
She nodded. “I think that would be best. It makes more sense that way and is a little less…dramatic. I hope you understand.”
“It felt like you wanted to be more than friends the other night,” I said quietly, but with an edge in my voice.
She stared me down. “You are one to talk, Pete Killarny. You really know how to treat a woman.”
And with that, she stomped off, and I was left standing, regretting that I hadn’t fucked her against the wall the first chance I had.
Chapter 8
Sara
The annual first night cocktail party to kick off the start of the derby had gone off without a hitch in the ballroom of our estate. It was the one time every year when I looked at the monstrosity of a room and its cavernous shape and thought that it was worth the money my father had spent to build it. Of course when I was younger I had been enamored with it and liked to act out any dance scene from a movie inside there, specifically The Sound of Music and The King and I. But I was older now and aware enough of how the world worked to think that the whole thing was a little too ostentatious.
But on nights like tonight, my goodness, was it ever worth it. The whole place had been glow
ing like little fireflies dancing everywhere, and everyone was looking great in their finest for the cocktail hour. I had escaped from the grownups for a moment to find the area that was set up for the kids of our visiting ranches. There was a bouncy castle and some kind of obstacle course, plus hot dogs and hamburgers and all kinds of games that the kids enjoyed. I saw Emma out there, one of the older kids, and could see that she was making fast friends with the girls her age.
Pete had been more elusive, but I had caught glimpses of him throughout the evening as he chatted with other ranch owners and people who were there to participate in the derby. He was dressed in a nice suit jacket and jeans that fit him perfectly but he hadn’t bothered with the tie, or if he had it was already removed, and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. He looked incredibly handsome, and I always regretted that we could only be friends. He carried himself with confidence that made him even more attractive, and I felt myself feeling just as gooey around him now as I had when I was ten years old. No matter how much I tried, we never made eye contact the entire evening, and I found that bothered me—it was like he was avoiding me altogether.
You did tell him you just wanted to be friends; I thought to myself as I walked out onto the back patio. It was quieter out here since most of the party was still in the ballroom or out on the front lawn where a few tents were set up. Out here by the pool, there was only the faint hint of a large party going on, and even that was beginning to die down with the late hour. Everything was taken care of, and the knowledge that the burden of another derby was off of my shoulders and under way carried with it a kind of freedom that I relished. I had done all that I could do, and now all that was left was to make sure the day to day events went along as scheduled. The rest I could enjoy like a spectator.
