Page 16 of Dragon Her Heels

Lucifer chuckled. “That’s doing better on the selfish front, but you still have a long way to go. Training a racehorse has numerous facets you need to learn and understand. In good news, Alligator Bait is solidly trained. She knows her job, and her previous trainer wanted to see her go the distance, but the owner and the jockey weren’t on board. And Alligator Bait is smart for a horse. She knew the only one on her team was the trainer. She listened to him and to the conditioning jockey. The racing jockey? He was hired to preserve her as a broodmare, but her performance on the track sent her to the auction block instead—and not to be used as a broodmare. He wanted to cut his losses and focus on a colt instead. The colt, for the record, is a garbage racehorse right now. He’ll be an excellent stallion, as fortunately for the horse, the owner knows better than to geld him. The horse has the genes, but he does not have the drive right now. Alligator Bait has the drive.”

I narrowed my eyes. “So, would selfishness be demanding that stallion become mine?”

“If you would like to breed racehorses, the stallion would be an excellent acquisition. But he’s more of a pet than a racer. He’s immaculately behaved, which is why he’s still a stallion, but he’s lazy. I suppose he could win if someone motivated him, but you will need a great deal of luck.”

Given two or three days, I could have a paddock and a stall set up for the stallion. “He’d clearly need a friend. David would cry if I took him away from his ladies.”

I foresaw hauling all three horses to the races to keep everybody happy.

“He’s currently being kept with two mini horses, as he has issues. Most racehorses have issues, but that’s why you like them. You will be able to acquire the minis with the stallion. Or, more accurately, I will be able to acquire the minis for you after you acquire the stallion.”

“I’m going to need a trainer, Lucifer, especially if I’m bringing a stallion home with me. When can I get this stallion without breaking the bank?”

“You have choices to make. You can ride to win, and if you place top three in every race you enroll Alligator Bait, the owner will fail to qualify for the Kentucky Derby. This is what you need to have happen. If the horse races in the Kentucky Derby, he’ll suffer from a catastrophic break and be put down on the track after the race’s conclusion. This is an inevitable truth.”

I narrowed my eyes; horse racing was dangerous, but horses didn’t just break their legs during a race. “The owner will race him too often?”

“He will have a hairline fracture from a previous race, and the vet will lie about the results so the owner can run him. The incident will result in the tracks using angelic verification on a track-hired vet to confirm the health of all horses before races, which will increase the entry fee by several hundred dollars. The angels will do it for a discounted fee because of their nature.”

I scowled. “I have to place top three in every race I enter to prevent this stallion from running the Kentucky Derby?”

“That’s correct. The stallion will then be sent to slaughter, where you will buy him for a pittance. That pittance will ultimately cost you far more than you spend on him, as you will have to contend with the fracture. You’ll make the money back from his stud fees. I’ll leave you to discover the rest of that future on your own.”

“Can I acquire him before he suffers from a break?”

“Perhaps for a price. Your wallet would thank you for crushing the owner’s horse on the track with a horse you bought from him off the slaughter market. Should you place well every race, this will be his last season as an owner, and the stallion will be the last one hurt by his choices. The attempt at the Triple Crown will stretch his finances, and he will go solely into breeding. He is a terrible owner of racehorses but an excellent breeder. He will, in a few years, thank you for having kicked his ass with a horse he bred. Until then, he’ll despise you.”

Of course. “You should have seen the faces of the other jockeys when I showed up to the race I won with Alligator Bait. They all got to witness the angelic verification, and not a single damned one of them took me seriously. That’s fair. It’s not like I’d even ridden a race until then. However, nobody had warned me about the buckets.”

The groom I’d hired had taken care of Alligator Bait following the race while the other jockeys ambushed and assaulted me with buckets of shaving cream, water, and ice. One of them had given me a bottle of wine after I’d gotten showered off along with a congratulations on having ridden a great race.

I’d been confused over that, as all I’d done involved keeping my hands up out of the gate, keeping an eye on the other horses, and setting her loose to run her heart out after the field had compacted along the fence.

Alligator Bait’s size and speed had allowed her to take the outside, clear the pack, and steal the win by a hefty margin. I’d gotten lucky; my mare had a tendency to fight when held back, especially when she wanted to run. Rather than fight, she’d listened, and her patience had paid off.

While the other horses had gotten a lead on her, she’d had plenty of endurance to make her comeback.

I suspected her previous jockey hadn’t allowed her to run like she meant it, keeping his hands up and fighting her rather than working with her on the track.

The instant I’d lowered my hands, all I’d done was guide her to the safest path towards victory, keeping an eye on the other horses and avoiding the risk of collision.

Lucifer made a thoughtful sound. “Yes, you surprised them. Women are often discounted. That they included you in their rituals is quite telling. You’ll be better welcomed during your next race, and by the time the Kentucky Derby rolls around, you’ll have earned their respect. You will want to hire a groom to help with her care, but I’m sure you’ll find someone who can do the work without issue.”

I wrinkled my nose, as his comment reminded me I would have to contend with a dragon at some point in my future. “And the dragon?”

“Don’t you worry about him. If he causes you any trouble, I’ll deal with him. I suspect, should he come calling, the instant he finds out you’re trying to win the Triple Crown on a cheap horse so you can rescue a stallion, he will wait his turn for your attention. He’s a menace, but he does have compassion, especially for animals he doesn’t intend to eat. You will have to watch your cattle, but you’re more likely to find him sunbathing in the pasture with your horses than attempting to eat them.”

I growled at that. “If he touches my cows, I’ll pluck his scales and sell them for profit!”

The Devil snickered. “That’s better on the selfishness front. I’ll make certain he understands that he will have to provide his own cattle when he’s peckish. What are you planning to do with your herd?”

“The bull calves will be turned into steer and fill my freezer unless they’re stellar, in which case I’ll sell them to become herd bulls for someone else. I’ll keep the best heifers and sell the rest. When they get old or go lame, if the meat is still sound, they’ll go into my freezer. I don’t particularly care if the meat isn’t as tender because it came from an older animal. That’s what stews are for.”

“Your ethics disgust me,” my boss complained. “Did this world need yet another goody-goody? I’m surrounded!”

His protests over my nature made me giggle. “Is it selfish if I ask for that stallion for Christmas? Surely my boss would buy me a horse and some minis for Christmas.”

The Devil gasped. “You fiend! That was not just selfish, that was evil of the highest order.”