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“I’ll take care of this,” he said firmly. “Cheryl told me a bit about the politics of the current board of directors.”

“This isn’t your burden.”

“You never should have had this insinuated in the first place,” Warren said, his voice now calm and icy. “You don’t deserve that. I’ll address this with the board, and I’ll pay Victor a visit as well.”

A blade of fear sliced through my chest. Dare we poke that hornet’s nest? I hesitated to ask him not to. Warren was an imposing figure and had faced no shortage of risky situations. Would this make Victor think twice about wielding his power against me?

“You don’t deserve that.”

The words hit me. The little child inside me who had witnessed my parents’ worst moments and greatest sins felt otherwise. I didn’t deserve the kindness or loyalty of such good men as Warren and Eddie, nor did I deserve the support of a force like Cheryl. She’d vowed to stand up for me and fight against these unsubstantiated rumors, but she had to be careful to keep her board seat or she would lose all leverage entirely.

“Come on, Eva!” Annie called from the barn. “I found the perfect saddle, come see!”

My feet felt anchored to the ground. Warren seemed to recognize as much, and he stepped closer, lowering his voice reassuringly. “You’re not alone in this. I’ve got your back.”

Emotion choked me, and I could only nod, grateful beyond measure.

“You’d better get to Annie before she saddles up all by herself.” He winked. “We’ll talk more about our elopement later.”

He walked back into the barn. The world spun around me, tipsy as if on a new axis.

There were still so many unknowns. I wasn’t sure that I could deliver what I’d promised for Phantom. He deserved to be and should be a shining champion in the ring. Or should he be retired to pasture after such a tumultuous first year of life?

No, I knew better. Horses wanted a job, a purpose, a partnership. Same as any human. Sometimes they just needed help to discover it.

Perhaps I simply wanted to keep Warren close—his presence was soothing and captivating. But he had a home, a life, back in Philly. For all I knew, he had a girlfriend waiting for his return.

Despite our joking, there’d be no future for us beyond this working relationship. Whatever Gramps had claimed while on his deathbed, I knew I’d never be able to break free of the secret that had imprisoned me for twenty years. No future spouse, no children I could ever have, should share in the shame.

I’d never ask that of anyone.

Not even Keith.

Gramps had been right about a lot of things in his life. On this topic, he’d missed the mark.

Warren

Eva’s words bounced through my thoughts at rapid speed, rage boiling in my veins.

How dare Victor swoop so low. And if this Keith fellow was more than friends with Eva, why hadn’t he stepped in?

I still hadn’t confirmed Keith’s claim. That went beyond my role as the owner of the horse she was training. Perhaps beyond being a fellow soldier and officer. But these rumors were a personal affront to her reputation. Mine, too, but I cared little about that. I wouldn’t abide with her suffering because of my presence.

I wrestled with whether I should leave Baker, despite Eva’s reassurance. If it meant things would be easier for her, I would fly out in a heartbeat. She was right, though, that my absence wouldn’t deter Victor. I couldn’t leave, not yet. I couldn’t protect her from so far away.

“Everything okay, Captain?” Eddie asked, glancing past me at Peter leaning against the car.

“I’m going to pay a visit to the neighbors,” I said.

“What happened?”

“More of the Merricks playing dirty.”

Eddie started rolling up his sleeves. “I’ll join you.”

“You should stay here and keep an eye out.” I held up a hand. “Get to work on the apartment so you can stay overnight as soon as possible.”

“You know I don’t like you charging in alone.” Eddie crossed his arms and looked stern.