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“I was there, Tiffany, at the accident. I saw Ellery. . . .” His face went ashen and in that single moment of honesty, Tiffany believed her brother-in-law. “As hard as it is for you to accept, Ellery’s gone.”
Tiffany managed to square her shoulders, but tears pooled in her eyes before trickling down her face in a broken silvery path. “I didn’t really doubt it,” she admitted, brushing the unwanted tears aside. “But you’ve just told me some things that are a little hard to accept.”
Dustin glanced at his watch again and cursed. “Damn! I’ve got to go if I’m going to catch that plane.” He looked at her longingly once again, silently offering himself.
Tiffany shook her head and lifted it with renewed determination. Her eyes, when they met Dustin’s direct gaze, were cold.
“If you need me—”
“No. Journey’s End needs you,” she said. “The Florida Derby is next week.”
“You could come down,” he suggested without much hope.
“Not until I make sure that this little one—” Tiffany cocked her head in the direction of the inquisitive filly “—and her brothers and sisters are okay.”
With a reluctant sigh, he turned away. “I’ll call,” Dustin promised, wondering why the hell he cared. He had lots of women who would do anything he wanted, so why was he hung up on his brother’s wife?
“Good.”
With only a moment’s indecision, Dustin walked crisply out of the foaling shed, and Tiffany slumped against the wall in relief.Ellerywas Ethan Rivers?Elleryhad run off with Zane’s wife, Stasia? The woman who had been Ellery’s mistress when Tiffany was in college?
Tiffany’s head was throbbing with unanswered questions. “Oh, Zane,” she whispered brokenly. “What are you involved in?”
She was still going over the conversation with Dustin in her mind when Vance Geddes arrived to check the mare and foal. His brow knitted with worry as he started the examination, but the furrows slowly eased as he studied the frisky filly.
“It looks like she’s going to make it,” he said, relief audible in his voice. “By the time Charlatan was this old, there were already signs of distress.”
“Thank God,” Tiffany murmured, her mind only half on the conversation. Where was Zane? Why did he want the farm? Why hadn’t he explained about Stasia and Ellery?
“Tiffany?” Vance asked for the second time.
“Oh, what?”
Vance shook his head and offered a small smile. “I said it looks as if we can take her out in a few days. I think you’ve got yourself a racehorse here.”
“Wonderful.” Tiffany eyed the little filly fondly. “Now we really do have a reason to celebrate.”
“Pardon?”
“I was hoping that you could join the rest of us for lunch . . . brunch—” she lifted her shoulders “—whatever you want to call it.”
“I’d be glad to. Just let me get cleaned up.”
“I’ll meet you at the house,” she said, leaving the foaling shed and instructing the stable boy to look after the mare and filly. She headed toward the house and didn’t notice the warm spring sunshine, the gentle breeze lifting the branches of the fir trees near the drive or the crocuses sprouting purple, gold, and white near the back porch.
All of her thoughts were centered on Zane and what, if anything, he wanted from her.
By the time Tiffany got back to the house, Louise was working furiously. The smell of honey-glazed ham, homemade apple muffins, black coffee, and steamed vegetables filled the room. Louise was humming as she carefully arranged a rainbow of fresh fruit in a crystal bowl.
“It smells great in here,” Tiffany said as she walked into the kitchen and tried to shake off the feeling of impending dread that had settled on her shoulders during her discussion with Dustin. “What can I do to help?”
Louise smiled. “Nothing. All the work’s about done. Just go change your clothes. We’re eating on the sun porch.”
“Ummm. Fancy.”
“It’s a celebration, isn’t it?”
“That it is. Let me set the table—”
