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“That’s right. Stasia was already involved with Ethan Rivers, and when I lost it cost me two hundred thousand dollars. I had to sell the farm to pay Rivers off.”
“But if you thought the game was crooked—”
“I didn’t. Not then. Only much later, when I went back to that pub and got to talking to one of the regulars, I learned that the old man, who was named O’Brien, had watched the game and thought it might be rigged. A few days later, he’d overheard Dustin and his brother talking—about the game and Stasia.”
“Why didn’t he talk to you sooner?” she asked. “There must have been plenty of time before you sold the farm.”
“O’Brien was caught eavesdropping by Ellery. Ellery was furious that he might be found out, and he threatened the old man with his life. O’Brien didn’t doubt for a minute that Ellery would make good his threats to kill both him and his wife. By the time his conscience got the better of him and he found me, I’d managed to sell the farm.”
“Who would buy it so quickly?”
Zane’s jaw became rigid and his eyes turned deadly. “A corporation.”
Tiffany finally understood, and her throat went dry with dread. “Emerald Enterprises.”
“That’s right. The farm I used to own now belongs to Dustin and Ellery, if he’s still alive.”
“Oh, God, Zane,” she murmured, covering her face with her hands.Had she been so young and foolish that she had never seen Ellery for what he really was?She lifted her eyes and felt her hands curl into fists of frustration. “I don’t understand. Knowing how you must feel about him, why would Dustin allow you to breed any of your mares to King’s Ransom?”
“First of all, I didn’t know that Emerald Enterprises was Dustin Rhodes. The original sale of the farm was handled through a broker, and neither Dustin’s name nor Ellery’s ever appeared on any of the documents. As for Dustin, either he’s just gotten cocky and doesn’t think he’ll be discovered, or maybe he thinks I’ve buried the hatchet. After all, I have been able to put myself back on my feet. It took several years, mind you, but I was able to start again. I didn’t lose everything when I sold the farm, and I managed to keep two good mares and a stallion.”
“And from those three horses, you started again?”
“Yes. Fortunately I’d already established myself as a breeder. The three good horses and my reputation gave me a decent start.”
“And . . . and your wife?”
“She left me immediately. I suspected that she’d followed Ethan—who I later found out was Ellery—to America. When Stasia filed for divorce, I didn’t fight her.
“I spent the next several years working to reestablish myself.”
“And you never forgot about taking your revenge on Ellery,” Tiffany whispered as thunder rumbled in the distant hills.
“No. That’s the reason I came here. When I heard that Ellery had married, I assumed that it was to Stasia.” Zane walked back to the lake and stared across the black water, watching as the raindrops beat a staccato rhythm on the clear surface. “Of course later I learned that he had married a woman by the name of Tiffany Chappel.”
“And you wondered what had become of your ex-wife.” Tiffany felt a sudden chill as she finally understood Zane’s motives. He had come looking for Stasia. . . .
“Yeah, I wondered, but I found that I really didn’t give a damn.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “The next thing I heard about Ellery Rhodes was that he, along with his famous horse, had been killed. My fever for revenge had cooled, and I decided to put the past behind me.”
“Until you found the horse you think is Devil’s Gambit.”
“The horse Iknowis Devil’s Gambit.”
Zane hazarded a glance at the threatening sky before looking back at Tiffany and noticing that she was shivering.
“Come on,” he suggested softly. “We’d better get inside before we’re both soaked to the skin.”
Tiffany refused to be deterred when she was so close to the truth. Her emotions were as raw as the wind blowing over the mountains. Everything Zane was suggesting was too far-fetched, and yet parts of his story were true. Even Dustin had backed him up. She ran shaky fingers through her hair and watched his silhouetted form as he advanced on her and stared down at her with bold gray eyes.
“When I figured out the scam that Ellery and his brother had pulled, I knew he had to be stopped. Using one stud in place of another, and falsifying the death of Devil’s Gambit is a scandal of international proportions.”
“Then you think that Ellery is still alive?” she murmured, feeling lost and alone.
“That, I’m not sure of.”
“Dear God,” she whispered, sagging against him. Had she just made love to a man while still married to another? Guilt and fear darkened her heart. “I don’t think he’s alive,” she murmured.
“Because Dustin says so?” he asked cynically.
