AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Could I get you a drink?” she inquired as she walked toward a well-stocked bar disguised in the bookcase behind her desk. Ellery had insisted on the most modern of conveniences, the bar being one of his favorites. Tiffany hadn’t used it more than twice since her husband’s death.
“Scotch, if you have it.”
She had it all right. That and about every other liquor imaginable. “You never can guess what a man might drink,” Ellery had explained with a knowing wink. “Got to be prepared . . . just in case. I wouldn’t want to blow a potential stud fee all because I didn’t have a bottle of liquor around.” Ellery had laughed, as if his response to her inquiry were a joke. But he had filled the bar with over thirty bottles of the most expensive liquor money could buy. “Think of it as a tax deduction,” he had joked.
“Oh, I’m sure I’ve got Scotch,” she answered Zane. “It’s just a matter of locating it.” After examining a few of the unfamiliar labels, Tiffany wiped away some of the dust that had collected on the unused bottles.What a waste.
It didn’t take long to find an opened bottle of Scotch. She splashed the amber liquor into a glass filled with ice cubes and then, with a forced smile, she handed Zane the drink. “Now,” she said, her voice surprisingly calm, “why don’t you tell me why you think Devil’s Gambit is alive?”
After pouring herself a glass of wine, she took an experimental sip and watched Zane over the rim of her glass. “That is, if you haven’t changed your mind since this morning.”
A gray light of challenge flashed in his eyes and his facade of friendly charm faded slightly. “Nothing’s changed.”
“So you still think that the horse is alive . . . and you’re still interested in buying the farm, right?”
“That’s correct.”
Tiffany let out a ragged sigh and took a chair near the desk. “Please, have a seat.”
Zane was too restless to sit. He walked over to the window and stared into the black, starless night. “I didn’t mean to shock you this morning.” Why the hell was he apologizing? He owed this woman nothing more than a quick explanation, and even that stuck in his throat. But there was something intriguing about her—a feminine mystique that touched a black part of his soul. Damn it all, this meeting was starting off all wrong. Ellery Rhodes’s widow turned his thinking around. When he was with her, he started forgetting his objectives.
“Well, you did.”
“Like I said—I should have called to make sure that we would have some time to talk.”
Tiffany shifted uneasily in the chair. “We have all night,” she said, and when a flicker of interest sparked in his eyes she quickly amended her statement. “Or however long it takes to straighten out this mess. Why don’t you explain yourself?”
“I told you, I have reason to believe that Devil’s Gambit is alive.”
Tiffany smiled and shook her head. “That’s impossible. I . . . I was at the scene of the accident. The horse was killed.”
Zane frowned into the night. “Ahorse was killed.”
“Devil’s Gambit was the only horse in the trailer. The other two horses that had been stabled in Florida were in another truck—the one that Mac was driving. They were already in Kentucky when the accident occurred.” She ran trembling fingers through her hair as she remembered that black, tragic night. Once again she thought about the terror and pain that Ellery and his horse must have gone through in those last agonizing moments before death mercifully took them both. “Devil’s Gambit died in the accident.” Her voice was low from the strain of old emotions, and she had to fight against the tears threatening her eyes.
“Unless he was never in that truck in the first place.”
Tiffany swallowed with difficulty. “What are you suggesting, Mr. Sheridan?”
“I think that Devil’s Gambit was kidnapped.”
“That’s crazy. My husband—”
Zane’s eyes flashed silver fire. “Was probably involved.”
Tiffany stood on trembling legs, her hands flattened on the desk to support her. A quiet rage began to burn in her chest “This conversation is absurd. Why would Ellery steal his own horse?”
Zane shrugged. “Money? Wasn’t Devil’s Gambit insured?”
“Not to his full value. After he won in Florida, we intended to increase the coverage, as he proved himself much more valuable than anyone had guessed. I had all the forms filled out, but before I could send them back to the insurance company as Ellery had suggested, I had to wait until I saw him again. Several of the documents required his signature.” She shook her head at her own foolishness. “Why am I telling you all of this?” After releasing a weary sigh, she rapped her knuckles on the polished desk and clasped her hands behind her back.
“Because I’m telling you the truth.”
“You think.”
“I know.”
Tiffany’s emotions were running a savage gauntlet of anger and fear, but she attempted to keep her voice steady. “How do you know?”
