half-breed foal.”
Melissa turned at least three shades of red and began
pacing the room.
“Fine! If she is pregnant, I’ll keep the foal,” she said
as she faced him once more.
“Oh, no you won’t. If Sherry gives birth, the foal stays
with her.” On this point, he was adamant.
“We’ll just see about that! I’m calling my lawyer.”
“Go right ahead.” Jimmy backed up his files, pushed to his
feet, and moved away from the desk, motioning with his hand for her to have a
seat. “It’s all yours.”
She sat and dialed the number, but had to leave a message,
which didn’t seem to make her any happier. Melissa hung up the phone and sat
there, staring into space.
Not wanting to get into another argument, he left. “I’m
going to check on Sherry. Don’t forget to lock up.” He walked away without a
backward glance.
His dream had always included raising purebred Arabians.
Did this mean that Sherry’s bloodline would be tainted? He’d have to check on
that before deciding what to do. He still had the number for the breeder he
bought her from, and he could always call his old vet. But right now, he needed
to check on his horse. Sherry had never been “serviced” before and he wanted to
make sure she was all right.
He wasn’t a vindictive person, but Sherry was the only
family he had. If she was damaged in any way, someone was going to pay.
Half an hour later, Jimmy paced the sitting area in his
suite. Sherry had seemed fine, unchanged, undamaged, and glad to see him. Not
so Melissa. Of course, that feeling was mutual. Had his first instincts about
her been right? Were money and profits her main goal? It cost plenty to keep a
spread like this running and she’d been impressed with Sherry on first sight.
Had she arranged this in order to bilk him of stud fees and introduce a purebred
line into her stock?
He didn’t want to think so, but he couldn’t understand how
that stallion had jumped a fence nearly eight feet high. No, someone had to
arrange that little get-together. And if not Melissa, then who? He couldn’t
imagine any of her wranglers taking it upon themselves to do so, and Brian had
appeared suitably shocked to hear about it, immediately removing Midnight Rain
from Sherry’s corral.
Jimmy had gone one step further and secured Sherry in her
stall. That’s when he heard Starshine thrashing about
and fetched Brian.
*
* * *
Melissa waited and waited for the lawyer to call her back.
When he finally did, the news wasn’t good. Mr. Danby would have to research the
rights in this case, as he wasn’t entirely certain what the correct protocol
was in an instance such as this one. It could take a few days.
She wanted to ask his opinion concerning Jimmy, but she’d
already messed up so much with Marcus, she didn’t want Mr. Danby to think her a
total ditz. Had Jimmy accepted the position here somehow planning this exact
scenario? It was no secret that he wanted to purchase his own ranch and had
started building quite a herd with the Mustangs. Maybe he was using her to take
it one more step forward by providing quality horses for sale.
Was he really planning to run cattle? By living and
working on her ranch, he’d gain plenty of experience with raising and selling
horses, if that was his aim.
Boy, she sure could pick ’em. Did she have some kind of sign
on her forehead that read clueless ? Marcus
had been a cheat and a thief. And now, here was Jimmy. Was he concerned about
her finances because he’d planned to sue her all along?
Somehow, that just didn’t sit right with her. She
preferred to think of him as the caring man he’d first appeared to be. She slumped
forward, her head resting on her arms. Was there any sense in getting all bent
out of shape because two horses got together for a little fun?
Yes, darn it! That stallion was a thoroughbred racing horse, the top of his line. His stud
fees ranked in the hundred thousands. Jimmy couldn’t have planned it better.
She
Melissa turned at least three shades of red and began
pacing the room.
“Fine! If she is pregnant, I’ll keep the foal,” she said
as she faced him once more.
“Oh, no you won’t. If Sherry gives birth, the foal stays
with her.” On this point, he was adamant.
“We’ll just see about that! I’m calling my lawyer.”
“Go right ahead.” Jimmy backed up his files, pushed to his
feet, and moved away from the desk, motioning with his hand for her to have a
seat. “It’s all yours.”
She sat and dialed the number, but had to leave a message,
which didn’t seem to make her any happier. Melissa hung up the phone and sat
there, staring into space.
Not wanting to get into another argument, he left. “I’m
going to check on Sherry. Don’t forget to lock up.” He walked away without a
backward glance.
His dream had always included raising purebred Arabians.
Did this mean that Sherry’s bloodline would be tainted? He’d have to check on
that before deciding what to do. He still had the number for the breeder he
bought her from, and he could always call his old vet. But right now, he needed
to check on his horse. Sherry had never been “serviced” before and he wanted to
make sure she was all right.
He wasn’t a vindictive person, but Sherry was the only
family he had. If she was damaged in any way, someone was going to pay.
Half an hour later, Jimmy paced the sitting area in his
suite. Sherry had seemed fine, unchanged, undamaged, and glad to see him. Not
so Melissa. Of course, that feeling was mutual. Had his first instincts about
her been right? Were money and profits her main goal? It cost plenty to keep a
spread like this running and she’d been impressed with Sherry on first sight.
Had she arranged this in order to bilk him of stud fees and introduce a purebred
line into her stock?
He didn’t want to think so, but he couldn’t understand how
that stallion had jumped a fence nearly eight feet high. No, someone had to
arrange that little get-together. And if not Melissa, then who? He couldn’t
imagine any of her wranglers taking it upon themselves to do so, and Brian had
appeared suitably shocked to hear about it, immediately removing Midnight Rain
from Sherry’s corral.
Jimmy had gone one step further and secured Sherry in her
stall. That’s when he heard Starshine thrashing about
and fetched Brian.
*
* * *
Melissa waited and waited for the lawyer to call her back.
When he finally did, the news wasn’t good. Mr. Danby would have to research the
rights in this case, as he wasn’t entirely certain what the correct protocol
was in an instance such as this one. It could take a few days.
She wanted to ask his opinion concerning Jimmy, but she’d
already messed up so much with Marcus, she didn’t want Mr. Danby to think her a
total ditz. Had Jimmy accepted the position here somehow planning this exact
scenario? It was no secret that he wanted to purchase his own ranch and had
started building quite a herd with the Mustangs. Maybe he was using her to take
it one more step forward by providing quality horses for sale.
Was he really planning to run cattle? By living and
working on her ranch, he’d gain plenty of experience with raising and selling
horses, if that was his aim.
Boy, she sure could pick ’em. Did she have some kind of sign
on her forehead that read clueless ? Marcus
had been a cheat and a thief. And now, here was Jimmy. Was he concerned about
her finances because he’d planned to sue her all along?
Somehow, that just didn’t sit right with her. She
preferred to think of him as the caring man he’d first appeared to be. She slumped
forward, her head resting on her arms. Was there any sense in getting all bent
out of shape because two horses got together for a little fun?
Yes, darn it! That stallion was a thoroughbred racing horse, the top of his line. His stud
fees ranked in the hundred thousands. Jimmy couldn’t have planned it better.
She
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