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Authors: Fern Michaels

Kentucky Heat (7 page)

BOOK: Kentucky Heat
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“No, that's okay, Dover. I'll take it. I just need a minute.” She looked down at her watch and blinked. She'd slept for four hours. She felt more tired now than when she'd curled into a ball and closed her eyes. “I must have tired blood or something,” she muttered.
“No real sleep in four days will do that to you,” the burly farm manager muttered in return.
Nealy picked up the phone in the tack room. “This is Nealy Clay.”
“Nealy, it's Ken. I'm returning your call.”
“Ken. Thanks for calling me back. How are you? How are the dogs? Do you miss me? Do the dogs miss me?”
“You bet. What's happening?”
“Misty Blue dropped her foal. It was touch-and-go there for a little while, but everything is fine now. I had to fire Nick and Emmie.” She followed up with a brief explanation. “Metaxas is due any minute now. Ruby is so happy. There just aren't any words to tell you how far she's come. She looks great, says she feels great, and her world is right side up.”
“You fired your own kids! Why, Nealy?”
Was that condemnation she was hearing in Ken's voice? Hunt had used the same tone of voice with her whenever he disapproved of something she'd done or said. She could feel herself start to bristle. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Ruby entering the barn. She mouthed the words
It's Ken.
“Because they deserved to be fired. They broke the rules.”
“Don't you believe in second chances, Nealy?”
“Sometimes. This wasn't one of those times.”
“I guess that's your way of telling me it's none of my business.”
“I didn't mean it like that. I called you for a reason, Ken. I was wondering if you would mind coming to Kentucky and signing on for a brief spell to help out a little. We've had a few emergencies and are shorthanded. I wouldn't expect you to do anything really strenuous.”
“Well . . . I . . .”
“I'll take that as a no,” Nealy said coolly. “Thanks for returning my call.”
“Nealy, wait. Don't hang up. You caught me by surprise. It's not that I don't want to go to Kentucky. I . . . we talked about this, Nealy.”
“Right. You're afraid if you raise your arms, you're going to drop dead. You're afraid to have sex because you think you might die in the act. You're afraid to go for a walk because you think you'll keel over. Never mind that your heart specialist warned you that inactivity will do you
more
harm. Right now, right this minute, I'm thinking you are a
wuss,
and that's one thing I do not need. All four of your doctors said you were fit, Ken. They said you were in better shape than some thirty-year-olds. I don't know why I'm even talking about this. I have things to do, so I'm going to hang up. Before I do that, though, I'd like to make a suggestion. Go talk to a shrink. Bye, Ken.”
“My God, Nealy, what the hell was that all about?” Ruby demanded. “You're like a runaway bulldozer. What did he say?”
“It's what he didn't say. You heard my end. He didn't say anything. He's afraid to live, Ruby. All he does is move from one chair to the other. He gets up, he sits down. He goes to the bathroom. He brings in the mail and the newspaper. Those are his activities. The day before I left to come home from my visit up there, he hired a car service to drive him into the city to his doctor's appointments. I went with him. By the way, there are four of them. They all told him the same thing. They also suggested a shrink. He just stood there looking sheepish and shrugging his shoulders. One of the doctors finally said, ‘You aren't going to follow our advice, are you, Mr. Bell?' Do you know what Ken's response was? ‘Probably not, Dr. Quinn.' End of quote. His mother called a dozen times while I was there. She kept asking him if he was getting out and doing things. He lied to her and said yes just to get her off the phone. I don't have time for nonsense like that. If he wants to sit on two dozen different chairs a day and die from boredom, don't expect me to help him along. I'd be an accessory to his eventual death. He doesn't even cook. How hard or strenuous is cooking? He orders all his food prepared and delivered. I have a farm to run and horses to see to. Maybe Metaxas can get through to him because I sure couldn't.”
“Guess you just crossed him off your possibility list.”
“Yes, I guess I did. I wonder where Metaxas is.”
“He's running late. He called to say he'd be here by four.” Ruby clasped her hands in front of her. “You okay with the Ken thing?”
“I'm okay with it. I had a few fantasies about him for a while, but I can't picture myself with him. You know what I mean. I know this isn't going to sound good, but I know you'll understand. I haven't been with a man since Hunt died. I went to Ken's over the holidays to see if I could . . . you know . . . I was prepared to try him out. Me, too, for that matter. You get to be a certain age and you just aren't comfortable taking off your clothes in front of anyone, especially a man. I was going to do it, though. In order to have sex you need to have two players. He didn't want to play. He wanted that big-brother routine, a walk, hold hands, a kiss here or there, and that was it. Hey, I have two brothers. I don't need another one. We're moving on here, Ruby.”
“I guess we are. Oh, Smitty said to tell you your lawyer called and will be out around seven. Said she needs to talk to you.”
“Just what I need today. I hope my eyes are still open at seven o'clock. We have work to do, Ruby.”
“I hear you, boss,” Ruby quipped.
 
 
They hid out in the tack room, watching Metaxas make his way from the house to the barn, calling his wife's name as he walked along.
“Isn't this where you shout surprise, surprise!” Nealy whispered.
“I want him to get to the barn first. Oh, I can hardly stand this. I love that man so much it hurts. Here he comes! He looks so lost. He needs me. He really does, Nealy.”
“I know that, Ruby. Someday I hope I can find someone to love me the way that man loves you.”
“You will. Trust me.”
“Ruby! Sweet baby, are you in here?” Metaxas boomed, all 230 pounds of his being quivering with his greeting.
“I'm here, honey. Ohhh, it's good to see you. I really missed you.”
“You smell like horse poop, Ruby.”
“I know. Isn't it heavenly? Is everything okay? You look . . . I don't know . . . sad somehow. No crisis anywhere in the world that you had to fix?”
“Nope.”
“I can fix that right up. C'mere, I have something I want to show you. I have a present for you.”
“For me!”
“It is your birthday, honey. Listen, I know you have everything in the world. It's always so hard for me to buy you a present, Metaxas. I agonize over it every single year. This year, though, I bought the biggest red bow I could find and was going to stick it on your present, but instead I'm going to hand it to you. The bow I mean. I hope you like it. If you don't, you'll tell me, won't you?”
“Did you get me a John Deere tractor, Ruby? You did, didn't you! Hot damn. I always wanted one of those.”
“Not exactly, honey. It's a mover, though,” Ruby said, inching her way to Misty Blue's stall. She used her index finger to point to the foal nursing at his mother's side. “His name is Shufly, and he's all yours, honey!”
“Mine!” Metaxas boomed, his face full of awe.
“Mine!”
“He's yours, Metaxas,” Nealy said, unlatching the gate. “Go take a look. Misty knows you. Flyby's watching you, so keep your hands in your pockets.”
“Jesus God, I can't believe this.” He grabbed Ruby and hugged her. “Ah, sweet baby, how'd you do this?”
“Misty did it. Flyby played a big part. Nealy and I just helped. Do you love him, honey? Did I surprise you?”
Metaxas raised his hands and clenched them. “Love him! I want to pick him up and hold him.” He started to shake with his declaration. Nealy smiled. Ruby whooped with laughter. Flyby whinnied loudly.
“God Almighty, sweet baby, where'd you get this kind of money?”
“No, no, no, honey. I didn't pay for him. This baby is a gift from Nealy. I'm going to give her chickens for the rest of her life,” Ruby said. She smiled, realizing how long it had been since she'd even thought about her Thornton Chicken farm in Las Vegas.
“Is he . . . do you think . . . ? Is he Derby material?” Metaxas asked.
Nealy lifted her shoulders. “It's too soon to tell, but it's a strong possibility. He's got the breeding, and he's certainly got the legs for it.”
“We are going to move here for the next three years, honey,” Ruby said. “Nealy is going to show us what to do. Are you okay with that, honey? Nick and Emmie are gone, so we have to help out. You don't have anything earth-shattering you have to deal with, do you?”
Metaxas shook his head. “If I did, I'd put it on the back burner. I don't believe this! That little four-legged baby is the most beautiful creature I've ever seen in my entire life. It's right up there with . . .”
“Rebuilding and planting an entire mountain for Fanny Thornton?” Nealy quipped.
Metaxas waved away Nealy's words as he put his arm around Ruby's shoulders. “No. I was going to say the day Ruby got news of her clean bill of health.”
Nealy felt a lump start to grow in her throat. This wonderful man didn't care one whit about his wife losing both her breasts. This wonderful man who loved and loved and gave and gave twenty-four hours a day—like Hunt's old friends. Suddenly she felt inferior, a regular Scrooge in comparison. She didn't like the feeling at all. Her shoulders slumped as she watched Ruby and Metaxas stare at the newborn foal. She knew she wouldn't be missed if she went up to the house.
 
 
Smitty greeted her with a cup of coffee. Today she was as bejeweled and bejangled as usual. Smitty had style and grit, and Nealy adored her.
“What say we sit down here at the kitchen table and talk, Nealy. Want a cigarette, or did you quit again?”
“I quit, but I'll take one and quit again tomorrow. Do you think I'm nuts, Smitty?”
Smitty blew a perfect smoke ring. “If you're nuts, then that makes me nuts, too. No, Nealy. What surprises me the most is you thought we'd all fall for your little charade. We've been together twenty-five years. I know you as well as you know me. I also know you're hurting real bad right now.”
“I'll get over it,” she said with more confidence than she felt. “Did Clementine say what she wanted?”
“Not to me she didn't. You know how I hate that legal crap. What would you say if I told you I'm thinking about getting married?”
Nealy leaned back and crossed one leg over the other. She was never more relaxed than when she was smoking a cigarette. “I'd say it's about time. Is Dover Wilkie the lucky man?”
“You know he is, but don't get carried away and start planning a wedding, Nealy. I'm just thinking about it. It's not that my biological clock is ticking. It stopped a long time ago. Believe it or not, I get lonely sometimes. I don't want to give up my independence, and I don't want to do that housework slash cooking thing. I'm probably not good marriage material. See how easy I can talk myself out of things.”
Nealy nodded. She looked around at the cozy, comfortable kitchen she'd done over years before. She loved sitting here drinking coffee and musing about what each new day would bring. Out of the corner of her eye she saw pots of brilliant poinsettias all along the baseboards. How festive they looked even though the holidays were officially over.
“They were half price at the supermarket, so I bought them all,” Smitty said, pointing to the red flowers in their foil-covered pots. “I thought we could use some color in here. If we take care of them, they should last another month. It's okay to cry, Nealy. Go upstairs and bawl your head off and get it out of your system. You remember how to cry, don't you?”
“Crying is a luxury I can't afford. If I give in now, I'll run after both of them. Did Ruby tell you about Ken?”
Smitty shrugged. “I always said men were strange creatures. Put them all in a bag and shake it up, and you know what, they all come out the same. You don't look particularly heartbroken. That's just an assumption on my part. Feel free to jump in and correct me, Nealy.”
“I would if there was something to correct, but there isn't. I think I'm being punished. I went to New Jersey to . . . you know . . . sort of, kind of, check him out. I went there for my own personal . . . You know what I'm talking about, Smitty. In a way I was actually relieved when nothing happened. There weren't any bells or whistles. He didn't rock the ground beneath my feet. Somewhere, someplace in this world is a man who can do that for me. I just haven't found him yet. I will, though.”
BOOK: Kentucky Heat
12.66Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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