But here he was again, on her doorstep.
What would he demand of her this time?
“I have work to do. Whatever it is, make it fast.”
“I hear you’re backing an Irish colt, bringing him here to race, paying the entry fees. Thousands upon thousands of dollars.”
“Which is none of your business.”
“That’s big bucks. Obviously, you were hiding assets.”
“I’m not the liar here, Jack. You are.”
“Give me my cut and I won’t take you back to court.” Jack’s demand was muted by the sound of another vehicle pulling up.
Cat looked past him to see her horse trailer being driven in by Raul Ayala, one of her workers. The Irish colt in question had arrived. Why now of all times? She’d waited anxiously for the two weeks it had taken to run blood tests to make sure the colt was healthy, then days while he’d been quarantined in New York. Ironic that Jack had to ruin his highly anticipated arrival. Just as he’d ruined so many things for her.
Jack looked, too, and then grinned. “Maybe I should talk to your new partner—”
“Jack, just get off my property. Now!”
“You can’t kick me out, Cat. If I give Martin the word, he’ll pull his broodmares and stallion from your barn, and where will that leave you?”
Cat gaped. He might be able to do it, too, since he was going to be Martin Bradley’s son-in-law.
“It might be worth it to get you out of my life once and for all!”
Although it might break her financially. And she’d always gotten along with Martin, if not with his daughter Simone.
Aidan McKenna jumped out of the passenger seat of the truck, and with a terse nod at her, went around back to check on the colt. Her stomach clenched. She didn’t want him embroiled in the middle of her troubles with her ex-husband. Not a pretty way to start a business partnership.
“I see George hasn’t returned,” Jack noted, as if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb on her. “What did you do to chase him away?” He made it sound like it had been her fault that he’d strayed from their marriage bed.
Cat went speechless for a moment.
Apparently right after she’d left for Ireland, George Odell had simply disappeared. No one claimed to have seen him since. He’d worked for her family since he was a young man. She couldn’t fathom his leaving without giving her some good reason—not to mention a way to contact him—and feared something bad had happened to the old man. The fact that most of his things were still in his trailer didn’t mean anything to the authorities, because it was obvious he’d packed a bag—some of his clothes, his good boots and his shaving kit were gone. According to the police, it wasn’t a crime or a reason for concern for a man to leave his job without notice, not even if he didn’t collect his back pay.
Cat only hoped they were right, and that one day, George would simply show up with an explanation as to why he’d had to leave for a while.
“You owe me money, Cat. If you used up your cash on him,” Jack said, indicating Aidan, “I’ll settle for a couple more broodmares.”
A statement that made Cat go stiff. “You already got your settlement in court.”
“I’m going to give those broodmares I was awarded to Simone as a wedding gift. Martin will want you to breed them, of course.”
Cat gaped at him. “You bastard!”
During the divorce settlement, she’d learned how greedy he could be, but she hadn’t known he could be this cruel.
“Go to your new woman if you need cash!”
“What I need is the cash to buy her an engagement ring that will turn heads.”
Cat held herself in tight control so that she wouldn’t lash out at the bastard. She wanted to slap him—hard!—in the worst way. If only she could get him out of her life. If only she could. Him and Simone. The young woman often came to Clarke Acres with her father, Martin, to check on his broodmares.
“What did you do with the settlement, Jack? More bad investments? Don’t come to me to solve your problems!” Realizing she was yelling, she reined in her temper the best she could. “And stop threatening me. Now, get off my property before I call the sheriff!”
With that, she stalked away from him, chest heaving, unable to take a normal breath as she approached the truck and horse trailer. Now she had to deal with another man in the racing game who set her on edge, but she couldn’t let him get to her.
She had to make nice to her new partner.
She’d taken a loan to get the money to bring Mac Finnian from Ireland, and since she didn’t own the farm outright, she’d used her broodmares as collateral. Her business and future were riding on this relationship.
When she heard Jack’s truck start up and move off, Cat was relieved. The last thing she needed was for Jack to complicate things for her right now.
She had to prove herself.
If Mac really was as good as she thought he was, he’d race only a year or two at the most, and then be put to stud for six-figure fees. She would pay back the loan with her percentage of the money he made. Then she would be able to breed him with her mares and hopefully foal the next generation of Illinois Thoroughbred champions. Whether she sold the colts and fillies or raced them herself was the big bonus, the opportunity to have money in the bank again, to enhance her reputation, to expand her business—all reasons she’d taken this chance.
As Aidan jumped out of the back of the trailer, she tried to assure herself this wasn’t impossible, tried not to be affected by his bigger-than-life presence. That had been the first thing she’d noticed about him when they’d been introduced in Ireland.
The hitch was that she would have to work with Aidan to make the farm’s success happen. Having heard the argument between him and his brother, she feared getting along with him would be as difficult as dealing with Jack.
No, he couldn’t possibly be as infuriating as her ex-husband.
Although the way Aidan was looking at her now, caution stilling his perfectly chiseled features, his thick-lashed green eyes narrowing on her, Cat knew she had her work cut out for her.
She had to make this partnership succeed.
Had to, or she could lose everything.
Chapter Three
“Welcome to Clarke Acres, Aidan,” Cat said, holding out her hand.
He took it for a shake and was surprised both by her strength and the feel of her palm and fingers. No softness there. It was evident she didn’t just run the place but worked it herself. She was dressed in dirt-streaked work clothes—cotton shirt rolled to the elbows, jeans, mucking boots—and her dark hair was pulled back from her makeup-free face in a ponytail. Not that she needed makeup or a fancy hairdo or clothes. She was attractive without trying.
“To the start of a successful partnership,” he said.
“I’m counting on it.”
Though her words were positive, her smile was forced and didn’t quite reach her hazel eyes. Because of the argument she’d just had with the ex, or because of him? He’d known she had a temper, so while mildly unpleasant, witnessing the argument had been no surprise.
Aidan nodded and released her hand. “Where does Mac go, then?”