Kentucky Rich Read online

  She saw her then, in the shadows of the room. The lady with the gentle hands, the one who’d reached out for Emmie. She was holding Emmie, rocking her on the rocker, and it sounded like she was singing.

  The dog barked.

  “Shhh, Molly, you’ll wake the little one. How are you feeling, Nealy?”

  “I’m not sure, ma’am. How long have I been here? Am I going to die? Is Emmie all right?”

  “Mercy, child, so many questions. I guess you must be feeling better. You’ve been with us for eleven days. No, you aren’t going to die, but it was touch-and-go there for a little while. You had pneumonia. Emmie is fine. Jess and I have been taking care of her. Molly stayed with you the whole time. She’d come and fetch us those first few days when you couldn’t breathe.”

  Nealy continued to stroke the silky dog as she digested the information. “Emmie has never been away from me before. Did she cry? Did she miss me?”

  “Of course she missed you. She whimpered from time to time, but Jess could always make her smile. We’d bring her in here so she could see you. I’d rock her to sleep. She’s a beautiful little girl. She looks like her mama. Right now you look a tad bony and hollow-eyed, but we’ll fix that as soon as you can get up.”

  “I can pay you for my keep, ma’am. I can’t be beholden to you. When I’m well, I can work. I’m good with horses. Do you think you might have some work for me? I can cook and clean, too. I can do most anything if you give me the chance.”

  “We can talk about all that later. First we have to get you on your feet.”

  “Ma’am, I need to know. I need to know there’s a place for me and Emmie. I can’t be having that hanging over our heads. It’s going to be getting cold soon. I have to take care of her. There’s no one but me to do that. I need to hear the words, ma’am.”

  “Honey, you and this sweet baby have a home here for as long as you want. If you want to work for me, I’ll hire you. I’ll pay you a decent wage. This can be your room if you want it. We have a room right next door for Emmie. Jess fetched a crib from town, but the tyke doesn’t care for it. Likes to crawl in and out, so we set her up a real bed and got her some toys. Molly plays ball with her. She’s happy. I’m going to put her in her bed now and get you something to eat. It’s been a long time since you had real food. What would you like?”

  “I’d like to see my daughter so I can kiss her good night. She was sick when we got here. Did you tend to her, too?”

  “We did. The doctor came by twice a day. This little one did well on the medicine. She’s fine now.”

  Tears blurred Nealy’s eyes when she reached out to stroke her daughter’s tangled curls. “She’s not a half-wit, ma’am, she’s not!” she said fiercely.

  “Now why would you be saying such a thing? No one said this baby was a half-wit. Did someone say that to you?” Maud Diamond’s voice quivered in outrage.

  “Ma’am, I’d know if that was true, wouldn’t I? I’m her mother. I never had a mother, so I couldn’t ask the right questions. She doesn’t cry much. I used to have a hard time trying to keep her quiet so . . . I think she understands. She should be saying words now, but she doesn’t.”

  “When she’s ready, she’ll talk a blue streak. If she doesn’t want to talk, she won’t. Jess now, he never says three words if one will do. He grunts a lot. That doesn’t mean he’s a half-wit. As long as you stay in my house I never want to hear you say that word again. Do you understand me, Nealy? What’s your last name? I’m going to need a name and a social security number for your work papers. And your birth date. Not right now but when you’re better. Now what would you like to eat?”

  “I think I might like an egg and some toast. My name is . . . Cole. Nealy Cole. I’m almost eighteen. My birthday is November 1. I promise never to use that word again. Did Emmie really miss me, ma’am?”

  “Yes, honey, she did. I think she knew you were sick. As long as she could see you she was just as good as gold. I don’t know if this is important or not, but she had this penny in her hand and wouldn’t give it up nohow. I made her a little velvet bag with a drawstring, and she wears it on her wrist. She’s about worn out the string opening it to make sure that penny is still there.”

  Nealy bit down on her lip. “Some . . . someone gave it to her. It was bright and shiny. She never saw a penny before. Thank you for making the bag for her. And thank you for taking care of us. I’ll work hard for you, ma’am, so that you’re never sorry you took us in. Do you still have my bucket? That bucket is important to me and Emmie.”

  Maud Diamond felt a lump start to grow in her throat. Tears burned her eyes as she turned to hobble from the room, her arthritic legs and back clearly visible to Nealy. “Everything is safe, honey. Don’t you be fretting about anything now. All you need to do is get well and strong.”

  In the kitchen, Maud sat down at the table to stare at her longtime friend, companion, and farm foreman. “She’s awake, Jess. She’s going to be just fine. I think we got us a fine young filly here. That girl about broke this old heart of mine. We’re keeping her. I don’t much care if someone is looking for her or not. It’s clear to me she lit out with that little one because things got out of hand. I want you to hide that truck of hers, and if anyone ever comes around here looking for her, you run them off, you hear me, Jess. Wherever you hide that truck, you hide that bucket of dirt of hers, too. We’ll tell her where it is if she wants to know. What we have here, Jess, is a conspiracy.”

  The old man nodded. “You’re in pain, Maud. Do you want me to fix you something to ease it?”

  “I can stand it. You could make some eggs for Nealy, and toast. Tea would be good. I’ll just sit here and watch you. Do you think she’ll like it here, Jess? It’ll be like us having a daughter and granddaughter to look after.”

  Jess Wooley grunted as he cracked eggs into a bowl. He was as tall as the sycamore sapling he’d planted outside the kitchen door to shade the steps because Maud liked to sit on them. A big man, Maud called him, with hands almost as big as fry pans. Gentle hands. Good hands. Some people, Maud included, said he was an ugly man. Maud always clarified that by saying he was so ugly he was beautiful, with twinkling blue eyes, snow-white hair, and dimples so deep you could stick a spoon in them. When he laughed, which wasn’t often, the ground shook beneath his 260-pound frame.

  “Jess, what do you think would have happened to Blue Diamond Farms if you hadn’t rode onto my spread fifty years ago? I need to thank you again for stopping by that day. There I was with two stud horses, three mares, a run-down house, ramshackle barns, and only enough food to see me through a week at best. Didn’t make one bit of difference that Pa had had a Derby winner years before. I’d just buried him that very morning. As I recall, I’d tipped the moonshine crock a few too many times. I was just about to lie down and die and there you were, big as life, jerking me to my feet and telling me to stop blubbering. You said nothing was so bad it couldn’t be fixed. You fixed it all. I want to know, and I damn well want to know right now, this very minute, why you didn’t move into this house with me. I want to know, Jess.”

  “ ’Cause we weren’t married. That’s why. We’ve been over this a hundred times, maybe a thousand, Maud.”

  “I don’t care. I want to hear it again. You slept in my bed. You never asked me to marry you.”

  “Did so.”

  “You did not.”

  “Said we should make it legal.”

  “That’s not a proposal, you horse’s patoot.”

  “Is to me.”

  “I wanted fancy words. Pretty words.”

  “Actions speak louder than words.”

  Maud watched as Jess slid the eggs onto a plate, then settled everything on a tray. “A posy would look nice on here. Before you know it the frost will kill all those flowers, so it’s best to pick them now.”

  “She’s got the touch, Maud.”

  “I know. I could feel it in her. If the little one has it, then it’s a good bet her mama has it, too.
I appreciate you taking the tray up. When you come down maybe I will take some of that elixir if you don’t mind.”

  “Don’t mind at all. I made a fire. Wrap up on the sofa, and I’ll bring it in when I get done.”

  “Jess.”

  Jess turned, his eyes questioning.

  “This is a good thing we’re doing, isn’t it?”

  “Yep.”

  “Good. That makes me feel a lot better knowing you agree.”

  “Always do, Maud.”

  Maud made her way into the comfortable living room. She did love a fire on cold nights. Who was she fooling, she loved a good fire any time of the day or night. She sank down gratefully on her favorite chintz-covered sofa. She wished she could swing her legs up and stretch out, but those days were gone forever. Until now, all she’d had to look forward to were more days of pain and misery. Even the first sight of a new foal couldn’t erase the pain these days. Now it was going to be different. She leaned back, closed her eyes, and waited for Jess. Jess always made things better.

  The dream came quickly because it was always there, hovering inside her brain, just waiting for the moment she closed her eyes.

  “Don’t get on that horse, Maud. He’s not ready.”

  “Maybe he isn’t, but I am. That’s all that counts. He’s just skittish because it’s getting ready to rain. I can handle him, Jess.”

  “Maud, you aren’t twenty-five years old. You’re damn well sixty-five, and you don’t belong on a horse anymore.”

  “If that was true, Jess, I’d lay down and die. I was ready to do that the day you came riding onto Diamond property. Don’t be saying that to me, or you’ll jinx me.”

  The moment the words sailed past her lips, Stardancer reared up on his hind legs and lunged forward, snorting his disdain for the woman on his back. He tossed his head backward, his mane flying into Maud’s face. She gripped the reins tighter just as he reared up a second time. This time she grabbed for his mane and hung on for dear life. Unable to shake the load on his back, the horse snorted again and took off at a full gallop. Maud blinked as she saw the split-rail fencing come into view. Stardancer flew over the fencing, tossing his rider into the air. She landed hard on the post dividing the fence sections. She heard her bones snap at the same moment she heard Jess’s wild shout, and then her world turned black.

  “You sleeping, Maud?”

  “Not anymore, Jess. How is she?”

  “She’s fine. She ate a little, wobbled to the bathroom, and now she’s sleeping. She did look in on Emmie for a second. Molly’s sleeping on the bed with her. It’s all gonna work out, Maud. Here’s your elixir.”

  Maud smiled. Four ounces of Kentucky bourbon with a dash of lemon was Jess’s idea of an elixir. She had one in the morning, one at noon, and one in the evening. On more than one occasion she had some in between times. Sometimes it dulled the pain, and sometimes it didn’t.

  “How bad is it tonight, Maud?”

  “It’s bad, Jess. A broken back isn’t something you recover from. If it wasn’t for this blasted arthritis settling in my joints and between the vertebrae in my back, I’d be fine. Maybe I should look into some of those newfangled surgeries they say work for joints.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t,” Jess said curtly. “Let’s just sit here and watch the fire. That game show you like is on tonight. It’s your turn to spend the money this evening.” It was a game they played every Monday night. They took turns pretending they were the winning contestants, and then discussed how they would spend their winnings.

  “I think maybe I’d do some decorating now that we have young people living with us. You know, bright colors, fresh carpets, new draperies. A pony and a cart for Emmie. Maybe we should think about putting in a swimming pool. I always liked the water.”

  Jess clucked his tongue. “Let’s take it a little slow. There’s nothing wrong with this house or the furnishings. It’s old, and it’s comfortable. I don’t think that girl upstairs has had much comfort along the way. I’d bet my last dollar she’ll say she likes it just the way it is.”

  “Okay, then what should I spend the money on? We need to do some talking about our holdings, Jess. Seems to me people our age are dropping like flies. We need to do some of that estate planning. We don’t want those government men coming in here and taking everything we worked for all our lives. We really do need to talk about this, Jess. Don’t you be putting me off again. Neither one of us has kin.”

  “That means we have to talk about dying. I don’t like talking about dying, Maud. We been over this before. I thought we agreed we’d leave our money to charity.”

  “I changed my mind.” Maud’s gnarled fingers plucked at the yellow-and-white afghan covering her. She’d made it one winter when she was down with the flu. Now she couldn’t even hold the needles. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t leave money to charity. What I’m saying is we need to maybe set up a foundation or something. We insure these Thoroughbreds for millions of dollars, and yet you and I only have a million each on our lives. If this place is going to continue after we’re gone, then we need to make provisions for that. I’m going to look into it as soon as our guests are up and about. I want to know now if you’re going to fuss and fret.”

  “You’re an ornery woman, Maud Diamond. Do what you want.”

  Maud nodded. “Then I’d like another drink, Jess. Make it a double this time.”

  “That bad, eh?”

  “Yes. It’s going to rain. It’s worse when it rains. God sent that child to us for a reason. You believe that, don’t you?”

  “Yep. I’m going to build up this fire. Wouldn’t be a bit surprised to find frost in the morning.”

  Maud leaned her head back into the pillows. Was Jess right about the girl upstairs? Would she like the old, deep comfortable furniture? Would she curl up by the fire with the little one on her lap? What would she think of all the trophies on the mantel? Maybe this year she could talk Jess into setting up a real Christmas tree in the corner. She thought about her mortality then, because when the pain was bad like it was tonight she always thought about death.

  Jess handed her the heavy cup with the wide handle. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as he stoked the fire, sweat dripping down his cheeks. “You never complain, Maud, why is that?”

  “Because I did a damn fool thing. And because I didn’t listen to you that day. Complaining isn’t going to change anything. Sit down, Jess; this one is taking the edge off a bit. I was thinking, now that we more or less got ourselves a little family, I want a Christmas tree this year.”

  “You do, do you?”

  “Yes. Are the horses all right?”

  “You know they are. I’ll take a last look before I turn in. Maud, we got the best people in the world working for us. There’s no call to worry. The way I figure it, we got one more crack at the Derby. We got us two already. One more will round it out nicely.”

  “We need to think about some schooling for that girl upstairs. Maybe on the weekends.”

  “I’m talking about Kentucky Derby winners, and you’re talking about schooling. If you don’t beat all, Maud Diamond.”

  “I want to know more about that young girl, Jess. I think it might behoove us to hire on a private investigator to look into her background. We might need to know what we’re up against down the road. She doesn’t have to know. I’m looking at it as protection for her. Not for us. Make sure you understand that, Jess. Somehow or other, those two sneaked into this old heart of mine. Didn’t think that could happen. Horses and dogs and, of course, you. That’s all I thought I had room for. The same thing happened to you, Jess, so don’t try to deny it.”

  “Wasn’t going to.”

  Maud reached out for Jess’s hand. She did her best to squeeze it. “We’re coming into the home stretch, Jess.”

  “You’re getting maudlin. Time for bed. I’ll walk you up and get you settled in before I check on the horses. Another thing. Tomorrow, when you start making all your phone c
alls, call that place and order the chair rail. If you don’t do it, I will. I want it set up and installed by the end of the week. My knees can’t take these stairs anymore.”

  “All right, Jess.”

  “You’ll do it.”

  “I said I would. New wallpaper. This is twenty years old. Looks like baby-poop yellow. I’ll call about that, too.”

  Jess held on to Maud’s arm, his finger going to his lips. “Shhh.” He led her to the half-open door of Emmie’s room. Maud’s hand flew to her mouth as she listened to the tormented voice of the young girl.

  “Shhh, Emmie, not a sound now. I know you understand what I’m telling you. I want you to be a really good little girl for Miss Maud and Mr. Jess. This is a wonderful place, and they said we could stay here. Mama’s going to work hard, so they aren’t ever sorry they took us in. Someday we’ll go back home but probably not for a real long time. I’m going to buy you a pretty dress and some shiny black shoes. I’m your mama, so I have to do those things. I want to do that for you. I’ll be getting a wage. Pa never gave me two cents, so the money Pyne gave me is the first real money I ever had. It’s just a loan. Someday I have to pay it all back. I know you don’t understand everything that’s going on. Maybe when you get older I can explain it to you. Pa was going to send you to the orphanage, so that’s why we lit out like we did. I couldn’t let him take you away from me. He was just going to rip you away from me like I had no claim to you. I’m just a girl, not of age, so he could do anything he pleased. I hate him for what he did to us. I’ll never forgive him as long as I live. Remember now, you have to be a good little girl and do what Miss Maud and Mr. Jess say. You have to remember not to wet your pants or mess in them. You’re a big girl now. If we’re both good, maybe they’ll let us stay here forever and ever. Wouldn’t that be the most wonderful thing in the world? I’ll sing you a song now, but you have to close your eyes and go to sleep. Do you have your penny?”

  The little girl held up her wrist and wiggled it. Nealy hugged her as she started to sing, “Hush little baby . . . ”