him. After all, they had time, a lot of time....
Chapter Six
Kelly lay on a cushioned wicker love seat on the porch, her head resting on Ryan's chest. Raising her right leg, she wiggled her toes. She had left her sandals in the kitchen. She and Ryan had barely touched their dinner after the kiss. He'd helped her clear the table and wash and dry the dishes, and she'd suggested they sit out on the porch where it was safer than remaining indoors.
"What made you decide to become a veterinarian?"
Ryan rested his chin on the top of her head. "I've always loved horses and science, and becoming a vet was the logical choice. Also, I knew one day I would inherit the horse farm from my father, as it was with him and his father."
"You'll be the third generation Blackstone to run the farm?"
"Yes. And hopefully Sean will become the fourth."
"What about your brother?"
"Jeremy has no interest in horses. Pop refers to Jeremy as his vagabond progeny. My younger brother would lose his mind if he had to stay here more than a month."
"How did the Blackstones become horse breeders?"
"My granddaddy was a white tobacco farmer who fell in love with a young black woman who had come to work for him as his cook. They couldn't marry or live openly as husband and wife because of Virginia's miscegenation laws. But she did give him a son. When James Blackstone died he left everything to Sheldon. Grandpa had grown tobacco for about twenty years, but after my grandmother died from lung cancer from a two-pack-a-day cigarette habit, he harvested his last tobacco crop and decided to raise horses."
"Did he breed them to race?"
"No. He raised working breeds like the Welsh Cob, horses known for their hardiness and strength. He sold them to farmers and for riding. My father brought his first Thoroughbred several years after he'd married my mother. Within ten years he was racing competitively."
What he did not tell Kelly was that his mother was an only child of a wealthy Charleston, South Carolina black family, and that his parents had used her inheritance to establish the largest and most successful African-American-owned horse farm in the state of Virginia.
"I know nothing about horses or racing," Kelly admitted. "In fact, I've never been to a racetrack."
Ryan's forehead furrowed. "You've never watched our trainers exercising the horses?"
"No."
"If you don't have anything planned for Saturday, then I'll have Kevin Manning show you how he trains horses for races."
"Do you go to the races?"
Ryan hesitated. During his short marriage, the only time Caroline had deigned to grace him with her presence was at a horse race. "Yes."
Shifting slightly, Kelly gazed up at him. A shaft of sunlight hit his face, turning him into a statue of molten gold. Turning his head quickly, he glanced at her and she shuddered noticeably from the intensity of his stare. The large gray eyes glowed with an inner fire that ignited a spark of longing that left her gasping.
Ryan returned his gaze to the sprawling landscape in front of Kelly's bungalow. The homes for resident employees were constructed far enough apart to allow absolute privacy.
The fingers of his right hand traced the outline of Kelly's ear. "If I'd come back earlier I would've taken you to the Virginia Gold Cup. It's held the first Saturday in May at Great Meadow near The Plains. The Great Meadow also hosts the International Gold Cup the third Saturday in October."
"Isn't the Kentucky Derby run the first Saturday in May?"
He chuckled. "I thought you knew nothing about horseracing?"
"I do know the date for the Kentucky Derby," she said defensively. "How many winners has Blackstone Farms produced?"
Kelly listened intently as Ryan listed the races, the names of the horses and their jockeys who'd worn the black and red silks of Blackstone Farms into the winner circle. He explained domestic horses were bred in many different races and were grouped as ponies, heavy draft horses, lightweight draft and riding horses.
"Barbs and Arabs, the two most popular riding horses, originated from North African stock. Thoroughbreds are descended from Arabians."
She thought of the colt she went to see most mornings. "Jahan is the most exquisite horse I've ever seen."
"We call him our black diamond. Everyone connected with the farm believes he's going to become a champion."
"What do you believe, Ryan?"
He wanted to tell Kelly that he liked her, liked her more than he dared admit. He wanted to tell her that something about her kept him