Winner Takes All - Anna Harrington Page 0,29
bit of race advice. Whatever he said to the man made the jockey jerk his attention to Midnight. He asked a single question; Shaw answered. Then Benny nodded, and all further talk between them ceased as the horses began to parade out to the track, to take their positions at the starting line.
Shaw met her gaze. He stilled for a moment, and the dispirited expression on his face pierced her. Something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones.
He turned away to join the other trainers and grooms at the railing, not glancing back at her.
“What did you tell him, Jack?” she whispered, her eyes never leaving his back despite the unease that snaked up her spine.
“Oh, probably the same thing you told your man,” Jonas answered her unintended question. “To win.”
No, it wasn’t that simple. Benny wouldn’t have darted a surprised gaze at Midnight like that, wouldn’t have questioned his riding orders—
“He has to, you know,” Uncle Jonas continued as they reached the owner’s box at the front of the grandstand. The attendant promptly swung open the little door to let them enter.
She turned her distracted attention to the other owners and their families and waved politely to them. “And why is that?”
“Because he’s going to lose his farm if he doesn’t.”
She wheeled on him. Her heart stopped, only to start up again a second later in an unnatural rhythm that left her breathless. “Pardon?”
“Over there, my dear.” He nodded toward the far front of the boxed area. “I see two seats that would give us—”
“Uncle Jonas.” She squeezed his arm to snatch back his attention. “What do you mean that Shaw is going to lose the farm?” She stood firm, refusing to move and not caring if the other owners noticed that she was upset.
“Oh, it’s fairly common knowledge in Epsom, I suspect.” Over his shoulder she saw the horses line up at the start. “Or at least I know about it because I just sold two hounds to his banker, and the man let it slip. Both very fine dogs with noses that could track a fox from Chester to—”
“Uncle Jonas, please!” She clasped his hand, desperation ringing in her voice. But a dark thought stirred in the recesses of her mind, a terrible idea of what orders Shaw might have given his jockey. “Why is he going to lose his farm?”
“Shaw’s behind in payments, of course, and has more loans out to his creditors than he has income coming in. So far they’ve all trusted in his skills and given him credit, but he can’t sustain it much longer. He needs to win on the nose and claim the prize purse. Otherwise, he’ll have to sell his horses and let the farm go to his creditors.”
She stared at Jonas, trying to comprehend through a wash of cold dread what he was telling her. “But how—how can that—”
The start signal came. On a high platform beside the track, the official dropped his flag, and the dozen horses leapt forward with great, powerful thrusts of their hind legs. A deafening cheer roared from the crowd.
Alarm flashed through her. Holding her breath, she rushed to the front of the box and gripped the wooden railing so hard that her fingertips turned white. Shaw couldn’t have done what she suspected— It was may the best horse win, they’d agreed! But as the seconds ticked off and the horses’ long strides ate up the turf beneath their thundering hooves, their two horses pulled away from the rest of the field with Ghost always half a length behind Midnight, and she knew…God help her, she knew—
Shaw had told his jockey to lose.
Chapter Eight
Shaw stood shoulder to shoulder with Paddy at the rail. Neither man said anything as they watched the field of horses sweep into the first turn. A spry chestnut filly owned by the Duke of Portland made a move on the inside, only for Ghost to box her in behind Midnight. By the time they reached the back stretch, the chestnut had faded and joined the rest of the field to battle for third place.
This was a two-horse race, and he knew which colt would win.
Today couldn’t end any other way. He’d never be so selfish as to destroy Frankie’s chance to choose the life she wanted. He loved her. He would sacrifice everything for her happiness, including his own dream.
As the horses turned into the second corner, the crowd jumped to its feet to watch the two horses