Page 64 of A Cowboy to Call Her Own

“I know that.” Asher tipped his hat back. “But even you admitted their training was accelerated. Walter always told us there were no shortcuts. No speeding up the process.”The horse is ready when it’s ready. And it’s for us to have the good sense to know when it’s not.

“Don’t think to lecture me on Walter’s training program.” Joe braced his hands on his hips. His motions were tense and curt. “I helped him create it all these years.”

“Then you have to agree there are risks if Derby Dreamer races,” Asher argued.

“There are always risks,” Joe stated, his voice flat and matter-of-fact. “That’s the nature of this business. Your father and I understood and accepted it. You need to do the same.”

“Protecting a horse is not a mistake. You taught me that,” Asher countered. “What has happened to you?”

“Me.” Joe jerked back. “I’ve been here pouring everything I have into this place. Year after year. Day after day. I’ve been more loyal to the Blackwell name than Walter’s own blood. You of all people cannot deny that.”

Asher barely kept from flinching. As it was, he stepped into the aisle to face Joe and widened his stance as if to steady himself.

“Look, Asher, I get what Big E is trying to do here.” Joe flicked his arm between them. “Sure, I appreciate good optics as much as the next person.”

Asher folded his arms over his chest and asked, “What exactly is Big E trying to do?”

“A couple of turns on the dance floor with a local cowgirl and a parade float aren’t going to fix things around here,” Joe explained. “We need wins at the racetrack. Wins are all that matter. They certainly mean more than having a Blackwell walking around the property.”

“Any Blackwell or me in particular?” Asher asked, his own level of frustration rising.

“You know what I’m saying,” Joe said.

“I’m not wrong about Derby Dreamer.”

“I mean no disrespect. I care about you like you’re one of my own.” Joe lowered his shoulders and his words mellowed. “But this is the part where you let Elliot and me do what we do best. What I’ve been doing since before you were born. What the stables pay me to do.”

“And what? I can go back to parade floats?” Asher said, impatiently.

“We know that’s temporary, too. And everyone needs a little timeout for some fun and parade games,” Joe said. His eyebrows lifted, his tone tempered even more. “But you know where you’re meant to be. You made that choice a long time ago.”

And that was not at Blackwell Stables. That much was clear to Joe. Asher ground his teeth together.

“From what I’ve heard, you’ve carved quite a trail for yourself on Wall Street. You should be proud of that,” Joe added. “No sense taking a detour from what you know.”

Asher may not have been Walter’s protégé, but Asher worked the stables the same as his brothers growing up. He knew something about this place. “This isn’t about me. It’s about the horses and their health and safety.”

“I recognize that better than anyone,” Joe said, lashing out. “All you are going to do, if you pull Derby Dreamer out, is make us look weak and tarnish the Blackwell name and reputation even further.”

“It is one race.” Asher stood firm. “One horse.”

“Perhaps that is exactly what you want.” Joe’s laugh was bitter and sharp. “To take control and run the stables so far into the ground that there’s no coming back.”

“You think I would do that?” Asher asked and heard the sudden chill in his own words. He had left so he would not ruin the stables.

“I think you are not Dylan.” Joe held Asher’s gaze and held his ground. “You aren’t sticking around, Asher. You never intended to. It’s not in you. We both know it. There’s no use pretending otherwise.”

Asher absorbed the stinging truth of Joe’s accusations.

“The horses need to know who they can depend on. Same as the staff. Same as me,” Joe said, more calmly. “At the very least, Dylan cared enough to stick around.”

Translation: They did not trust that they could depend on Asher. He could argue. He could claim he cared. But Joe was not wrong. He was leaving. There was no use interfering now, only to be second-guessed later. In fact, he was second-guessing himself right now.

Joe eyed Asher for another beat before he glanced away and called out, “Let’s get Derby Dreamer ready to load. We’ve got a schedule and a racetrack to get to.”

Owen stepped into Asher’s sightline, hesitation clear in his expression.

Asher inhaled and exhaled, then finally dipped his chin and said, “Joe has made the call. You heard him. Get the colts loaded.”