Page 2 of The Rancher

“I do, but I can’t quash her dream. This is what she wants, and she’s good at it. If she continues, she’ll be great by the time she’s sixteen and old enough to race professionally. She’s already got the build for it. She’s only four feet eleven inches and ninety-eight pounds. Of course, she might hit a growth spurt, but I doubt it. She’s too much like her mother.” He smiled at a memory that surfaced unbidden. “Francie was a little thing just like Maddy. I was terrified when she told me she was expecting. I’m so big, and she was just a tiny, little woman. She assured me it would be okay. And she was right. She didn’t have any problem giving birth.” He turned his gaze and his body toward the new veterinarian. “I have no idea why I just shared that.”

Lyris reached over and laid a hand on his arm. “It’s all right. People often share things they wouldn’t otherwise. It must be something about my face.” She smiled.

Ray looked at her and felt the world tilt a little. She was so different from Francie. From her bright-red hair to her lush curves and long legs. Lyris was a good five eleven, only five inches shorter than he was, instead of nearly a foot-and-a-half, like Francie had been.

But he’d loved her with his whole heart, and now Maddy filled his heart with joy…and fear. He wouldn’t deny it, but he would do whatever he could to ease it by teaching her to tumble.He’d enrolled her in gymnastics as a toddler and encouraged her keep practicing.

Maddy liked the sport well enough, but it wasn’t her love. That was racing. She wanted to be a jockey almost more than she wanted her next breath.

As for Lyris, was her face why he told her what he did? He wasn’t so stupid that he didn’t realize she was a beautiful woman. She had big emerald eyes, a bow-shaped mouth, a heart-shaped face, and all that red hair.

Yes, he was definitely attracted, but she was his employee or would be if they came to an understanding about her duties. They didn’t amount to much…keep his horses healthy. That was her only job.

As they approached the barn, Maddy came running out. “Did you see? Daddy, did you see?”

“I did. White Lightning beat his best record. I timed it.” He pulled the stopwatch from his pocket.

“See, Daddy, he’s ready to race. I know he is.”

He frowned as he watch Maddy. “I thought you wanted to wait until you were old enough to ride him?”

She vigorously shook her head. “That won’t be for more than six months. The racing season will be over. I can’t make him wait that long. Johnny can ride him. He has before, and I know he’s the best.”

Lyris perked up. “Johnny? Do you have Johnny Cantoni riding for you? How did you manage that?”

Maddy looked at her with furrowed brows. “Who are you?”

Ray held his arm toward Lyris. “Maddy, this is Lyris Jennings, the new vet.” He turned toward Lyris. “This is my daughter, Maddy. She’s fifteen going on thirty.”

Maddy gave her father the stink eye, then turned back toward Lyris. “I thought you were going to be a man. What kind of name is Lyris?”

The woman chuckled and extended her right hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, Maddy. My name originates from the Greek for a lyra.”

Maddy looked at Lyris’s hand and then back at her face. “I know what a lyra is. It’s a small, harp-like instrument and was used in ancient Greece. We learned about that in our world history class.”

“I’m glad they teach that in school. It’s important.” Lyris put her hands in her jeans pockets.

Maddy shrugged. “In Colorado, it’s an elective. I have to have United States or World History to graduate.” She turned toward her father. “I’m hungry. I’m going to wash up and then see what Amy has cooking.” She took off and raced toward the house.

“She’s quite the handful,” said Lyris.

“That she is.” Ray smiled as he started walking west toward the big house. “But I wouldn’t have her any other way.” He cleared his throat. “So, tell me what are your plans for my animals?”

She shoved a wayward lock of hair behind her ear. “I want to keep them healthy and safe. There’s been talk in some veterinarian circles about someone doping animals. Giving them amphetamines and opioids to speed them up. Have you heard anything?”

“No. And if it was one of my people, I would know. Most all of them have been here for years and love the horses as much as I do.”

As she approached the door to the kitchen, Lyris took her hands from her pockets and used one hand to shade her eyes as she looked up at the house. The porch continued along the side of the house with the white columns holding the roof and a balcony above the porch. Large windows marched along this side of the house just like they had done on the east side. The rooms would get a lot of evening sunlight.

She was impressed with the home. It was big, but unless she’d seen it from the west she wouldn’t have thought it was so massive. “Well, we should both keep our eyes open. Especially at the racetrack. Some people will do anything to win and if the rest of your horses run anything like White Lightning, they’ll be prime targets for performance suppressing drugs. Of course, you could have an employee who wants to win so badly, they give them performance enhancing drugs. You just need to keep your eyes and ears open.” They walked across the large porch to the sliding glass door.

On this side of the house she saw another building that looked like the pool house at her last job. And beyond that was what she assumed was the guesthouse. A gravel road ran along the west side with perfectly manicured lawn between it and the house. It appeared to lead to the guesthouse.

Ray let out a sigh and then ran a hand behind his neck. “If it’s not one thing it’s another. Sometimes I think the gods are against me.” He opened sliding door and held it open for her and then followed her in, making sure the door was closed behind him.

The doorway entered into the walkway between the dining area and the kitchen. “I want to start the horses on a vitamin and mineral regime as soon as possible.”

“Why? I’ve never had the need for that in all the years I’ve been in business and my horses are healthy.”