Secretariat Reborn by Klaus Susan

Author:Klaus, Susan [Klaus, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Published: 2013-10-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

In February, Valentine’s Day, Christian made dinner reservations at a fancy French restaurant for him and Allie, wanting to surprise her with a night out. As a teen, he had seen how his stepfather treated his mother.

“Indulge the woman you love, especially on her birthday and holidays,” Frank had told him. “With the minor effort, she will return the favor tenfold.” Frank was a good teacher, and Christian never forgot his lessons.

He rushed home early with a dozen roses and a small gift box containing ruby-chip earrings. The flowers, earrings, and dinner might set him back three hundred dollars, but the price was small, considering all Allie did for him.

After pulling up to the house, he ran to the barn to feed and care for the horses. He hoped to be finished with them and have himself ready before Allie came home. The Tampa meet had started, and she had a filly in a race at Tampa Bay Downs.

Christian had to jog when leading Mystery in from the pasture to the barn. To walk, he would be dragged by the rambunctious, strong colt. In his stall, Mystery tilted his head and begged for dinner, smacking, and chewing his lips.

“All right, Mystery.” He chuckled and poured five quarts of oats and sweet feed into his feed bucket and tossed several plugs of hay into the stall. Although only a yearling, the colt was an eating machine, devouring twice as much as an adult horse.

Christian brought in two other horses that were also in training. As he fed them, he heard Chris’s nickering in the back of the barn. The stallion had the option of coming and going from a large outside paddock into the barn and his stall.

“I haven’t forgotten you, Chris,” he said, walking to him with a bucket of feed.

After an hour, he had the four barn horses watered, hayed, and fed and had taken care of the pasture horses. He raced to the house to shower, shave, and dress.

At six, he saw Allie’s truck and trailer drive past the house, going directly to the barn. He stuck the earring box in his jacket pocket, grabbed the bundle of roses, and walked to the barn. Allie had unloaded the filly and taken her inside.

“How did she do?” he called when entering the barn.

Allie was in the filly’s stall, putting a blanket on her. “Good, considering the competition,” she said and fastened the blanket chest snap. “She got a third. At least the purse should pay for a few months of her board. How’s everyone here? Did Mystery behave for you?”

“That colt is a handful. I don’t know how you manage him.”

“I told you to stop using a regular lead.” She stepped out of the stall and locked the door. “He needs a stud chain when you—” She saw that Christian was wearing a black leather jacket and tie. “What’s all this?”

He produced the roses that he had concealed behind his back. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“You’re so sweet,” she said and smelled the roses.

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