Texas Lucky by Maggie James

Author:Maggie James [James, Maggie]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub, mobi
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Published: 2013-11-18T18:30:00+00:00

“You ain’t trickin’ me, little lady.” Chester Arthur shifted his cigar from one corner of his mouth to the other as his eyes raked Tess from head to toe. “I know your horse can run faster on account of you not weighing as much as a man, and you ain’t racing.”

Tess, infuriated even more by the tittering of the men gathered around, sputtered, “That…that’s not fair. No one has ever complained before.”

He grunted. “Maybe nobody was as smart as me.”

The crowd chuckled louder.

“You don’t run in my race,” Chester repeated in finality, and turned away.

It was not fair, she fumed as she looked around and saw scrawny cowboys preparing to race. They were thin from months on the trail. Why, she’d bet she weighed more than most of them, for she had put on weight during the summer. One thing she and Buck had not done during their traveling together was skimp on food. She saw to it they ate well.

No, it had nothing to do with her being a woman. Chester Arthur had seen Saber. Buck told her he had been in the livery stable and watched as Chester gave him a once-over, frowning all the while. He knew Saber was a winner, and he did not want him to race.

But race he would, by God.

Because Tess knew if he didn’t, she had more to lose than the prize money.

She was going to lose Buck, and she could not let that happen.

Frantic, she looked around and spotted him leaning against a railing and looking as miserable as she felt.

Pushing her way to him, she cried, “Get ready. You’re going to ride Saber.”

He pushed from the railing to cry, “Are you crazy? I’ve never even ridden him, Tess. He wouldn’t race for me.”

“Yes, he will. And he’ll win, too. You’ll see. Come on. Let’s get him ready.”

Hurrying to the livery stable, Tess threw her arms around the great horse’s neck and whispered in his ear that he had to win even if she wasn’t riding him. She was depending on him.

When she stepped back, Buck asked in wonder, “You don’t really think he understood what you said, do you?”

She threw him a pixie like grin. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough, won’t we?”

Pulling Saber after them, they returned to the street, which was crammed with carriages, wagons, horses, and milling people.

Chester Arthur, with his booming voice and the help of those he paid to assist him, cleared a section a half-mile long.

There were five qualifying races, with six horses entered in each so that in the final run there would be only five winners competing against Chester Arthur’s entry.

As Tess and Buck watched each race, they agreed that the horses coming in first were nowhere near as quick as Saber.

Then, when it was Saber’s turn, Chester glowered to see Buck bring him in three lengths ahead of the others.

Tess was beside herself, alternating between hugging Buck and hugging Saber. “We’re going to do it. I know we are,” she cried.

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