Read Online Cassie's Hope (Riders Up) by Adriana Kraft - Free Book Online

O’Hanlon, would be able to get on with her life. She
looked forward to the comfort of her high rise apartment and to the challenges
of her regular day job at the group home.
    Wyoming seemed a
long way away.
    Would she miss the
thrill of competition and the sweat of horses? Shake that nagging thought .
     “Liked what I saw
on the track this afternoon.”
    Harrington always
turned up, like a lost penny. “Thanks,” she replied evenly. “She ran a good
race all right.”
    “Yeah, your old man
is a damn crafty trainer. I’ve got to give him that. How much do you want for
her?”
    Startled, Cassie
backed away. “What?”
    The tall sandy-haired
trainer grinned. “Don’t think I mumble that badly. How much money would you
like for the horse?”
    “She’s not for
sale! I didn’t come here to sell her. Dad would have a fit.”
    “That must be who
you get it from.”
    “Be that as it may,
the horse is not for sale.”
    “Okay, doesn’t hurt
to ask, usually.”
    “Fine. You asked. And
I answered.”
    “She is a nice
looking filly.”
    Cassie leaned
against Hope, watching the man amble off in the direction of his horses. Did he
ever in his entire life experience a moment of self-doubt? Well, whatever. She’d
have to watch out for him.
    But Louie was
right. Harrington was a damn good trainer. He had an excellent reputation on
shedrow and typically was among the leading winning trainers at the Chicago
tracks. Up and coming was a phrase often linked to Ed Harrington. And
then there was the downside. Picking up track scuttlebutt, she’d learned he had
a reputation for being a heavy drinker and a womanizer. No way was she going to
let him add her scalp to his collection.
    “Nice race, honey.”
    “Oh, thanks, Louie,”
she said, turning to hug her old friend. “Wasn’t she great?”
    “She’s a racehorse,
that’s for sure. And looks like the Wyoming altitude advantage didn’t hurt a
bit.”
    “I didn’t get to
see today’s last race. How did your horse do?”
    “The old guy came
in second.” Louie shrugged. “ That’s not bad for a nine year old gelding.”
    “You ever going to
retire Jasperson?”
    “Probably the end
of the year. Hell, I’m getting too old for this myself. How’s your dad doing?”
    “He’s coming along.
This race will do wonders for him. I’ll be surprised if we can keep him from coming
out to the Capitol Stakes.”
    “Maybe old Tug will
be doing a jig by then.”
    Cassie shook her
head. “I doubt that. Hopefully, he’ll be able to come and watch Hope race.”
    Louie spat a stream
of tobacco. “Yeah, well, I best be getting along. Pass on my hurrahs to your
dad.”
    “I’ll do that. You
can count on it. Take care, Louie. Come on out to the farm when you get a
chance.”
     
    The next morning,
Cassie stood on the porch before her father with a smug look plastered on her
face. She’d traveled three thousand miles by herself to further his dream. He’d
been right, Hope looked spectacular in her win in Wyoming, and equally
fantastic yesterday when she won the relatively minor allowance race against
cheap but respectable competition. Next up, a mid-level allowance in two weeks.
    She breathed in the
fresh moist air. Thank god for humidity and all things green. Thank god for big
old chestnut trees and oak trees. And thank god for a race horse who could run
like the Wyoming wind.
    “Don’t get too high
on your horse, Cass,” Tug O’Hanlon cautioned with a scratchy voice. “She still
has a lot to prove. And it’s damn hard to keep a horse on her game for very
long. We don’t wanna peak too early.”
    “Me, high? I
thought you were the dreamer in the family.” Cassie scowled down at her father sitting
comfortably in the old wicker rocker with a blanket over his legs.
    “Dreaming comes
with the Irish, my daughter,” he replied, smiling ear to ear. “Ye can’t do much
about that now, can ye? Just try to keep your feet on the ground. Two wins in a
row is good, but we’re