Read Online Chance Meeting by Laura Moore - Free Book Online

gleamed, muscles rippling under silky smoothness. These equine athletes were in peak condition, incredible examples of power, agility, and speed. They were embarking on a voyage to prove just that.
    One by one, the horses were loaded into the long silver van that would take them to Kennedy International Airport, where they would then be put on a cargo jet, destination Sweden, where the World Cup qualifier was being held. The qualifier represented the first in a series of long and grueling events leading up to the final championship round. Among the horses chosen to compete for the United States’
    team was Jasmine. Steve Sheppard would be riding her.
    He felt like a kid again, bursting with excitement, jittery with nerves. Frank Delano, the stable manager for Gladstone, had kindly offered Steve a ride to Kennedy so that Steve could rest easy, seeing for himself that Jasmine had been safely loaded onto the plane. It was the first time she’d ever made a transatlantic flight.
    “Really, Shepp,” Frank said as he turned the ignition. The van started with a loud rumble of engine, and Frank eased it around in a wide circle, giving a signature toot of the horn before heading down the driveway. “It’s nothing to worry about. The cargo areas in the jets have these boxes in them that are just like stalls in a horse van. And the ride in the plane, even with the takeoff and landing, isn’t any worse than a long trip down a bumpy road. After a couple flights, this mare’ll be a seasoned traveler. A jet-setter.”
    “It’s damned hard to imagine, my heading off to Europe to compete. Something I’ve looked forward to for so long. Now that it’s happening, I’m as fussy as my Granny Polly.”
    “You won’t be a rookie for long when it comes to the international scene. Wait till you get to the airport, though. It’ll blow your mind. These horses, they’re treated like VIPs by the crew and handlers. Ahelluva lot of money standing on those hooves. Too much to risk injuries.” Frank patted the breast pocket of his shirt and pulled out a pack of Wrigley chewing gum. He held it out to Steve. Steve shook his head, “No thanks. Mind if I smoke, though?”
    “Go right ahead,” Frank invited with a wave of his hand. “Used to smoke, too, but the wife made me quit. Still love the smell, though.”
    Steve grinned. “Yeah, so do I. In Kentucky, you learn to appreciate the finer things real early in life: beautiful women, fast horses, bourbon, and cigarettes.”
    “I guess you must be doing all right for yourself then, Shepp, a true connoisseur—if the gossip floating around is even close to the mark. I’ve heard all of the above are yours for the asking.”
    Steve gave a wide smile, his teeth flashing white against his tanned skin. His eyes were exactly the same color as the faded denim jacket from which he withdrew a pack of Marlboros and a miniature box of matches. He stuck the tan filter between his lips and struck the match head with the edge of his thumbnail. The flame flared, small and blue.
    After inhaling deeply, he let out a stream of gray smoke, blowing out the flame with his breath. “The good Lord willing, Frank, the good Lord willing.”
    Even two long years later, Steve Sheppard’s gift to Ty remained her most valued treasure. The day after her encounter with Steve, she went to a jewelry store and asked for a small loop of silver to be soldered onto the medallion so that she could thread a delicate sterling silver chain through it. Ty still wore the medallion around her neck, tucked away out of sight, something private that only she knew about. Every so often, she awakened in the morning to find her hand wrapped around it, clutching tightly. To Ty’s great disappointment, especially now that she was riding at the Junior Jumper level, she had yet to run into Steve Sheppard again at any show. Moving up to the jumper division represented for Ty a huge personal coup, a triumph that continued to astonish her. It had