Read Online Heat Wave (Riders Up) by Adriana Kraft - Free Book Online

said, winking at Maggie. “Maggie’s got quite an eye for horseflesh. If
they’re what we want we’ll get back to you. Why don’t you give us some time?”
    “Sure, no problem. You
know more about horses than I do,” Basswood grumbled. “I just want them out of
my life.”
    Maggie sighed. She
knew Harrington had jumped in so she wouldn’t chop off Basswood’s head. She
watched Harrington’s eyes narrow as he assessed the horses from a distance.
    “Is there anything
there that we want?” Maggie asked.
    Grinning at her, Harrington
replied, “Do you think so?”
    “Don’t know. Just
because I don’t like the seller doesn’t mean he doesn’t have some good horses. But
I don’t see them. One of the bays is more sway backed than my davenport. The
other one has a right front knee that’s at least three times its normal size. As
for the others, I’d be shocked if they’re high priced claimers.”
    “Very nice,”
drawled Harrington. “You’re a quick learner. I don’t see anything here that
will be competitive, in Iowa or any place else. These have to be the dregs that
Basswood’s son couldn’t palm off. Let’s take the trailer and be happy.”
     
    As they pulled out
of Basswood’s driveway, Maggie said, “Trailer seems to be pulling okay.”
    Harrington nodded. “This
trailer will last for many years. No need to buy a new one if you can get
something like this used. I’m just as happy I couldn’t find anything we liked
around Des Moines—plus, we didn’t have to pay for extra gas to pull it all the
way up here.”
    Maggie couldn’t
help but wonder if the trailer would outlast Harrington. The corner of her
mouth turned up. She had enough worries. Why did she want to worry about him? He’d
stay as long as he wanted, and that would be that. “So do you really think we’ll
be competitive by later this summer?”
    “If we continue to
play our cards right. We’ve seen some good horses these last couple days. That
little chestnut you bought yesterday should be competitive right away. And I
know Cassie has a bead on a couple claimers. Still have to check out Clint’s
broodmares.” Once he got the trailer on the main road, Harrington glanced over
at Maggie. “You having doubts?”
    Maggie thinned her
lips and sighed deeply. “This is huge. I’m not sure I realized just how huge
until coming to Chicago. Clint and Cassie are talking about some horses that
are way too pricey for my bank account. And then that Basswood fellow. He sure
doesn’t like horseracing.”
    “Doubt that guy has
worked hard a day in the last three decades. So do you want out? It’s not too
late.”
    Leaning back on the
seat, Maggie looked over at Harrington. His features were firmly set and his
stare was fixed on the road. He had as much riding on her decision as she did. She
admired his guts. It would have been so easy for him to stay with the comfort
of the bottle. Instead, he straightened himself out and came to her.
    And he had heart. She’d
heard it when he talked of horses. And Cassie had confirmed it with the story
of little Eddie’s birth. If she had to trust someone to help her save her farm,
she could do a lot worse than trusting a man like Ed Harrington.
    “No, I’m not going
to change my mind,” she said. Her voice was an octave lower than normal. She
sounded like a stranger to herself.
     “Good. I figured
you’d stay the course.” He glanced quickly at her and grinned lazily. “It’s
going to be a fairly bouncy course, you know.”
    “I know, but I don’t
want to back out. A Magee always finishes what she starts.”
    Harrington nodded
and smiled.
    Maggie leaned her
head back on the seat and let her eyelids fall close. Her nose wrinkled. She
smiled. She was becoming accustomed to his scent. Maybe too accustomed. What
had Cassie said? Any woman who lassoed Ed Harrington would be a lucky woman. Well,
she’d lassoed him. Not in that way. But she still counted herself lucky.
    Her nipples
tightened