Read Online Secretariat Reborn by Susan Klaus - Free Book Online

his first race and eats up more money and time.”
    Time my father doesn’t have
, Christian thought. “It’s probably nothing. Price just comes across like an arrogant S.O.B., but I’m sure Hunter’s in good hands.”
    “Give me a jingle when you get back.”
    They ended the call, but Christian had noticed his father’s wheezy voice and the breathlessness. He decided that after the trip to Miami, he would drop Kate off in Sarasota and continue to Ocala. His concern over the loss of business and work would have to take a backseat to the reality that his father was dying and, oddly enough, he wanted to be with him.
    Late in the morning on Friday, Kate propped her bare feet up on the dash of the SUV and sipped a soda as Christian drove east on Alligator Alley. They reached the halfway point in the Glades, and he pulled off at the rest stop.
    “Why are we stopping?” she asked and straightened in the seat.
    “I thought we’d take a break and look around.” He pulled into a parking space. “The Everglades are awesome, Kate.”
    “Of course you
would
love it,” she said. “It’s flat, hot, and full of mosquitoes. There’s nothing to see.”
    “Yeah, no civilization. That’s what makes it great. Come on and check it out.”
    “No, thanks, I’ll wait here. Keep the air on.”
    He left the engine running and walked to a canal. A large alligator meandered down the center. On the far bank, a few roseate spoonbills waded near a blue heron. He stared out at the immense landscape with an endless horizon. The Glades resembled a greenocean and had been fondly called the river of grass. After several minutes, he returned to the SUV.
    “You missed a big gator,” he said and backed his vehicle out of the parking space.
    “You know I don’t care about that stuff. The only alligator I want to see is on a new purse.” She giggled. “The sooner they fill this swamp in and put up condos, the better.”
    He slammed on the brakes, pushed up his sunglasses, and glared at her. “You really think that way? That the Glades shouldn’t be preserved?”
    “Please, don’t start your homeboy ranting. If left alone, you crackers would still be living in huts on the beach.”
    “Exactly, there’d still be a goddamn beach instead of a coastline of concrete.” He pushed down his irritation and drove out of the rest stop, merging with the highway traffic.
    Kate raised her eyebrows. “When we reach Miami, what do you want to eat for lunch?”
    “I don’t care.”
    “Hmmm, I feel like shrimp cocktail.”
    He had planned to have that honest talk about their relationship on the ride home, but decided to bring it up now. “I’ve been thinking, Kate. Besides sex, what do we have in common?”
    “Chris, you’re blond.” She smirked. “Don’t try to think.” When he failed to smile or respond, she went on, “Baby, we’re the beautiful people, and people like us belong together. And you’re my equal in bed. You’re my boy toy, baby.”
    “I’m serious, Kate. There are things that bother me.”
    She put her soda down and turned toward him. “You’re not thinking of breaking up?”
    “I didn’t say that.”
    “Good.” She relaxed back into her seat and twirled a lock of her shoulder-length hair through her fingers. “Chris, I do love you. And besides my dad, you’re the only man with the balls to stand up to me. I respect that, and you’re an excellent lover. We’re perfect together.”
    “I’m not so sure we are perfect for each other. You hate everything I love—my boat, the water, the Glades. I’d like to share more than bed with someone. The boy toy thing is wearing thin. You say you respect me, but you don’t show it. It’d be nice if you were a little more flexible and less critical. I’m not real happy with the way things are.”
    He glanced over at her to see how she had taken the truth, but she turned her head toward the window. Ten minutes passed without a word, unusual for Kate, who normally had