past me without saying a word.”
Jas exhaled loudly. “Nothing.”
Miss Hahn cocked one brow. “I thought you were waiting outside for us?”
“I was. But I followed this horse inside.” Turning slowly, Jas looked back into the stall. The big horse hadn’t moved. Not a switch of his tail, not a flicker of his ear.
Miss Hahn turned and looked in, too. “Nice,” she commented.
Jas twisted to face her. “You think so?”
She nodded. “I watched Reaves bring him in. Long stride, balanced. Handsome despitehis condition. I often see horses like this when I come here. Lots of perfectly healthy Thoroughbreds off the track are sold to the killers simply because they weren’t fast enough.”
“But why don’t their owners sell them to someone who will turn them into a hunter or pleasure horse?” Jas asked.
“Too much trouble. And with prices for horse meat so high, they can get just as much money here, and faster.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It does if all you’re interested in is money.” Suddenly, Jas remembered conversations she’d overheard between Hugh and other horse owners.
“The mare’s a producer of quality foals. She’s a daughter of a Grand Prix winner whose offspring is selling for $250,000. Buy her, and you’re making an investment for life.”
He was exactly the kind of owner Miss Hahn was talking about. And maybe that’s why he’d killed Whirlwind. Because she was no longer valuable for some reason.
Frowning, Jas studied Miss Hahn out of the corner of her eye. The woman didn’t make sense to her. If Miss Hahn was telling the truth, she was the total opposite of horse owners likeHugh. But how could someone so different from Hugh be working with him?
“I’d love to buy every one of them,” Miss Hahn continued wistfully. “With a couple of months’ retraining, most of them could turn into a great mount for some kid who can’t afford the sky-high prices that decent horses are going for these days. Only the farm doesn’t have the facilities or someone who’s a good enough rider.”
“Why can’t you work with them? You’re a good rider,” Jas said, quickly adding, “Uh, I sort of saw those pictures on your dresser.”
“That was a long time and several injuries ago,” Miss Hahn explained, with a wry glance at her leg.
Jas bit a fingernail, the spark of an idea forming in her brain. Miss Hahn definitely had a different perspective than the high and mighty Chase. Just maybe Jas could convince her to buy …
Jas caught herself. What was she doing? She didn’t want to have anything to do with a woman who was a friend of Hugh’s. But if she didn’t do something right now, the horse in the shadows would be sold for meat.
“Well, that’s too bad you don’t have thefacilities,” Jas said with an exaggerated sigh. “That big guy in there would be perfect for retraining. Especially since I know what’s wrong with him.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, I used to know this horse called Pocomo Pete. His condition was caused by a problem in the thyroid gland. The vet that treated him explained to me that the thyroid controls the cells in the body. I didn’t understand exactly, but in horses, when it doesn’t work right, it causes weight loss, depression, an orange-colored coat, and stiffness—just like that horse in there’s got.”
Miss Hahn was studying her thoughtfully. “You really do know a lot about horses, don’t you?”
“And the thing is, the condition can easily be cured,” Jas rushed on. “With a special supplement, there’s no reason that horse can’t be perfectly healthy again in a few weeks!”
For a second, Miss Hahn didn’t say anything. Jas crossed her fingers as the woman turned and examined the horse.
“Reaves will expect about nine hundred dollars for this one,” Miss Hahn said. “And we don’t have that much. But, the number onthe horse’s rump shows he won’t be auctioned off until the end of the day, which gives us an
Jas exhaled loudly. “Nothing.”
Miss Hahn cocked one brow. “I thought you were waiting outside for us?”
“I was. But I followed this horse inside.” Turning slowly, Jas looked back into the stall. The big horse hadn’t moved. Not a switch of his tail, not a flicker of his ear.
Miss Hahn turned and looked in, too. “Nice,” she commented.
Jas twisted to face her. “You think so?”
She nodded. “I watched Reaves bring him in. Long stride, balanced. Handsome despitehis condition. I often see horses like this when I come here. Lots of perfectly healthy Thoroughbreds off the track are sold to the killers simply because they weren’t fast enough.”
“But why don’t their owners sell them to someone who will turn them into a hunter or pleasure horse?” Jas asked.
“Too much trouble. And with prices for horse meat so high, they can get just as much money here, and faster.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It does if all you’re interested in is money.” Suddenly, Jas remembered conversations she’d overheard between Hugh and other horse owners.
“The mare’s a producer of quality foals. She’s a daughter of a Grand Prix winner whose offspring is selling for $250,000. Buy her, and you’re making an investment for life.”
He was exactly the kind of owner Miss Hahn was talking about. And maybe that’s why he’d killed Whirlwind. Because she was no longer valuable for some reason.
Frowning, Jas studied Miss Hahn out of the corner of her eye. The woman didn’t make sense to her. If Miss Hahn was telling the truth, she was the total opposite of horse owners likeHugh. But how could someone so different from Hugh be working with him?
“I’d love to buy every one of them,” Miss Hahn continued wistfully. “With a couple of months’ retraining, most of them could turn into a great mount for some kid who can’t afford the sky-high prices that decent horses are going for these days. Only the farm doesn’t have the facilities or someone who’s a good enough rider.”
“Why can’t you work with them? You’re a good rider,” Jas said, quickly adding, “Uh, I sort of saw those pictures on your dresser.”
“That was a long time and several injuries ago,” Miss Hahn explained, with a wry glance at her leg.
Jas bit a fingernail, the spark of an idea forming in her brain. Miss Hahn definitely had a different perspective than the high and mighty Chase. Just maybe Jas could convince her to buy …
Jas caught herself. What was she doing? She didn’t want to have anything to do with a woman who was a friend of Hugh’s. But if she didn’t do something right now, the horse in the shadows would be sold for meat.
“Well, that’s too bad you don’t have thefacilities,” Jas said with an exaggerated sigh. “That big guy in there would be perfect for retraining. Especially since I know what’s wrong with him.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, I used to know this horse called Pocomo Pete. His condition was caused by a problem in the thyroid gland. The vet that treated him explained to me that the thyroid controls the cells in the body. I didn’t understand exactly, but in horses, when it doesn’t work right, it causes weight loss, depression, an orange-colored coat, and stiffness—just like that horse in there’s got.”
Miss Hahn was studying her thoughtfully. “You really do know a lot about horses, don’t you?”
“And the thing is, the condition can easily be cured,” Jas rushed on. “With a special supplement, there’s no reason that horse can’t be perfectly healthy again in a few weeks!”
For a second, Miss Hahn didn’t say anything. Jas crossed her fingers as the woman turned and examined the horse.
“Reaves will expect about nine hundred dollars for this one,” Miss Hahn said. “And we don’t have that much. But, the number onthe horse’s rump shows he won’t be auctioned off until the end of the day, which gives us an
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