Free Kentucky Groom by Jan Scarbrough

she purposely marched from the crowded horse show facility. He was out of control, and reduced to the groveling idiot he’d always been around Carter. Or at least that’s how he felt in the wake of Carrie’s anger. He could sense the chill that had settled over her by the tenseness in her shoulders and the grim line of her mouth. Heck, the way she walked, as if trying to flee him, was indication enough.
    They reached his Mustang. He unlocked the door and Carrie shouldered past him into the seat. Jay shut the door and took a cleansing breath. As he walked around the back of the car, he glanced up at the twinkling stars, tiny flickers of light in the vast summer sky. When he reached the driver’s side, Jay took hold of the door handle and stood quietly a moment. He would not bow and scrape to Carrie. His days of abasing himself were over when he had left Preston Computers. Maybe Carrie would understand when he explained himself.
    Resolved, he slipped into the car where the atmosphere was decidedly chilly. Jay put the key into the ignition and then placed both his hands firmly on the stirring wheel.
    “My father and I had disagreed. He’d disowned me. That is why I’m in Kentucky,” he said.
    “You were having a cozy conversation just now. It seems your father has had a change of heart.” Carrie’s tone was blistering. She stared straight ahead.
    “Yes, it seems so.”
    “You lied to me.”
    “No I didn’t.”
    Carrie turned on him, her eyes blazing. “Oh, don’t give me that. You misrepresented yourself.”
    “No, I didn’t. When I came to Kentucky, I had no family, and I needed a job. Mary was kind enough to give me one.”
    “Mary,” Carrie spat. “She knew who you were. She didn’t tell me.”
    “I asked her to keep my background confidential. She was just doing what I asked.”
    Carrie sat back and threw up her hands. “That’s just great.”
    Jay removed his hands from the wheel and shifted in the seat to focus on her. “Look, Carrie, I was trying to start fresh. I was sick and tired of my father and everything he represented. I wanted a simpler lifestyle.”
    “Great,” she restated. “But did that give you the right to lie to me?”
    “I didn’t lie.”
    “You didn’t tell me the truth.”
    “It wasn’t important.” He touched her arm.
    Carrie flinched. “Not important? You completely hid one of the most important parts of your life and let me believe you were a stable groom.”
    Jay drew back. “I am a stable groom, and I didn’t think my background mattered. I wanted someone to care about me for myself, not because I was the son of a wealthy man.”
    “You hid your identity and tricked me and my daughter.”
    “I just hid the fact that my father has money. I didn’t lie to you about who I am. You know the real me. You knew me from summer camp.” Jay felt his face growing hot. This was harder than he imagined. “What if you’d known about my father’s wealth? You’d have been just like the other women in my life who said they cared about me because of my father’s money.”
    She considered him for a moment. “You don’t get it, do you?”
    Jay’s gaze connected with hers for an instant. She wore a look of earnestness and hurt. He sighed. “What do you mean?”
    “You’re so caught up in your selfish view of things that you don’t understand I can never trust you again. If you can lie to me about something as important as this, how will I know you haven’t lied to me about your love?”
    Carrie’s indictment blew him away. Jay slid a hand through his hair. “You have to take my word for it.”
    “Your word isn’t good enough anymore.” Carrie’s voice was like a knife in his back.
    How would he convince her? How could he express the ache of love he felt for her all the time? He swallowed a knot of agony and wiped his damp palms on his khakis. Resigned, he turned on the ignition.
    “I never wanted your gratitude,” he told her as he pulled out of the parking