Free Whatever Remains by Lauren Gilley Page A

smells of shavings and sweet hay lifting through the breeze, and the horses were beginning their mosey to the pasture gates; Jade saw her dressage gelding, Atlas, nudging Merry the pony away from the water trough. It was a typical, beautiful afternoon…but it was tainted. As she watched Jeremy’s boot heels strike through the sand, a picture from the night before – Heidi on her back in the arena, arms outstretched – slapped across her mind and she shuddered. She couldn’t blame their lessons for canceling. This place she loved – her home – was giving her the creeps; she couldn’t ask outsiders to come here willingly so soon after…
                  A car door shut with a metallic thud on the other side of the barn, on the parking pad, and she scooted to the end of the bench, craning her neck to peer through the back barn doors and down the aisle to the bright square of light that was the front entrance. A moment later, a silhouette appeared, moving down the aisle toward her, tall and male and wide-shouldered. Ben, she knew, without seeing any of the details. She knew the way he moved, the way he carried himself.
                  He didn’t know it, but she’d stopped hating him some time ago. Now, he filled her with an empty sort of regret. And today, in the wake of what had happened, he sent a shot of assurance through her chest; however badly he’d wrecked her head, she could trust him with their lives. She knew that.
     
     

 
     
     
    5
     
     
    B en had had plans for his day: get a full history from Alicia Latham, begin pulling in potential witnesses, establish an official timeline for the murder. Instead, he’d spent most of his day talking to the press, arguing lead detective status with Woods and trying to bribe Harding into bumping up the autopsy; no such luck: the autopsy was tomorrow at eight a.m. Firm. Trey had managed to get more out of Alicia: Heidi’s father was no longer in the picture – he’d split five years ago – and Alicia worked at the hospital as a billing and coding specialist. Heidi had been a straight A student; Heidi had gotten along well with all her friends; Heidi had never backtalked or disobeyed…etc. And Asher McMahon had liked watching her when he was at Canterbury. That last tidbit wasn’t much of a lead, but given his useless day, it was better than nothing.
                  He didn’t even bother going up to the house when he got to Jade’s; the moment he was out of the car down by the barn, he heard Jeremy’s voice floating up from the arena, which meant Jade was on dinner duty. As he started down the aisle, he saw a flash of movement, a bright wedge of face that slipped out of sight when his boot heels struck concrete; she knew he was here, but wasn’t giving up her hiding spot. Fine , he thought sourly, be a stubborn…
                  They were sitting at the little spectator bench tucked against the back of the barn, the one with the view of the arena beneath the flickering leaves of a paper birch. His girls. Clara was in the grass, playing with a toy horse, dark hair brushed and gleaming and tumbling over her tiny frail shoulders. Jade was on the bench, reclining back against the red barn wall, one leg drawn up, the other swinging below. She was in tan breeches, tall socks and short boots, a loose green tank top with a smudge of dirt on the swell of one breast. She’d been riding; her hair was French braided and she wore no earrings, only a faint touch of makeup, another dirt streak on the high regal line of her cheekbone. Whatever their differences, their bitter misunderstandings, his physical attraction to her had never been an issue. He’d wanted her always, and he didn’t suppose that was ever going to change.
                  He wished he’d changed into street clothes. He shoved his hands in his pockets and watched her eyes – dappled with sunlight and blue as old worn denim – move