Free Echoes From The Past (Women of Character) by Grace Brannigan Page B

enclosed spaces.
A slight breeze swept her dark hair across her eyes. He had the strangest
notion to twine its soft texture through his fingers. He dug his hands into his
jeans pockets instead.
    "You’re lucky to live in such
a beautiful place, Garrett. Sue told me some of the history of these
Thoroughbreds. You must be so proud of your success."
    He nodded.
    "Daddy, look at me!"
Hannah squealed. She jumped from the fence into his arms. Garrett reacted
automatically, catching her as she threw her arms around his neck. He noticed
the quick glance she threw Christie’s way, as if checking for her reaction.
Garrett swung his daughter around and dropped a kiss on her warm neck.
    He ignored Hannah’s squirming
antics and looked at Christie over the top of her head. "Yes, from here my
yearlings go on to another trainer at the racetrack."
    "But everything starts here
with you. I’ve never seen anything like this place. Buddy kind of showed me
around after work."
    "Well," Buddy broke in,
"I’ve got to get moving. I promised my dad I’d be home to help him with
some chores. I’ll see you folks tomorrow." Buddy tipped his hat to
Christie and nodded to Garrett. "Garrett, one more thing. I saw Les Doyle
earlier. Did he come up to the house?"
    Garrett looked at him in surprise.
"No. When was this?"
    "Oh, I’d say around nine or
so. He was out by the main road. I think he was having trouble with his truck
but he said he could fix it so I went on."
    "I’ll give Kim a call at
home."
    Buddy turned to go.
    "Thanks, Buddy,"
Christie called after him.
    Garrett watched Buddy turn, walk
backwards several steps and give her a thumbs sign up before continuing on his
way.
    "He’s a nice kid," she
said, looking up at Garrett.
    Garrett raised a brow. "Kid?
He’s probably your age."
    "He’s graduating from college
this summer, so I’d guess he’s about twenty-two. I’m twenty six." Christie
smiled. "That’s light years away."
    Garrett digested that information.
"I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to introduce you around, but it was
unavoidable."
    "Don’t worry about it. I know
how busy you are. Besides Sue I met Ally, Buddy and Emmett, again. Sam took me
around and introduced me to a teenager named Joey."
    Garrett looked at her with
surprise. "Sam?" His foreman was getting around these days.
    She shaded her eyes and looked up
at him. "Yes. I really like Sam. He tells it like it is." She smiled.
"You know exactly where you stand with him, don’t you? There’s no
deception."
    "Always have," he
acknowledged, wondering at her choice of words. "I’ve known Sam since he
worked for my dad doing odd chores. It doesn’t sound like you missed anyone.
What else did you and Buddy do?" he asked casually. He saw her surprised
expression and he wondered if there’d been an edge in his voice.
    "Is there a rule against the
help socializing?" she asked coolly.
    Hannah pulled the hat off his head
and put it on her own. Garrett welcomed the slight breeze that cooled his head.
"No." He made his voice neutral, knowing it wasn’t his business if
Buddy and Christie spent time together.
    Hannah squirmed restlessly.
"Let me down, Daddy. Ally is bringing the puppies out. I want to see
them."
    Garrett put Hannah on her feet.
"You’re getting kind of big for me to carry you anyway," he said,
retrieving his hat. "We’re going to eat soon," he warned. "Don’t
be long."
    "Okay. I’ll be real
quick."
    "Famous last words," he
muttered, smiling. Garrett saw Ally carry the cardboard box with the puppies
from the barn and place it on the grass beside the barn. His daughter ran over
to Ally and dropped to the ground. She fussed over each puppy as she lifted
them out of the box.
    Christie looked at him and when he
met her glance. "Hannah adores you. But of course you know that." Her
words seemed measured.
    He studied her curiously. "It
works both ways."
    "Hannah mentioned you and her
mom used to go to rodeos." Her voice seemed overly casual.
    "That part of my life