Free Suited to be a Cowboy by Lorraine Nelson

admission.
    She shrugged. “Never had to. Mom and Dad were into horses
too. They owned a racetrack. He signed it over to her one day and walked
away—from the racetrack and from us. When Mom died, she left everything to me.
It was, er , quite a substantial amount.”
    “I’m sorry for your loss. Do you still own the track?”
Jimmy frowned. He hadn’t seen any papers to do with a racetrack, but then, it
was a separate business. “What is the name of it? Where is it located?”
    “Dehavilland Downs in Kentucky. That’s where we take the horses
when we’re ready to sell.”
    Whooeee . That place was a popular spot.
    “Who runs it in your absence? You have a manager or
accountant there?”
    “Marcus Winthrop, my ex-husband. He does both.”
    Jimmy didn’t like the sounds of this setup. “So, you’re
still friends with your ex? He sends regular statements?”
    “Hardly! He walked out on us. I wouldn’t give him the time
of day. The statements are kept on file at the track.”
    Jimmy laid his pen carefully on the desk, then ran his
hands through his hair, gaining a measure of calm before he spoke. “Melissa,
pardon me for asking, but don’t you care about the track?”
    “Of course I do. Marcus, for all his faults, assumed the
responsibility when he realized that I was not management material.”
    “And he’s still in control?”
    “Yes. Why?”
    Jimmy couldn’t believe it. “Come on now. You can’t be that
dense.”
    She stiffened in her seat and glared at him. “Apparently,
Mister Ranch Accountant, I can be.
Care to fill me in?”
    Her voice was laced with sarcasm. Her entire demeanor changed
as if she was ready to rip a strip off his lowly hide.
    Jimmy groaned aloud. “Sorry for my choice of words, but you’ve
never inquired as to how the business is doing? What about the profits? Where are
they deposited?”
    “If you must know, we didn’t need the money so we started
an educational trust fund for Aaron with the proceeds. Marcus said the track
was losing money lately though. Nobody wanted to gamble on horses any more. He
was talking of selling it.”
    Man, oh man. This
just gets worse and worse. “Did he ever have you sign anything? A bill of
sale, IRS statements, anything?”
    “Well, yeah. I have to sign the IRS
forms. I own the place.” Her voice rose to almost a shriek as she continued. “What
are you trying to tell me?”
    Jimmy drew in a deep breath and laid his suspicions on the
line. “Melissa, Dehavilland Downs is the place to go if you own a fast horse. Guaranteed, it’s making money—lots of it. Google
it if you don’t believe me. But insist on receiving those statements, every
last one since he took over.”
    “Six years! You want me to go back six years?” She stared
at him as if he’d grown horns.
    He shrugged. “It’s your call, but I think you should. Who
has access to Aaron’s trust fund?”
    “Marcus was the one to set it up, so I suppose he does.”
    How could she be so
careless with money? I've had to work
hard for every damned cent and here she was, probably sitting on a gold mine .
Her blasé attitude about it tempted him to just up and leave. Walk out. Let her
fix her own messes. He leaned forward in the chair, as he wondered what to do.
    “Jimmy, do you really think he’s been cheating us?” Her
voice was soft, low, hesitant.
    “I don’t know, but if you’re not getting statements, then
I would think he was hiding something.”
    “I messed up. Didn’t I?” Now she sounded contrite, almost
apologetic.
    “Afraid so. I truly don’t understand how you allowed this
to happen.”
    “I loved him. Trusted him. After all, the funds were going
into our son’s account. Do you honestly think he would cheat Aaron? His only
son?”
    Her voice was quieter, almost a whisper. He glimpsed the
pain of betrayal in her eyes.
    “Like I said, I don’t know him. I have no idea what kind
of man he is.”
    “He’s a scoundrel, but I never for one moment thought