Free Cassie's Hope (Riders Up) by Adriana Kraft

Those
first two races hardly took anything out of her. We’ll probably give her a
break sometime between the Capitol and the Lincoln. She’ll let us know when she
needs to freshen.”
    “I suppose she
will. Sometimes I think she’s talking to me. And there are plenty of times when
I wish she really would.”
    “You’ll hear her
when she needs you to. You got a good ear for horses. So do you want to tell me
about this Travers fellow?”
    “Not really.”
    “Thought so.” Tug
coughed. “Nothing wrong with mixing horseracing and a little romance.”
    Cassie’s cheeks burned.
“Calling it romance may be too strong.”
    “Hell, call it
lust, if you want. It’s good for you. You’ve hung around stockbrokers and such
for too long. Need to find a real man.”
    “Dad!”
    “It’s true. My
health is coming back, slowly. Think I might make it a little longer. Sure
would like to see some grandkids before I go.”
    Cassie scrunched
further back in the wicker rocker. “Since when have you become so family
focused? I don’t mean to disappoint you, but I sure don’t see any kids on the
near horizon—or the distant one, for that matter.
    Her father smoothed
out the blanket covering his lap. “I imagine near-death experiences are wake up
calls for most folks.” He turned to look at Cassie. “I’d like to see you
settled and with your own family before I die.”
    “That sounds like
another pipedream, Dad.” Cassie swallowed. “I’m not sure it’s any more
realistic than dreaming that big stakes horse. And I’m not even certain I share
the dream. I haven’t had the best of luck with men. I thought I had a pretty
good life going in the city. Of course, you and Hope turned that world upside
down...for the moment. She shrugged. “But I don’t know. I do like kids…”
    “A man comes in
handy if you want kids. And you’re not getting any younger.”
    Cassie laughed. “You’re
really on a tear this morning, aren’t you? I should have plenty of child
bearing years left. I’m only twenty-seven.” Cassie scrutinized her father. He
clearly didn’t think he had that many years left. Sobered, she said, “I’ve
even thought of being a foster parent. I see plenty of kids coming through the
group home who need foster placements or permanent homes.”
    “Foster kids.” Tug
scratched his chin. “That’s good. Doubt it’s the same, though. They come and
go. Just when you get attached, they leave.”
    A sudden chill
niggled at Cassie. Being a foster parent appealed to her precisely because
there was no expectation of permanency.
    Her father had
become quiet. Was he thinking about children—or maybe about mothers who abandoned
their children? Soon he snored lightly.
    He’d seldom talked
to her about family. It wasn’t a forbidden topic; it just wasn’t talked about. The
same was true of talking about her mother.
    Cassie stood and
tiptoed toward the screen door. Outside, she walked to the old tire swing suspended
from a tall oak tree. The chain attaching it to the tree limb, although rusted,
was still strong. This was a place she’d often done her best thinking and
dreaming when she was a young girl in pigtails.
    She climbed easily
into the tire. The chain complained, but held. She hugged the old rubber
treads.
    There was no
turning back. She would take Hope to Wyoming. But that was almost secondary. Taking
care of Hope and preparing her for the next race would be a snap. Handling
Travers might prove more difficult. She had no game plan for dealing with him.
    Couldn’t she have a
two-week fling and be okay with that?
    But he wanted to
show her his world, if she wanted to see it. Did she want? That didn’t sound so
much like a fling.
    Just maybe, she
deserved an exciting adventure. When was the last time she’d even taken a
vacation? She was merely an adult female having an affair with a very sexy man
in a very out-of-the-way place. And hadn’t he said he had no grand designs? She’d
peek at his world and