Authors: Fern Michaels
Kentucky Sunrise (9 page)
“Think about this, Emmie. How would you like to be locked away in a jail cell for something you didn't do? I'm only thirty-two years old. My whole life is ahead of me. Will you help me?”
“No, Willow, I will not be a party to this. I am not going to mention this to anyone. Not to my mother and certainly not to Nick.”
“Then you leave me with no other choice except to get in touch with your ex-husband. I'll tell him about Gabby. Oh, yes, I know all about her. All I had to do was go to the courthouse and look it up. Her last name is Coleman. That told me all I needed to know. You told me the day your mother booted you out that you were pregnant. Remember? When he sees the condition you're in, he'll snap up the kid in nothing flat. Your mother's money isn't going to work. The courts always favor the natural parents, and you never told him about Gabby, now did you? Of course you didn't. I can see it in your face. Now are you going to help me or not?”
“You are a living, breathing bitch, Willow, whatever your last name is.”
“It's Clay. Mrs. Willow Bishop Clay. What's it going to be, Emmie?”
“I can turn you in to the police. I have a phone right here.”
Willow settled the straw hat on her head and tweaked the ribbon that trailed down her back. “Yes, you could do that. I will still call Buddy. If you arrange a meeting for me with Nick, I promise I won't call him. Gabby will be safe.”
“How do I know I can trust you?”
“You'll just have to take my word. If Nick doesn't agree to help me, then I'll call Buddy. Make sure you tell him that. Tell him to meet me at the Inn on Sunday morning at ten o'clock. Tell him to come alone. If you screw this up, Emmie, it's bye-bye Gabby.”
“Get out of here. I said I would do it. I don't ever want to see you again. If you don't leave, I will call the police.”
Emmie could hear Willow's laughter as she strolled down the hall to the elevator.
Emmie wanted to beat at her pillow, at her mattress, but her hands were too swollen and hurt too much.
4
Emmie watched the arrival of her family from her wheelchair on the front porch. Hatch had constructed a makeshift ramp for Sunny Thornton and her husband Harry, and she would be using it herself once she got the hang of maneuvering the cumbersome chair. Everyone was smiling. They seemed so happy to be reunited there in Kentucky. Somehow, her mother had cajoled her two uncles to leave SunStar, their farm in Virginia, to join the family reunion, and they would be arriving momentarily.
She watched as the family broke ranks to allow Sunny and Harry to turn their chairs around to head up the ramp.
“Hi, Emmie!” Sunny said cheerily. “I don't think you've met Harry. Emmie, this is Harry. Harry, this is Emmie Coleman. Should we line up or should we disperse ?” Sunny giggled as she waved her arm about. “They're going to take the tour, so that leaves the three of us alone. Your mom thinks the chairs might spook the horses. Oh, you have a manual chair. No, no, no, you need one of these babies,” she said, pointing to the motorized chair she was sitting in. “You can really zip around in these. So, what's your problem?”
“Rheumatoid arthritis.
Aggressive
rheumatoid arthritis. The doctors say I'm going to need rehab. At least six months, but for some reason I don't quite believe that.”
Aggressive
rheumatoid arthritis. The doctors say I'm going to need rehab. At least six months, but for some reason I don't quite believe that.”
“How long have you had your condition? Mom never said anything about it to me,” Sunny queried. “Gee, this porch is pretty. I love all the flowers and the hanging ferns. Do you spend a lot of time out here? We have a little patio and it's chock-full of flowers. We can't take care of them ourselves but that's okay. We get to sit out there and look at them. We have a lot of hummingbirds, too, that like to sip the nectar.”
She was like a runaway train, Emmie thought. Suddenly she wanted to cry for Sunny and her husband and their disabilities. According to her mother, they were fighters and did everything they could to the limit their bodies would allow. They were both incredibly thin with stick-like legs and arms, their hands crooked and deformed. Sunny used a hook to move the lever on her chair while Harry still had some mobility in his right hand and could maneuver his chair with relative ease.
“The arthritis . . . I guess you could say it sort of crept up on me,” Emmie said, referring to Sunny's first question. “I suppose I was in denial, and I sure didn't do myself any good. What you're seeing is the result of that denial. They have me on a regimen of this and that but even I know I need rehab. I hate this chair. I'm used to going full tilt but I can't even stand up now. It just came on that quick. It grabbed me and wouldn't let go. As to the porch, I used to spend a lot of time out here when I was younger. It's Mom's favorite spot on the whole farm. All the flowers and the plants are new and so is the fresh paint. In honor of all of you. I let everything die so it all had to be replaced. Everything just got away from me. Do you understand what I'm saying? My God, how do you two do it?” The tears in her eyes did not go unnoticed by Sunny and Harry. She couldn't have stopped them even if she wanted to.
Sunny giggled, and Harry smiled. “Very carefully,” Sunny said. “Like you, I was in denial. When I found out I had MS, I went berserk. I was always a tomboy. I could beat both my brothers at everything. Then it all stopped, and I was lucky I could hobble around. I made everyone's life pretty miserable for a long time. I was married at the time, and my husband couldn't handle it so he left me. He didn't want the kids either, so my brother took over and later adopted them when I moved into the center permanently. It was the best thing for everyone.”
Emmie wiped at her tears with the sleeve of her shirt. “I think it would kill me if I had to leave my daughter with someone else to raise. That bothers me more than my actual condition. It bothers me that I might not be able to raise her myself. I'm not used to sitting around either. It's just all so new, and I have to adjust. I can't believe this is happening to me.”
Sunny looked at her husband. “This is one of those rare times in life that you're going to have to think of yourself first. If there is even the slightest chance that rehab can make you reasonably whole, you have to go for it. Your child will survive. I didn't think my kids would, but they did, and so will your daughter. Your first step is believing that.”
“I hate this chair!” Emmie blurted for the second time.
“I hate it more than you,” Sunny said vehemently.
“I hate it worse than both of you,” Harry said.
An easy familiarity developed for the threesome as the morning wore on. Sunny and Harry regaled Emmie with tales of their adventures in snowy Vermont and then with their participation in a survival course for handicapped people.
“Oh, look, here comes my son Jake. Before, Emmie, when we were talking about what was best for the kids, Jake was always okay with me in this chair. He would wipe my mouth if I was drooling, he'd clean up if I spilled something, and he would always wear a smile. Unfortunately for both him and me, we seem to have some bad genes. He has that disease where he didn't grow properly. He couldn't wait to get here. He's thinking he might want to become a jockey.”
“Mom! You have to come down to the paddock to see the horses! They're awesome.” Jake turned to Emmie, stretched out his hand, then noticed her swollen and puffy fingers. He dropped to his knees and placed his hands on top of hers. “I'm Jake Thornton. Sunny's my mom. Guess you know that. I'm so glad to meet you. Grandma Fanny talks about all of you a lot.” He smiled.
Emmie looked into the boy's eyes and smiled back. He was the right height, the right weight, and his touch was as gentle as a feather. “Training to be a jockey is a lot of hard work. It's also dangerous and scary at times. Did you meet Hifly?” she asked wistfully.
“Yes, and he came right up to me. I think he liked me. I don't know anything about horses, but I sure would like to learn.” He turned to look at his mother. She nodded. “I want to apply for the job. The training. Whatever you call it.”
“Sit here,” Emmie said, motioning to a small stool next to her wheelchair. “I wasn't kidding when I said the training is a lot of hard work. You have to love the animals first. Hifly is easy to love. The funny thing is, no one wanted him but me. I think he can be trained to race. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to do that training. I don't know if Mom has the stamina anymore. We have other trainers, but Mom is the best. With the right jockey and the right trainer, I think Hifly could make a run for the Derby. If you think you'd like to be part of that, then I'd say we have an even better chance of making it happen. The most important thing of all is the fear factor. If you even think you're going to be afraid, then it isn't the right profession for you. It's a lot to think about, Jake. You've never been on a horse, have you?” His negative shake of his head made Emmie smile. “We have a couple of horses that can carry you up and down the track so you can get the feel of being on a horse's back. You're pretty high off the ground, believe it or not. Once you feel comfortable, then it's on to bigger and better things. I'll talk to Mom later today to see what we can arrange.”
Sunny's eyes filled with tears and thanks as she stared across the porch at Emmie.
“Mom, did you hear that? Harry, do you think I can do it?”
“Jake, you can do whatever you set your mind to doing. Emmie is right, it won't be easy, and you have to give a hundred percent. What did your aunt Nealy say?”
“Nothing. I didn't ask her, Harry. I wanted to run it by Mom before I said anything. You know I never make a decision on anything unless Mom approves. Grandma Fanny thinks it's a wonderful idea. I think she's going to talk to Aunt Nealy. Uncle Sage thinks I can do it, too. What about you, Emmie?”
He is a handsome youngster,
Emmie thought as she reached for his hand.
He has unruly blond curls just like his mother and the same bright blue eyes. It's obvious he loves his mother, and her handicap doesn't bother him at all.
“I think your grandmother and Sage could be right. I think you would make a great jockey.”
Emmie thought as she reached for his hand.
He has unruly blond curls just like his mother and the same bright blue eyes. It's obvious he loves his mother, and her handicap doesn't bother him at all.
“I think your grandmother and Sage could be right. I think you would make a great jockey.”
The boy let his breath out in a long explosive sigh. “I'm going back down to the barn. Mom, can I get you anything before I go?”
“No, honey, go ahead. Maybe later we'll take a spin down there to see what's going on.”
Sunny waited until Jake was out of earshot. “See, Emmie, that's what I mean. I am his mother. He's never forgotten that even though Iris and Sage raised him. He's my son. I'm his mother. It will always be like that for us. Thanks for what you did just now. I'm sure your mother told you Jake's story, about how he wanted to be a navy pilot from the time he was five years old. It was the most crushing blow when he finally had to accept that it could never be. But,” Sunny said philosophically, “when one door closes, another one opens.”
Emmie stared off into the distance. Would she ever be able to accept a less than normal life the way Sunny appeared to accept it? She didn't know.
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Nealy looked around at her entourage and smiled. “That's pretty much it as far as the barns and horses go. As you can see, everyone has his or her job, and I'm proud to say we have quite a few women working here. Emmie has developed a smooth-running operation. I'm going to have to hire a few more people because she isn't going to be able to . . . to . . . work for a while. I'll be moving back here shortly myself.” She looked around at the interested faces of her family. “If any of you would like to go riding, I can have some riding horses saddled for you. If not, we can go up to the house and settle down on the front porch until the barbecue gets under way.”
Maggie Coleman Tanaka spoke first. “Would you mind, Nealy, if Cole, Riley, and I just walk around? We won't touch anything and won't go near the horses. I'd like to walk barefoot through the bluegrass so I can tell Henry how it felt when I get back to Hawaii.”
“By all means. Take as long as you like. Sawyer, what about you?”
“I think I'm going to take you up on your offer of the front porch. I want to talk to Emmie and Sunny. Harry, too.”
“Nealy, if you don't mind, Rhy and myself are going to take Sage and Birch over to the stallion cemetery,” Pyne said.
Nealy nodded as she linked her arm through Fanny's. “That leaves just the two of us. Let's sit down over there in the shade. You look tired, Fanny.”
“That's because I
am
tired. Approaching seventy-five might just be a number, but try telling that to this old body. Oh, look, here comes Jake. I love that boy. If Ash were alive, he would be devastated at his grandson's condition.” A look of sadness settled itself on Fanny's deeply wrinkled face.
am
tired. Approaching seventy-five might just be a number, but try telling that to this old body. Oh, look, here comes Jake. I love that boy. If Ash were alive, he would be devastated at his grandson's condition.” A look of sadness settled itself on Fanny's deeply wrinkled face.
“I want to apply for jockey training,” Jake blurted.
Nealy looked him over from head to toe. She smiled. “You do, do you?”
“Yes, ma'am, I do. I've read everything I could get my hands on in regard to Thoroughbreds. I'm sure there is tons more to read, but hands-on should work just as well. I know how to work, Aunt Nealy. I'll do whatever you say. I'd like to be part of this business. I'd like to work with Emmie's horse.”
“First, you have to get over your fear. I watched you when the horses came up to the fence. You backed away. If you're afraid, it will never work. We can work on the fear. Did you talk to your family about staying on here and training to be a jockey?”
“I did, and they all think I can do it. Mom thinks it's a great idea, and so does Harry. Emmie pretty much said the same thing you just did.”
“I'll be working you like a mule. Can you handle that? We get up at four and are usually in bed by eight if we can keep our eyes open that long. Is your health going to present any problems along the way? I'm not real big on surprises.”
“My health is good. I just didn't grow properly. I'm used to working hard on the mountain. I can do it, Aunt Nealy. If I don't cut it, you send me back home. I think that's fair.”
“That's more than fair, Jake. You might as well get your feet wet right now. Walk along the fence line, whistle for the horses. They'll come right up to you.” Nealy fished in her pocket for a handful of mints, her secret treasure for the horses. “Let them feel your touch. Talk to them. Don't get up close and personal with Gadfly, he's mean as hell. Monday morning we'll start to work with a vengeance.”
Jake pocketed the mints. His hand shot out, and Nealy grasped it. She was surprised at his firm, hard handshake.
“You know the boy better than I do, Fanny. Can he do it? I'd hate to see him fail with everything that's running against him. It would be devastating to him. I can do just so much, and the rest is up to him. You need to know that going in, Fanny.”
“I do know it, Nealy. Jake knows it, too. He gives a hundred percent to anything he does. Last year he made a birdhouse for me for my birthday. It was so perfect, so detailed and intricate, that it was worthy of a whole page in
Architectural Digest.
It was like a miniature hotel. The truth is, it was a birdhouse made to look like Babylon, one of our casinos. The day I hung it up on my fig tree I knew I was going to have to order birdseed by the ton. Jake's big on details. He's so good with his hands. Taking the boy on like this means the world to all of us, Nealy.”
Architectural Digest.
It was like a miniature hotel. The truth is, it was a birdhouse made to look like Babylon, one of our casinos. The day I hung it up on my fig tree I knew I was going to have to order birdseed by the ton. Jake's big on details. He's so good with his hands. Taking the boy on like this means the world to all of us, Nealy.”
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