We Can Laugh Together Too (Walnut Grove Trilogy) (9 page)

“Edward,” she said, making a concerted effort to disguise
her wariness. “This is a surprise.”

“I thought it might be. How are you Olivia?”

“I’m very well, thank you. You should have let me know you
were coming. I might have been out for much longer.”

He took a step forward and his tone instantly became
hectoring. “I decided to dispense with the entire attorney-speak and come and
tell you in person. I want what’s due to me for the mare I had a share in.”

Trying not to be goaded by his pugnacious attitude, Livi
closed the door, hoping to distance Chrissy from the conversation. “Actually,
Edward, you’re due nothing, as I know my attorney has made indisputably clear
to you. In fact, I believe he also pointed out that I mistakenly sent you five
thousand dollars from my insurance payment which you need to return.”

“You’ve got to be kidding; that’s already been paid to my
attorney in legal fees. No Olivia, I invested in Pink Parachute in good faith;
she became a star then Will killed her. You owe me.”

“
Will killed her
?” she instantly lost her cool. “Are
you insane? The mare was killed along with my husband and our foreman. It was
an accident; a big-rig crossed the center divider and hit them. Do you really
think Will somehow made it happen?”

Edward elected to ignore this logic. “That doesn’t answer my
question. That mare was worth a fortune. I bought a quarter share in her in
good faith. I want more than five thousand measly dollars.”

At this point Matt spoke for the first time since Livi had
entered the room. “Edward, you’re not being rational. It was up to you to
safeguard your investment by purchasing insurance. Both Livi – Olivia – and her
attorney have taken top level advice, and I imagine your attorney . . .”

Edward rounded on him in a flash. “You, whoever you are,
butt out.” An unpleasant smile crossed his face. “Oh, I see. I get it. My
cousin’s already been replaced. Didn’t take Olivia long, did it? How long’s
Will been dead? Less than ten months?” His voice was high-pitched and
triumphant.

“Okay, I think you’d better leave.” Matt spoke with
ineffable composure. He took Edward’s elbow and propelled him towards the door.
“You may have been Will’s cousin, but that doesn’t give you the right to insult
his widow.”

Edward made a game attempt to resist, but Matt was clearly
stronger and much fitter. Edward’s most exercised muscles were undoubtedly
located in his throat and he gave them a good work-out as he was canted down
the hall and out through the front door.

Livi watched from the window as Matt opened his car door and
bundled him inside in much the same way as the police load arrestees. Edward
sat there, red faced and fuming for several minutes. Eventually, mouthing
something she couldn’t distinguish at Matt, he started the engine and gunned
the accelerator.

For an instant Livi thought he was going to sideswipe her
car, but at the last second he swerved away. His spinning wheels did however
mount the lawn and churn up a long black tire mark in Isidoro’s neatly mown
grass. Inexplicably, this action angered Livi more than anything that had
preceded it.

Matt retuned to the house and shut the front door firmly behind
him. At the same time, Chrissy appeared tentatively from the kitchen.

“I’m sorry I had to do that,” he said, “but I wasn’t going
to let him speak like that to you. Let’s hope you’ve seen and heard the last of
him.”

“How long had he been here?” she asked. “What were you
talking about?”

“Only ten minutes or so. He was polite enough I suppose. He
said he’d driven down from San Francisco. I joked and told him he should have
flown down with Chrissy.”

Chrissy screwed up her face. “Yuk, no thanks very much. I’ve
never liked him; he’s always seemed creepy.”

Livi chuckled. “You hardly know him, but if today’s an
example, maybe that’s not a bad thing.” She turned to Matt. “What was he saying
out there? Do you think he intends to cause any more trouble?”

“He was shouting a number of things I wouldn’t dream of
repeating to you, but they all were aimed at me with several references to my
parentage and something anatomically impossible I should do to myself.” Matt
shrugged philosophically. “He clearly sees me as the evil gatecrasher,
influencing you against him. But for me, by now you’d have met his demands.
Paid up without hesitating.”

Livi burst out laughing. “Dream on Edward. He’s turned out
to be something of a Jekyll and Hyde character. He was never especially
friendly towards me, but neither was he rude or confrontational.”

Matt was gazing thoughtfully down the drive through the
window. “I think it would be a good idea to close and lock the gate onto the
road. It won’t be much of a deterrent, but, if he does come back after dark, a
quarter mile walk might discourage him.”

She was instantly alarmed. “Do you think he might? We should
move the fillies away from the paddock alongside the road too. They can go in
the furthest paddock behind the house. I’ll tell Isidoro to lock the gate onto
the road next to his house as well.”

♠  
♠   ♠

Matt accompanied Livi when she sought out Isidoro and
explained the situation to him and together they relocated the fillies and
secured the two gates giving access to the property. With an air of great reliability,
Isidoro volunteered to spend the coming night patrolling the farm. At first
Livi told him it wasn’t necessary, but when he insisted, she gave in
gracefully.

However nothing untoward ensued and at dawn on Sunday
morning, Matt sent the Mexican home to his bed and undertook the morning check-round
and feeding himself.

With Chrissy back home, Livi ostensibly returned to her own
room. She wasn’t adverse to some late night corridor sneaking, but she wasn’t
yet prepared to blatantly cohabit with Matt in front of her daughter.

On Monday morning he began his new job and rapidly settled
into the fresh routine. At the same time, Isidoro’s cousin, Luis, arrived at
Walnut Grove and the lives of the four yearlings changed forever. Loss of their
carefree existence was akin to children commencing kindergarten. Every day
their education progressed; they were lunged and taught to accept a bridle,
walked in-hand, groomed and washed down. Livi watched their progress anxiously,
but Luis knew what he was doing and she could see no discernible difference in
their progress from previous years.

Nothing further was heard from the obnoxious Edward, but as
a precaution, Livi updated her attorney with details of his visit and he
suggested another letter, strongly condemning his actions and specifying
repercussions for any similar intimidation.

Chrissy celebrated her fifteenth birthday on August 3
^rd
and midway through the month both she and Katia began their freshman year at
Santa Ynez High School.

On her daughter’s birthday, Livi’s parents visited from
Southern California. Matt volunteered to disappear while they were at the farm,
but she had spoken about him to her mother on several occasions and had no
intention of sidestepping their meeting. Chrissy too insisted on his presence. As
it turned out, both Livi’s parents took to Matt straightaway and before they
left, late in the evening, her father managed to catch Livi alone for a few
minutes in the kitchen. “He’s a smashing chap,” he said hugging her close.
“Make sure you hang on tight to him.”

At about the same time as the new school year commenced,
Matt was surprised by a telephone call from Ben Veiga, anxious to a discuss a proposition
with him. Anticipating what this might be, Matt explained that he’d already
found work, but Ben was not to be deterred and Matt readily agreed to meet with
him. Livi suggested he should come to the farm and an appointment was set up
for the following Saturday.

When he arrived, Ben first asked to be shown around, a task
Livi, with Matt at her side, was delighted to undertake. Isidoro and Luis
brought out the yearlings for him to inspect and Livi was proud of their
appearance and demeanor. Ben was particularly generous in his praise and showed
a definite interest in Livi’s colt. He noted his breeding and said he would
take another look at him at the sales in October.

He then asked to see the mares and foals and took a long
time examining the colt’s mother and sibling sister. All four mares gathered
close, snuffling pockets, frisking them expertly for treats. They weren’t
disappointed. Livi had come armed with plenty of carrots and Ben produced a
roll of mints

Once in the house, Livi recommended that Matt and Ben
conduct their meeting in the sitting room, but immediately Ben realized she
wasn’t including herself, he insisted she should also be in attendance.

Matt served everyone drinks with aplomb before taking a seat
next to Livi on the sofa. Ben installed himself opposite them in a copious armchair
and explained the purpose of his visit.

It transpired that Team Spirit, with himself as the guiding
force, had for some time been considering purchasing two farms they could use
for lay-ups and breaking and bringing on young stock they purchased; one on the
east coast, the other in the west. Coincidentally, he’d recently heard of a
property located close by in the Santa Ynez Valley which ideally suited this
purpose.

“And,” he said earnestly, “If we go ahead and buy this farm,
would you accept the job of part-time, consultant veterinary officer?”

Livi took a sharp breath and regarded Matt in consternation.
He met her gaze thoughtfully.

“How would this work Ben? As I’ve explained I’m more than
two weeks into another job where I’m very happy and they seem pleased with me.
I can’t let them down.”

“You won’t have to. You’d just need to commit to a few hours
a week to take care of general veterinary procedures. If an emergency arises
the manager can call your practice and accept the first vet available – that’s
good sense. If it happens to be you, so much the better. Over several years,
the job could develop into full-time, but at the moment that’s pure
conjecture.” Ben then mentioned an extremely generous retainer.

Matt stood up and crossed to the drinks table. Previously
he’d poured himself a small glass of spring water, but now he added a slug of
Balvenie and proffered the bottle to Ben who held out his glass for a top-up.

“At face value,” he said, “I’d be thrilled to accept, but I owe
it to my new employer to explain everything to him first. When I tell him it will
also provide his clinic with new emergency work, I honestly can’t see him
objecting, but I feel obliged to give him the opportunity.”

“And I respect that,” Ben replied. “But I’ll need a firm answer
as quickly as possible.”

He turned to Livi. “In the meanwhile, I need your help too.
One of our horses here on the West Coast injured himself last week. He’s got a
hairline fracture of his pelvis and needs at least six weeks of stall rest,
possibly longer. At present he’s still in the trainer’s barn, but I’d like to move
him away from the track. Normally we send all our lay-ups to a farm at
Bradbury, but if we’re going to get our own set-up here, I’d like to bring him
to this area right away. So, would you take him?”

It was Livi’s turn to be lost for words. “Me? Do you think
our facilities are suitable?”

He contemplated her with a smile. “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t
have asked. You’ve got a nice barn and other amenities, well fenced grass
paddocks – although in his case, they won’t be a factor -- and your small staff
strikes me as excellent. Plus --” he chuckled “— you have a vet on the
premises.”

For a moment she considered confessing that Luis was only
temporary, but in this instance, decided it was a detail he didn’t need to
know. Luis would, after all, be working there for at least another six weeks.
She acquiesced with a knot of excitement in her stomach. It unexpectedly
appeared Edward had actually done her an enormous favor in his efforts to extract
money from her. After all, he was the reason Sam Nichols had put her in touch
with Ben Veiga.

 
♠  
♠   ♠

Matt promised Livi he would talk with the senior partner of
the practice first thing on Monday, and true to his word he called her before
ten to tell her all had gone well, Dr. Priest, the senior partner, had been
completely amenable to the arrangement.

Early in the afternoon, a transporter delivered
Effervescent, the Team Spirit colt, to the farm, and Luis quickly took charge
of him. It came to light he had nurtured several other horses with similar
injuries during his time at Dry Gulch.

The next morning, two letters arrived, both containing
checks. The first, addressed to Matt, was the initial repayment installment
from his old partnership in Florida. He waved it triumphantly in the air.
“Three more of these beauties and my ties with them will be severed completely.”
The second, addressed to Livi, was from Edward’s San Francisco attorneys and as
well as a letter abnegating him from any further actions, included a check
reimbursing her five thousand dollars.

Over the next couple of weeks Matt spent a lot of time on
the phone with Ben Veiga and on one occasion he and Livi paid a visit to the
farm Team Spirit was in the process of buying. It was around fifteen miles from
Walnut Grove, and only a short drive from the clinic where Matt now worked. It was
already vacant and they spent more than an hour poking around the barns and
ancillary buildings.

It was an attractive equine setup, designed with a predominantly
Spanish influence, but the twenty stalls in the barn were capacious and airy. The
house, which they presumed would eventually accommodate the manager, was single
storied with red roof tiles, cream stucco walls and green window shutters.
Initially they couldn’t see any other staff dwellings, then Matt spotted two
mobile homes, partially obscured behind a stand of eucalyptus trees.