| "Well, well, at least someone has something to celebrate," the words were a bit slurred as Tom staggered towards the stall and latched onto the wall. "Tom?" Brian approached his neighbor. When he got within a couple of feet he could smell the alcohol. "What are you doing here?" Brian went to touch him but he pulled away waving his hands. "Leave me alone. I�ve come to congratulate you on both mare and foal being alive. Can�t say the same for me." He hung his head and began to cry. "Tom, you are not making any sense." Brian looked at Maggie for some kind of explanation. She expelled a breath as she helped Brian lead Tom to the bench along the wall and sit him down. Moire brought a cup of coffee but the man refused it. "I didn�t tell you when I arrived," she paused and looked at the four people starting at her. "Tom�s mare," she whispered, "My Lady Grace died this afternoon." They all stood there speechless. "How?" Brian finally asked. He knew the mare had developed an infection following her foaling the previous month but Maggie was caring for her and she was responding to the treatment. "Poisioned." "What?" Brian yelled then turned to see Tom sitting with his head hung, mumbling to himself. "She had been quarantined and her food and water monitored. Tom found her in her stall and when we checked her water it was tainted with arsenic." Tom�s mumbling became loud and he began to cry again uncontrollably. "My Lady Grace," he moaned, "my wife�s beautiful mare, gone just like my beautiful wife. They�re together again." He kept repeating it over and over looking from one to the other until his eyes fell on Moire and he stopped. "You!" he pointed at her. "It�s your fault. Don�t trust her Brian. She�s one of them. They killed my mare. They killed her." He screamed and lunged towards Moire only to trip and fall to his knees. Moire backed away but his ranting continued. Matt and Jake glared at her and Moire knew that no matter what her stance, they would never believe that she didn�t agree with her father and his actions. She turned and fled the barn. Brian and Matt picked up Tom and led him into the tack room. "Get some coffee into him and take him home. We�ll return his truck in the morning." Matt and Jake nodded. Brian headed for the door. "Let her go Brian," Matt said already knowing how Brian would respond. "You can�t run off. Crimson Love will need monitoring." "I know, one of you stay with her till I get back." Brian started towards the door again. "Brian?" "I have to Matt. Despite what you might think, she�s not responsible for her father�s behavior. I have to go to her." The dazed look on Tom�s face was replaced with confusion. "It�s not her fault Tom, you have to believe that." Brian looked back at Matt. "Take care of him. I�ll be back." "Brian," Maggie called after him and met him at the entrance to the barn. "Colin Fitzgerald may have it in for you and the others but Moire," she shook her head, "like you, I believe she is unaware of his actions." Brian took hold of her hands. "Thank you Maggie. Thanks for everything." She smiled. "Oh you�ll get my bill." Brian chuckled and headed out the door. Maggie went into the tack room. There was a small grin on her face. It would be a hard nut to swallow if Brian and Moire should hook up. However, it might be a good thing. As she entered the tack room Tom was still feeling the effects of his overindulgence. "Tell you what gentlemen," she looked at Matt and Jake, "Tom�s place is on my way home. Let�s get him in my van and I�ll drop him off." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Moire walked out of the barn and didn�t stop. She passed all the other buildings and continued across the fields wanting to put as much distance between herself and the accusations that had been flung in her face. Could her father have actually killed Tom Wilson�s prize mare? She didn�t want to believe it, yet knowing the conversations she had overheard the last few months, how could she not? She stopped and leaned against the rail of the enclosed pasture. A soft breeze touched her face and the sweet scent of the grass filled the air. How could a place so beautiful cause so much anger and hate? There had to be a way for her to stop her father from fighting and seeking control of this land. She sat down under a nearby tree. And she would have to stop seeing Brian too. It was going to be hard, but necessary. She couldn�t continue. Her feelings for him were out of control but there was no future. She thought back to earlier in the evening as she watched him help Maggie deliver the foal. Moire had been hard pressed to just watch him instead of the foaling. And she felt his eyes on her too. They would only hurt each other in the end. It was better to end it now, before she got in too deep. A tear fell down her cheek for what might have been. The sun had lowered behind the trees and as dusk began to fall, the farm lay in shadow. Without her own car Brian knew Moire was still somewhere on the property, but where? He checked the house and then the other barns but there was no sign of her. He called her name but there was no answer. He didn�t want to admit it but Matt was probably right. It had been a mistake to bring her tonight. But they had to believe she wasn�t like her father either. He knew any involvement with her would be a mistake but he also knew that no woman had ever entered his subconscious the way Moire had. It was a no win situation. Right now though he had to find her. He couldn�t imagine where she had gone then there was some movement down at the last fenced pasture. Brian saw a shadow move at the base of the large pin oak. He picked up his pace. "Moire," Brian said softly as he approached her. She was sitting with her knees pulled up to her body. "What?" She continued to look straight ahead and Brian could see her body was rigid. "I�m sorry." He let out a sigh. "Tom was upset and�" "Upset? You think?" She stood up and looked directly at Brian. "I need to get my car." She walked passed him but Brian stopped her. "It�s not your fault Moire. You can�t feel responsible." "And you don�t need to apologize for them either Brian. I�m Colin Fitzgerald�s daughter, they don�t need any more than that." "They don�t know you." "And you do?" "I think I do." He came and stood in front of her. "I saw you tonight. Crimson Love wasn�t yours but you treated her as if she was. You wouldn�t hurt her or Tom�s mare or any mare." "But there is a good chance my father did." She backed away. "I don�t want to think he would do something so drastic, so devastating, just to win. I mean to kill an innocent animal just to crush an opponent. What�s next?" Brian watched as she struggled with the possible truth about her father. The evening light caressed her face and she caused a stirring within him. "I need to go." She turned towards the house. "Moire," he took her arm and pulled her against him. The force caused her to gasp. "You are so beautiful," his fingers grazed her cheek, "and if the situation was different," his lips were only inches from hers. "Yes," she panted, her heart pounding in her chest as he held her tight. Moire could feel the bulge in his pants and it caused a quickening in her as well. "I," he lowered his head closer and Moire tilted hers, closing her eyes. She could feel his breath and waited. But his arms loosened and Moire opened her eyes. "I�I better get you back." He dropped his arms from her waist and started back to the house. She followed a few paces behind totally confused. What had just happened? Did she dream that whole scene? Well her body was telling her she hadn�t. They were playing with fire, but she had wanted him to kiss her. When they reached the stable Brian stopped. "Look, back there," he nodded his head in the direction they had just come from, "I didn�t mean for things to get out of hand. It won�t happen again." Moire nodded. He was probably right, it would only complicate matters but how did she stop all these feelings? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ He pulled up next to her car, neither one having spoken on the ride into town. �Thank you,� Moire said as she opened the door only to have Brian take her left hand. �Don�t,� she looked at him, �you better get back to Crimson Love.� �Moire?� �There is nothing to say Brian. I hope the mare and colt are okay.� �But�� �There are no buts either. We both know that if I was someone different, you would have followed through with your actions back at the farm.� His head shot up at her comment �I like you. I like being with you, but we�re not stupid. It couldn�t work. And for as much as you think you know me,� her eyes began to well with tears, �I don�t think you trust me completely and that�s okay.� She felt his grasp loosen and she removed her hand from his. �I need to go.� She opened the door, not looking back. Brian waited until she was safely in her car and then drove off. The sheriff was called to investigate the death of Tom Wilson�s mare, but he found nothing. All the water sources were tested and came back clean. And as Moire had said Colin was out of town at the time of the poisoning. But a couple of deputies went to Claddagh Farms anyway. They asked some questions and looked around, but got no real answers. Seemed that everyone could be accounted for the day the mare died. So how the arsenic got in the water no one seemed to know and weeks went by and the mystery wasn�t solved. Brian�s hesitation that night at the farm haunted him. Moire was right, he held back because of Colin. And yet, he couldn�t forget her. A couple of weeks after the incident, he heard quite by chance that she had gone back to New York to spend the rest of the summer in the Hamptons. And he found little comfort in the arms of the female companionship he sought those last weeks of the summer. They were all more than willing to use their charm and assets to help him forget, but even though his physical needs were met, something was lacking in each encounter. Moire had not only stirred him physically but intellectually and emotionally as well. So he tried to convince himself that it wasn�t important but on one particular evening, he abruptly left, leaving the young woman in a state of undress, as he stopped her from unzipping his pants. He apologized profusely as he took his shoes and walked out. August gave way to September and the heat of summer waned bringing cooler nights and more pleasant days. The onset of cooler weather set the racing community into an accelerated training schedule for the fall meets. And Brian, like the other owners, devoted his days and nights into getting his field of contenders into top-notch condition. The days were long and gave him little time to contemplate what could have been with Moire. Colin�s trip was extended and he didn�t return to the valley until early September. However, he was hell bent on taking all the major fall races. If he couldn�t shut the smaller owners down individually, he would wipe them out on the racecourse. Upon his return the sheriff paid him a visit to discuss the demise of the Wilson mare, but he got no where with his questions. Like before, he ran into dead ends and so the case, though never closed, was put aside. Moire was up front with her father upon his return letting him know how she had been at the Littrell farm when Tom Wilson arrived drunk, angry and accused her of being in collusion with Colin on the mare�s murder. She also informed him that if she found out he was responsible for the death of the horse, she would never forgive him. He assured her that he was as shocked as everyone about the tragedy. He sounded sincere, but Colin was so good at projecting the right tone that as much as she thought she knew him, Moire was not ready to accept is disassociation with the accident. Her biggest fear was that if he was capable of killing the horse, could he take it one step further? All this plagued her along with her decision to quell whatever romantic notions she felt towards Brian. However, the latter proved to be harder than she anticipated. |