For a while there, Beth had enjoyed the same kind of relationship with Trey. She wanted it again. She missed him more than anything, and the only reason she hadn’t been over to Bluegrass Ranch to get him back was because she hadn’t told anyone in her family that she and Trey were separated.
If she had, Sally and Kait would’ve sat her down and told her what to do.
She didn’t want to be told what to do. She wanted to follow her heart. She’d been thinking and praying for weeks, and she felt like an answer lay just on the horizon.
“Aren’t you supposed to be down there with Trey?” her father asked, and Beth turned toward him.
“Yes. Do you see him?” Though she wore sunglasses, she shaded her eyes to look toward the ground.
“He just came out.”
“That’s my cue,” she said, standing up. She actually had no cues; she and Trey had not worked out any system. He’d texted to say they should be seen together, and she’d agreed. She knew enough about how the Classic worked that she’d made a plan in her own mind about meeting him in the owner’s space at track-level during the race.
She made her way down the steps, sweating though the weather was still fairly cool. A man stood at the gate leading into the owner’s area, and she gave him her name. He checked something on his phone, and then smiled her through the gate.
She could barely return the gesture, and her mind felt fuzzy as she stepped past the guard. Trey heard the gate and twisted to look over his shoulder.
Beth’s feet froze. Everything that had been wrong in her life was suddenly right. The answer she’d been searching for was right in front of her.
He turned all the way around, the smile on his face wide and wonderful. It was also very fake, and Beth remembered where she was, who was watching, and what was at stake.
Not only her ranch, but her reputation. Worst of all, her heart.
She took a step forward when Trey did, and he swept her into his arms. They breathed together, and Beth whispered, “I miss you, Trey. I love you. You have to come back to the ranch. I’ll do better. I’ll figure out how to be the wife you need. Please.”
He pulled away from her, his gaze coming to hers. He searched her face, and Beth did everything in her power not to cry. She wouldn’t cry just seeing her husband who’d merely left earlier than she had that morning.
“You don’t have to answer right now,” she said, drawing together all of her courage. “Think about it. I want you, though. I miss you. I love you. I hope we win today, but I don’t care if we do or not. I just want you to come home.” She stopped when the announcer started talking about the main event.
Trey took her hand and they went up to the highest row in the owner’s box. Other people were already there, and Trey shook a few hands and nodded to people. They all seemed to know him, and with her hand in his, they accepted her too.
He sat down with a sigh and said, “Here we go now.”
It wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear, but just the sound of his voice made her smile.
It seemed to take forever for all the horses to come out, and she stood when Somebody’s Lady was finally announced. She wore the number four on her flank, and she and Rob had been dressed in pink. She loved the sight of them, and a new kind of excitement built in her chest.
She suddenly had too much energy, and she couldn’t sit back down. Trey stayed in his seat until only moments before the bell sounded, and they both watched as Lady exploded out of the gates, along with eight other horses.
“Go!” Beth yelled, unable to stop herself. Cheering sounded above her, and Trey chuckled at her side.
“My brothers are loud,” he said, but Beth could barely hear him over everyone else yelling at their horse too.
Most of the owners didn’t, though, and Beth told herself not to blink as the horses sprinted in front of her. There one moment, and gone the next, she followed them as they approached the first turn.
“She’s in sixth,” she said, her voice awed. She’d seen Lady run before, and she didn’t like the back of the crowd.
“Rob will bring her out,” Trey said calmly. He did take her hand though, and when he squeezed, Beth finally felt his nerves.
Sure enough, though, Rob brought Somebody’s Lady off the rail and around two horses in just a couple of strides.
“She likes to chase on the second straightaway.” Trey lifted up on his toes to see, but Beth had already switched her attention to the huge screen in front of her. Lady was in fourth now and gaining ground on horse number three.
“He’s got to get her around two more before the turn,” Trey said.
Beth didn’t think they’d catch the lead horse, who was two lengths ahead of the horse in the second position. Lady was easily six or seven lengths behind the leader, and Rob got her around one more horse before the turn, not two.
“Here she goes,” Trey said, his voice excited.