Bluegrass State of Mind(26)

Paige raised her iced tea and they clinked glasses. "Here, here," Paige said before taking a sip.

The tinkle of the bell over the door had everyone turning to see who was coming in. John heaved his potbelly through the door, and before anyone could even wave, he bellowed out, "You won't believe what happened out at the Ashton Farm."

The previously boisterous place went quiet in a heartbeat. Kenna's stomach clenched with worry. Even though she knew she had no claim to the Ashtons, she couldn't stop herself from worrying about them.

John took a deep breath. "Someone let all the mares out of the pasture, about twenty of them. They were wandering all over the farm and a couple of them were even spotted wandering down the road. Pam was on her way home from a soccer practice and had to slam on the brakes and swerve around a horse just standing in the middle of the road. Thank God she saw it in time. You all know how much damage a horse can do to a car." Kenna and Paige shot a glance at one another. They knew firsthand the danger of a horse in the road.

"Took every hand on deck to round them up. There's something going on out there. One of his grooms breaks an arm, the mares being let out of the pasture, the tractor parts that were stolen, fences that were in perfect condition having nails removed, barn doors being left open… I'm telling y’all, I think someone is trying to run him out of town," John told his friends, his eyes wide, and his face turning red.

Roger spoke up from his table, "I say it's that no-good sheik. He came in here last year and bought up both the McKinney Farm and the Bush Farm. I bet he'd want to get his neighbor's farm and Will is the unlucky guy to be his neighbor." Kenna noticed several more heads bobbing in agreement and then the noise level rose again as people started talking among themselves about the trouble at the Ashton Farm.

Kenna turned to Paige. "What is going on?" She hadn't heard such heated debates and such a strong dislike for someone as she was witnessing about this sheik.

"Last year both the McKinney and Bush farms were seconds away from foreclosure. Sheik Mohtadi Ali Rahman is a wealthy kid, although I guess I can't really call him a kid. He's in his mid-thirties, but he has been spoon-fed his whole life. Anyway, he comes over from some little oil country in the Middle East with all this money. He buys out both farms but is very nice about it. He could've given them pennies, but he gave them a fair shake, even if no one likes to admit it. He builds a huge mansion on it and is determined to start a Derby-winning stable. He bought some horses from the Ashtons and brought some from the Middle East. This will be the first year to see how he does when the races start at Keeneland in April. There are two prevailing theories. One, he's an evil outsider and everything he does is wrong. And two, that he isn't so bad. He's brought a lot of money to the town and hired a lot of people to work out on the farm. More importantly, he's keeping it a farm and not trying to develop it."

"It sounds like he's not so bad. I don't understand the unwelcome response he's received. You all have been great to me."

"It's a little different. You have a connection to Keeneston in the form of the Ashtons. If old lady Ashton liked your granny, that's good enough for everyone here. Also, you came in and met people. He hardly ever comes to town, and he didn't have a local showing him the ropes. That, and there is this steady stream of different women out there that some of the old guard doesn't like. Most importantly, everyone was willing to give him a shot until all these accidents started a couple of months ago."

"So, people are just assuming it's him. It seems kinda strange to me. I mean, if he has all this money, he could just buy out the Ashtons if he wanted."

"Rumor is, he tried that and failed. About two months later is when these accidents started happening."

"Oh," Kenna scrunched up her nose as she mulled it over, "what do the people who work on the farm think?"

"They all love him. He pays great, hires locals, and gives them benefits."

"I think I'll have to reserve judgment. But I'm inclined to agree that he shouldn't be held accountable until there's proof."

"That's what I think, too. I've seen him a couple of times and he always seems like he's trying to fit in. Anyway," Paige said, indicating the change of topic, "I need to head into Lexington to get some supplies for the store. I'll probably head out there in the next couple of days, so give me a call if you want to come to the big city," she said laughing.

"Thanks, I will. That may be a good study break." Kenna stared down at the empty pie plate. She felt full and tired. The excitement of the day was starting to wear off and she was ready for bed. "I think I'm going to head back to Lily's and go to bed." Kenna gave Paige a hug goodbye and waved to the remaining patrons on her way out.