while some were in worn cowboy boots and faded jeans. She caught the sight of one man in a simple button-up shirt, faded jeans with some tears in it, and boots that looked like they had stepped in nothing but horse crap. Yet he pulled out a state-of-the-art Smartphone and had the keys for an Audi carelessly dangling out of his pocket. She smiled at the strange scene. Who these people were, what they wore, and the type of car they drove were of no importance. Audi-driving cowboys chatted with beat-up Ford truck owners over which horse to bid on.
Taking in another deep breath, Kenna closed her eyes and let the sounds and scents flow over her. Having always been a history buff, she could just see the men and women walking around in 1936 when Keeneland first opened. While she had been daydreaming, the Kranskis had made their way across the paddock and were heading for a string of barns.
"We're heading over to the Spring Creek Barn to check out a yearling. You see that blue and white flag over the third barn down? That's the Ashton Barn. Just make your way down there and ask for your friend. Whenever you're done, just come find us." And with that, June gave Kenna a finger wave and started to walk toward another barn. Find them? How could she find them in this massive place?
She took a deep breath and turned toward the blue and white flag. As she walked toward it, she passed by a couple of barns proudly displaying certain colors she took to be the farm colors, much like a family crest. She slowed as she approached the Ashton Barn and saw that many people walking horses around were all wearing blue and white polo shirts. It must be a way to identify farm personnel. Some were taking horses up to the paddock while others were putting them in stalls. Still others took them out of stalls and walked them to groups of people who seemed to be examining them. Kenna assumed that they were potential buyers. She looked around and didn't see anyone she guessed to be Will. Of course, the last time she had seen him, she was twelve and he wasn't quite sixteen. However, she didn't think she would ever forget those dark, chocolate-brown eyes. She looked around, scanning the faces around the barn.
She sighed as she realized she needed help finding him and turned to the closest man in the blue and white uniform. “Excuse me, I'm looking for Mr. Ashton. Is he here today?" she asked the short young man leading a horse from the barn.
"Si. He over there," the blue and white-clad man said in broken but understandable English. He pointed to a little hallway in the middle of the barn. It was lined with more horse stalls, and as she approached, she saw a man rubbing the nose of one of the horses. He was tall, at least six-feet-one, and his brown hair had a slight amount of gray in it near his temple. He still looked good, though, even if he was a little prematurely gray.
She walked up behind him and stood for a moment staring at his back, trying to figure out how to say, "Hi, I know you haven't seen me in seventeen years, but I was hoping you could help me start a new life here in Kentucky by helping me get a job and maybe find a place to live.”
Before she could make her presence known, Will turned to her and asked, "You here to look at Miss Thing, hon?"
Kenna's mouth opened, but nothing came out. She stood momentarily locked in place taking him in. The graying hair, the brown twinkling eyes, the huge smile that showed one dimple on his left cheek, the wrinkles around his eyes, and the hands gave away his
age. It wasn't Will. She let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, “I'm sorry. I was told Mr. Ashton was in here," Kenna said with a distracted smile on her face. She was fighting off the strange feeling that she knew this man, but couldn't place him.
"Well, then you found him. William Ashton. Nice to meet you, ma'am." Mr. Ashton stepped forward with his hand outstretched. Kenna stared for a second and then reached her hand out to grasp his. He gently yet firmly shook her hand and gave her an approving nod when she returned the firm handshake.
Chapter Two
"I'm sorry for the confusion, but the William Ashton I need is a little younger. It was a gamble he'd be here anyway. I hadn't talked to him since we were kids and I probably got some information mixed up. I'm sorry to have bothered you." Kenna started to turn away and scan the crowd once again when she heard Mr. Ashton chuckling.
"Don't go telling my wife about me being too old for you now. I love her, but bless her heart, once she gets hold of something she never lets it go. Besides, you don't have the wrong place. I'm guessing you're about my son's age. Will is running around here someplace. Is that who you're looking for? Will Ashton?"
At the mention of his son, Kenna took in a deep breath of air. She then slowly let it out and fell back onto her courtroom demeanor as to not show her nerves. "Yes, sir. I'm looking for Will Ashton, more particularly, the Will Ashton whose grandmother Alda used to live in upstate New York," Kenna stated clearly, as if making point of clarification to a judge. She was so close to finding the person she was looking for, she couldn't take another failure in the search for Will. Her nerves were becoming frayed, but she was determined to come across as the confident lawyer she was in court. People took her more seriously that way and tended to tell her what she wanted to know if she was businesslike.