Will sat back and watched Kenna as she enjoyed the race. She sat at the edge of her seat, and her hand gripped the rail as she watched the horses start from the gate.
She felt Will’s fingers dance along the side of her neck and trace the shell of her ear. She temporarily forgot about the race as he took a small strand of her hair and twirled it around his finger before pressing a gentle kiss behind her ear.
“Come on, let’s go see Boots,” he whispered.
“But the race…”
“It’s over. The number four horse won.” He stood up and held out his hand for her. She took it and stood staring at the emptying track. How did she not see or hear the end of the race?
Chapter Seventeen
Will led her through a series of elevators and hallways until they exited the side of the grandstand at street level. They walked through security and past the paddocks where horses were being prepped. They worked their way through the crowds. Will took the time to sign autographs and answer the same question from twenty different reporters on what he thought his chances were of winning with Boots.
Finally, they made it to the barn where all the horses racing in the Derby were housed. Security was very tight, and Kenna thought she caught a glance of Noodle and Dinky walking around in suits.
When Boots saw Will, he tossed his head back and let out a whinny. Will dug into his pocket and pulled out a sugar cube for him. “Hey, big boy. How are you doing today?” Boots nuzzled his hand and then hit him with his head when he wouldn’t give him any more snacks. “That’s good, get mad and take it out on the other horses on the track.”
“Hi, Mr. Ashton. He seems to be eating up this energy. Some horses get freaked out about it. Every time he sees a camera or hears his name being yelled, he puffs out like a macho man,” a very short man said. He was wearing the royal blue and white colors of the Ashton Farm, so it was pretty easy to guess he was the jockey riding Boots.
Boots looked over and saw Kenna. He stomped his feet and threw his head back. The jockey laughed. “I don’t know who you are, but you better go over there and say hi to Boots before he kicks the stall.”
“But, he’s only met me once when I gave him an apple out at the farm.”
“Rodrigo, this is Kenna Mason, my girlfriend. And Kenna, you gave him an apple once, he’ll now want one every time. He’s a typical guy.” Will and Rodrigo laughed as Will handed her another sugar cube.
Kenna approached Boots slowly. She was terrified of doing something to mess him up before his big race. She was still awed by the size of this “small” horse that stood taller than she. His chestnut coat was shining. The white star between his eyes and the white on his nose seemed almost three dimensional against the rest of his coat. Boots grabbed the sugar cube from her hand and nuzzled her.
“Aren’t you a sweet boy? And so handsome. You’ll be the fastest horse out there today, won’t you?” she cooed to him.
Will and Rodrigo stared in amazement as Boots nuzzled even more, asking Kenna to rub his nose. She continued to talk to him, whispering encouragements and even gave him a big kiss on the forehead for luck. “Oh no! I left a red lipstick stain on his forehead! Come here, Boots. Let me wash it off.”
Boots backed up and refused to let her clean his forehead. Will came over and called to him and even offered him another sugar cube. But Boots refused to have the bright red lipstick mark wiped off. “Okay, we’ll leave it on. You’re trying to make all the others jealous, aren’t you?”
Boots threw his head back again and came over to nuzzle Kenna.
“That’s my boy,” Kenna laughed. “But I have to go and let you get ready for your big race. Now if you run faster than all the other horses, then I’ll give you lots more sugar cubes and even an apple or two.” Kenna turned to find a third man staring at her.
“Kenna, this is Art Stringer. He’s Boots’s trainer. Art, this is my girlfriend, McKenna Mason.”
“Ma’am, I can’t believe that’s Boots. He’s normally only nice to Will,” Art said. Then he turned to the horse. “Are you ready to win for Miss Mason, Boots? It’s time to get you warmed up.” Art was dressed in a nice suit and a beautiful tie made to match the Ashford silks. He was bigger than Rodrigo but still not a tall man. The biggest difference with Art was the calm assurance that he radiated. He was confident in the way he handled Boots and the way he talked to him.
Will was helping, and Kenna knew she'd just be getting in the way. She looked down at the other stalls and saw similar activities taking place in all of them. “Hey, Will. I'm just going to go over to your barn and see some of the horses who ran yesterday.”