Three hours later he’d completed the most pressing items and headed out to the barn to watch the trainers work the two-year-olds. At any time, there were between twenty and thirty horses in various stages of training.
They held classes and hosted clinics. For the last few years, Liam had taught a group of kids under ten years old who wanted to learn the ins and outs of competitive reining. They were a steely-eyed bunch of enthusiasts who were more serious about the sport than many adults. At the end of every class, he thanked heaven it would be a decade before he had to compete against them.
“Hey, boss. How’re the colts looking?” Jacob Stevens, Liam’s head trainer, had joined him near the railing.
“Promising.” Liam had been watching for about an hour. “That bay colt by Blue is looking better all the time.”
“His full brother earned over a quarter of a million. No reason to think Cielo can’t do just as well.” Jacob shot his boss a wry grin. “Think you’re going to hold on to him?”
Liam laughed. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to limit myself to keeping only five in my name. At the moment, I own eight.”
Until Hadley had shown up, he’d been seriously contemplating selling Electric Slide. The colt was going to be a champion, but Liam had more horses than he had time for. If only he could convince Hadley to get back in the saddle. He knew she’d balk at being given the horse, but maybe she’d be willing to work him as much as time permitted.
“Thing is,” Jacob began, “you’ve got a good eye, and the ranch keeps producing winners.”
Liam nodded. “It’s definitely a quality problem. I’ve had a couple of good offers recently. Maybe I need to stop turning people down.”
“Or just wait for the right owner.”
“Speaking of that. Can you get one of the guys to put Electric Slide through his paces? I want to get some video for a friend of mine.”
“Sure.”
As he recorded the chestnut colt, Liam wasn’t sure if he’d have any luck persuading Hadley to come check out the horse, but he really wanted to get to the bottom of her resistance.
Lunchtime rolled around, and Liam headed back to the house. He hadn’t realized how eager he was to spend some time with Maggie and Hadley until he stopped his truck on the empty driveway and realized Hadley’s SUV was absent.
Candace was pulling a pie out of the oven as he entered the kitchen. Her broad smile faded as she read the expression on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Where’s Hadley?”
“Shopping for clothes and things for Maggie.” Candace set a roast beef sandwich on the center island and went to the refrigerator for a soda. “The poor girl hasn’t been out of here in days.”
“She took Maggie with her?”
“I offered to watch her while she was gone, but the weather is warm, and Hadley thought the outing would do her some good.”
“How long have they been gone?”
“About fifteen minutes.” Candace set her hands on her hips and regarded him squarely. “Is there some reason for all the questions?”
“No.”
Liam wondered at his edginess. He trusted Maggie was in good hands with Hadley, but for some reason, the thought of both of them leaving the ranch had sparked his anxiety. What was wrong with him? It wasn’t as if they weren’t ever coming back.
The thought caught him by surprise. Is that what was in the back of his mind? The notion that people he cared about left the ranch and didn’t come back? Ridiculous. Sure, his mother had left him and Kyle. And then Kyle had gone off to join the navy, but people needed to live their lives. It had nothing to do with him or the ranch. Still, the sense of uneasiness lingered.
Royal Diner was humming with lunchtime activity when Hadley pushed through the glass door in search of a tuna melt and a chance to catch up with Kori. To her relief, her best friend had already snagged one of the booths. Hadley crossed the black-and-white checkerboard floor and slid onto the red faux-leather seat with a grateful sigh.
“I’m so glad you were able to meet me last-minute,” Hadley said, settling Maggie’s carrier beside her and checking on the sleeping infant.
She’d already fed and changed the baby at Priceless, Raina Patterson’s antiques store and craft studio. Hadley had taken a candle-making class there last month and wanted to see what else Raina might be offering.
“Thanks for calling. This time of year is both a blessing and a curse.” Kori was a CPA who did a lot of tax work, making January one of her slower months. “I love Scott, but his obsessive need to be busy at all times gets on my nerves.” Kori and her husband had started their accounting company two years ago, and despite what she’d just said, the decision had been perfect for them.