The thought of him leaving, however, had her heart sinking. There wasn’t enough money at the moment to make the changes she needed, but by this time next year she may be able to afford the racecourse.
“Hi.” Ari stood in the doorway. He was wearing his father’s jacket.
“Hi,” Kelly said. “Who are you? Am I looking at my little Ari or are you the all grown up Ari?”
He walked in the room, the coat dragging the floor. “I’m the all growed up one.”
Kelly smiled. Seeing Ari’s sweet face always brightened her day.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m working on the books.”
“Books, like my story books?”
“Not like those,” she told him. “These books help me keep track of paying the bills.”
“Oh,” he said. Kelly knew he had no idea what she meant. “Look here.” Kelly pointed at a column of numbers on a piece of paper. Ari put his finger in the same place.
“See that number?”
He bobbed his head up and down.
“That’s how much I need to feed the horses.”
He looked at Kelly. “I have a paper with how much I need, too.”
Ari pulled a folded set of papers from the pocket of his father’s jacket. He put his hand on a number and held it up for her to see. “This is how much will feed the horses.”
Kelly took the offered pages and looked at them. She held back a gasp when she realized she was looking at the contract of sale for the Kendall. It was a copy. Not the original. Her heart thudded, banging against her chest. Where had Jace gotten this? Straightening the document, the underlined words jumped out at her. Three years she read. Then she read the entire clause and saw that it said the original seller had three years to rescind the contract. The tears she’d shed moments ago over being able to support the Kendall, were now tears of gloom. How could Jace do this to her?
For an instant, Kelly wanted to ball the papers up, tear them into confetti-sized pieces and shower the room with them, but she resisted. She needed them intact.
* * *
THE CANE MADE a rhythmic cadence on the hardwood floor as Kelly walked down the hall. Her pace was slower than was necessary even with her condition. She was angry and she was doing her best to rein in her emotions.
Reaching the stairs, she put her hand on the railing and ascended one by one. She could hear Jace singing on the upper floor. His voice became louder with each step. He was happy. How could he be? In his bedroom doorway, she stopped and watched. Jace was entertaining Ari, who was sitting, transfixed, on the bed.
At one point, Jace swung around and saw her standing there.
“Kelly, what’s wrong?” Jace asked, obviously recognizing how upset she was.
“Ari, could you please go to your room? Maybe look at one of your storybooks?”
“Wow! Good idea.”
Once the boy was safely out of earshot, Kelly raised the paper in her hand, and extended it toward Jace.
“What’s this?” he asked.
Kelly said nothing. She waited for him to take the papers. He came toward her. Kelly watched every movement as if in slow motion. As he got close enough to her, she moved a finger and the papers fell open. She knew he could read the red underlined words from where he stopped in his tracks.
“I can explain,” he said.
“That won’t be necessary,” she told him. “This speaks for you.” She kept her voice calm. While her heart was both breaking and beating as fast as a fan wheel, her body was straight and stiff. She looked the picture of control. “I can’t believe you’d betray me like this. You know how much this place means to me. I expect you to pack and leave within the hour.”
Kelly didn’t wait for him to reply. She turned and moved back to the hall. “I will miss Ari. The horses can stay until you make arrangements for them, but they must be gone by the end of the month.”
She left Jace without another word. Kelly limped back to her office and waited for him to go. She flinched fifteen minutes later when she heard the truck doors slam shut and the engine retreat down the driveway. He was out of her sight and no longer a thorn in her side.
Yet her heart bled.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SLEEP WASN’T AN OPTION. Kelly knew it when she got in bed at midnight. Now it was three in the morning and she was still awake. The house was empty. She was alone in the huge mansion. And she was well enough to get around without a mishap if she was careful. Mira and Drew had returned to their home. When they left, Kelly hadn’t yet found the contract. Mira didn’t know Kelly had thrown Jace out. Her cousin wouldn’t have let her be alone if she had.
Pushing the covers aside, she got out of bed. Grabbing the cane she’d left leaning against the night table, she stood up. She didn’t feel the pain in her leg. That in her heart overrode all other. She went to the kitchen and made herself a cup of coffee. She saw the package Mira used to make the coffee Jace liked. Closing her eyes for a moment, she wondered if everything she saw in the house would remind her of him. How long would it be before the ghost of his presence was no longer part of her routine?