“How has Thatcher been treating you?” King asked.

  That was an odd question. Had JB quitting made Thatcher mad? Crap. I shouldn’t have flirted. I should apologize. Maybe JB would come back if I promised to leave him alone.

  I glanced back out at Thatcher to see him making his way toward us. Seeing him at a distance on a horse was something to look at, but the closer he got, the better the view. It was almost enough to stop the anxiety that was starting to build. If JB had quit because of me, I was going to literally die of humiliation.

  “Um, uh …” I wasn’t sure how to answer this. Thatcher hadn’t said a word to me. He never did. “Fine. I mean, we don’t actually talk.”

  King appeared almost annoyed. “Is that so?”

  Why did that bother him, or was I reading him wrong? Or maybe Thatcher was going to say something to me about JB quitting, and he hadn’t yet. Was King upset with me? If I were the reason JB had left, then I really hoped Thatcher wasn’t the one they sent to talk to me about it. If he corrected me about flirting with their employees, I might not recover from that. I couldn’t even flirt with normal men correctly. Normal meaning those who didn’t go to church and I hadn’t been forced to interact with most of my life. I was going to die a spinster—or even worse, a virgin spinster.

  Maybe Thatcher wouldn’t say anything to me about it. Other than slamming Storm against the stables for snapping at me a few weeks ago, Thatcher didn’t acknowledge me. Our strange, brief interactions had stopped about seven years ago. Now, they often felt like I’d made them up in my head. Which I hadn’t because even then, I’d be shocked when he randomly showed up when I needed someone to talk to or the times I needed help. Whatever I had been upset about, he’d managed to always lift my mood just by talking to me.

  Thatcher slowed as he and Zephyr approached the fence. His eyes were locked on King though. He’d yet to even glance in my direction, and I would know because I was incapable of looking anywhere else when he was present. It was as if I needed to soak him in before he left again. Completely creepy of me, and I’d never admit it to a soul.

  “Everything good?” he asked King.

  King nodded his head. “Yeah, just talking to Capri here about you deciding she was going to ride Zephyr in the Breeders’.”

  Wait, what?! Thatcher was the one who had decided I would ride Zephyr?

  A warm, tingly thing that was a level higher than joy spread through me as I stared up at him. His eyes flicked over to me fleetingly before he stared down at King. His lips were in a hard line that took a little of that warmth away. Had he changed his mind already? Before I’d gotten a chance to even ride Zephyr.

  “Don’t you need to go check on your wife and kid?” he asked King.

  A rumble that sounded almost like a chuckle came from King. “Reckon I do,” he replied. “Thanks for the concern.”

  The threatening gleam in Thatcher’s eyes made me shiver. King, however, didn’t seem at all fazed by it.

  He turned to look at me. “You and Bloodline looked good out there today,” he said, then gave me a nod before walking back toward the stables.

  I’d watched Christopher take Bloodline around the track a few times, and then Miller sent me in to take his place. It had been our best time yet, but Miller had barely made eye contact with me after.

  I turned my attention back to Thatcher to find his gaze locked on me. I swallowed hard, thinking perhaps I should have gone with King. Thatcher was clearly angry about something, and I didn’t want his anger to be directed at me. I’d seen him lose his temper. If he was about to tell me JB had quit because I’d been making him uncomfortable with my attention, I was going to crawl in a hole and never come out again. Not even for the Breeders’ Cup.

  “You think you can handle the Breeders’?” he asked me then, his expression easing some.

  He looked less threatening now. Almost friendly. Maybe.

  Relief flooded me. No talk of JB.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

  He studied me. Those dark eyes of his made it hard to take a deep breath. I had never felt more exposed in my life. It was as if he could read my innermost thoughts, and those were some no one needed to get ahold of.

  “Tomorrow,” he said finally, “I’ll have you take him out.”

  He was going to let me get on Zephyr tomorrow. King had said I needed to focus on Bloodline, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. Thatcher was a Shephard, and it seemed like he made the decisions around here. I’d assumed it was Stellan, but the way King had spoken, it seemed as if it was Thatcher calling the shots.

  “Okay,” I replied.

  He didn’t say anything more before turning Zephyr and riding off. I watched him for a few more moments before forcing myself to stop.

  I needed to go get groceries before I went home. I had three hours to get that done, get a shower, and head to the homeless shelter to help serve dinner.

  • Five •

  “I’ve heard rumors they’re, like, the Mafia or something.”

  Capri

  Nine Years Ago

  Getting a job that was outside of the church had been a battle with my parents. Mostly my mother. She preferred I spend all my time doing volunteer work. I enjoyed helping serve meals at the homeless shelter and reading to the residents at the nursing home. I was going to continue doing those things. What I wasn’t going to do was head up the VBS team, teach Sunday School to wild toddlers or anyone else for that matter, clean the church, and serve food to the women’s group that my mother led on Tuesday nights.

  It was time I made money so I could move out on my own. Not to mention, I’d really like to buy my own horse one day.

  After I’d made a list of the reasons why I should work a job and learn to manage my own money and presented it to my parents, my father had ruled that I was correct. Much to my mother’s dismay.

  The nursing home had said they had a position open for cleaning, and as much as I loved visiting the residents there, I did not want to clean the place. Two different church members offered me a job, working as a receptionist at their offices, but it was minimum wage, and I was trying to get away from all things connected to the church.

  The ice cream shop in town that served not only ice cream, but also old-fashioned candy and treats had hired me on the spot. I’d almost made it through an entire week, and I was getting paid one dollar over minimum wage, plus tips.

  Today was the first official day of summer for all the public and private schools in the district. Barbara, the owner, had warned that the crowds would increase so much that there wouldn’t be any downtime. I was okay with that. More customers meant more tips. The moment the doors opened at nine this morning, we had a line waiting to come inside. When Barbara told me to take my lunch break, it was well after one, and it had been nonstop customers. The tip jar was overflowing too. I didn’t take a full hour but finished my sandwich and grapes I’d brought from home in less than thirty minutes and got back out to help. Barbara looked relieved, and I could tell with just her and her niece, Mandy, who was also working today, that they were swamped. Mandy wasn’t very fast, and she was a little clumsy.

  When she messed up the second ice cream float in a row, I decided to take over making all those and let her stick to just scooping. Barbara said not to let her near the cash register because she wasn’t good with counting out change. Juggling all the things she couldn’t do kept me busy.

  Twenty minutes before closing time, the door opened, and in walked three guys about my age. I didn’t know any of them, but then again, I hadn’t gone to the local high school, and if they didn’t go to my church, our paths never crossed. I stepped up to the register, and Mandy grabbed my wrist. When I glanced over at her, she had a pained expression.

  “That’s Deck Rogers,” she whispered. “And his gang.”

  Gang? In Madison? She must not mean it literally.

  “You want me to help them?” I asked her.

  She nodded and stepped back. The way she was acting, I almost expected her to run to the back and hide until they left.

  “Hello. How can I help you?” I asked the four guys as they made their way up to the counter.

  They had a few tattoos. One had a big black hole in his earlobe that was on purpose, two of them had piercings in their eyebrows, and another had one in his nose. It didn’t make them gang members though. I had a feeling Mandy was being dramatic. The one with spiky, bleached hair, who I was assuming was Deck, stood out. It was a brave choice. I liked it.

  He smirked at me and placed his palms flat on the counter, leaning in toward me.

  “You’re new,” he said as his eyes scanned my body.

  “Yes,” I agreed.

  “You don’t go to school?”

  I shook my head. “I was homeschooled, but I graduated two years ago. I’m a sophomore in college,” I explained. I had graduated a year early, and I went to the local junior college, but I didn’t have to give him that much information.

  He laughed and glanced back at his friends. “Homeschooled.” He said it like that was funny.

  “She’s probably awkward as fuck,” the black-hole-in-the-earlobe guy said.

  The blond one turned back to me. “Bet you’re a virgin,” he said, tilting his head and licking his bottom lip.

  Okay, they were getting out of line. But I could handle it.

  “What can I get you?” I asked, ignoring the other comments.

  “Your virgin cunt. It’s been a while since I’ve had a cherry on top,” the guy with a tattoo on his neck and pierced eyebrows said.

  “I’ll take the cherry,” the blond one told him as he continued to look at me like he was going to have me as his meal.

  I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry, is there an ice cream we can get for you?”

  “She’s uptight. That wouldn’t be any fun,” one of the guys who hadn’t spoken up yet said.

  The blond leaned closer to me. “I don’t know. I like holding them down. If they fight, it’s more exciting.”

  His words this time weren’t just insulting; they were frightening. Perhaps Mandy had a reason to be scared of them. I wished she’d go get Barbara, who was in the office.

  I had to figure out how to handle them. Every time I came across a problem, I couldn’t go running to Barbara. She’d left me out here in charge, and proving I could do it was important. At least to me.

  “If you aren’t here to order anything, I am going to have to ask you to leave,” I said with what I hoped was a firm tone.

  The blond leaned closer and then reached out and grabbed the neckline of my shirt, jerking me forward until I was bent over the counter. I heard Mandy gasp as the other guys began to laugh. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, panic hitting me.

  Mandy, please go get Barbara, I silently pleaded.

  The door chime went off again, and I wanted to weep with relief that someone else had walked in. However, the blond guy didn’t seem to care. His grip tightened on my shirt, and he sneered at me.

  “Deck,” one of the guys behind him said, then slapped his back.

  The blond ignored him, and I swallowed hard, wondering if whoever had come in was going to call the cops or leave.

  “You’re gonna need to let go of her.” The deep drawl was one I recognized.

  The blond looked pissed and amused at the same time. He didn’t let go, but instead tugged on me again.

  The guys I could still see called Deck’s name again with clear concern in their tones.

  “Fuck, man, let her go!” one of them begged him.

  “I’d like to see—” he started to say, but Thatcher Shephard’s hand wrapped around his neck, stopping him from saying anything more.

  Thatcher leaned close to the blond, and the look in his eyes made me shiver. He was angry. Really, really angry.

  “Let her go,” he said near the guy’s ear.

  The blond released me so fast that I stumbled back. Thatcher jerked him away from the counter, and when the guy realized who had grabbed him, he instantly paled. His sneer was gone, and in its place was pure terror.

  “I, uh, I didn’t know it was you,” he stammered.

  Thatcher pointed at the door. “Don’t come back.”

  The others with him hurried for the door, leaving their leader behind. He nodded before following them. When they all left, Thatcher turned to look at me. The darkness in his gaze was unsettling.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Yes, uh, thank you,” I replied.

  He didn’t say anything more but turned and left. I watched him go as I tried to calm my racing heart.

  “Holy shit,” Mandy said behind me. “That was Sebastian Shephard’s older brother. He is, like, super dangerous. I can’t believe he came in here and kicked them out. Do you know him?”

  I kept staring at the door even though he was out of sight. Did I know him? I wasn’t sure really. We’d spoken twice. I was almost positive he’d given me a box of my favorite cookies, but it seemed almost unreal that he would. Then, today, where had he come from? Was it just lucky timing?

  “I, uh …” I shook my head, trying to clear it and say words that made sense. “Kinda. Not really.”

  She was staring at me, wide-eyed, when I turned to finally look at her.

  “He’s, like, a murderer—you know that, right? He only got away with it because his dad is so rich and owns the town.” She glanced at the door, then stepped up closer to my ear. “I’ve heard rumors they’re, like, the Mafia or something.”

  I laughed then. Everyone had heard those rumors. She and my mom could gossip about it.

  I shook my head. “That’s ridiculous. This is Georgia. Not Boston or Chicago. The Mafia doesn’t reach down here.”

  Mandy shrugged, still not looking convinced. “I wouldn’t be so sure. I kinda think it makes sense. They own everything.” She waved her hands around. “They own this building we are in. They probably own the governor too.”

  I shifted my gaze to the clock. It was closing time. “Let’s lock up and get this place wiped down so we can go home.”

  “Yeah, okay,” Mandy said. “But he is dangerous. He did kill a guy. That’s the truth. So, be careful around him.”

  I laughed as I turned the lock in the door. There was a good chance I’d never see him again. It wasn’t like we ran in the same circles.

  The next morning, there was a box of cookies on my front porch. My dad raised his eyebrows when he handed them to me. But he didn’t say anything about it. He turned on the morning news.

  While I was trying to decide if the cookies were from Thatcher, I heard the name Deck Rogers, and my head snapped up.

  “It’s a shame. Young kids getting mixed up with drugs and alcohol. That’s what happens, honey. They take too much and get behind the wheel of a car. It’s a miracle they didn’t hit another car. It’s a tragedy they’re all gone, but at least they didn’t take some innocent driver with them.”

  They were all dead. The guys from yesterday. It was an odd feeling. A churning of guilt in my gut, although I had done nothing to them. No one had. They’d driven their car off a bridge, going over a hundred miles an hour.

  • Six •

  It wasn’t like I killed every man who spoke to her.

  Thatcher

  Present Day

  Resting my forearms on the fence, I watched as Capri rode Zephyr around the track. I’d told her not to go full speed today. Let him stretch out some, but hold him back. She was doing exactly like I’d asked. Her tiny form looked even smaller when she was sitting on him. Bloodline was big, but Zephyr was a beast. She hadn’t been intimidated in the least. The smile on her face was fucking insane. I had a hard time looking away from her. The pull she had on me seemed to be getting worse.

  “She’s got the Belmont Derby Invitational next week with Bloodline,” King said as he came to stand beside me. “He’s leaving Sunday to head up there.”

  I didn’t bother looking at him. “Yeah,” I replied as annoyance began to ruin my mood.

  “Don’t you think she should be focused on him and the race?”

  I was gonna need a smoke. Not saying anything, I straightened and reached for the pack in my pocket. Fucker was starting to piss me off.

  “She wanted on Zephyr,” I told him, then put the cigarette in my mouth and lit it up.

  “The entire fucking ranch is scared to even breathe her air. She’s noticed it too. Miller barely looked at her yesterday, and she’d shaved off almost half a second on Bloodline’s best time,” King informed me.

  “She’s fine,” I said through my teeth, although I’d seen it too.

  I wasn’t enjoying seeing her frown when one of the dumb fucks ignored her or walked away from her. But that wasn’t sending me into a blind rage, so this would have to be the way it was. Miller was our top trainer though. I was gonna deal with him. He didn’t need to make her feel unwanted, but he needed to be careful with how he spoke to her.

  “She asked Jim this morning if she’d done something to offend him. He feels like a shit for the way he’s having to treat her. The man is happily married with kids. He’s not gonna flirt with her. Can I at least let him talk to her when she tries to make conversation?”

  I inhaled deeply as I watched her slowing down. Jim would probably be fine, talking to her. She liked all that chatty shit. She was nosy as fuck too. Why that made me want to smile, I didn’t know. I wasn’t about to actually do it, but the tug on the corners of my mouth was there. I’d heard her asking him about his kids more than once. He seemed happy to talk about them and his wife. Might as well let her have that. Maybe it would stop her from frowning so damn much. It was her smile that I craved.

  “Yeah,” I said as she made her way over toward us.