The Damaged Heroes Collection [Box Set #1: The Damaged Heroes Collection] (BookStrand Publishing Mainstream) Page 6

  Although she was accustomed to living in a similar dwelling, the pinched expression on Seth’s face made it plain he’d lived in much more comfort.

  Katie figured some people might feel sorry for the guy. He had, after all, been snatched from the lap of luxury and thrust into what many people would consider a hovel. Everything about his manner told her he considered this a step down in life, a giant step. But this was her world, and she was fiercely proud of it. She wasn’t about to allow Seth to look down on her or any of the other people at the track. It might not be his choice of a lifestyle, but many people lived here, thrived here.

  “Showers, washers, and dryers are down the hall. Here’s your key,” Katie said as she extended her palm to him.

  Seth took the few steps necessary to cross the room and reached to grab the key. He arched an eyebrow when she curled her fingers to keep him from taking it.

  How can I make him understand?

  “I need you to know something from the get-go. You may not feel like you belong here, but you are here. You’re just going to have to learn to adapt. It’d be nice if you learned to like it. But, hell, I don’t want to push my luck. I’ll be happy with some simple courtesy.”

  “I’m not polite?” Seth asked with an irritated tone as he put one hand on his hip and rubbed his forehead with his other.

  Katie’s frustration grew by the second. “You know, you’re acting like a big fat snob.”

  Seth shot back an angry scowl; Katie wasn’t the least bit intimidated, glaring right back at him. “You’ve done nothing but turn your nose up at everything since you got here.”

  He might feel her lifestyle was repugnant, but that didn’t matter to her in the least. People often looked down on horsemen, assuming they were drawn to the track for the gambling or to avoid a more difficult job. She shook her head at the notion that horsemen didn’t work hard. Pure and simple ignorance.

  “Seth, this is a way of life for these people. You need to treat them with respect. Your father was a horseman. Remember? He loved these animals as much as everyone else at this track does. You can’t keep acting like this is all... beneath you. If you can’t get along with the other horsemen, it reflects on me.” Katie took a long glance around the room. “I know this dorm isn’t the Drake, and this town isn’t Chicago. But it’s your home for a while. Think you can stop acting like you’re being led to your execution?”

  Watching emotions shift on his handsome face, Katie wondered if he would eventually realize he had been laying the griping on way too thick. She wasn’t a whole lot happier about the situation, but he was only stuck at the track for one racing season. Just nine months. And then he could return to being Seth Remington again. Whoever that really was.

  Seth finally plastered a Cheshire cat smile on his face. “I’ll be good, Boss. May I have my key now?”

  Katie slowly uncurled her fingers, but she still didn’t trust him. She wasn’t exactly sure what possessed him to do so, but he extended his fingers and placed them on her bare wrist. Stroking a slow path from wrist to palm, he paused for several suspended moments before he tried to snatch the key. His caress unnerved her so much, she dropped it.

  Both quickly bent down to retrieve the key, and their heads collided with an audible thud. Katie sprang back up, rubbing her sore forehead with her fingers. Seth plucked the key from the floor before he did the same.

  “You’re hazardous to my health,” he complained.

  She hated that he made her feel so clumsy. “You’re not the greatest addition to my world, either.” She couldn’t understand how this man could make her stomach do somersaults with something as simple as a touch. You’re twenty-six, Katie, not thirteen. Get him out of your head. She fled the room to put some distance between them.

  Seth followed her to the hall, grabbed his suitcases, and haphazardly tossed them into the room. He slammed the door, giving her a naughty-boy grin.

  She shook her head at him and sighed. “C’mon. Let’s go find Chris.”

  * * * *

  “Katie!” a booming voice called as soon as they reached the dormitory’s front door. “This the new guy?”

  Katie turned around to meet a tall, sturdy young man with light brown hair who didn’t appear to be more than a teenager. She greeted him with a hug, and Seth was shocked to discover their embrace made him uncomfortable.

  Katie made the introductions. “Chris, this is... um... he’s... um... crap.”

  Chris chuckled. “Crap, huh? Nice to meet you, Crap.”

  Ross clearly hadn’t told her about the nickname. Seth laughed, extending his hand in greeting. “It’s Crash. Crash Reynolds.”

  Katie stared back at him, eyes wide with surprise. “Crash? You’re Crash?” She started to giggle. “Who came up with that name?”

  “My friends back home.” Seth shot Katie a scolding glare when she continued to laugh. She sure didn’t seem properly chastised. She didn’t even look as if she was trying to stop.

  “Not exactly a great name around horseracing,” Chris commented with a shrug. The young man shook hands with Seth. “I’m Chris Harris, Katie’s second.”

  There it was again. That foreign language. “Second?”

  “Sorry. Katie told me you were green. I’m her second trainer.”

  “Why does she need a second trainer?”

  Chris glanced at Katie for a moment as if to see if she would explain. She was wiping tears away with the heels of her hands and taking deep breaths, trying to stop her giggle fit.

  Seth doubted the boy always deferred to her. Intimidation couldn’t be her strong suit. Hell, she was so short her head barely reached Chris’s shoulder. How much danger could come from such a tiny package?

  Chris finally looked back to Seth. “Most good stables have enough horses, it takes two trainers to get the work done. Katie bounces ideas off of me too. Why are you learning to be a groom?”

  “My father was pissed at me for wrecking a car.”

  Katie had seemed to be getting herself under control, but laughter suddenly consumed her again. It took her several long moments to regain her composure enough to speak. She held up her hand, tucking her thumb to show four fingers. “Four. You wrecked four cars,” she squeaked out, barely above a whisper.

  “How did you—” Seth began to ask.

  “Ross told me.”

  That asshole. “Ross Kennedy needs to learn to mind his own damn business.”

  Katie took a couple of deep breaths and finally settled down. “Crash is here for one of my owners. The man wants his son to learn about racing from the inside. Wants him to get his hands dirty.”

  Chris appeared to accept the situation without undue curiosity, and Seth wondered if all racehorse owners had eccentric demands.

  “If I can help with anything, let me know,” Chris said to Seth.

  “Thanks,” Seth replied, trying to prove to his new employer he really could be polite. “I’m sure I’ll need your help. A lot.”

  Chris turned to Katie. “Do you need me to ship in tomorrow?”

  “No, thanks, Chris. Crash can help me bring them.” The corner of her mouth twitched like she was about to break out laughing again. She bit her bottom lip for a second and seemed to regain her poise. “I’ll just need you to help jog in the morning. For the qualifiers, you can warm them up and paddock the last one.”

  What the hell was “paddock”? Seth simply listened to her talk, fervently hoping he’d catch on to the lingo soon. He was no better than a tourist and his new situation reminded him of a trip he took to Italy as a teenager; he couldn’t understand any of the conversations surrounding him.

  When his stomach rumbled and complained at its empty state, he figured the notion of hunger was probably universal. Surely they would both understand the word “lunch.”

  “Any place to get something to eat around here?” Seth asked.

  “Track kitchen is that way,” Chris replied, pointing to a green building across the large parking lot. “You tw
o want to eat? I could join you. I haven’t had lunch yet.”

  Katie nodded enthusiastically. “I’m starving. We can catch a bite before we go back to the farm.”

  The three left the dorm and walked across the grounds.

  The kitchen seemed to be the track gathering place. People in sturdy, warm work clothes packed the tables as they contentedly munched on their meals. Seth waited in line and watched as a couple of older women took orders. The menu listed almost every type of food he could imagine. Hamburgers, pizza, and just about anything that could be deep-fried. The place smelled of fresh baked cookies, homemade fried chicken, and cigarette smoke.

  Several televisions broadcasting all types of racing from tracks he’d never heard of were mounted on high shelves. The biggest surprise was the self-service betting machine in the kitchen. He tapped Katie on the shoulder. “You guys bet on your own horses?”

  Katie and Chris both laughed before she replied, “I don’t bet much, but everyone else at the track does. We’re not racing yet this season, but these guys will bet on anything with odds. Standardbreds, Thoroughbreds, greyhounds. And some are pretty good at it.”

  Chris chuckled, pointing to a stack of discarded betting slips. “And some aren’t.”

  They placed their orders, but when the time came to pay, Seth opened his wallet and found three dollar bills tucked inside. The stack of gold and platinum charge cards and the well-used ATM card had been handed over to Ross Kennedy before they’d left Schaumburg. Shit, I forgot! He hoped Katie didn’t see his frightened reaction when it dawned on him that he’d entered the ranks of the officially poor.

  It appeared nothing escaped her notice. “Until you get on your feet, Louise here will run a tab for your meals,” Katie said as she handed several bills to the gray-haired cashier and nodded at both their trays. “Anything else you need, let me know. I’ll float you some cash, and we’ll sort it out with your first check.”

  After the ladies gathered their lunch orders, Katie, Seth, and Chris took their trays and sat down at a table with several men deep in an animated discussion. Katie and Chris joined in the conversation without missing a beat as Seth simply listened and tried desperately to keep up. By the time they’d finished eating, he’d figured out they had been discussing an unscrupulous trainer they all knew who was now working at another track.

  At least that’s what he thought they were discussing.

  Katie gathered all of their trash and threw it in the nearest can.

  She takes care of people. The woman had talked to Chris in a motherly fashion instead of a boss’s tone. So why doesn’t she use kid gloves with me? Hell, the woman gives me nothing but attitude. A crooked smile crossed his lips. I like attitude.

  Katie glanced out the window, quickly turned back to Seth, and pointed to Ross. The lawyer stood by the dorms with several sacks from a local department store littering the ground around his car’s trunk. “Ross is back. Want to go look at your new wardrobe?”

  “Oh, yeah. I’m just thrilled,” Seth replied before remembering her warning about his behavior.

  Katie narrowed her eyes but said nothing.

  “Sorry.” At least her pretty eyes grew soft again when she heard the apology. He held the door open as they left as an act of contrition.

  Katie led Seth to where Ross waited as Chris excused himself and disappeared into the dorms.

  “Did you find everything?” she asked, stooping to peek into a sack.

  Ross nodded and a sly smile formed on his lips that made Seth wonder what kind of mischief was coming his way. “All of it.” Ross leaned down to pick up a bag. “Let’s put this stuff up.”

  They each grabbed a remaining package and headed into the dorm.

  After the bags were moved inside and dumped on Seth’s new bed, Katie told him to get changed so they could go back to the farm. She walked out with Ross, closing the door behind her.

  Seth took his new clothes out of the sacks to see what Ross had purchased, but when he looked over the garments, he fervently hoped they had both experienced a simple problem with communication. That would be the only reasonable way to explain the ghastly clothing.

  There were several pairs of the ugliest blue jeans he’d ever seen with material so thick and stiff it could probably rival plywood. Ross had also bought an Elmer Fudd hat. I’m supposed to wear that? He shook his head at some plaid flannel shirts, thick socks, and a one-piece dark gray jumpsuit lined with flannel quilting. It looked like something a demented serial killer would wear. Matlock probably had a hell of a time picking this shit out. The whole ensemble was completed with less than fashionable black work boots. The only comfort he took in the situation was knowing none of the Boys’ Club members would ever see him dressed like a construction worker.

  Once he changed, Seth met Katie at her truck. Ross and his impeccable Lexus had disappeared. The smug lawyer wouldn’t have the thrill of seeing Seth looking like “Old MacDonald.” Another thought shot into his head causing Seth’s heart to skip a quick beat. He was stranded. His last tie to Chicago, to his real life, had vanished.

  Shit!

  He swallowed the panic and refused to show her any weakness. He sure didn’t want Katie to see any of his apprehension and think she’d earned a victory.

  “Is this acceptable?” Seth asked as he twirled around to show her his transformation.

  She nodded and grinned in obvious satisfaction. God, he liked her smile. Those soft pink lips. Her glowing green eyes.

  Maybe being around Katie would make this place bearable.

  “Much better,” she said with a decisive nod. “You’ve got to admit, it’s a lot warmer than what you had on. We’ll get you some cooler shirts for the summer. I’m having some made for the stable. Getting ‘em embroidered with my logo.”

  “Why are we going back to the farm? Aren’t we racing here tomorrow?”

  Katie nodded and fished a keychain out of her pocket. “Yeah, but I need to get the horses that are turned out back into the barn. You can stay here, but I figured you’d want to see how things worked.” She unlocked the passenger door. “Normally, I’d probably tell you to go take a nap. Once we’re racing and you start to paddock, you’ll need one.”

  “Didn’t Chris say the paddock was a building?”

  “The paddock is that big building over there,” Katie explained, pointing to an enormous barn standing next to the large racetrack. “The horses have a certain time they need to be there before they race. When a groom works on a horse on race nights, we call it ‘paddocking’ the horse. You stay with it from start to finish. You take care of its equipment, get it on the track, and take it off. If you win or get specialed, you follow the horse to the test barn.”

  “Test barn? You mean like drug tests?”

  “Yep. Winners always get tested.” She walked to the driver’s side of the truck as she continued to explain. “Other horses get taken there for special reasons or at random. It’ll all make sense soon. Just stick with me, and I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it.”

  Katie opened the door and settled herself behind the wheel as Seth crawled into the passenger’s seat.

  “I like that you ask questions, Seth.” She stopped talking and snorted a small laugh. “Sorry, I mean Crash. Asking questions shows you care.” Starting the truck, she threw it in gear and steered toward the exit.

  “I doubt you’ll be saying that for too long. You’ll probably get sick of me. Pops used to say I had to know everything. My favorite word as a kid was ‘why.’” The weight of his loss suddenly descended on him. Seth turned his head to stare out the window and watch the scenery drift by without any real interest. He didn’t want her to recognize what he felt, didn’t wish to share his sorrow with her.

  Seth had never had a chance to deal with his father’s passing. At first, he’d been occupied with the funeral arrangements and the paparazzi, and then he had been too busy being transplanted into this new life for the grief to take hold. Now he felt like he was bei
ng smothered by a pillow. He sure as hell didn’t want to cry in front of Katie.

  After a few minutes, Seth regained some composure and turned back to focus on the road ahead of him. He would have to leave his grief behind and get on with playing his part in this ridiculous charade.

  Katie glanced over at him. “I know you’re still hurting, but it’ll get easier. You might not believe it now, but it will. One day, the memories will make you happy, not sad.”

  Seth’s feelings were still too raw, and he reacted before he thought. “What the hell do you know about how I feel?” The words came out much harsher than he intended, and he wished he could take them back. When he finally pushed aside his anger and looked over at Katie to apologize, she didn’t appear the least bit offended by his rude outburst.

  “Trust me, I know. I lost both of my parents when I was six. I didn’t understand it until I was older though. I miss them at the strangest times.” Her face suddenly changed to a half-smile that reached her eyes. Her memory must have been pleasant. “The first time a horse I trained won, I cried like a baby the rest of the night ’cause they weren’t there to share it with me. Then, it dawned on me; they were there, looking down on me. I just know it.”

  He didn’t know what to say in response. You up there, Pops? Mom? Are you both watching over me?

  “I understand, Seth. Really, I do.” She gave a curt nod as if to reaffirm her own conviction.

  “You must think I’m an asshole. I’m sorry.”

  Her sly grin told Seth he was correct—she did think he was an asshole. He’d have to show her otherwise.

  “No need to be sorry.”

  The truck quickly covered the few miles between the track and the farm. Seth had been too angry to take a good look around the first time he’d been there, but now he noticed more than a barn and some corrals.