Heat Wave (Riders Up) Read Online Free PDF

runaway attempt.
    That smile tore at
Maggie’s heart. Did he really think she was pretty?
    “You may be getting
in way over your head,” he cautioned. “Hell, maybe me, too. But I’m willing to
try. Of course, I don’t have much to lose. If you’re going to be in this
business, it’s important to know something about all elements of the game. In
the long run, you may not want to take on the track responsibilities of a
trainer. There are a lot ways to play the game.
    “We do need to
clear up one matter.” Harrington sighed and dropped his gaze. “You know I can’t
take your horses to the track. Can’t help you out there.”
    Maggie nodded. “I
know about the ban, Ed. That doesn’t have anything to do with me. You’ve been
vouched for. That’s enough. There are likely a lot of bridges yet to cross. Let’s
take them one at a time.”
    “I’m all for that,
Maggie.” Harrington lifted his cup in salute.
    That was the first
time he’d called her Maggie. It sounded too familiar, yet they had to be on a
first name basis if they were going to work together as a team. She took a
short breath, excited about actually beginning to put in place her plan to save
the farm. Her nerves tingled at the prospect.
    Or,
perhaps they were responding to the man who pronounced Maggie in a
gravelly voice that oozed intimacy.
     
    “I had no idea this
room had so much junk in it,” Maggie complained, wiping her brow with the back
of her hand. She glanced over at Flo Zimmerman, who was filling a box with odds
and ends Maggie had set out for her. “I so much appreciate you coming out to
help on such short notice. I can’t believe Harrington is starting work
tomorrow. It’s going to happen.”
    “It all sounds so
scary.” Flo wrapped a tarnished softball trophy in newspaper and tucked it into
a large cardboard box. “I know you’ve done a lot research on this horse business
and you’ve set aside CDs for the kids’ college, but what about yourself? You
could lose everything.”
    “They claim
horseracing is one of Iowa’s fastest growing agribusinesses. Racing purses have
been growing steadily, ever since they opened that casino at the track to
support them. People are making it. And some aren’t. That’s the nature of
business. Hell, that’s the nature of living off the land.” Maggie took the
quilt off the bed and started removing the blankets and sheets.
    “I imagine you’re
right. Maggie, if anyone can do it, you can. You’ve always had more
determination and grit than any two people.”
    Maggie stuffed the
quilt in a chest of drawers. Would determination and grit be enough? Although
the half million life insurance settlement sounded like a lot of money, it wasn’t.
And it was all she had. She’d have to be extremely prudent.
    “It’ll work. Once
all the pieces are in place. It’s got to be more realistic than dairy. I can’t
make enough money at hogs. And there’s not enough land to survive only with
cash crops. Besides,” she said, grinning at her friend, “this is an adventure
of sorts.”
    “Adventure? We had enough
of those when we were kids.”
    Maggie shook her
head. “I loved Mason, but sometimes he was so conservative. We should’ve tried
other things with the farm years ago.”
    “I was always so
jealous of you and Mason.” Flo stared at her and then looked away. “It seemed
like you were the ideal couple. You had each other. You had kids. What else
would anyone want?”
    Maggie folded her
arms across her chest and leaned against the dresser. “Maybe spark. Maybe
challenge. Maybe adventure. I can’t explain it, Flo, but lately I keep
remembering that young girl on top of a horse racing across the pasture.”
    “I remember.” Flo
nodded. “You and Betsy Cunningham used to be best of friends, and you’d ride
your horses like you were glued to them. I’d come by now and then and watch. I
miss Betsy.”
    “Yeah, I get a
Christmas card each year. She and her husband seem to enjoy