Winning Ways Read Online Free PDF Page B

the building against the evergreens on the mountain behind it. A garden area, stone benches, gazebo, and large deck filled one entire side of the property.
    She drove past the front, and pulled in next to a late-model Corvette parked beside a new Lincoln Navigator. A luxury six-horse trailer sat alongside the barn. That cost an easy fifty-grand. The traditional New England style barn was gorgeous, complete with cupola and antique weathervane. Behind the building, white-fenced pastures spread in every direction.
    Walking along the stepping stone path to the front door, Liz promised herself she wouldn't leave that farm without Eve's business.
    Before she could lift the knocker, a small, shapely woman in her mid-fifties opened the door. Eve Aliqua was every inch Irish: vibrant green eyes, a ruddy complexion sprinkled with tiny freckles, and flaming red hair pulled back in a ponytail.
    She smiled and gestured toward the living room. In person, her accent was more noticeable.
     "I made some iced tea. I'll be right back."
    Liz examined the surroundings while she waited. Spacious rooms were illuminated by floor-to-ceiling picture windows, providing a panoramic view of the surrounding foothills and valleys, the mountains standing guard on the horizon. Lustrous oak beams and paneling glowed in the reflection of carefully designed lighting in each area. Comfortable, unpretentious leather sofas and chairs huddled around a tile-topped Spanish-style coffee table.
    Eve certainly had money, but from where? Selling horses? Surely not. More likely an inheritance or a lucrative divorce. A moment later, Eve returned with a tray.
    Liz wasted no time in offering her a business card.
    "I'm in the process of setting up my equine practice. Are you a client of Doc Sams?"
    Eve rolled her eyes and shook her head. "When he can work me in. I usually have to get the vets to come over from Cameron Park. Not for emergencies, of course. It's too far." She looked at the card. "But now that you're available, I can call you."
    Liz beamed, her stomach doing a somersault. This isn't so hard.
    Eve moved to a glass-fronted barrister's bookcase by the fireplace, and pulled out a thick notebook.
    "You can look through the pedigree book, see if anything matches up with your breeding program."
    "Eve, I feel really peculiar calling you out of the blue, like this."
    "Oh, that's all right. I will say, it rather threw me when you mentioned Marilyn. We've had some problems in the past, and I wondered just what she'd thrown my way this time."
    Liz paged through the binder, bewitched by the extraordinary bloodlines. Any horse that had ever been anything was included in the first three generations of every pedigree. She could barely contain her excitement. What a gene pool! Here's a chance to bring some outstanding blood into my herd, if I can just afford it...
    Eve's lightly clipped words penetrated Liz's thoughts.
    "We can go up to the barn whenever you're ready. I think the grooms have everyone cleaned up."
    As they walked across the gravel toward the impressive building, Eve apologized.
    "I'm not very good at showing off the horses to prospective buyers, and I can't demonstrate their riding or driving capabilities. But if you see something you like, perhaps you could come back when the trainer is here."
    Liz's stomach fluttered with anticipation of seeing the mares that matched those incredible pedigrees.
     
    The interior of the barn was finished in solid oak, smooth and lustrous. Liz looked down the length of the immaculate aisle. When the lights came on, inquisitive faces appeared over stall doors, and Liz didn't breathe for a moment. The heads were exquisite, as Arabian heads should be. She walked slowly down the aisle, stopping at each stall for a closer look, understanding that they were some of the finest horses she'd ever seen. Her heart sank. I'll never be able to afford any of these mares.
    Eve opened a stall door. "This mare is a Polish-Russian cross. You can