“No word from the surgeon yet. Still hangin’ on by a prayer.” Scott twisted his wedding ring. “She has to pull through. Gina’s my everything.”
For a hot minute, I was jealous that Gina had a spouse whose existence depended on her recovery. Who besides my parents would pace the floor for me had I been critically injured? Then again, every dollar and free minute I could muster went into boarding, riding, and keeping Bay in oats. But at thirty-something, I’d yet to meet anyone who could tempt me from my equestrian lifestyle.
“Parker-sugar, I’m going home for a nap. Please keep me posted.” Jane waddled toward the exit. But before she reached the door, she turned to glare at me. “Gotta take care of all of Parker’s girls, right, Courtney?”
Holy hell! Heat radiated up my neck. What was Jane insinuating? That Parker was having an affair? Certainly, not with me or with Gina, either. I bit my cheek to keep from sassing her.
Parker and Jane had enjoyed a whirlwind romance and married less than a year later. As far as I could tell, their lives were perfect. Why would Jane be jealous?
Just then, Gina’s surgeon, dressed in light blue scrubs and cap, arrived. Mia slipped over to her dad, clinging to his side.
Despite the doctor’s tired smile, Scott’s face drained to a clammy shade of pale. “Your wife’s in the recovery room. She did well. We had to set her arm with pins, and she has two broken ribs, but no signs of spinal injury. Scans showed minimal brain swelling. We’ll keep her for a few days to monitor her, but I’m optimistic.”
“Oh, thank God.” Scott pumped the doctor’s hand like he’d won a blue ribbon at the state championships. “When can I see her?”
“The nurse will escort you back in a bit.” He pulled Scott aside and lowered his voice for a measure of privacy. I pretended to collect my car keys to eavesdrop unnoticed. “Gina has severe contusions across her collarbone and left shoulder.”
“She was horseback riding,” Scott said. “Her horse returned with the reins broken. Spade must’ve spooked and thrown her. Could that have caused her injuries?”
“Doubt it. Probably something thin, like a wire or rope of some sort. Two inches higher and… well, she was very lucky.”
Since the rest of us wouldn’t be allowed to see her with Scott, we all expressed our relief along with get-well-soon sentiments and departed. Knowing my friend would recover, I planned to spend the afternoon working with Bay. I offered to drop Mia at home before returning to the stables since Parker had lessons scheduled all afternoon.
As Mia and I walked to the parking lot, Gina’s cell phone vibrated in my back pocket. In the excitement, I’d forgotten I still had it.
“Hang tight a minute, sweetie.” I dashed back inside the hospital to return the phone to Scott.
While I rode the elevator, a new message flashed in from Gina’s out-of-town sister. Planning to reply with an update on Gina’s condition, I noticed several unread text messages. But her exchange with Parker yesterday caught my eye.
Gina: I need to see you. Privately.
Parker: Meet me at the trail ride’s meadow tomorrow at 7 am.
My gut twisted in the same way it had when I found Gina a crumpled mess this morning. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. A secret tryst? Maybe Jane had been on to something.
Were Gina and Parker having an affair?
I hung onto the phone and returned to the car where Mia was waiting. Getting Mia to talk on the way home was like coaxing Bay to take his medications without the mint paste. Since she was staring out her window, I couldn’t see her face, but she kept wringing her hands.
“You were at school yesterday, right?” I asked.
Mia nodded.
“What was your dad up to?”
“He bought a new horse trailer for this show season.”
“And your stepmom?”
“Some work conference.”
“When did Jane get home?”
“Eight or so last night.”
“Is that normal for her?” I don’t know how much Parker made as the Lowcountry Equestrian Center’s head trainer, but I gathered that Jane, as a corporation lawyer, was the family breadwinner. Jane’s job also meant late hours and travel.
Mia shrugged.
“Was Jane in a sour mood?” Nothing like nine months of pregnancy hormones to fuel jealousy and maybe even plot a little revenge.
“I try to stay out of her way. I’m either in my bedroom studying or at the stables where I can hang out with Dad by himself.”
“Why?”
“Jane made it pretty clear I was a burden. She’d be happier if I weren’t around. Especially once the baby is born.”
“Oh, Mia-sweetie, Jane respects your relationship with your dad. He’s your only living parent.”
“I overheard Jane and Dad arguing the other night. As much she wants me to move out of the house tomorrow, she doesn’t want to pay my college tuition. The weird thing is, she already opened a college savings account for the baby.”
“Don’t give up. I’m sure your dad has been saving for your education. Plus, you can apply for scholarships. And student loans. You could work and save money—”
“I wish Mama were alive, then I wouldn’t have to deal with Jane.” The tear snaking down her cheek almost caused me to drive into the ditch.
Oh, the rotten hand of cards this sweet child had been dealt! This beautiful raven-haired girl, whose dark eyes were strikingly similar to her mother’s, who had lost her mother in a hit-and-run car accident only to be introduced to her replacement less than a year later. And now on track for demotion to second-class kid once her half-brother was born.
“Hang in there, sweetie. I’m always here if you need to talk.” I pulled into the driveway to drop her off. Rather than let her walk into Jane’s territory distraught, I leaned over to hug her. “Your dad is so proud of you, and your mom would’ve been too.”
“Thanks.” She wiped her cheeks before entering the house.
Instead of immediately returning to the stables, I stopped by the tack store to pick up a bag of feed for Bay. Besides, I craved the few extra minutes to sort through the tornado of thoughts swirling in my head.
Gina was an experienced, ribbon-winning rider. She’d never have willingly risked riding Spade through muddy conditions were it not important. Something made her override her caution.
The surgeon suspected her fall hadn’t been an accident, and that it could’ve killed her. Who would want to murder Gina? Was it so-pregnant-she-was-ready-to-pop Jane? Or maybe her alleged lover Parker lured her?
Gina had sent the first text. I had a hard time believing Gina would cheat on Scott, but the text proved she was determined to meet Parker privately. Then again, Scott had Gina’s cell phone this morning. Perhaps he intercepted their text exchange and tried to stop to their rendezvous. Maybe he thought Parker would be riding the trail. Jealousy could cause good people to do dark deeds.
Pushing a wheelbarrow with Bay’s oats up the stable’s central hall toward his stall, I craned to look for Parker, then remembered he was teachi
ng lessons all afternoon.
D’Artagnan’s stall was empty except for a muddy bicycle leaning against the wall. Stuffed behind the water trough was a plastic shopping bag—hardly a safe item to keep near a horse’s stall. But when I grabbed the bag, a receipt for wire and flat head nails slipped out. Purchased yesterday afternoon. And I’d seen loose nails near Gina’s fall.
Oh, sweet Jesus. Spade hadn’t thrown her after all.
In all the chaos of searching for Gina earlier this morning and getting her to the hospital, I’d broken one of my strict personal rules—I’d left Bay in his stall fully tacked with his saddle and bridle on. But that would help me now. After calling 9-1-1, I gave instructions to the stable hand where to send the police. Within minutes I led Bay outside, mounted him, and cantered toward the woods.
But once we entered the trail, I tightened the reins to slow him to a controlled trot. I couldn’t risk him going lame on some divot or root hidden by mud and water. When I approached the place where I’d abandoned my SUV this morning to search on foot, I decelerated Bay to a walk and leaned against his neck, protecting my own.
Bay followed the trail around a bend hidden by a hill. I spotted D’Artagnan standing in the distance while his rider Mia used a hammer to remove a nail from high up a tree. I halted Bay, snapped a photo, and then typed Parker’s number in my cell phone. Then I hit send to place the call.
A ringtone sounded from Mia’s back pocket. She stopped coiling a thin wire still attached to a tree on the opposite side of the trail and glanced back at me.
Busted.
“Mia-sweetie, what were you thinking? You could’ve killed Gina this morning.” I nudged Bay forward with my knees.
Mia’s forehead crinkled beneath her riding helmet. All color drained from her face. “Stop, Courtney. Don’t come any closer!”
“Okay.” Tightening Bay’s reins, we halted a healthy distance away. I couldn’t let Mia bolt. D’Artagnan could beat Bay in a race any day. “You’ve had your dad’s cell phone the whole time, haven’t you? Let me guess, you saw Gina’s text and assumed they were having an affair, so you lured her to the riding trail.”