“She said the same to me. But after Hunter had changed Tenterhooks shoes, he had a prize-winning ride at the arena on Lone Creek Ranch. I saw it with my own eyes. He was in great form. Minutes after that we found Levon dead in the barn. So how do you explain something like that?”
“I can’t,” Jesse said with a shake of his head.
“There was a lot of confusion that day we found Levon,” Kas said. “The horses were restless and Mad Dog broke out of the barn. Not to mention how it shook everyone up when we found Levon.”
“I can only imagine. I know how much it shook up Trip.”
“Tabby as well. She’s known Levon ever since she came to the Loan Creek Ranch. Did your brother happen to do any DNA tests on Tenterhook?”
“He’s still waiting on that one. Why did you ask for a DNA test?”
Kas hesitated for a minute. It was only a hunch, and initial reaction to seeing Tenterhook for the first time.
“Tabby told me on our first meeting that she bought Tenterhook from Levon. She said Levon bought the horse from a Bureau of Land Management auction.”
“Finish your thought.”
“Years ago when we were still competing there was a champion bronc named Silver Moon. Remember him?”
Jesse shook his head. “I was overseas in the military for a while and wasn’t keeping up on things back here on the rodeo circuit.”
“He was a beauty. He had markings that were very distinctive.”
“What are you getting at?”
“When I saw Tenterhook for the first time, he reminded me of that horse. Tabby said Tenterhook was a mustang and Trip and Levon worked to break him when he came to the ranch before Levon eventually sold the horse to Tabby’s father. Silver Moon was a stunning stallion and he was lost in some freak accident. The stud fees for what was left of the sperm they’d managed to capture skyrocketed. There are only a few horses who ended up being bred from his line. Only one of them is on the circuit now.”
“You said Tenterhook was a mustang?”
“That’s what Tabby told me.”
“And we can’t ask Levon. We can ask Trip what he knows about the horse, especially since he was here when Levon purchased Tenterhook, and he trained him.”
“I already did. Levon had the paperwork and gave it all to Tabby’s father when he purchased the horse. Tabby never thought to take it with her when she moved down to the ranch.”
“How is it that you know so much about Silver Moon?”
Kas shrugged. “I was hungry back then. An eager young businessman who was looking to invest while keeping my feet in the rodeo circuit. The deal never materialized because they lost Silver Moon and those who had more to invest than I did back then won the stud fee bids. I’d forgotten about Silver Moon until I came here. Seeing Tenterhook reminded me of how he died and his worth. If, for some reason, Tenterhook was part of Silver Moon’s lineage that would make for one hell of a graduation gift for her father to buy for Tabby.”
“It would also make Tenterhook’s value go up considerably.”
“That’s right.”
“That gives motive for sabotage. But why would someone want to sabotage that horse?” Jesse thought a moment and then turned to Kas. “Let’s keep this to ourselves until I can talk to some people. There’s no way to check Tenterhook’s parentage without getting someone who has Silver Moon’s DNA report to compare to Tenterhook’s.”
Kas smiled. “I had a copy of it in my office in New York and had it couriered to Sean when I asked him to check Tenterhook’s DNA. When I was interested in buying into Silver Moon’s lineage, I ordered a copy. It’s standard practice when buying into a horse line.”
“I’ll get with Sean then and see if that DNA sample has come back from the lab. Have you told Tabby about this?”
He shook his head. “There’s nothing to tell until we know something for sure. She’s spooked enough about everything that has gone on this far.”
“Better stay quiet until we have something concrete.”
Sweet Montana Sky: Chapter Eight
They’d been avoiding talking about the inevitable. Kas’s parents had left for Arizona already. Tabby had had the chance to meet them briefly. But she didn’t see a point in trying to forge a relationship with them if Kas would be leaving too.
One night after they’d had dinner alone in her apartment, they sat on the porch wrapped in a blanket and looked up at the stars.
“When are you going back?” she finally asked.
They both knew this wasn’t an endless vacation for Kas. It was just hard to admit it aloud.
“I’ve been able to do a lot of business without ever stepping foot inside my office.” He chuckled. “Which doesn’t make me feel all that great. I like to think my employees actually need me.”
“I’m sure they do. But you’ll go back eventually?”
“That’s the plan. It was anyway.”
“Was?”
“Things change. Life changes. I’d forgotten how much I loved Sweet. How much I love looking at this big sky and seeing stars. You don’t get that in New York.”
“I suppose you don’t. The stars here aren’t like they were in Missoula either. I don’t know why.”
“As a kid I was itching to get out and rodeo all the time. I couldn’t stand being stuck here. And when I was told I couldn’t ride bulls anymore, the last place I wanted to come back to was Sweet. So I packed up and headed to a place where there was nothing to remind me of Sweet or rodeoing or what I couldn’t do.”
“But you always
