Capp will be home soon. Liking somebody and being mad at them at the same time hurts. I hope my feelings don’t show when I see him. It’s been a long time.
Bonne nuit, mon ami,
Maizie Sunday Freedman
Chapter 66
Horse Shopping
Capp arrived at the Churchill Downs backside in James’s hired car. While James and Wil slept in, Capp was back at work. He was checking in on the four new claimed horses and making arrangements with Bob for their care and feeding. He was near Bob Hench’s barn when he heard a familiar voice calling his name. A sense of dread engulfed him.
“Capp, Capp, wait up!” Capp turned and saw Tilly, blond and beautiful, wobbling on her high heels as she made her way toward him. “Capp, honey, I need to talk with you.” Tilly approached, out of breath and a bit ruffled from her run.
“What you doin’ here so early? What’d you want? I’m in a hurry.”
Pulling a wad of gum from her mouth she threw it to the side of the lane and waited while she caught her breath. “You are a hard one to catch. Capp, where you been? I been looking everywhere.”
“What do you want, Tilly? I got about two minutes. I’m on my way to Idle Hour. We are checking on Colonel Bradley’s stock.”
“Colonel Bradley? Why, he is famous in the horse racing world. You can afford his horses?”
“Not me. Mr. Glidewell wants the best he can get. Be nothin’ better to him than to have Bradley’s horses. Now what you want?”
“Oh honey, I just had to see you, is all. I have missed you. And with you going back to Missouri soon, I thought maybe we could have a date some night. We haven’t been out since you got back from Arkansas.”
“No, Tilly. No time. I’m workin’. Remember? Besides that, I’m not interested. Our foolin’ is done. Mr. Glidewell don’t like it.”
“Maybe I could come to your hotel and see you there,” she said in a whisper. “I’ve missed you so.” Leaning seductively toward him, she removed the Stetson from his head.
Capp stepped back as she reached to stroke Capp’s blond curls. He turned his head from her. “Give me my hat, Tilly. Now,” he demanded.
She shoved his Stetson into his chest so hard, Capp had to struggle to keep his balance. Men coming and going from barns and bunkhouses stopped to observe the scene playing out in front of them. This wasn’t the first row between the two they’d witnessed.
Capp grabbed his hat and turned to go to the barn. Tilly reached for his shoulder. He pulled from her grip and stood his ground. “Tilly, it’s over. Whatever you think we had, it was nothin’ to me!” Putting his hat back on his head, he proceeded on his way. Tilly ran after him. “Capp, Capp, please!” she cried.
He stopped. “Leave me alone. You’re embarrassing me. I have to check on our new horses.”
“You sure can be a cuss when you want to, Capp!” She stomped her heeled foot for effect, the sound muffled by the looseness of the dirt. “Now what about these new horses? Let me see what you got!” Reaching her hand to her hay colored locks, she guided loose strands away from her eyes and stepped closer to Capp.
Noticing that all eyes were on him, Capp replied in a soft but assertive way, “Tilly, I’m turning to go now. A car will be here soon with my dad and Mr. Glidewell and we are leaving for Lexington. Do you understand? I have to feed my horses. I’m workin’.” Capp turned toward the barn. This time, Tilly did not follow.
When his chores were finished, Capp found Bob in the tack room. Capp needed to make arrangements with Bob to see to the Glidewell horses while he was in Lexington.
“No problem, Kid, and I won’t charge you. It will be my payment for all your hard work.”
Capp secretly wished James was there to hear the compliment. As he left the barn, he saw the Buick coming toward him. Seeing Tilly nearby, talking with her father, he quickly ran to the car.
Hank, the hired driver, rolled down his window and yelled, “Good Morning, Capp. Ready to drive to Lexington?”
“Sure am. Get me out of here,” said Capp as he climbed into the backseat next to Wil, slamming the car door a bit too hard.
“What’s got you in a dither?” Wil asked.
“Nothin’, just anxious to get goin’.”
“I am too,” admitted James. “We need to find high-quality horses before they are all gone.”
“That would be a start. Idle Hour has a great pedigree. Could be the place, but those horses gonna cost a pretty penny.”
“That’s what I’m expecting,” assured James. “Was thinking last night, do we need to hire a jockey trainer?”
“To work with Capp?” asked Wil, removing his Stetson and running his fingers through his thinning hair.
“Just wondering,” said James, not really answering the question.
“I sure have the basics down,” said Capp. “Bob had me working horses every morning, practicing my form. Takes strength, balance, and courage. Everyone said I looked good and had good instincts. You could give me a try to teach others. Maybe I can train Tommy, Alvaro, and Ernesto to ride in a racing saddle. If you aren’t happy, get someone else?”
James smiled. “I’m sure you’ve learned a lot.”
Capp slapped his leg and looked out the window at the green rolling hills dotted with livestock. Appreciating James’s confidence in him, the thought of Tilly was now the furthest thing from his mind. On his mind was showing James all he had learned.
Chapter 67
The Nightmare
Maizie was usually up by seven, dressed by seven fifteen, and on her way to breakfast by seven thirty. On this particular morning, she had slept later, the sun higher off
