At Long Odds (A Racing Romance) by Hannah Hooton Read Free Book Online Page B

with your parents? Where you have everything you need: a loving family, three meals a day – when you decide to come home, rent-free accommodation and work right outside the front door. Well, I’m sorry if that’s not good enough for you!’
    ‘No, Mum, it’s not like that,’ Ginny said, exasperated. She looked to her father, to see if he understood her and was relieved to see him nodding again.
    ‘Ginny’s not denying she has a loving family, dear. She’s just pointing out that she’s grown up now.’
    ‘She’s only twenty-five!’
    ‘So what, Mum? I’m supposed to have become an adult when I was eighteen! Ray’s younger than me and you don’t seem to have a problem with him living away from home.’
    ‘Ray has Sarah to look after him.’
    Artistic and away with the fairies for most of the time, Sarah was hardly up to looking after herself, let alone Ray, Ginny thought.
    ‘But I don’t need looking after.’ Ginny tried to keep her tone reasoning. ‘I want to be able to live my life without having to check in to make sure it’s all right with you. That’s fine when you’re a teenager, but I’m an adult now.’
    Beth pursed her lips.
    ‘I still don’t see what the problem is. I never knew that caring for one’s children was a crime.’
    Ginny closed her eyes and counted to ten, but her father spoke for her.
    ‘Beth,’ he said with authority. ‘Ginny is her own person. She’s come halfway around the world to do us a favour. She’s old enough to make her own decisions, and if she doesn’t want to live here, then that’s her choice. Not yours and not mine.’
    Beth got to her feet and as she stalked out, threw over her shoulder,
    ‘Don’t forget your food, Virginia. We wouldn’t want you to go hungry now, would we?’
    ‘Dad?’ Ginny said helplessly.
    ‘Don’t worry. She’ll see sense once she’s had a think about it. She’s not completely unreasonable.’
    Ginny hoped so, feeling bolstered by her father’s reassurance.
    ‘Are you okay with me living at Sally G’s?’
    ‘Fine by me. Means I can watch Match of the Day rather than the latest reality TV show.’
    ‘Rubbish. You hate football.’
    ‘So I do. I’ll talk to your mum later. Don’t worry.’
     

Chapter Five
    The arrival of Mark Rushin’s horse, Kenya, was eagerly received a few days later by everyone at Ravenhill Stables. Ginny stood, running a critical eye over the copper-coloured bay filly as the hired lad led her out of the horse box. She was small and pretty and despite her owner playing down her accomplishments – possibly to stop Ginny feeling uncomfortable about not knowing of them – she had had a promising, if a little inconsistent, debut season, winning two races and placing in three others.
    Once she had made sure her new charge was comfortable, and hadn’t suffered any ill effects from her journey, Ginny walked over to the office to phone her owner. He answered his mobile phone on the third ring.
    ‘Rushin,’ he said, in a deep confident voice.
    ‘Hi, Mr Rushin, it’s Ginny Kennedy from Ravenhill Stables.’
    ‘Ginny! Great to hear from you,’ he said, sounding genuinely pleased. ‘And for God’s sake, you don’t need to call me Mr Rushin. Just Mark. Did my nag arrive okay?’
    ‘Yes, she arrived about half an hour ago. She’s a lovely horse. I’m sure we’re going to have a lot of fun with her. Thank you for bringing her to me.’
    ‘Don’t mention it. You should be thanking that cowboy Charlie, if you’re going to thank anyone. Listen, I can’t talk long now, but I’ve got to go away on business for a few days, and I was hoping you – er – might like to continue this conversation over dinner when I get back?’
    Ginny’s heart skipped a beat. It touched her that this successful confident man sounded so unsure about asking her out. At the same time, alarm bells sounded in her head and the oldest of clichés Don’t mix business with pleasure , flashed repeatedly before her