Stone Dreaming Woman by Lael R Neill Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Lael R Neill
breeches only minimally damp about the knees. He accepted his customary Blue Willow mug and stirred the usual one-third of a teaspoon of sugar into the steaming tea. He was ready to take his place at the round dining table, but Richard led him into the parlor. They sat in the two leather wing chairs that flanked the fireplace.
“So, what happened out there today?” Richard prompted at length.
“There was a slight…incident with Midnight,” Shane said carefully. He recounted to Richard what had happened. “Fortunately he seems all right, but I definitely can’t ride back to Elk Gap tonight.”
“Of course you must stay here. You know you’re always welcome.”
“I appreciate your hospitality.”
“And if Midnight does come up lame, I’ll drive you to town tomorrow.” After a moment, Richard changed the subject. “But as soon as you’re up to it, I do need a favor.”
“Anything I can do. You know you needn’t ask.”
“Can you go to Thomas Wise Hand and find a saddle horse for Jenny? She told me she was going to go to Josh Barnes, and I certainly don’t want that. There’s also a nice, light saddle in the barn. Hopefully it’ll fit. Otherwise the livery stable will have something appropriate. I don’t care what I have to pay. Just get a dependable, well-broke horse. And keep in mind that Jenny is an expert horsewoman. She’s even ridden in dressage and hunt seat competition, so don’t insult her with a broken-down old nag.”
“I wouldn’t recommend Josh Barnes to my worst enemy. He’d cheat his own mother. If Midnight is all right, I’m going out to North Village tomorrow. I’ll see what I can do. And yes, I could tell Miss Weston knows her way around horses. She…doesn’t know about what happened to me, does she?”
“No. I don’t carry tales out of school. It might go a long way to mend fences if you were to tell her why you haven’t exactly been in top form the last two weeks.”
“I’m fully prepared to apologize to her for Monday. And for today, too, for all that. But I’m not at liberty to discuss what happened to me. It’s still an open case.”
“I’ll smooth things over with her for now. Then perhaps you two can at least tolerate each other.” He left Shane staring into the fire, pondering his idea of Jenny Weston. At first he had thought her only another shallow professional beauty like all the society girls who had spurned him at Royal Dominion University. But there was something about her—call it an air of level-headed competence—that he could not quite put his finger on. Society debutante she might be, but there was more to her than that. She was a mystery, and the police officer in Shane lived to unravel mysteries.
****
Jenny stood before the mirror on the highboy, pulling the last of the tangles out of her wet hair, when Richard knocked on her door.
“Jen, can I have a word with you, please?” he asked.
“Come in, Uncle Richard. I’m decent.” Not only was she decent, she had dressed to kill in a café-au-lait silk blouse trimmed heavily down the front with ecru Alençon lace, and had chosen to adorn the base of the high collar with a diamond-heavy gold filigree bar brooch. Her brown moiré godet skirt had a wide, pointed antebellum waistband that emphasized her tiny waist. She tucked a gold-trimmed tortoiseshell comb into the left side of her hair and another behind her right ear.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse my loose hair. It’s too wet to do anything else with.”
“I’ll excuse that, and gladly.” He sat down on her bed, motioning her to the chair that went with Alix’s desk. “But you look like you’re dressed for Sunday dinner at John’s mansion.”
“I have very few casual clothes,” she replied coolly. “I left my hospital things at home.”
“Well, perhaps Mavis will help you remedy that. However, I actually came here to talk to you about Sergeant Adair.”
“What about him?”
“He’s my friend. He will be
“So, what happened out there today?” Richard prompted at length.
“There was a slight…incident with Midnight,” Shane said carefully. He recounted to Richard what had happened. “Fortunately he seems all right, but I definitely can’t ride back to Elk Gap tonight.”
“Of course you must stay here. You know you’re always welcome.”
“I appreciate your hospitality.”
“And if Midnight does come up lame, I’ll drive you to town tomorrow.” After a moment, Richard changed the subject. “But as soon as you’re up to it, I do need a favor.”
“Anything I can do. You know you needn’t ask.”
“Can you go to Thomas Wise Hand and find a saddle horse for Jenny? She told me she was going to go to Josh Barnes, and I certainly don’t want that. There’s also a nice, light saddle in the barn. Hopefully it’ll fit. Otherwise the livery stable will have something appropriate. I don’t care what I have to pay. Just get a dependable, well-broke horse. And keep in mind that Jenny is an expert horsewoman. She’s even ridden in dressage and hunt seat competition, so don’t insult her with a broken-down old nag.”
“I wouldn’t recommend Josh Barnes to my worst enemy. He’d cheat his own mother. If Midnight is all right, I’m going out to North Village tomorrow. I’ll see what I can do. And yes, I could tell Miss Weston knows her way around horses. She…doesn’t know about what happened to me, does she?”
“No. I don’t carry tales out of school. It might go a long way to mend fences if you were to tell her why you haven’t exactly been in top form the last two weeks.”
“I’m fully prepared to apologize to her for Monday. And for today, too, for all that. But I’m not at liberty to discuss what happened to me. It’s still an open case.”
“I’ll smooth things over with her for now. Then perhaps you two can at least tolerate each other.” He left Shane staring into the fire, pondering his idea of Jenny Weston. At first he had thought her only another shallow professional beauty like all the society girls who had spurned him at Royal Dominion University. But there was something about her—call it an air of level-headed competence—that he could not quite put his finger on. Society debutante she might be, but there was more to her than that. She was a mystery, and the police officer in Shane lived to unravel mysteries.
****
Jenny stood before the mirror on the highboy, pulling the last of the tangles out of her wet hair, when Richard knocked on her door.
“Jen, can I have a word with you, please?” he asked.
“Come in, Uncle Richard. I’m decent.” Not only was she decent, she had dressed to kill in a café-au-lait silk blouse trimmed heavily down the front with ecru Alençon lace, and had chosen to adorn the base of the high collar with a diamond-heavy gold filigree bar brooch. Her brown moiré godet skirt had a wide, pointed antebellum waistband that emphasized her tiny waist. She tucked a gold-trimmed tortoiseshell comb into the left side of her hair and another behind her right ear.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse my loose hair. It’s too wet to do anything else with.”
“I’ll excuse that, and gladly.” He sat down on her bed, motioning her to the chair that went with Alix’s desk. “But you look like you’re dressed for Sunday dinner at John’s mansion.”
“I have very few casual clothes,” she replied coolly. “I left my hospital things at home.”
“Well, perhaps Mavis will help you remedy that. However, I actually came here to talk to you about Sergeant Adair.”
“What about him?”
“He’s my friend. He will be