On the Hunt

“I might have exaggerated a little,” Fiona said quickly. “But I could see how upset you were, Belson, and so was Harlan. And you know I hate it when Harlan goes after Taylor or one of his men.” She shook her head. “Anything could have happened.”

“But it didn’t,” Kira interceded. She stared down at Belson. “And I’m glad you didn’t interfere with my dealings with Harlan. I told you from the beginning that’s not what I wanted.”

“Yes, you did. Though I have to admit that I was right behind Harlan when he became concerned and went after you that night.” He shrugged. “There’d be an international incident if anything happened to him. And when you’re around him, you have to be prepared for that frequently.”

“But I probably won’t be around him all that often.” Kira was stroking Domino’s neck. “I’m just here for the next few days so that I can get a good look at Fiona’s beautiful horses. Particularly this lovely boy. They’re truly magnificent, aren’t they?” She gazed at the sleekness of the chestnut Harlan was mounting beside the fountain in the courtyard. He was handling the spirited horse with effortless skill and appeared every bit as competent as Fiona. Absolutely faultless technique, Kira thought as she watched him ride around the stables and trot over a nearby hill with Mack in tow. She had noticed that Fiona was an amazing horsewoman, but she had expected that when she heard about the Olympic medals. She had not anticipated the care and love Fiona had shown the horses this morning. It had even reminded Kira of a few horse whisperers she had run across during her career. She’d displayed so much affection and persuasiveness, it had been almost mesmerizing. Not only for her horse, Golden Boy, but for all the other horses in the stable. Kira was beginning to look at this teenager in an entirely different way. “But then it appears the entire stable is filled with gorgeous horses,” Kira said. “Is it a family affair?”

Belson shook his head. “Not as much as Harlan would like. He tries to get out here if he gets the chance when he’s on the property. But he almost always has a lab project he’s working on or a conference he has to conduct.”

“Or a bloodthirsty Joseph Taylor to go after?” Kira murmured.

“I’d say you were very fortunate he decided to do that, Kira,” Belson said. “Just my opinion, of course. By the way, should you really be up and riding today? Harlan noticed that he’d inherited Mack and a message from Fiona saying that he should take care of him for the day while she conducted important business with Kira. I’m supposed to report back to Harlan if you’ve been cleared by the doctor yet. He wants to be very sure he got the message right.”

“Early this morning,” she said curtly. “Fiona took care of dragging me to see Dr. Sazar in his quarters before she brought me here to the stables. You can tell Harlan it wasn’t my choice. She didn’t want me to be distracted by Mack, and she was very determined.”

“She usually is. And Harlan didn’t mind taking over Mack’s care, but he wanted it to be for a valid reason. Now I can assure him that it is, and I do like to spread good tidings.” Belson smiled at Fiona. “And I agree that your horses are splendid and well worth our Kira’s attention.”

“I told her they were.” Fiona’s eyes were glittering with excitement. “Now go away, Belson, so that we can get in a run on the marsh before breakfast. I’m trying to convince Kira that the black stallion she’s riding would make a wonderful first equine subject for Summer Island. I’d let her use my palomino here, but I just can’t give Golden Boy up right now. I have plans to take him to the next Olympics.”

“I should have known.” Belson chuckled. “Good luck to you, Kira.” He tipped his hat to her. “I think I’d better go tell Harlan what Fiona is up to now.”

“But Harlan would approve,” Fiona called impatiently after him. “He gave me these horses. We picked most of them out together!”

“It’s still going to be no,” Kira told Fiona. “I’m not quite ready for those experiments yet. Look, it’s not that I don’t like working with horses. I’ve dealt extensively with them in the past. I just want to make sure I’m ready before I make any mistakes with your property.” She was still stroking Domino’s neck. The black stallion was absolutely beautiful, with a single white blaze on his forehead. “But he’s superb, isn’t he?”

Fiona nodded eagerly. “And terribly smart and fast. He can leap over practically any barrier you set before him. Why don’t you just stick around and try him for a little while longer? Then I’ll let you try a few more of my horses before you go back home to Summer Island.”

“That’s not practical. I have other work to do with Mack. I can’t just start to concentrate on a new species without in-depth research.”

“Then work harder. I’ll help you.”

“Not now, okay? I don’t have to tell you how much is going on right now.”

“I won’t give up,” Fiona said. “It’s important. You said that Mack saves lives. Maybe these horses can save lives, too. We should at least try to give them their chance. Right?”

“It would seem that we should,” Kira admitted. “I’ll think about it. But your Harlan might not approve.” She held up her hand to halt the protests she could see were coming. “Give me some time to consider the options.”

The young girl obviously wasn’t happy. But she sighed and shrugged. “Okay, I suppose. I guess that means we go for a run in the marsh after all?”

Kira nodded. “That plan has a much better chance for approval than the one you’ve been trying to sell me all morning. Unless you can come up with a more compelling way to present it. Show me the way!”

She was laughing as she watched Fiona bolting out of the courtyard on her palomino. Kira raced out over the marsh after her, realizing how intensely exciting it was to let this particular horse have its head. It was almost magical, and she could feel the tempo and the speed with the wind tearing at her hair and face as she followed Fiona.

It was like being with Mack and yet… different. All the joy was still very much there. She bent over Domino’s neck as they ran over the green earth. She could feel the soft-hardness of the moist ground and then the rocks scarring the trail all around them as they moved in and out of the trees…

“I told you,” Fiona shouted, now behind her. “Isn’t it wonderful? Don’t you want it to go on forever?”

“Yes, blast it! Your Domino is fantastic.” She glanced at her over her shoulder. “But that can’t change what I have to do with my own career.”

“No, but I bet my horse can change your mind. Did I tell you there are rumors Domino was born in the Egyptian desert? And there were stories that his forebearers were almost always sold to the sons of pharaohs?”

“You know you didn’t. What difference does it make? He’s just a great horse. You’re lucky to have him. Now be quiet and let me enjoy the ride!”

Fiona was chuckling. “Just giving you all the details so that you can appreciate him more.”

“Duly noted,” Kira said as she nudged Domino to greater speed. “But I’ll appreciate him even more if I can make him race a bit faster. I want to see if I can get him to run as fast as Mack does. Then I’ll know he’s a true champion.”

“And you’ll consider taking him to Summer Island for training?”