Chapter 1
“Fine,” I said, looking from Caleb to Elise. “Now I won’t feel guilty about what I’m about to do to you.”
Caleb’s expression changed.
Not because I raised my voice. I didn’t.
Men like Caleb understood shouting. Quiet frightened them more.
Milo remained against my chest, trembling hard enough that I could feel it through my riding jacket. Behind us, the horse had settled inside the stall, but every scrape of a hoof made my grandson grip me tighter.
I handed him to Daniel, one of my oldest bodyguards.
“Stay where he can see me.”
Then I walked toward the two saddles prepared along the grooming wall.
The first was my regular saddle.
The second was the one intended for the Founder’s Ride that afternoon.
I lifted the girth strap.
The leather had been sliced almost through from the underside, leaving enough intact material to look normal until weight and motion finished the job.
Clean cut.
Hidden.
Deliberate.
I looked at Caleb.
“You made that up,” he had said about Milo.
Now he did not repeat it.
Interesting.
Elise folded her arms. “Old leather splits.”
I ran my thumb across the straight incision.
“Leather doesn’t use knives.”
Silence.
Milo whispered from behind me:
“Daddy had the little silver one.”
Caleb closed his eyes.
There it was.
A child’s description.
Not coached.
Not sophisticated.
Exactly what a four-year-old would remember.
A small silver stable knife.
I turned toward Judith.
She stood near the stall divider, pale now that I was looking directly at her.
“You pinned my grandson while Elise pushed him toward a frightened horse.”
Judith swallowed.
“She said he was lying.”
“And if he was?”
No answer.
I stepped closer.
“What kind of lie requires a horse to correct it?”
Judith’s face collapsed.
Good.
Fear had finally reached the right people.
Then the head groom approached the damaged saddle and stared at the strap.
“Boss…”
“What?”
His eyes lifted to mine.
“This wasn’t the saddle you were supposed to mount first.”
I looked toward the second saddle.
“What do you mean?”
He pointed toward the courtyard.
“The safe one was prepared for the photographs.”
Then back to the cut strap.
“This one was supposed to be switched onto your horse before the hill run.”
Caleb went completely still.
May you like
The damaged saddle was not merely meant to fail.
It was meant to fail after everyone had already seen me riding safely.
