Page 48 of Adam's Rising

Rusty sat back down, then looked at him, eyes narrowed. “What else you got, kid?”

“Well…” Adam gulped down the lump in his throat. “I think I should talk with Clara Mae alone.”

Rusty groused, “Figures,” then stood.

Clara Mae reached out, putting a hand over his, but looked at Adam. “Anything you have to say, you can say in front of Rusty.”

Hmm… Adam thought. He’d been thinking that something was going on with Clara Mae and Brett. This was better.

“Well,” Adam started again, nervous, but he had to stand up for the horses. “I found some things. You knew my father. He trained me… on everything. I’m not just guessing —”

“For Pete’s sake, boy, spit it out!” Clara Mae said.

“The horses are being starved and the supplements are… what is it called? Fake?”

“Placebos?” Clara Mae asked.

“That’s it!” Adam said.

“How do you know this?” Rusty interrupted.

“I know what the supplements smell like. Like I said, my father trained me.”

Clara Mae leaned forward again. “What do you mean theirstarved? The truck comes weekly, the bins are filled.” She looked at Rusty.

He shrugged again. “Per your request, that’s Brett’s area. He asked; you folded. He orders the feed and supplements. Checks them in. Frank feeds the horses.”

Adam pushed back the chair and moved backward toward the door. “Maybe I —”

“Get back here!” Clara Mae said. “You make an accusation like that after two days here, you better back it up! Sit!”

Adam returned to the table but didn’t sit. Instead, he leaned on the table and drilled Clara Mae with a fierce glare. If Rusty was part of this, he didn’t care. He’d say his piece and leave if that’s what they wanted.

“It’s not an accusation,” Adam said calmly. “The supplements — all of them — aren’t real. They’re plain powder of some sort. As for the feed. Someone’s not tossing the old grain, just dumping new bags on top to make the bins look full. Most horses won’t eat the moldy crap, and they can’t speak for themselves, so they just get thinner. The ones that do eat it start looking sickly… or worse. And the reason the barns smell like urine is because Frank hasn’t been mucking them out right. He’s just scraping off the top and throwing down fresh chips.” Adam took a calming breath, then finished with, “The log book shows the correct amount of deliveries, so my guess is that someone cut a deal with the supplier.”

Adam stood in place, waiting for the two of them to throw him out. He didn’t care. He’d use the tainted money, take Bolt with him, and he and Peter would go to Fairbanks if they had to.

Except… Claire.I can’t leave Claire.

Rusty didn’t throw him out. Instead, he looked at Clara Mae. “Told ya that punk was up to something!”

“Hush!” Clara Mae said, sighing. “Damn. This is the last think I need right now.” She ran her hands over her head, then stood.

Adam started to move away from the table again, but Rusty wordlessly directed him to sit down, so he sat.

A minute later, Clara Mae walked back to the table but didn’t sit. “Brett’s outta here. First thing tomorrow. Both him and that good-for-nothing cousin of his.” She pointed to Adam but still spoke to Rusty. “His father was Samuel Belgarde. You met him a few years back — the horse trainer. I tried to hire him umpteen times, but he wouldn’t leave Falcon Run, said Wasilla was getting too citified for him.” She shook her head, looking at the table for a few seconds, then nodded to Rusty. “Teach the kid everything you know. He’s gonna be the new head hand.”

Rusty jumped up so quickly the chair nearly tumbled behind him before he caught it. “Clara Mae!”

Clara Mae narrowed her eyes. “Don’t get fresh with me.”

“But you promised —”

“And I intend to keep that promise. But this boy figured out what was happening in two days. Even better, he wasn’t afraid to tell me.” She scooped an envelope off the island that divided the dining area from the kitchen. She tossed the envelope to Rusty. “Besides, I won, which means I need you in Texas. I don’t owe that S.O.B. one penny or an inch ofmyland.”

Rusty jumped up and ran to her. “And I…”

“You and my baby girl are gonna run it. She’s keeping things going right now.”

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