The broodmares’ barn, with its spac

The broodmares’ barn, with its spacious double stalls, was softly lit and comfortably snug from the heat of the horses’ bodies. It was especially peaceful at this hour, the mares’ snorts and whickerings, the rustling of the straw bedding muted and occasional. Like Jordan’s own children, the new foals, some barely a month old, were almost all asleep, worn out from their day romping in the fields under their dams’ watchful eyes.
Jordan and Travis were standing in front of Allure’s stall, watching the mare and her new foal, who was lying quietly in the straw, inches from her hooves. A protective mother, Allure didn’t leave her colt’s side. And having already foaled five offspring, she was used to the routine of the evening barn check, aware that the humans would depart shortly.
Although the foal’s fuzzy ears twitched, it continued to lie quietly on its side, its spindly legs folded neatly against its belly, its ribs rising and falling with each breath. Jordan wasn’t surprised to see the three-week-old colt dozing so soundly. This morning he’d been tearing around the pasture with all the spirit of his sire.
They had named the colt Grayson. His sire, Stoneleigh, had been a magnificent dapple gray Thoroughbred, their father’s favorite stallion and Rosewood’s top stud for the past twenty-two years. Last spring he’d covered Allure but now he was enjoying a well-earned retirement. They had high hopes for this last of Stoneleigh’s get, and equally high expectations for the foals sired by their new stallion, Nocturne.
They shut and latched the stall door and then moved on to the next stall, where Margot’s own mare, Mystique, and her foal, Cascade, were both on their feet. More curious than Allure, Mystique ambled over to them. Cascade followed, his chestnut ears swiveling back and forth like a radar.
“He’s going to be a real beauty,” she said. “And so big. He’s the largest of the foals, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, he should reach seventeen hands easily. We’ve already had some interest in him—Tim Mitchell came by this afternoon.”
Tim Mitchell … TM.
No, she was not going to indulge her private obsession and wonder whether Tim Mitchell was the mystery man who starred in her stepmother’s diary, the TM who, according to the pages Jordan had read over and over, had changed Nicole’s life. The question of whether Nicole had betrayed their father was always in the back of Jordan’s mind, troubling her to the point where any man between the ages of twenty and sixty-five with the initials TM was a possible suspect.
The only exception was the man standing beside her. Travis Maher belonged to that rare breed of good, honorable men. But the mystery of who TM could have been nagged at Jordan. For some reason she couldn’t let go of her compulsive need to figure out who might have been involved with Nicole. And when in its grip, she would pull out Nicole’s diary from its hiding place in her closet and read it, searching for clues. The diary was loathsome, its existence a dark ugly secret shared among Margot and Travis and her, one none of them wanted revealed to Jade. At times she wanted to throw it away or burn it, but it didn’t feel right to throw away her stepmother’s private writings. And so the bright pink journal with its equally shocking prose sat on a shelf in her closet, buried under a pile of clothes.
“Tim’s a good rider,” she said. Tim Mitchell wouldn’t have been Nicole’s type. Compared to RJ, her father, Tim had the charisma of a doormat.
“Yeah, he’s got a good seat and light hands. And he likes our horses. Cascade might be a good match for him. An additional plus is that Tim would let us train Cascade. But before we draw up a bill of sale, we’ll have to see whether Margot can bear to let this guy go. Colchester and Gulliver were hard enough for her.” He reached out his hand, letting the colt catch his scent before scratching the underside of the foal’s jaw.
She smiled. “It’s funny how Margot’s so disciplined and focused—even driven in some respects, and such a softie.”
“Saying good-bye to any horse you’ve cared for is hard. Gulliver was tough because he was the first horse she met when she came home after your dad died. And Colchester, well, he was so fine, even I had a lump in my throat when we loaded him into the van. All of us will understand if she decides she can’t sell Mystique’s first foal.”
Jordan loved Travis for being sensitive enough to cherish what made Margot special. “She’s going to make a great mother.”
“Margot? Yeah, she will.” There was such love and pride in his voice.
“I hope you two are getting serious about baby-making. My kids need some cousins to play with.”
She never would have thought to see Travis blush, but there it was, two bright flags coloring his lean cheeks, visible even in the subdued light. “We’re working at it,” he said.
“I hope so. As they say, practice makes perfect.”
A slow grin split his face. “I don’t think we can get much more perfect, but I’m always happy to try.” More seriously he continued, “But I don’t want to rush Margot before she’s ready. She’s got her career to think of. The contract for the Dior campaign’s almost up, so she and Damien are booking as many shoots as she can fit into her schedule to create a financial cushion for Rosewood.”
“We’re doing okay with the farm, aren’t we?”
“Better than I’d have thought, given the size of the hole we were in. But every year in the horse business is different. I’ve been mulling over a couple of ideas about how to add to our revenue. A number of horse owners—some die-hard fox hunters and a few who like to compete in local shows—have approached me about the possibility of buying our horses and boarding them here, so I could offer training sessions, perhaps even lessons. I know RJ would never have considered opening up Rosewood this way—”
“But we’re not Dad,” she said firmly. And she was as determined as Margot not to repeat the ruinous mistakes he’d made. “Times change. Rosewood Farm will have to change, as well. So we should definitely consider all the options available to us. But, Travis, won’t offering lessons and training sessions add to your responsibilities tenfold?”
“We’d have to start small, increasing the number of boarders and lessons only once we’re sure they aren’t causing a negative impact on the breeding and training program. But as to the extra work, I wouldn’t mind it. I love what I do. For now, though, this is simply a fallback idea in case we find we can’t get the farm’s finances into the black, or if Margot decides to take a break or even say good-bye to modeling.”
“Well, you can count on my support.” Whatever decision was reached, she knew Travis would never sacrifice the quality of care and training of any horse. “And if I get this interior decorating business running, that’ll bring in money, too—not the kind Margot makes, but at least it will be something to add to the kitty.”
“Speaking of taking on too much, I have a hunch that working for Nonie Harrison won’t be any picnic. She’s got a reputation for putting people who work for her through the wringer.”
“I’m sure she won’t be that bad, though I confess to feeling unusually warm and fuzzy toward her right now,” she said with a smile as she stepped out of the box stall. Travis gave the colt a final scratch on the neck and drew the latch behind them.
“I hope you’re right,” he said, as they walked toward the barn door. As Travis hit the lights, shutting off all but the center row, she stepped outside.
Only a few errant clouds marred the night sky. Tomorrow would probably be as fair as today. When she talked to Nonie in the morning, she’d ask whether she could drop by the cottage with some paint chips so she could look at the colors with the light pouring in through the windows. She was eager to start work. It wasn’t everyone whose first commission entailed putting the finishing touches on such a great renovation project.
The sound of Travis’s boots on the gravel courtyard roused her from her introspection. “The weather’s getting so lovely,” she said, still looking up at the night sky. “I’m going to start serving dinner out on the back porch. Better yet, maybe I should serve dinner for you and Margot out there. You two don’t get enough time to yourselves.”
“Jordan, if there’s anyone who needs private time, it’s you. You do everything for the kids, you run the house for the rest of us, and now you’re starting this business. Don’t you think you need to do something for you alone? Not all guys are like Richard—”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine, Travis. Really. With a few exceptions—you and Ned and the rest of the guys at Rosewood—I’ve decided the male species is vastly overrated. Thanks to Nonie, I now have something far more interesting to think about.”
Jordan lowered her tea mug to the kitchen counter with a loud clank. “You’re saying you’ve changed your mind? You want Owen Gage’s firm to decorate the cottage?” There was no way she could suppress the reed-thin note of disappointment in her voice.
Nonie didn’t seem to notice, answering breezily, “It makes such better sense, Jordan. Owen and I talked after you left and the longer we discussed the pros and cons, the more I realized I’d really rather have Owen’s firm do the interior. With Owen I won’t have to worry about anything going wrong, and everything will come out just as I want. I’m sure you understand how it is. Listen, dear, I must fly, I have a hair appointment. Let’s lunch again soon. And you must come and see the cottage when it’s finished.”
Like hell I will, Jordan retorted. The words went unspoken, though, for the phone clicked on the other end of the line and she was left with dead air.
Anger welled inside her as she slammed the receiver onto its cradle. She could just imagine what Owen Gage had said to change Nonie’s mind.

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Broodmares' gudang, dengan kios ganda yang luas, adalah penerangan lembut dan nyaman nyaman dari panas tubuh kuda. Itu terutama damai jam ini, mares' snorts dan whickerings, gemerisik jerami selimut Mute dan kadang-kadang. Seperti anak-anak sendiri Jordan, anak kuda-baru, beberapa hampir satu bulan tua, yang hampir semua tertidur, aus dari hari mereka gembira-ria di kolom di bawah pengawasan mata waduk-waduk mereka.Jordan dan Travis berdiri di depan Allure di kios, menonton mare yang dan foal nya baru, yang sedang berbaring diam-diam di jerami, inci dari telapak. Ibu pelindung, daya tarik tidak meninggalkan sisi colt nya. Dan sudah memiliki foaled lima keturunan, ia digunakan untuk rutinitas malam gudang cek, menyadari bahwa manusia akan berangkat segera.Meskipun foal kabur telinga twitched, terus berbaring diam-diam pada sisinya, kaki kurus dilipat rapi terhadap perut, tulang rusuk yang naik dan turun dengan setiap napas. Jordan tidak terkejut melihat colt berusia tiga minggu tidur sangat nyenyak. Pagi ini ia telah telah robek di sekitar padang rumput dengan semua semangat sire nya.Mereka telah bernama colt Grayson. Nya sire, Stoneleigh, telah megah keturunan asli abu-abu dapple, ayah mereka favorit stallion dan Rosewood's pejantan atas selama dua puluh dua tahun. Musim semi lalu ia telah menutupi Allure tetapi sekarang ia menikmati pensiun yang sepantasnya. Mereka memiliki harapan tinggi untuk terakhir ini mendapatkan Stoneleigh's, dan harapan yang sama tinggi untuk anak kuda yang diternakan stallion baru mereka, Nocturne.Mereka menutup dan mengunci pintu kios dan kemudian pindah ke warung berikutnya mana Margot sendiri mare, mistik, dan foal nya, Cascade, yang keduanya pada kaki mereka. Lebih aneh daripada Allure, mistik melenggang melalui mereka. Cascade diikuti, telinganya kastanye yang berputar mundur seperti radar."Dia akan menjadi cantik nyata," katanya. "Dan begitu besar. Ia adalah yang terbesar dari anak kuda, bukan?""Ya, dia harus mencapai tujuh belas tangan dengan mudah. Kami sudah punya beberapa minat padanya-Tim Mitchell datang sore ini. "Mitchell tim... TM.Tidak, dia tidak akan menikmati obsesinya pribadi dan bertanya-tanya apakah Mitchell Tim adalah seorang pria misteri yang membintangi ibu tiri buku harian, TM yang, menurut halaman Jordan membacakan berulang-ulang, telah mengubah hidup Nicole. Pertanyaan tentang apakah Nicole telah mengkhianati ayah mereka adalah selalu di belakang pikiran Jordan's, meresahkan dirinya ke titik di mana ada orang antara usia dua puluh dan enam puluh lima dengan inisial TM adalah mungkin curiga.Satu-satunya pengecualian adalah pria yang berdiri di sampingnya. Travis Maher milik langka bahwa laki-laki yang baik dan terhormat. Tapi misteri yang TM bisa telah merengek pada Jordan. Untuk beberapa alasan dia tidak bisa melepaskan kompulsif dia perlu mengetahui yang mungkin telah terlibat dengan Nicole. Dan ketika Anda berada dalam cengkeraman, dia mengeluarkan buku harian Nicole dari tempat persembunyiannya di lemari nya dan membacanya, mencari petunjuk. Buku harian menjijikkan, keberadaannya jelek rahasia gelap dibagi di antara Margot dan Travis dan dia, satu tidak satupun dari mereka ingin diwahyukan kepada Jade. Pada saat dia ingin membuangnya atau membakarnya, tapi itu tidak merasa benar untuk membuang ibu tiri tulisan-tulisan pribadi. Dan jadi jurnal pink cerah dengan prosa yang sama-sama mengejutkan duduk di rak di lemari nya, terkubur di bawah tumpukan pakaian."Tim's pengendara baik," katanya. Tim Mitchell tidak telah Nicole jenis. Dibandingkan dengan RJ, ayahnya, Tim memiliki karisma keset."Ya, dia punya tempat duduk bagus dan ringan tangan. Dan ia suka kuda kami. Cascade mungkin cocok untuknya. Plus tambahan adalah bahwa Tim akan Mari kita melatih Cascade. Tapi sebelum kita menyusun bill of sale, kita harus melihat apakah Margot sanggup untuk membiarkan orang ini pergi. Colchester dan Gulliver adalah cukup sulit baginya." Ia mengulurkan tangan-Nya, membiarkan colt menangkap aroma tubuhnya sebelum menggaruk bawah foal rahang.Dia tersenyum. "It's funny bagaimana Margot jadi disiplin dan terfokus — bahkan didorong dalam beberapa hal, dan softie seperti itu.""Mengucapkan selamat tinggal untuk setiap kuda Anda telah dirawat sulit. Gulliver itu sulit karena ia adalah kuda pertama yang dia bertemu ketika dia datang rumah setelah ayah Anda meninggal. Dan Colchester, baik, ia begitu halus, bahkan saya mempunyai benjolan di tenggorokan saya ketika kami dimuat dia ke dalam van. Kita semua akan mengerti jika dia memutuskan dia tidak bisa menjual Mystique's pertama foal."Jordan mencintai Travis untuk menjadi cukup sensitif untuk menghargai apa yang membuat Margot khusus. "Dia akan membuat seorang ibu yang besar.""Margot? Ya, dia akan." Ada cinta dan kebanggaan dalam suaranya."Saya berharap kalian berdua semakin serius tentang membuat bayi. Anak-anak saya perlu beberapa sepupu untuk bermain dengan."Dia tidak akan pernah berpikir untuk melihat Travis memerah, tetapi ada itu, dua bendera cerah warna pipinya yang ramping, terlihat bahkan dalam cahaya ditundukkan. "Kami sedang bekerja di itu," katanya."Saya berharap begitu. Seperti yang mereka katakan, praktek membuat sempurna."Senyum lambat dibagi wajahnya. "Saya tidak berpikir kita bisa lebih sempurna, tapi aku selalu senang mencoba." Lebih serius lanjutnya, "tapi aku tidak ingin buru-buru Margot sebelum ia siap. Dia telah membuat kariernya untuk memikirkan. Kontrak untuk kampanye Dior's hampir, jadi dia dan Damien Pemesanan sebanyak tunas seperti dia bisa masuk ke dalam jadwal untuk buat bantal keuangan untuk Rosewood.""Kami melakukan Oke dengan peternakan, Bukankah kita?""Lebih baik daripada saya akan berpikir, mengingat ukuran lubang kami berada di. Tetapi setiap tahun dalam bisnis kuda berbeda. Saya telah merenungkan beberapa ide tentang bagaimana untuk menambah pendapatan kami. Beberapa pemilik kuda-beberapa pemburu fox mati-keras dan beberapa yang ingin bersaing dalam menunjukkan lokal — telah mendekati saya tentang kemungkinan untuk membeli kuda dan asrama mereka di sini, jadi saya bisa menawarkan sesi pelatihan, mungkin bahkan pelajaran. Aku tahu RJ akan pernah dianggap membuka Rosewood cara ini — ""Tapi kami tidak ayah," katanya tegas. Dan dia bertekad sebagai Margot untuk tidak mengulangi kesalahan yang menghancurkan dia akan dibuat. "Mengubah kali. Rosewood Farm harus berubah, juga. Jadi kita harus mempertimbangkan semua pilihan yang tersedia bagi kita. Tapi, Travis, tidak menawarkan pelajaran dan sesi latihan menambah tanggung jawab Anda sepuluh kali lipat?""Kita harus memulai dari yang kecil, meningkatkan jumlah penghuni dan pelajaran hanya sekali kami yakin mereka tidak menyebabkan dampak negatif pada pengembangbiakan dan program pelatihan. Tapi untuk pekerjaan tambahan, saya tidak keberatan itu. Aku suka apa yang saya lakukan. Untuk sekarang, meskipun, ini adalah hanya ide mundur dalam kasus kami menemukan kita tidak bisa keuangan di pertanian menjadi hitam, atau jika Margot memutuskan untuk mengambil liburan atau bahkan mengucapkan selamat tinggal kepada pemodelan.""Yah, Anda dapat mengandalkan dukungan saya." Apapun keputusan yang dicapai, dia tahu Travis akan pernah mengorbankan kualitas perawatan dan pelatihan kuda apapun. "Dan jika saya mendapatkan ini menjalankan bisnis dekorasi interior, yang akan membawa uang, juga — tidak Margot jenis membuat, tapi setidaknya akan menjadi sesuatu yang menambah kepada kucing.""Berbicara tentang mengambil terlalu banyak, aku punya firasat bahwa bekerja untuk Nonie Harrison tidak akan piknik apapun. Dia telah mendapat reputasi untuk menempatkan orang-orang yang bekerja untuk dia melalui alat pemeras.""Aku yakin dia tidak akan bahwa buruk, meskipun aku mengaku merasa luar biasa hangat dan fuzzy terhadapnya sekarang," katanya sambil tersenyum ketika ia melangkah keluar dari kotak warung. Travis memberikan colt awal akhir pada leher dan menarik kait di belakang mereka."Saya berharap kau benar," katanya, saat mereka berjalan menuju pintu gudang. Sebagai Travis memukul lampu, mematikan semua tapi baris pusat, ia melangkah di luar.Hanya sedikit awan bandel dirusak langit malam. Besok mungkin akan sebagai adil seperti hari ini. Ketika dia berbicara dengan Nonie di pagi hari, dia akan bertanya apakah ia bisa drop oleh cottage dengan beberapa cat chip sehingga dia bisa melihat warna dengan cahaya yang mengalir melalui jendela. Dia adalah bersemangat untuk memulai pekerjaan. Tidak semua orang komisi yang pertama terkandung menempatkan sentuhan akhir pada proyek renovasi besar tersebut.Suara Travis sepatu bot di halaman kerikil membangunkan nya dari introspeksi nya. "Cuaca yang mendapatkan begitu indah," katanya, masih menatap langit malam. "Aku akan mulai melayani makan malam keluar di Beranda kembali. Lebih baik lagi, mungkin aku harus melayani makan malam untuk Anda dan Margot luar sana. Kalian berdua tidak mendapatkan cukup waktu untuk diri sendiri.""Jordan, jika ada orang yang membutuhkan waktu pribadi, ini adalah Anda. Anda melakukan segalanya untuk anak-anak, Anda menjalankan rumah untuk sisa dari kami, dan sekarang Anda memulai bisnis ini. Tidakkah Anda berpikir Anda perlu melakukan sesuatu untuk Anda sendiri? Tidak semua orang yang seperti Richard — ""Jangan khawatir tentang saya. Aku baik-baik, Travis. Benarkah. Dengan beberapa pengecualian — Anda dan Ned dan sisa orang-orang di Rosewood — aku memutuskan spesies laki-laki sangat berlebihan. Berkat Nonie, saya sekarang memiliki sesuatu yang jauh lebih menarik untuk memikirkan."Jordan menurunkan nya mug teh ke counter dapur dengan dentang keras. "Anda mengatakan Anda telah berubah pikiran? Anda ingin Owen Gage perusahaan untuk menghias pondok?" Ada tidak ada cara yang dia bisa menekan reed-tipis catatan kekecewaan dalam suaranya.Nonie didn’t seem to notice, answering breezily, “It makes such better sense, Jordan. Owen and I talked after you left and the longer we discussed the pros and cons, the more I realized I’d really rather have Owen’s firm do the interior. With Owen I won’t have to worry about anything going wrong, and everything will come out just as I want. I’m sure you understand how it is. Listen, dear, I must fly, I have a hair appointment. Let’s lunch again soon. And you must come and see the cottage when it’s finished.”Like hell I will, Jordan retorted. The words went unspoken, though, for the phone clicked on the other end of the line and she was left with dead air.Anger welled inside her as she slammed the receiver onto its cradle. She could just imagine what Owen Gage had said to change Nonie’s mind.