Harnessed Passions Read Online Free Page B

across his pale,
round cheeks, but it did nothing to warm his guilty soul.
    It must be around lunch time which meant
Margie was setting his meal on the table for him just about now. He
sure didn’t relish the idea of going home drunk and hoped the walk
would help sober him up enough to feign illness and go to bed for a
few hours. As much as he hated lying to her, he hated the situation
Turner had placed him in more.
    The only good thing about this day was
Daniel's absence. He had gone to Graves County on business and
fortunately, he wouldn't return until the day after tomorrow. No
doubt, he'd be back out at the old man’s stables come Saturday
morning as always, but Harold knew Turner wouldn't say anything
about his plans. He was determined to keep his transaction a secret
until his death. Good God! If Daniel knew, or even suspected what
the old man had done, he would be furious beyond words! The whole
idea was insane, even if it was legal. If only Daniel hadn't turned
the man over to him, Harold growled again, staggering in the
direction of home.
    Walking was very difficult since he could
barely feel the street beneath his feet, but he managed to move
forward without stumbling and falling even once. Harold prayed he
could walk off enough of the alcohol’s effects to appear semi
normal, before he confronted Margie. If he thought being locked in
a room with the mighty Turners all morning was rough, just wait
until his wife, now six months pregnant, got a whiff of the whiskey
on his breath. Hell had no fury, like the wife of a drunken
lawyer.

    The air was warm, and the wind blew gently
across the tall wild grass of the open meadows. Daniel sat on the
back of his steed, Roustabout, looking out over the land and
watching nearly a hundred horses as they grazed the thick green
fields.
    He loved this place and had always felt
content here, ever since he first set foot on this property. It was
as though he were one with the vast contentment of the land. Daniel
untied the ribbon restraining his hair back from his face, allowing
the longer-than-style strands to blow freely in the breeze. He
unbuttoned his frock coat and slipped it off his shoulders, laying
it across his horse’s hind quarters. He knew he shouldn't have worn
such a heavy garment, but the mornings were cooler this week, than
last. At least the afternoon held the warmth he had always longed
for.
    Daniel smiled at the peaceful contentment
that surrounded him, unaware of what the future held in store. He
knew only a portion of what Victor Turner had planned, yet it was
far more than he felt he deserved, and regardless of his constant
arguing with the old man, he just wouldn't listen to reason. Daniel
knew Victor's children would be furious when they learned their
father had left him half the stables. He was certain there would be
a fight on his hands, but it had been Victor’s wishes and he would
never go against a dying man’s last request.
    Sighing deeply, he leaned back in the saddle
and tipped his face toward the sun. He loved the dry warmer climate
of Kentucky compared to his home country of England. Though it
rained, it was never as wet or cold as London. It was an inviting
land and he had spent five years building a strong relationship
with the property owner. He thought of him more as a father than a
friend or client; a thought even Louise felt content with. Though
he knew the will had already drawn up, he couldn’t seem to get his
mind off the heirs to the fortune or what their reactions would be
when they learned they would be sharing the stables with a complete
stranger.
    Victor often spoke of his
two children, Julia and Jeremy. Julia, he said, was pampered beyond
the point of reason, yet she would always be his angel. He
described her briefly as being ornery and hot
headed saying she had a bite as deadly as a
scorpion and a tongue as sharp as a whip. There was a definite
gentleness about the way he spoke of his daughter; a sparkle in his
eye when his