Picture Of Perfection. Kristin Gabriel

      The heat burned her cheeks. “Herman, please.”

      Her godfather chuckled as he turned to Carter. “It’s my goal to make her blush at least once a day. I hear it’s good for the complexion.”

      “I need to go make that phone call,” Gillian said, eager to escape before Herman embarrassed her any further.

      Herman liked to tease her, but he didn’t usually do it in front of strange men. She couldn’t help but notice Carter had avoided answering his question about her so-called perfection.

      Gillian retreated to her bedroom suite, the walls plastered with her paintings. Most of them were of horses, although she had tried one of Herman and Marie a few years ago. It wasn’t very good and led to her decision to stop trying to paint people. She just couldn’t seem to capture them as well as she did horses.

      Gillian found the message Herman had left on her desk and stared at the name and number scribbled in his bold, distinct handwriting. It was amazing how this simple phone call might change her entire life. She’d learned early that life was a series of sudden twists and turns, often leading in an unexpected direction.

      Like the fire that had killed her parents.

      She’d gone to bed that night the beloved daughter of Mark and Cara Cameron, then found herself orphaned before dawn the next morning.

      It was all so long ago. That’s why she didn’t understand why she’d been having these nightmares lately. She hoped her upcoming gallery exhibit would keep her too busy to worry about the past. Her nightmares had become so disturbing, she’d even thought about contacting a hypnotherapist. Yet, she couldn’t quite bring herself to do it. Some part of her was still hoping these nightmares would go away on their own.

      As she sat down at her desk and picked up the cordless phone, she wondered what Herman and Carter were talking about. Hopefully, Herman wasn’t bragging about her as he had a tendency to do. That might drive Carter right out the door and she wanted the chance to tell him goodbye.

      What she really wanted was for him to ask her out on a date.

      “First things first,” Gillian murmured to herself.

      Daydreaming about the sexy hunk downstairs wouldn’t get her any closer to her dream of a gallery exhibit. She just had to dial the number and let fate lead her the rest of the way.

      Herman led Carter into the sunny kitchen, where the savory aroma of chili filled the air.

      “What’s your pleasure?” Herman asked him as he opened the refrigerator. “I’ve got some good Mexican beer or do you prefer something stronger?”

      “Beer is fine,” Carter replied, glancing around the room. Faded linoleum covered the floors and a small table and chairs stood in the center of the room. He could smell the aroma of cilantro in the air and his mouth watered. Carter liked to cook, but didn’t find much time to do it during racing season.

      Herman pulled two frosty bottles of beer out of the refrigerator and handed one of them to Carter. Then he took a seat at the table. “Pull up a chair and make yourself comfortable. Gillian will be a while. That Castello guy never stops talking.”

      It occurred to Carter that he didn’t need to stay until Gillian returned. He just needed to get Herman’s permission to take a blood sample from Picture of Perfection and he could be on his way.

      On the other hand, he wasn’t in a hurry. He had looked over the Quest horses this morning and would do so again tonight. They all seemed to be in good shape and ready to be put through their paces tomorrow.

      Carter sat down and took a long sip of his beer, savoring the way it washed down the back of his throat.

      “Hope you don’t mind waiting for her in the kitchen,” Herman said. “This is where I spend most of my time. My Marie always wanted me to entertain guests in the parlor, but that’s much too fussy for an old cowboy like me. Now that she’s gone, I just bring folks here. Seems more homey, don’t you think?”

      Carter agreed, hoping the informal atmosphere would make the man agreeable to his request. He took another sip of his beer, wondering how best to broach the subject of a blood test.

      “You’re a veterinarian, aren’t you?” Herman asked him. “I think that’s what Gillian told me.”

      “That’s right. I work for Quest Stables in Woodford County, Kentucky.”

      Herman nodded. “They raise some mighty fine horses there. Do you suppose they’d mind my asking you for a second opinion? I’m sure they only hire the best. I’m willing to pay of course.”

      Carter leaned forward, sensing an opening. “I’m always happy to offer advice. Is this about a horse?”

      Herman shook his head. “No, my dog, Ranger. He’s a border collie and he’s come up kinda lame these last few weeks. My old vet retired to Florida last Christmas. I’m just not sure this new vet we hired knows what’s really wrong with him.”

      “What’s he told you?

      “That it’s probably a muscle strain and it just needs time to heal. The only thing is that Ranger doesn’t seem to be getting any better.”

      “I can look at him now, if you want.”

      Herman chuckled. “Well, the thing is, he’s not so bad that he can’t wander off. I haven’t seen Ranger in a while. He’s probably out chasing rabbits, though he certainly can’t run fast enough to catch them.”

      Carter could see that Herman cared about his dog, just as the Prestons cared about all the horses at Quest. His respect for the man was growing by the minute.

      “Did your vet do any lab work on him?” Carter asked him. Maybe instead of taking money for his opinion, Herman would agree to let him have a vial of Picture of Perfection’s blood. A barter that would satisfy both of them.

      “Nope. I’ll show you what I’ve got.” Herman slid off his stool and disappeared from the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later with a thin file folder in his hand. “Here’s Ranger’s health records from the day he was born.”

      Carter took the file from him and scanned the pages inside.

      “It all looks fairly normal.”

      “That’s good I suppose.” He tipped his beer bottle up and drained it. With a satisfied sigh, he set the empty bottle on the table. “Are you ready for another round?”

      “Not quite yet.” Carter wasn’t certain he could keep up with the man. He watched Herman retrieve another beer from the refrigerator, then waited until he sat back down to broach the subject that had brought him here today.

      “I’m hoping you might be able to do a favor for me.”

      Herman reached for the bottle opener. “Name it.”

      “I assume you’ve heard about the problem with Leopold’s Legacy?”

      Herman nodded. “A real shame. That horse had Triple Crown winner written all over him. Any idea what happened there?”

      Carter shook his head. “We’re still trying to figure it out. Despite all the rumors, there was no fraud involved. Somehow, Leopold’s Legacy was sired by another stallion. We just don’t know which one or how it happened. If we don’t figure it out soon, all the other horses majority-owned by Quest will be banned from racing.”

      Herman furrowed his brow. “And you think I can help in some way?”

      Carter sucked in a deep breath. “I knew you could help as soon as I saw that portrait of Picture of Perfection at the silent auction. He looks like the identical twin of Leopold’s Legacy.”

      Herman was silent and Carter gave him time to soak in the information.

      “I think it’s very possible,” Carter said at last, “that the same stallion