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time...Actually, I guess I could just have Kurt deliver her to you."
    Liz had conflicting emotions about the idea, and her heart skipped a beat.
    "Okay, that'll be fine. Let me know."
    If she had the chance to talk to him alone, he might act differently...maybe she'd even find out what the argument was about.

8
     
    Eve stuck her head through the tack room door.
    "When you're finished there, come up to the office. I need to talk to you."
    Kurt nodded, then turned his attention back to a set of tangled reins. Yes, Ma'am! He clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to bark a retort that would get him into trouble.
    I wonder what she wants now. He shook his head. Eve was a difficult woman to work for. Hell, any woman is difficult to work for. They throw their weight around, acting like men should agree with them just because they're females.
    Kurt's attitude had gotten him into trouble before, but he'd come by it naturally. His father had immigrated to America as a young man to seek his fortune, bringing a timid new bride with him. Kurt and his three sisters had grown up under their father's ruthless thumb, as the elder DeVallio had struggled to keep his neighborhood grocery store alive in an era of flourishing supermarkets and greater customer mobility. The deep cultural influences of Kurt's old-country upbringing were firmly ingrained and, while some of his opinions reflected his father's, modern times had tempered them somewhat.
    Papa DeVallio had believed that women belonged at home, bearing the children and caring for the men - period. Kurt's overbearing sisters had given him a small insight into what made women tick, but not enough to keep him out of trouble. He still firmly resisted being bossed around by any female.
    Eve was hanging up the phone when Kurt came into the office. She glanced up and pointed to a chair by the desk.
    "We need to talk about the next few shows."
    Kurt bristled, but sat down. He didn't appreciate being told how to manage his show schedule. He'd been showing horses for a long time. Very successfully...until New Mexico.
    He composed himself. "What's up?"
    His boss's expression was one of guarded excitement.
    "I have a buyer for Ebony. Billy Benton has made an offer..." She paused for effect. "A hundred-and-seventy-five thousand."
    Kurt whistled. "Holy Moley!"
    Eve's tone sobered. "But there's a catch. The offer only stands if the horse wins the regional championship in San Francisco."
    Kurt's eyes narrowed into slits. "So? The horse is national material. What's the problem?"
    "You have to win. I need this deal, Kurt. Billy wants to show Ebony at the Nationals himself. I don't have to tell you, a national championship and a major sale would put my breeding program on the map." She looked directly into his eyes, her tone menacing. "I want to be on the map, and it's your responsibility to see that it happens. You owe me."
    Rage billowed inside Kurt's head. These damned rich owners! They think they can buy their wins, get what they want just by snapping their fingers. His gut instinct about the young stallion told him that the horse could win any competition he entered. Kurt just didn't like being told that he had to do it.
    Further infuriated by the prospect of turning over a "made horse" so that someone else could have the glory, Kurt felt like a prisoner. Worse, Eve was right...he did owe her. She'd hired him when no one else would take a chance. Sadness speared his heart. It hadn't always been thus. There'd been a time when he'd been at the top, been in control, a time when.... By habit, he forced himself away from that line of thought.
    Before he had time to say something he'd regret, Eve's voice broke in.
    "If you can pull this off, I'll double your commission on the sale."
    Eve was talking about a lot of money. Enough money to round out a savings account sitting idly in New Mexico. Money he could earn by simply doing what he loved most.
    He stood up, drenching her with his most dazzling