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.She took a quick glance to make sure she was alone, then tiptoed back down hall toward his office."I hope I'm not intruding, and you'll probably think this is a crazy question," the blonde said."But I saw a photograph of you and a young woman at Golden's, taken a long time ago.I'm hoping you might remember who she was."Golden's? A photo? Leeanne knew there wasn't any photo of Jimmy taken with her on Golden's Wall of Fame, because Jimmy hated to have his picture taken."I'm not sure what you're referring to," Jimmy said."What was your name again?""I'm sorry.Katherine Whitfield."Katherine Whitfield? The woman J.T.had thrown his bourbon at? Mary Jo had been whining about the incident all morning.What on earth could Katherine Whitfield want from Jimmy?"Could you tell me more about this photo?" Jimmy asked."You and a young woman are sitting at a table.She has long dark hair, parted in the middle.I couldn't see her face.She looks thin, young, maybe nineteen or twenty.The bartender thought her name was Evie.He said you'd know for sure."Leeanne caught her breath at Katherine's question.Evie? She'd never heard him talk about an Evie."I don't know anyone by that name," Jimmy said firmly."In fact, I don't think I'm in any of the photos.You must be mistaken.""Really? Both Zach and Justin seemed quite sure the man was you.""Sometimes pictures can be deceiving.If that's all, Miss Whitfield, I have an appointment."He was nervous, hiding something.Leeanne shivered at the edge in Jimmy's voice.Her boring, bland husband had a secret.An old lover perhaps? She could hardly imagine.And while one part of her angrily wondered if he'd been unfaithful, another part of her was somewhat titillated by the idea of Jimmy having a secret life."What about an Evelyn Jones?" Katherine persisted, obviously unwilling to let Jimmy go yet."Do you remember a woman by that name?"Leeanne crept closer to the door, determined to catch every word."No," Jimmy said."Why are you asking?"Katherine paused so long, Leeanne wondered if she was going to answer the question."I think the woman in the photo might be my mother," Katherine said slowly."You're trying to find your mother?" Jimmy asked."No.I'm -- well, actually I'm looking for my father."Leeanne bit back a gasp at the implication.She'd never have expected this in a million years."I'm not your father," Jimmy said hastily."If you have any such notion.""I didn't mean to imply that.I'm trying to figure out why my mother had so many mementos from Golden's, and I hope that leads me to the truth.I don't know if the woman in the photo with you is even her.The name was close -- Evelyn, Evie.""No.Sorry.I can't help you.""Well, thanks for your time."Leeanne almost forgot to move.But she couldn't let Jimmy or Katherine catch her in the hallway, not after that bombshell.She dashed down the hall and into the ladies' room.It took her a few minutes to catch her breath, to settle her racing heart.Had Jimmy had a lover she didn't know about? Had he fathered a child with someone else -- a child who was now a beautiful grown-up blonde? But if he had, he wouldn't have shirked his responsibilities.He wasn't that kind of man.Unless he hadn't known.Chapter SevenFriday dawned with a clear blue sky, broken only by an occasional puffy white cloud drifting across the perfect landscape.Katherine rolled down the window of the car she'd borrowed from the Inn and inhaled the crisp, country-fresh air.Her meeting with Jimmy Callaway the day before had not gone particularly well, but today was a new day, a new beginning, with all sorts of possibilities.She was going to start by driving out to J.T.'s stud farm and introduce herself to him and his wife.After throwing alcohol in her face, she figured he owed her at least a meeting.But as she saw the sign for Stanton Farms, the impulse to take the next turnoff and see Zach was too strong to resist.Two minutes later she pulled into a loosely graveled lot and parked the car in front of a life-size statue of a jockey wearing burgundy and gold with the letters SF branded on his chest.She stepped out of the car and looked around.To the right there were numerous shade trees and a long narrow path leading to what appeared to be an impressive three-story house.To the left were the barns, a half dozen or so buildings going back as far as the eye could see.And somewhere in that area she could probably find Zach."Can I help you?" a woman asked, stopping in front of Katherine with a friendly smile.Wearing blue jeans, dusty boots, and a burgundy T-shirt with the now familiar SF crest, she was obviously an employee of some sort."I'm looking for Zach Tyler," Katherine replied."He's in the breeding shed.Do you have an appointment?""No, I'm just a friend stopping by to say hello.”"It's the second building on your right.If he's not there, stop in at the office.They can track him down for you.”Before she could move, a trio of horses came flying into view in a nearby pasture.She caught her breath at the sight of a mother and two foals chasing a bird or a butterfly or something that had set them into a run on a beautiful spring morning."Oh, wow," she murmured.The girl beside her laughed."That's Misty and her babies.Actually, only one of the babies is hers.The other one's mother died at childbirth, so Misty adopted the baby."She watched while the two younger horses played under the mare's watchful eyes."They're gorgeous.""That they are.""I've never seen a horse up close before," Katherine confessed with a laugh."You came to the right place then.Get Zach to show you around.We've got some real beauties here.""Thanks, I will." Katherine took one last look at the mare and her babies, then walked down the path toward the breeding shed.Along the way she couldn't help noticing how busy the farm was.There were horses being walked in a ring, others getting hosed down.Workers were pitching hay and filling up water troughs.She was as far from her thirty-second-floor office as she could get."Can I help you?" an older man asked, stopping in front of her to push his baseball cap up higher on his head.He squinted at her with friendly brown eyes that lit up his lined face."I know you.You're that gal who landed herself in a ditch."And she remembered him, the other man in the trailer with Zach."That's me," she said lightly."Well, you look a lot better than the last time I saw you.I'm Sam Jordan.""Katherine Whitfield
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