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I can see that Ruby is smitten with this horse. That’s the thing with her, she’s so goddamned enthusiastic. Makes you want to fall in love with her just to get a little bit of that enthusiasm coming your way.

I leave Ruby and Attila to their business in Henry Meyer’s office and I head back to the cafeteria because the truth is, I’m starved.

This time, I notice a lot of people looking me over. Like I don’t belong here in their little world. I don’t suppose I do belong, but I’m hungry as hell. I go over to the counter, to the redheaded woman who was fawning over Attila. I order a burger but the woman’s less chatty now that I’m alone. I think a lot of women figure that since I’m a big guy, I’ve got big appetites. In everything. And particularly in women. Females either come on to me like crazy or just ignore me completely. The redhead seems to be falling in the latter category. If she’d talked to me, I might have tried to sound her out, get a feeling for what kind of gossip is circulating about the jockey. But, like I said, she’s not paying me no never mind.

I get a burger, a Coke, and a coffee and I’m just getting ready to bite into the burger when a young woman catches my eye. She has a broad, freckled face and a wild mane of blond hair. She’s not overtly beautiful but something about her gets my attention. I assume she’s some sort of rider since she’s wearing horsey boots and has a smudge of dirt on her face. I study her high round ass as she selects a box of cornflakes and a juice, pays for these, then goes to sit at a table directly across from mine. I keep an eye on her as I down my burger and Coke. I watch her inhale her food in a few seconds flat, after which she sits looking forlorn, like she’s deliberating about a second box of cornflakes but probably has to keep her weight down for riding. I have an urge to talk to her but I shouldn’t. My wife may be a nutjob and maybe we’re close to over, but still.

I am completely taken aback when, as I walk by the girl’s table, she parts her lips slightly, smiles, and says, “Hi.”

I guess I probably do a double take because her smile starts turning into an outright laugh.

“Hi,” I say back.

“I’ve never seen you before,” the girl states.

“Uh…” I stutter.

“Who you work for?”

“I don’t,” I say, gathering myself. “I mean, I don’t work at the track.”

“Oh?” She lifts her little blondish red eyebrows and I swear to God, I’ve never seen anyone look so cute lifting their eyebrows.

“I’m spending the day with a friend, he’s a rider,” I explain.

This warrants another “Oh?” and another hike of the eyebrows.

“Maybe I’ll see you around,” I say abruptly. I then hustle my ass out of there before I land in ten kinds of trouble.

I walk back to Henry Meyer’s barn as quickly as possible. I keep my head down for fear the girl will somehow materialize in front of me. I finally slow down as I reach Henry’s shedrow. As I look ahead to the barn aisle, I get a little confused. There’s a person upside down. It takes me a minute to realize it’s just Ruby, doing some of that yoga she does. Though why on earth she’d do a headstand on a patch of cold dirt in thirty-five degree weather, I’m not sure. The jockey is standing nearby, watching, and Jack Valentine, the horse, has his head hanging out over his stall guard, looking with interest at this instance of human folly.

“Hi, Sal,” Ruby calls out.

“You’re gonna get your head dirty,” I say.

“No no, I’ve got a little rub rag down there,” she tells me and now I notice that she’s put some sort of fabric there under her head.

“May I ask why the hell you’re standing on your head?”

“I was getting a headache,” she says.

“Oh.”

“We should get going,” she adds as she starts slowly lowering her legs.

“Yeah,” I say, “I know.”

Ruby is facing up again now. She gets to her feet and swats at her hair a little.

“Feel better?” the jockey asks her.

“Yeah, I think I do,” Ruby smiles.

I ask Attila if he noticed anything suspicious while I was gone and of course he claims he hasn’t, but I don’t trust the guy to be honest. Jockeys,