Julia lounged in her room for the rest of the morning after Daniel had left, trying to put the past twenty-four hours into perspective. When she arrived in Kentucky, she thought it was going to be a short simple visit, see her father, confront her mother for exaggerating, ride her favorite childhood mare, and then bid her family farewell before going home to Boston. Now, she could barely remember her own name, much less how to spell Boston.

She had been forced into accepting her father's legacy by her own promise to a dying man. Turner Stables was her problem now and there was nothing she could do about it. The past few weeks had been far less than a pleasant reunion. She had watched her father turn in to a frail old man before her very eyes, weak and barely able to hold himself up in his wheelchair. She had learned more about horses than she ever knew possible, and she had been attacked and nearly killed, then practically eaten by a python! Okay, she admitted in silent honesty, it hadn't been a python, but it was huge, and it was a snake and she detested reptiles of any size.

The only good thing that had come out of all of this was her meeting Daniel Browning. He was by far, more than an average man. He was a powerhouse specimen of male sexuality, handsome beyond description and the best kisser she had ever known. But there was more to him than that, she felt she could trust him, someone, she could really call a friend, an ally in all this mess and chaos. He had been there to protect her and comfort her during the worse moments of her life. She just couldn’t imagine what her life would have been like, had he not been here when she arrived.

Daniel Browning had managed to arouse her more than she ever knew possible, the stirring of emotions he brought to life within her was new and intriguing. She could barely think beyond him, his wicked, seductive smile, the alluring gleam in his blue-green eyes, together they made her feel weak and strong all in the same instant. She really didn’t care anymore that he was an employee, he had managed to make himself a part of the family with very little effort.

He was always there, laughing and talking, ordering the stable hands to do their jobs with a firm yet gentle hand, keeping everyone’s spirits up during some pretty depressing times. But when it came to her, it seemed all he had to do was wiggle his finger and she would fall into his arms, and what arms they were, too. Strong, secure, slightly dangerous, everything she had longed for when she and Heather would dream together as children.

The afternoon arrived much as it did every day, with lunch served in the dining room and tea on the veranda. Louise advised Jeremy and Julia that Harold Leonard, their father’s attorney would arrive after supper. It was the last thing either wanted to hear much less face. Jeremy’s attitude toward the reading of Victor’s will had not changed since he first arrived home. He was certain he had not been left anything more than some trivial household items, and he didn’t really care about any of it. The bitterness of years gone by still wore heavy in the young man’s heart and as the afternoon progressed, so did his silence.

Julia walked the confines of the house for what seemed like hours, waiting for the eventful night to end. The staff was especially quiet today and the anticipation hung like a thick cloud in the large mansion. Nobody was certain if they would have a job come morning or if they were to suddenly find themselves homeless and, on the road, to somewhere less hospitable. Knowing that so many lives depended on her agreement to her father’s conditions, Julia felt the weight of her acceptance grow, there was no way of backing out now.

Shortly before supper, Julia finally decided to seek out the privacy of the small terrace outside the sitting room and began thinking about the night before. She couldn’t understand how a person could slip into a room full of people and out again without being detected. Someone had to have seen something that didn’t appear to be normal, and if there had been a woman hanging around as her aunt had said, then why didn’t someone speak with her, find out who she was, or why she was there.

Sitting in a chair on the veranda, Julia began to feel the anxiety of the day weighing down on her. She had no idea what her brother would say or do when he learned she was named as co-owner of the stables, which meant he had to be the one to inherit the other half. Jeremy had no intention of returning home and therefore had no reason to want the land, their father knew that. But she made a promise to him, this land was all he knew, it was all they had, and it was a good successful business. Turner Stables was world-renown for their quality horseflesh. Even President Rutherford was a customer of theirs.

The sound of feet shuffling softly against the concrete ground caused Julia to turn with a start. She was half expecting to find the intruder from the previous day sneaking up on her again. Instead, she saw Daniel walking slowly toward her, the expression on his face was intense and serious.

“What’s the matter?” she asked with a frown as he sat in the chair opposite her.

“Why do you ask?”

“Because you look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Is everything alright?”

“Yes,” he said quickly. “I was just worried about where you were.”

“Ah, my noble knight comes to the rescue of the innocent maiden,” she said with a soft blush, lowering her eyes from his intense gaze. “I’ll let you get away with that excuse for now.”

“Wasn’t an excuse,” he assured her with a warm smile. “Simply the truth.”

The warm breeze blew around the small enclosure, bringing with it the scent of the farm, the freshly turned soil for the fields, and the aroma of supper cooking through the open door in the back of the house. It was quiet and pleasant and very relaxing, though she didn’t want to experience it. She found herself hoping Daniel would discover a need to hold her again, kiss her as he had upstairs that morning.

“Who is Harold? I thought you were Father’s lawyer?” she asked a few minutes later, hoping to distract her raging perverted thoughts.

“I was, but I turned his case over to my partner about three years ago,” Daniel answered, shifting slightly in his seat. His nerves were beginning to get the better of him and he was fighting the urge to disclose what he knew of the will before Harold arrived.

“So, you’re not an employee?” The tone of her voice was one of surprise and delight, though he could not understand why it would matter to her.

“No, I’m not. I agreed to help your father after he sold me Roustabout, my stallion. This place reminds me of England.”

“Tell me about your home. Do you have family still there?”

“Yes, two sisters and a brother, along with my mum. My Uncle William took over the family business after my father died and I moved here.”

“Why did you move all the way to Kentucky?”

“Harold is an old friend, his father used to work for mine as his accountant. We developed a friendship that was strong enough that when he moved here after graduating Oxford, I followed. He had a difficult time during the Civil War, but as soon as it was finished, he found he had more work than one man could handle. He asked me to join him and I did.”

“What did you do in England? Did you work for your uncle?”

“No, I had a good thriving practice of my own. Harold and I went to Oxford together and both graduated with our law degrees, but he made Kentucky sound inviting so I sold my share of the practice to my partners and moved across the Atlantic. I have never regretted it.”

“Don’t you miss your family?”

“Yes, quite a bit, especially since my sister, Martha, just had her first child. We are a very close family and we write to each other weekly. I plan on returning for holiday next spring to see my youngest sister married off and to spend time visiting the family.”

“What about your mother, does she still live at home?”

“Yes, she lives there with my sister and my uncle. He is a very good man and taking care of my family is his top priority. He never married and has no children of his own, so mine is a good substitute for him. I think he rather fancies my mum, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were to get married when my sister Anastasia is gone.”

“Your Uncle William, he’s your father’s brother?”

“Yes. My grandparents only had two sons, he and my father, who was the eldest. The ranch was left to my father and my uncle became a magistrate for London. After my father passed away, he took over the ranch.”

“What kind of ranch is it?” Julia felt a need to know as much about this man as she could, though she assured herself it was simply polite conversation.

“It’s a horse ranch, much like what you have here, but nearly twice the size. My father was a Marquis and his family has raised the finest horses in all of Britain for over a hundred years. Noblemen and royalty from all over Europe purchase our horses.”

“So, you’re royalty?” she asked with wide eyes.

“Yes, from birth. Does that bother you?”

“No, I suppose not. Americans don’t hanker up to royals the way they do across the ocean. But with your background, that means you know more about what goes on around here than I do?”

“Yes, on several levels. When your father hired me as his solicitor, we developed an instant friendship. I offered my services and he accepted. I didn’t feel right about retaining him as a client, so I passed him on to Harold.”

“Do you still practice law, or do you just hang out here all the time?”

“You are a curious one, aren’t you?” he teased her with a half-grin. “Yes, I still practice, though I’ve not been able to help much these past few months, with all that has been happening here. With your father being so ill, I wanted to do what I could to make things easier on him and your mum.”

“I know they appreciated all your hard work, my father couldn’t stop praising you when he was trying to brief me on the activities of the ranch. He kept saying that I should trust you, you were here for me to lean on.”

“And you can trust me, you know that, don’t you?”

“I know it now, but at the time I didn’t really want much to do with you. You were an employee and nothing more.”

“But I’m not an employee. Does that mean I can hope for something more rather than nothing?”

Julia blushed a deep scarlet and was about to comment on how only the future could tell what would happen when Jeremy joined them.

“Mother said to come eat before Harold arrives.”

Daniel watched Julia stand and walk past him. His eyes never left her beautiful face as she stopped by the door to the sitting room and smiled back to him, nodding her head for him to follow.

He stood and slowly followed her back into the house. He was not anxious for this night to begin and was regretting ever agreeing to Victor’s insistence that he become half owner of Turner Stables. If he had known for a moment that the man’s children were not what he had described, he would never have allowed such an act to occur.

Victor played on his sense of family, his chivalry and he agreed for the sake of Louise alone. She could not lose her home or her only means of livelihood. He had been led to believe her children were spoiled rotten brats who had no interest in being a family. He knew without a doubt those same children were going to be furious, the friendship they were developing was about to end with a harsh slap from reality.

Right now, he felt the ticking of the clock had suddenly become his enemy, each step was as though he were taking his final walk toward the guillotine and the beautiful Julia was the executioner.

Supper was much less appreciated then it should have been. The steaks were cooked to perfection, the home-style potatoes were as delicious as they ever were, and the fresh corn and biscuits were buttered and eaten, though not really tasted. Nobody seemed to notice if they had eaten the food or oats for the horses.

Dessert was saved for after Harold arrived, though nobody was very interested in eating it. Mrs. Lester had made her blue-ribbon peach cobbler, but only Harold seemed to appreciate the flaky crust and sweet fruit filling.

Once Louise was certain their guest had eaten his fill, she ordered Thompson to serve the coffee in the library, and to gather the servants together. She knew that every one of the household staff had been listed along with the many distant relatives.

Jeremy followed Harold and Louise into the room near the front of the house, while Daniel lingered behind to escort Julia. He was certain there would be no more friendly communication between the two of them, once the will had been read, so it was his last chance to be alone with her. They walked out of the dining room and down the hall in silence, Julia’s hand tucked inside Daniel’s bent elbow.

Without warning, he stopped and pulled her into a cloakroom across from their destination. He pressed her tightly against the back of the closet, his lips capturing hers without a single spoken word. His actions were filled with passion and desire and a desperation Julia couldn’t quite understand. His tongue caressed her soft lips before thrusting into the sweet cavern beyond, teasing and tasting every inch of her. His large hand moved slowly up to her breast, gently massaging it through the thick velvet material of her gown until she moaned softly. At last, he released her lips and smiled down at her, his arms embracing her tightly.

“No matter what the next few minutes bring, don’t forget how this feels, Princess,” he told her in hushed whispers.

She smiled back at him then frowned at the serious gleam in his eyes.

“What’s wrong? What is going to happen?” she asked him softly, but Daniel just shook his head.

“Just remember how you felt in my arms and how desperately I want you back in them.”

He cautiously opened the door, unseen by those who gathered around the library.

Julia walked beside Daniel through the group of servants, to the vacant chairs in front of the desk Victor had used for his work, holding her hand for as long as he possibly could. Harold pulled out the file from his brown leather case and sat down behind the desk. He glanced up at his friend and smiled briefly, then cleared his throat.

"I wish we could skip this," Julia whispered more to herself than anyone around her, but Daniel heard it.

He couldn’t have agreed more. A few short weeks ago, he could only speculate about this moment, but now he dreaded it as much as a convict looked forward to the hangman’s noose.

"Mrs. Turner,” Harold began, clearing his throat. “I’m very sorry for your loss.”

Louise nodded her head silently, then smiled softly.

“Congratulations on your new baby,” she added causing the frown to escape his face for a moment as he smiled proudly.

“Thank you, ma’am,” he said, then cleared his throat and began again. “We come together tonight for the reading of Victor Turner’s last will and testament,” he said in a tone filled with years of training.

He seemed distant as he continued, though his pulse was racing and his palms sweating. He could only await his friend’s reaction to what he was about to say.

"Forget the formalities, Harold,” Jeremy began bitterly. “Just tell us what the old man did." Harold looked to Louise who nodded her approval.

"Yes, alright then, in regard to his many assorted relatives, he has left a cash settlement to each of his two sisters, Margaret and Ellen, and to his brother Ralph, as well as his nine nieces and nephews. Each will receive ten thousand dollars as their inheritance. He has further left his assorted cousins and in-laws five thousand dollars, as well as several close social acquaintances. As for his staff here at the stables, Victor was very appreciative of your service and has requested that if you wish to remain here, your positions will be secure. Furthermore, he left each of his staff a healthy allowance for their service if they do remain, and a gratuity consisting of fifteen thousand dollars each.”

A uniformed gasp sounded outside the room when the staff heard this.

“For Bernard Thompson, he has added an additional fifty thousand dollars for your years of loyalty and his apologies for his temperament over the years. He appreciated your friendship more than he ever told you and he wanted you to know that now.”

“I knew it,” Thompson said with a sniff.

“An account has been set up to take care of the expenses of the stables, with an annual amount being deposited into it from the many business holdings that will continue. They are to be maintained by a private organization set up by Victor himself, with consideration to increased living costs and expenses over the next ten years.” Harold paused and reached for his coffee cup, then took a quick drink to settle his nerves.

“Jeremy and Louise have been given a cash inheritance of five hundred thousand dollars apiece, and a trust of an additional hundred thousand dollars has been established that is to be divided between whatever legitimate heirs Jeremy should produce and awarded to them upon their twenty-first birthdays. Victor knew Jeremy didn’t plan on returning to Kentucky after his graduation, therefore, he has left him the properties he owned in South Carolina and West Virginia. The property Louise inherited in Europe and used as her dowry is reverted back to her ownership, with the condition it is divided between whatever grandchildren there may be, at the time of her death."

Harold paused again, glancing up to the four sitting in front of him.

"As for the stables themselves," he continued, glancing first to Julia, then to Daniel, watching the expression of remorse cross his friend’s eyes.

"He divided the property in half, to be shared equally between Julia and Daniel Browning."

"What?" Julia snapped, without thinking.

Her tone was sharp with surprise and etched with the feeling of treason as she jerked her hand away from the man next to her. She had expected to share the land with her brother, not her hopeful lover.

"May I continue?" Harold asked, looking at Julia with authority.

"You have to believe me, Julia," Daniel began, ignoring his partner, his voice filled with a regretful plea. "I didn't want it this way. Your father felt he owed me. I swear I tried to talk him out of it."

"You knew about this all along and you never told me?"

"I wanted to, but I gave Victor my word. I promised I wouldn't tell you before the will was read."

"You used me. What were you trying to do, seduce the other half of the stables out of me?"

"Damn it, Julia, it wasn't like that. I didn't want your father's property. He convinced me that you would ruin the stables and sell them off as soon as he was dead and buried. He told me all you were concerned with were your parties and your friends in Boston. This land was important to him and he was determined his family be taken care of. I believed him until I met you, I knew he wasn't seeing you for what you were. You're not like that."

"Oh, but I am, Mr. Browning," she snapped, standing up abruptly. "I'll sell this land and go back to Boston the minute I can figure a way out of this mess. I hate this place, I hate Kentucky and I hate the smell of horse shit!"

The staff that had remained to hear the rest of the will stood whispering in the hall outside the room, the echo filled with interest. Thompson cleared his throat and reached for the handles of the double doors, pulling them closed and blocking out the staff from hearing anything further.

"If I may continue?" Harold shouted, bringing a tense order back into the room.

Julia continued to glare at Daniel, who was now eyeing her with the same contempt. Reluctantly the two sat down and remained quiet, so Harold could continue with his task.

"Now then, Victor made several conditions in his will regarding the stables."

"Victor never told me about any conditions," Daniel accused his partner.

"He made it after you turned things over to me. Daniel, I'm sorry about all of this, but he knew you would never agree if he told you."

“Agree to what?” Daniel frowned.

"Get on with it," Julia ordered, her voice still thick with anger and her face red from the heat of it.

"His orders are simple," Harold continued quickly. "Neither of you can sell, trade, or give your half of the stables away. He also made it clear that you cannot, under any circumstances, use them to settle gambling debts or as a gift of charity. It was his intention to keep the stables intact. Along with the horses and land, Julia and Daniel each inherit half of the mansion. How you divide it up, is your problem."

"I don't believe any of this," Julia growled.

"That conniving bastard," Jeremy spit out, standing up from his seat. "I told you, Julia. He just wanted to control your life and you allowed him to do it!"

"Jeremy, be quiet and sit down," Louise scolded him. She looked at each occupant of the room then back to Harold, who was near out of patience.

"Please continue."

“There’s more?” Daniel snapped, his eyes narrowing on the man he called his friend.

"Thank you, Mrs. Turner," he sighed, ignoring Daniel’s intent and angry stare. He knew the worst was yet to come and he drew a deep breath to prepare for it.

"Victor does, however, offer one way out of this situation, at least for you, Julia," he continued, glancing at the man next to her.

His turquoise eyes narrowed, as the frown deepened the creased of his brow.

"The only way you can get rid of your half of the inheritance is to give it to Daniel," Harold told her.

Julia glared at him then turned an accusing eye to Daniel.

"You said it couldn't be given away," Daniel stated, making note of the conditions Victor had made.

"I don't give a damn. Consider it done," Julia grunted, folding her arms across her chest in an attempt to contain the seething anger building up inside her.

"Not so fast," Harold tried to continue.

"I don't want your damn land, Julia,” Daniel argued. “I never wanted it."

"Daniel please, there are conditions attached to her giving it to you." Harold's own tone warned that he was nearing his breaking point.

Once the room returned to silence, he continued his duty, but not until he drained the coffee from his china cup, completely.

"The only way Julia can give you the land is as a wedding present. She has to marry you if she wants to be done with her half of the stables."

"What?" Jeremy snapped, rising from his chair again.

"Never!" Julia growled, standing in front of the desk.

"Calm down, please," Louise pleaded softly.

"Damn it, Harold, why didn't you tell me about this?" Daniel sounded as hysterical and angry, as the woman beside him.

"Don't try and push the blame off on him," Julia snapped, turning her anger back to the man who only minutes ago was holding her in his arms, begging her to remember how it felt. "You knew my father, as well as anybody. If he intended to play this ridiculous joke, you would have known about it from the beginning. I wouldn’t put it past you to talk him into it."

"Don't you dare accuse me of being a party to this," Daniel shouted back. "If you were more of a daughter to the old man, he wouldn't have found the need to make that ridiculous condition. You should have stayed home and acted like a woman of your social standing, instead of running away before you were barely out of diapers."

"You have no right to talk to my sister like that," Jeremy argued, his own anger matching that of his sister's.

"Shut up kid, you're just as much to blame as she is. You rejected everything your father had to offer, including his love. You can't blame me when you've done worse than what I'm being accused of."

"Enough!" Louise shouted, over the angry voices. She glared at each of them in turn. "Sit down and shut up, you too Daniel."

"Mother!" Julia snapped.

"You heard me, sit down, and shut your damn mouths."

Once they did as she demanded, Louise stepped to Harold's side and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Victor didn't intend to cause any problems,” she continued. “He just wanted his children to be happy and his family's land to be cared for. He knew you didn't want to stay here," she said, addressing Jeremy. "That's why he gave you the land in South Carolina and West Virginia. He knew I didn't want to stay here either once he was gone. I couldn't live here, not with so many memories haunting me, that was why he left me the property in Europe. He had no choice but to give you the stables, Julia. He knew you would hate him for it, but this land has been in his family since this country began. He left half the land to Daniel because your father knew he would be able to keep it floating and he felt he owed it to him for everything he'd done for both of us.

"I don't know what possessed him to make those ridiculous conditions, but it's apparent he wanted his children to be cared for. Daniel had no idea what he planned or the depth of his conditions pertaining to the land. He just didn't want you to marry a man who would take your virginity and your money and then leave you like a homeless tart, while he lived it up with some little whore. He trusted Daniel, he told you that himself. He knew there was no way to avoid you wanting to rid yourself of this property. He only did it, because he loved you. He just wanted you to be happy."

An agonizing silence filled the room and Louise fought against the anguish and pain ripping at her soul.

“Don’t blame Harold for any of this,” she told Daniel. “He had to keep quiet, it was his legal duty to Victor. He told him more than once he didn’t like what he was planning, but Victor refused to change his mind.”

Julia and Daniel remained quiet, looking neither at each other nor anything in particular, while Jeremy stood and quietly left the room. Eventually, even Louise and Harold left, allowing Julia and Daniel time alone to deal with all that had just occurred.

Daniel stood and walked toward the veranda doors, before turning to look at the young woman sitting in the chair she had occupied the past several minutes. He could see the pain and frustration on her delicate features and wanted more than ever to pull her to him, to comfort her and offer her some sane solution to this ordeal, but he couldn't do that. Hell, he couldn't even think. He was shocked and full of anger, anger at the old man, anger at himself, even at Julia. He wanted to curse her for not believing him, he wanted to shout at her for accusing him, but the only thing he could do was stare.

She was so beautiful and so innocent and right now she looked lost. Her whole world had just come crashing down around her and neither of them knew how to mend the broken pieces. If only he could bring himself to offer her the only way out her father left for her. He would marry her and cherish her the rest of his days, but he knew she would never allow that. And in all honesty, he didn’t want her like that, not as a bargain. If he couldn’t have her willingly, he didn’t want any of it. It was all or nothing.

Julia, on the other hand, didn't want anything to do with Daniel. He had lied to her, used her, and made her believe he was only interested in her well-being. He had given her a false daydream of hope and love, but now there was nothing left for her but the feeling of despair. She had thought he really cared about her. She had discouraged and rejected so many men in the past that she was beginning to think she would never find anyone whom she would ever truly care for. Then she met him, the British born horse breeder who made her believe in dreams, made her feel hopeful, but it was only a game. What a joke! He had played her for a fool and she had gone along with him willingly.

“I’m very sorry about all of this,” Daniel said softly, receiving only a deadly, cold stare in answer.

Julia stood and left the room, refusing to respond to the man. She had done enough to embarrass herself over the past few days, she refused to add anything more to her disgrace.

Daniel watched her leave the room, drawing a deep breath to steady his nerves. How was he ever going to convince her that he wasn’t responsible for her father’s actions? How was he ever going to make her believe all he had said to her was real?

He looked up at the portrait of Victor Turner above the desk and frowned.

“Why would you do this, Victor?” he asked the silent room. “How could you do this to someone you loved? She’s your daughter and you betrayed her. How is she ever going to forgive either of us?”

Daniel left the room without another glance at the man’s portrait, hoping a good night’s sleep would offer some sense of sanity to this madness his world was just thrown in.