The Black and Sugar

CH2: Truth

Hope was walking around the room, talking on her phone. She hadn't seen or heard Alec walking through the door, and looked rather agitated on the phone. "What in the world are you talking about? I have the transfer for god's sake! No, I don't have to answer to you, what did you expect, I'd make a barrel horse out of your Arabian?" She ran a hand through her hair as she was quiet for a minute, listening to whoever was on the other side of the line. "You gave me a racing stud and expect me not to race him are you kidding me. Whatever, I'm not having this argument. I'm done," with that, she hung up the phone, groaning to herself.

Only now did she see Alec standing in the doorway, watching her. Automatically, he felt uncomfortable, muttering, "um, I'm sorry I was just checking how you were settling in..." He fumbled with his hands as she looked at him with fire in her eyes, but it wasn't toward him. She only smiled and nodded, lightly chuckling.

"Oh hush, you're fine. I just got off the phone," she said, throwing the phone into the chair. "But you probably heard."

Alec nodded, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him. "Was that about Sugar?" He probably shouldn't have asked, but his curiosity got the best of him. Anyways, it was kind of weird that she would have brought the horse to them when the person she'd gotten him from she'd said was a thoroughbred trainer.

She nodded. "He wants the horse back now that I want to race him. Said he gave me him to run barrels on but you've seen that horse, and you've seen the horses I make. They're polar opposites." Alec understood, the quarter horses she'd pulled out of the trailer truly were different from the stud for numerous reasons. "Now he wants the horse back, says I'm being a liar and a fraud or whatever." She was obviously angry, and frustrated.

He stepped over to her easily. "Don't worry, we saw the papers. He's yours. You don't have to listen to anyone when it comes to your horse." She smiled at him cheerfully. He scoffed lightly, trying to lighten the mood. "Who's this loser anyways?" She rolled her eyes, shaking her head playfully.

"Jerry Volence".

Alec's smile disappeared when he heard the name, and Hope saw his sudden change in expression, and frowned precariously. "What's wrong? Did he do something is he-" Alec grabbed her arm reassuringly.

"No it's fine, it's just his dad is a good friend of mine." A friend was sort of the understatement of the year. Mr. Volence had helped Alec and Henry out so much since they began racing together, even assisting in getting the Black back to Alec when he'd been taken back to Arabia. Alec had heard of his son, but never met him. He figured he would keep that from Henry, it wasn't important, and hoped it would never become a problem.