Chapter Nine
Grace
––––––––
I was so excited that I couldn’t even sit still in my car as I drove slightly faster than was legal toward the ranch. I loved horses! Business-wise, it wasn’t smart for Gaston and Felicia to acquire a new horse when they didn’t plan to open for the season, but it probably took time to train them properly. Whatever, I was excited!
This time, I dressed appropriately, going home after work to put on sneakers and jeans so I didn’t have to mind my step everywhere I walked.
After my mishap in the Mississippi River, I had a little cold the next day, but otherwise I was fine. I didn’t tell my parents about the incident—why worry them? A small scratch that was healing on my arm was the only reminder of last weekend, as well as my new phone.
I thought about Zachary and how he heroically dove in to save me and how big of a deal that really was. I should’ve done something for him, but it took a while to get new identification and credit cards, since all my stuff was in a bag somewhere at the bottom of all that water. If I ever saw him again, I’d offer to buy him dinner. It was the least I could do.
I arrived a bit earlier than Gaston suggested, but I was far too excited. I hoped it wouldn’t bother them. After parking, I noticed Gaston out in the paddock with a gorgeous pitch-black horse. I wondered if it was the new one.
He gestured for me to join him, and I practically broke into a run. It was a good thing it wasn’t very sunny today; it meant we could stay out here for longer because it wouldn’t be hot.
I looked up at the sky. Hmmm... It wasn’t just not sunny. It was dark enough that I feared a storm would follow. Had they announced bad weather on the radio and I missed it? Oh, who cared? I could get my fix with the animals before it started to rain.
“This is the new horse?” I asked.
“Yes, this is Starlight,” he announced proudly.
“He’s beautiful. Can I pat him?”
“Let’s try. He’s a bit shy but didn’t have a problem with me and Felicia.”
I stepped closer, waiting for a sign from Starlight that he was uncomfortable, but I didn’t get any. I gently put my hand on his mane. “Hi, Starlight. Nice to meet you.”
“He’s going to make a great addition. We don’t have many black horses.”
“Is there a reason for that?”
“Some kids are afraid of them. But when I saw Starlight, I knew we needed him. If I’ve learned one thing over the years, it’s that you buy horses when you find them. You don’t start to search for one when you need it.”
The rest of the horses kept circling Starlight but didn’t get too close. Gaston seemed to know what I was thinking, because he explained, “They’ll accept him before long. It’s only his second day.”
“He’s got his own feeding space in the barn?”
“For now, yes. When he’s ready, he’ll eat with the rest. By the way, Zachary should arrive soon.”
My entire body stood to attention as I whipped my head toward Gaston, taking a deep breath. “He’s joining us?”
“Yes. Didn’t I mention that?”
“No.” I mentally reviewed my appearance. I didn’t look my best, but he’d seen me soaking wet. This was progress.
I was suddenly on edge. My stomach constricted, and my breath came out a bit labored. I didn’t know how things were between us. Confusing, that was for sure.
“I don’t like these clouds,” Gaston said. “It’s gonna start pouring. I’m betting we’re in for a storm.”
“They didn’t say anything about it on the radio that I’d heard.” But I was never listening to the weather channel.
“I don’t trust the weather forecast any more than I trust economists making forecasts. Neither of them ever get it right.”
I started to laugh. “Gaston, you’re onto something.”
I focused on Starlight while I was still processing that Zachary was going to join us. The horse seemed to sense that I was getting antsy, because he leaned into my touch. I pressed my forehead against his. “You’re going to do great.”
“There he is,” Gaston called.
And just like that, not even Starlight’s touch could calm my body’s response. My heartbeat accelerated, and all my muscles somehow locked up. I took in deep breaths, my palms already getting a bit sweaty.
“Sorry I’m late,” Zachary said.
Why was even his voice attractive? The man was such a complete package. I was appreciative of what he’d done for me after the river incident. I wasn’t discounting the fact that that could’ve gone way wrong and I’d be dead. Yet I wasn’t ready to totally let my guard down either. I had been fooled once before and hurt badly in the end. I wasn’t saying the two men were similar, but I still needed to be cautious.
Finally, I turned around to face him. He was watching me with a twinkle in his eye and a half smile. He didn’t seem surprised that I was here. Had Gaston told him?
“Hi, Grace.” He stopped a few feet in front of me, checking me out. He didn’t linger, though I felt as if he’d just undressed me with his gaze. What was that about?
“Hey. This is Starlight. Isn’t he great?”
He looked at the horse as if this was the first time he was seeing him even though I’d been standing right next to him the whole time.
“I like him,” Zachary said. He did a whole circle around him, looking but not touching.
“You can get closer,” Gaston said. “He’s docile.”
“That means he won’t need as much time in training, right?” Zachary asked.
Gaston shrugged. “I’m not judging that until I’ve seen how the first training session goes.”
Thunder rumbled across the sky. I winced. Starlight took a few steps back but then immediately relaxed.
Gaston looked up. “What did I tell you? That weatherman. I don’t know why they still keep them around.”
“I’m sure the clouds will pass,” Zachary said nonchalantly.
Gaston snorted. “I’ve been out here on the bayou for a long time. Clouds like that don’t just pass. They pour and pour until everything’s soaked.”
“Should we get the horses inside, then?” I asked, wondering what Starlight would think of a cold rain and more thunder.
“Yes,” Gaston replied.
Zachary came up next to me, patting Starlight’s mane as well. I felt myself breaking out in a sweat even though I was certain the temperature had actually cooled off a bit since I arrived. When our arms accidentally touched, I felt even hotter. Yeah, a cold shower wouldn’t be bad... even if it came in the form of rain.
“I’ll call Felicia, and she and I will take the horses in.” He eyed the two of us. “Actually, how comfortable are you two herding horses?”
“I can lead Starlight in,” I said.
“That’ll work,” Gaston said. “Zachary, you could take two.”
I liked seeing Gaston in action. He was confident but led with a soft authority, which I always preferred.
“I can take two as well,” I offered.
“Let’s not stress Starlight too much. He isn’t used to the group yet.”
“I’ll take good care of him.” He was right about that.
Gaston was leading four horses himself. I looked back and noticed the others were simply following us. That was interesting.
Starlight leaned into me more with each round of thunder, seeking comfort. I patted him, whispering quietly, “It’s okay, Starlight. Just a thunderstorm.” I was certain he’d lived through quite a few in his lifetime, but this being a new place, it was probably unsettling for him.
Once we got the horses inside, the thunder intensified, then we heard the unmistakable sound of rain hitting the roof. Tap, tap, tap, tap.
“As I said, that weatherman should be fired,” Gaston grumbled.
Zachary started to laugh, looking at me conspiratorially before we brought each horse to their place. I liked how Gaston spoke as if there was just one universal weatherman.
“All right. We’ll just leave them all in here,” Gaston said.
“Should we feed them?” I asked.
He put his hands on his hips. “I’m going to bring some hay later on. Was supposed to do it earlier and forgot, and I don’t have enough to feed all of them.”
I wanted to spend some more time in here. I wasn’t ready for whatever came next, which surely included more time with Zachary... and without horses between us as a buffer.
“Right, you two. I’ll give you blankets for cover, and we can make a run to the house. Felicia started cooking some hearty stew this morning. We’d love to have you both for dinner.”
“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” I said. “Although, we could talk more shop,” I corrected myself, realizing that this was as good as an opportunity as any.
“I’m good with stew,” Zachary said. He was looking at me with amusement in his eyes. Why? Even more perplexing was my body’s reaction. It was practically simmering.
Oh Lord .
Gaston gave us each a huge blanket. I wasn’t certain it was really necessary—until he opened the door. My God, it was pouring.
“We’ll get wet anyway,” I said.
“We’ll manage. We’ve had worse,” Zachary added. He glanced at me again, and this time I did start laughing. The memory of us in that river wasn’t something I was going to forget anytime soon.
The main house was quite a distance away, and the ground was already damp. We were sloshing around with every step. Even though the day had been hot, the rain was icy. I decided on the spot that I didn’t like cold rain, and it did not equal a cold shower.
The second we stepped inside the house, I used a blanket to dry myself and caught Zachary’s eye. He swallowed hard, his eyes fixated on a point below my neck.
I looked down at myself. I was wearing a bra without padding, and my nipples had decided to perk up and say hi. I tried to cover myself with the blanket as much as possible, but I was simmering yet again despite being utterly cold on the outside. I didn’t dare meet Zachary’s eyes.
“You should lose that blanket. It’s only going to make you feel colder.”
He was right, of course. I dropped the blanket in the same spot Gaston and Zachary had left theirs, then crossed my arms over my chest.
When I heard Zachary take a sharp intake of breath, I risked a glance at him. He was fixating on something again, but what could it be? Certainly not my boobs—I was covering those. Whatever it was, his pupils had dilated. The urge to be closer to him hit me like a ton of bricks.
“Oh, there you are. You made it. You don’t even look that bad. I was afraid that rain soaked you. Grace, darling, do you want a blow-dryer?”
“That would be great,” I replied. I could also use it on my shirt.
“I have one right there in the bathroom.” She pointed to a small wooden door, and I immediately darted toward it, taking a deep breath as I stepped inside, closing the door behind me.
The blow-dryer was on a shelf above the sink. Grabbing it, I looked at myself in the full-length mirror on the door. I actually wasn’t that wet. My shirt was only soaked because my wet hair was on it and lying over my breasts. The bottoms of my jeans were soaked, too, but other than that, I was good.
I plugged in the dryer, putting it on the hottest setting. I missed having my product with me because my hair was going to look insanely frizzy, but it didn’t matter. Tonight was about finding out what Gaston and Felicia wanted and what they expected from a partner— not about looking my best or impressing Zachary. I would be eternally grateful to him for what he did and making sure I got home okay and was safe. But right now, I had to keep my head in the game.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, I noticed that the house smelled absolutely amazing. I remembered where the kitchen was from the tour last time I was here. The three of them were gathered in there.
“There you are,” Felicia said. “The stew is waiting in the slow cooker.”
“It’s still early, woman,” Gaston said, and I realized it was only six o’clock. “No one has to eat now except the horses. I need to take the pallet out and feed them.”
“I’ll do that,” Zachary said at the same time I exclaimed, “I want to feed them.”
Gaston clapped his hands. “Perfect. Then I can help Felicia finish dinner faster. What do I have to do, darling?”
“I’ll throw a salad together. Bring some pickles and other veggies. Maybe you can whip up an appetizer,” she suggested.
Gaston jerked his head back. I barely managed to stifle laughter. Clearly he’d expected something along the lines of “Oh, there’s nothing for you to do.”
“Grace and I will take care of the horses while you do that,” Zachary said.
Huh, that twinkle was back. What exactly did this man have in mind?
Our kiss flashed in my head. My entire body vibrated at the thought of repeating it. But that was highly unlikely, wasn’t it? Then again, so was our first one. Sometimes I still wondered if it had really happened.
“All right, I’ll bring you two raincoats,” Gaston said.
“Will they fit us?” I asked.
“Yes. They’re one size fits all. We have quite a few for our guests, since the weather can be unpredictable. It’s much better than a towel or an umbrella. Just your face gets wet.”
Gaston led us to one of the seminar rooms and opened a closet. It was full of coats. Zachary and I each grabbed one and put them on. Mine was a bit too big, but it would do. I pulled the hood up and was ready to go.
Gaston took us out through the back door. “You can take this one,” he told me, pointing to a small haystack. “Zachary, if you grab one of the big ones, that’ll be enough for tonight’s feed.
“All right,” Zachary said.
He bent down and easily lifted the stack. Yummm . I couldn’t see his body properly, but I could imagine his muscles were stretched taut right now.
“You can break into a run, Grace. I’ll catch up.” Zachary said.
“Oh. You don’t mind?”
“Not at all. I’m going to be slower with this.”
“I’ll wait for you at the stables, then.”
I ran through the rain, my face freezing after only a few steps. Holy crap. I was breathing hard by the time I arrived at the stable.
“Hey, horses,” I greeted. “Hi, Starlight.” I pulled at the string under my chin and lowered the hood so he’d recognize me. “We’re here with dinner.”
Zachary came in only a minute or so later.
“You were fast,” I said.
“Glad I made it. Couldn’t even see what was right in front of me.”
That’s right, he couldn’t shield his face, since he was carrying the heavy pallet. As soon as he sat it on the wooden table next to the door, I became acutely aware of the fact that we were completely alone. He lowered his hood too.
“They have a feeding dock for all of them. I noticed it earlier.”
“I did too.”
“I’m going to feed Starlight separately,” I said, reaching for the hay, intending to take a few handfuls, but Zachary caught my wrists with both hands.
I sucked in a breath.
“Grace.”
God, he sounded exactly like he did when we kissed.
“Hmm?” I asked noncommittally.
“Let’s talk first.”
My ears started to ring a bit. I realized it was because my pulse had quickened.
“About what?”
“The ranch, the kiss—your pick, but we need to talk.”