Chapter 7
Sweet, merciful heavens.
Laughter died in my throat. Adam was dripping wet. Rivulets of water ran down his face and forearms. He tossed his baseball cap aside and his mouth flattened to a grim line as he peeled his black tee shirt over his head. My jaw flapped open as I took in the sight of his tautly muscled torso, stripped bare and glistening. He pressed the shirt to his face—
Belle chose that exact moment to decide she was ready for me. She stepped between us, snuffling the brush in my hand, blocking my view of the most beautiful abdomen on this floating green rock. I bent over and peered at Adam from beneath her belly just in time to see him pull the shirt on over his head. Sighing, I straightened.
“Rude,” I muttered. “You couldn’t wait thirty more seconds?”
She blinked her big brown eyes at me expectantly.
I shook my head. “It’s a good thing you’re so pretty.”
I started at her neck with small, vigorous circles. Clouds of dust and loose hair formed in the wake. Belle was well cared for and groomed regularly, so I focused more on her reactions than worrying about cleanliness. She had a ticklish spot on her belly, but loved when I dug in hard on her flank.
“Hey.”
I glanced up and found that Ben had joined us by the fence. “Hey,” I said.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Can I help?”
I hesitated. It was a sweet offer, but I really wanted this time to learn Belle. Still, something in his face made me change my mind. He looked like he expected me to say no. Like he was bracing for it. I knew the feeling. Growing up at Blue Skies as a child, I had always been underfoot. Some of the staff let me know it, but some, like Walter, had shown me kindness. I wanted to be like Walter.
“Here’s what we’re doing. Belle is brand new to me. I don’t know her yet. So I need you to pay attention. Tell me where she’s ticklish, if she has any sore spots, what she likes. You think you can do that?”He straightened. “I can do that.”
I beamed. “Great. I’ll do her left side, you do her right. Grab a curry comb.”
We got to work. I started from her neck again. There was much less dust and hair this time around, but I figured a second round wouldn’t hurt her. More likely, she’d enjoy all the attention.
My gaze strayed to Adam as I lifted Belle’s cream-colored mane and rubbed her neck. He walked the fence perimeter slowly, checking for damage, occasionally stopping to tie a red ribbon where repairs were needed. I checked a sigh as he spun his ballcap backwards and bent at the waist to examine the middle rail, looking like a goddamn Levi’s ad the way his ass filled out those jeans.
Ben’s movements mirrored mine as we moved from Belle’s neck to her withers and then along her shoulder to her belly. When Ben remarked, “She’s ticklish here,” at the exact point I had found on this side of her belly, I knew I had made the right decision. The kid was observant and careful.
Another peek at Adam. He was closer now. I never saw him look directly at us, but I had the feeling he was paying attention.
We reached her flank at the same time, both of us stretching on our toes to reach, and grinned at each other as Belle let out a deep sigh of contentment.
“She likes it!” Ben exclaimed, sounding as delighted as if someone had just handed him a gigantic bowl of chocolate ice cream.
“I think you’re right,” I agreed.
I was aware of Adam approaching us with slow, deliberate movements, coming from an angle where Belle had a clear view of him, so as not to startle her. He dropped his work bag near Devil, who gave it a nonchalant sniff before returning his attention to the tasty clover.
“Everything okay here?” he asked. He dusted his hands against his thighs, his brow furrowed as he split a glance between us.
Ben looked up at his dad with bright, wide blue eyes, giving me a glimpse of what Adam might look like without the scowl. “I think Belle likes me, Dad.”
Adam didn’t smile, but his entire demeanor softened when he looked at his son. The deep creases in his forehead smoothed, his lips reversed their downward tilt, and the rigid line of his shoulders relaxed.
“Of course she does,” he said. “She’s a smart girl.”
It was obvious that beneath the gruff exterior, the man had a Ben-shaped soft spot.
“I’m heading back to the barn,” Adam said. “You want to ride with me?”
“I want to stay with Belle,” Ben said. “And James,” he added, but it was clear I was an afterthought. Horses came first. I grinned. Oh, I liked this kid.
Adam looked at me. It was the same expression Ben had worn when he had asked if he could help. Eyebrows raised in question, the clench of his jaw bracing for disappointment. I had the feeling he would take the rejection harder than his kid.
“I could use the help. You want to introduce me to the other horses when we’re done here?” I asked Ben.
His eyes lit up. “Yes!”
“Great.”
Adam stepped closer, pretending he was focused on untangling a knot in Belle’s mane, but using the opportunity to lean in and ask quietly, “You sure you don’t mind babysitting?”
Babysitting? I glanced at Ben. Did eleven-year-olds need a babysitter? An alarm clanged in my brain. Don’t let them treat you like a girl, my dad always warned me. They won’t respect you. To my dad, watching a kid—like baking cookies—was definitely a girl job. I had feelings about “girl” jobs being a thing at all, and even stronger feelings about “girl” jobs being less valuable, but I also wanted Adam to take me seriously. I was a horse trainer, not a babysitter. Nothing wrong with being a babysitter, but that wasn’t what they were paying me for.
“Does Ben need a babysitter at the barn?” I asked carefully.
Adam blinked, like the question had caught him off guard. His brow furrowed.
“I don’t need a babysitter,” Ben piped up, because of course he heard the whole thing. “Dad said last summer that I’m old enough to be responsible. The rule is I can’t go past the ranch sign alone and I have to text him every two hours so he knows I’m alive, and I have to be at the big house for lunch at one.”
“What happens if you don’t text?” I asked, curious. Ben didn’t strike me as a rule-breaker.
Ben’s blue eyes widened. “I don’t know,” he said, confirming my suspicions.
“I come find you,” Adam growled.
Heat scalded my cheeks. Even though the words weren’t for me, they sent wholly inappropriate shivers down my spine. If this man ever came looking for me all grumpy and growly like that, I’m not sure I would mind being caught.
I turned away so he wouldn’t see me blush, hiding behind my hair and sunglasses. “Well, there you go. I’m not babysitting. Ben is helping out.”
Ben beamed.
“All right,” Adam said after a pause. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, glanced at it, and lifted his chin to Ben. “It’s 9:47 now. Set your alarm so you text on time.”
“Okay, Dad.”
I watched him do it, half tempted to set my own alarm, just in case, but thought better of it. I wasn’t his unpaid babysitter, and I damn sure wasn’t going to let anyone think it was okay to treat me like one.
Adam looked at me. “Essie Price has a two-year-old she’s looking to start. She’s bringing him by around two-thirty today. If she likes us, she’ll leave him here for the next month. You want this one, or should I pass it to Blaine?”
Essie Price was a star on the rodeo circuit, nearly unbeatable at the barrel race. No way was I going to pass up this opportunity. A grin split my face from ear to ear. “Hell yes, I want it.”
I had always been told my enthusiasm was contagious, but Adam didn’t seem in any danger of catching it. He nodded without even a hint of excitement. “Meet me at the ring at two, then.”
He swung a leg over Devil and settled into the saddle with effortless grace. I had spent my life around cowboys. A man on a horse was nothing new to me. But hot damn, there was something about the way Adam sat so tall and easy, his brow furrowed as he stared down at me, that made my belly quiver.
“Don’t be late,” he said, and I blinked.
Excuse me? I had never been late for anything in my life. Hadn’t I gotten to work an hour before him this morning? He had no reason to think I’d be anything but punctual. He just wanted to put me in my place.
I scowled at his retreating back as he trotted back toward the barn. No doubt about it, the hot cowboy was also kind of a jerk.
Ben kept his word, texting his dad on time without any prodding from me. At lunchtime, he headed back to the big house, and I took the opportunity to run back to my cabin, grab some lunch of my own, and change my clothes. At precisely 1:58, I was back at the training ring in jeans and my pink riding boots.
Adam was already there, along with Blaine and Jesse. A third man, who looked vaguely familiar, joined them at the rail. When Adam saw me approach, he waved me over and made the introductions.
“Steven came on six months ago. Spent the last seven years bronc riding on the rodeo circuit.”
Ah. That’s where I’d seen his face.
He grinned. “Thought it might be a nice change of pace to ride horses that didn’t aim to kill me.”
I laughed. “And how’s that working out for you?”
“I think I found my true calling.” He braced his forearms on the rail, tipped his hat back with his thumb and let his gaze linger on me in a way I didn’t appreciate. “I like the feisty ones. The ones that put up a good fight before I break them. It makes the ride that much sweeter.” His eyes dragged over my hips.
I nearly rolled my eyes straight out the back of my head at his innuendo. Subtle, dude. Real subtle. “You must have had a good time with Belle, then.” My eyes were wide and innocent, because if he’d been even a little successful with her, I wouldn’t be standing here now.
Blaine let out a hoot of laughter, earning an elbow to the ribs from Steven.
“Well…she didn’t buck him off.” Adam looked as scowly as ever, but there was a glimmer in his eyes that on another man I might have called amusement. “She stood rigid as a mountain, no matter how hard he dug his heels into her side. And then she dropped and rolled. He had to bail so she wouldn’t break his leg.”
That’s my girl.
The crunch of tires on gravel made us all jerk to attention. A moment later, a cherry red SUV towing a horse trailer pulled into the driveway. Essie Price jumped out, followed by a slightly older woman who I figured was her sister. She looked enough like Essie to be related, minus the pierced nose, a sapphire blue streak in her hair, and bright red lipstick that matched the truck.
“Hey, y’all,” Essie greeted us.
While Essie unloaded the horse from the trailer, the other woman introduced herself. “I’m Kat Price, Essie’s mom. Real pretty place you have here.”
Whoops.Either Kat knew the secret to eternal youth, or she’d had Essie when she was only a kid herself.
Essie clucked her tongue, leading a gorgeous bay Arabian. “This is Magpie.”
“He’s beautiful.” I rubbed his intelligent, dishy face.
“Fast, too. I think he’ll make a hell of a racer, with the proper training.”
“I’m James, by the way.”
Essie grinned, white teeth flashing against her cherry red lipstick. “I know who you are, babe. I broke your record.”
Jesse, Steven, and Blaine made noises like they expected us to square off and put up our fists. Adam shot them an irritated look and shook his head, but I felt tension rolling off those boulder shoulders of his.
I only had one record, so I didn’t need her to clarify. At seventeen, my ride that clinched the World Championship Junior Rodeo title also broke the record for fastest youth time around the barrels. Essie had beaten my time three years later by a mere tenth of a second. Her record still stood, a fact I was aware of because even though I focused on training horses for reining events now, I still had a lot of love for the sport.
Anyway, despite the hoots and whistles from the men, I didn’t hear any bitchiness in Essie’s words. Pride, competitiveness, sure. But it was all good-humored teasing.
“Hell yeah, you did,” I said emphatically. “It was a brilliant ride. I wasn’t there, but I caught the replay.”
Essie’s smile broadened. “I couldn’t believe it when Adam told me you were the new head trainer at Lodestar. We thought we were going to have to haul Magpie all the way to Texas for training. I’m so glad I can keep him local.”
“You live here in Aspen Springs?” I asked.
Essie nodded. “Mom and I have a house in town.”
She brought me up to speed on Magpie’s training so far. He was used to the feel of the saddle and bit, but hadn’t had his first ride yet. I nodded, looking him over as she talked. He seemed alert and energetic, but not at all skittish after the drive here.
“Let’s get him settled in.” I glanced at Adam, my brows raised in question. “Where—”
“Last stall on the left. It’s ready for him.”
A thrill of anticipation shot through me as we led Magpie to his temporary home. He would be a different kind of challenge from Belle. Not necessarily an easier one, though. With Belle, the only person who seemed to truly expect me to succeed was Adam. With Magpie, everyone expected him to be a winner, and if he came up short, then the blame would rest solely on my shoulders.
At Blue Skies, Dad would have been looking over my shoulder the whole time. Second-guessing me. Making me second-guess myself. As head trainer at Lodestar, I called all the shots, made all the decisions. Some of those decisions would be bad. I knew that. But I also knew I could do this and do this well.
I was ready.