Chapter Ten
Ten
“My girls ready for next week?”
Cassie slid the saddle off Don Pedro and threw a glance over her shoulder to her father. Damon Barrington stalked through the stables that he not only owned, but at one time had spent nearly every waking hour in.
Even though the Barringtons’ planned to retire from the scene after this racing season, Damon still wasn’t ready to sell the prizewinning horses.
He’d had generous offers, including one from his biggest rival in the industry, Jake Mason, but so far no deal had been made.
Cassie highly doubted her father would ever sell to Jake.
The two had been competitors for years and had never gotten along on the track. ..or off it.
“We’re as ready as we’ll ever be,” Tessa said as she started brushing down the Thoroughbred. “My time is even better than before. I’m pretty confident about the Preakness.”
Damon smiled, slipping his hands into the pockets of his worn jeans. The man may be a millionaire and near royalty in the horse industry because of his Triple Crown win nearly two decades ago, but he still was down-to-earth and very much involved in his daughters’ careers.
“I know you’ll do the Barrington name proud, Tess.” He reached up and stroked the horse’s mane as Cassie slid in beside her father.
“What are you doing down here?” Cassie asked. “Thought you’d be keeping your eye on the film crew.”
Damon patted the horse and reached over to wrap an arm around Cassie’s shoulders. A wide grin spread across his tanned, aged face. His bright blue eyes landed on hers.
“The lighting guys are reworking the living room right now,” he explained. “The scene they shot the other day wasn’t quite what they wanted. They’re shooting a small portion again this afternoon.”
This whole new world of filming was so foreign to her, but the process was rather fascinating. “I plan on heading into town and picking up some feed later,” she told him. “I guess I’ll miss watching that.”
And more than likely miss seeing Ian again—which was probably for the best. She needed space after that simple dinner and arousing kiss last night. He hadn’t been by the stables and she hadn’t seen him around the grounds, so he was probably working...which was what she needed to concentrate on.
“I thought I’d take Emily with me and maybe run her by that new toy store in town,” Cassie went on. “She’s learning to walk now and maybe I can find her something she can hold on to and push around to strengthen her little legs.”
Damon laughed. “Once she starts walking, she’ll be all over this place.”
Cassie smiled. “I can’t wait to see how she looks in a saddle.”
Tessa came around Don Pedro and started brushing his other side. “Why don’t you take her for a ride now? I’m sure she’d love it and it’s such a nice day out. We’re done for a while anyway.”
The idea was tempting. “I still need to get feed, though.”
“I’ll send Nash to get it,” Damon spoke up. “He won’t mind.”
Cassie leaned her head against her father’s strong shoulder. “Thanks, Dad.”
Patting her arm, Damon placed a kiss on top of her head. “Anytime. Now go get my granddaughter and start training her right.”
Excited for Emily’s first ride, Cassie nearly sprinted to the main house and through the back door to the kitchen, where Linda was washing dishes.
“Hey, Linda.” Cassie glanced over the island to see Emily in her Pack ’n Play clapping her hands and gibbering to her animals. “I’m going to take Emily off your hands for a bit.”
“Oh, she’s no trouble at all.” Linda rinsed a pan and set it in the drainer before drying her hands and turning. “I actually just sat her in there. We’ve been watching the action in the living room. She likes all the lights.”
Cassie scooped up her girl and kissed her cheek. “I’m sure she does. She’d probably like to crawl all over and knock them down.”
Laughing, Linda crossed to the double ovens in the wall and peeked inside the top one. “I’m sure she would, but I held on tight. The cranberry muffins are almost done if you’d like one.”
Yeah, she’d love about six warm, gooey muffins dripping with butter, but she’d resist for the sake of her backside.
“Maybe later. I’m taking Emily for her first ride.”
A wide smile blossomed across Linda’s face. “Oh, how fun. She’s going to love it.”
“I hope so,” Cassie said. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
When Cassie stepped back into the barn, Tessa had already saddled up Oliver, the oldest, most gentle horse in the stables. Cassie absolutely couldn’t wait to see Emily’s excitement as she took her first horseback ride.
“He’s all ready for you,” Tessa exclaimed, reaching for Emily.
Cassie mounted the horse and lifted Emily from Tessa’s arms. Settling her daughter in front of her and wrapping an arm around her waist, Cassie reached for the rein and smiled down to Tessa.
“Get a few pics of us when we’re in the field, would you?”
Tessa slid her hand into her pocket and held up her phone. “I’m set. You guys look so cute up there,” she said, still grinning. “My niece already looks like a pro.”
Cassie tugged on the line and steered Oliver out of the barn and into the field. The warm late-spring sunshine beat down on them and Cassie couldn’t help but smile when Emily clapped her hands and squealed as the horse started a light trot.
“This is fun, isn’t it, sweetie?” Cassie asked. “When you get big, Mommy will buy you your own horse and he will be your best friend.”
Cassie didn’t know how long they were riding, and she didn’t really care.
Memories were being made, and even though Emily wouldn’t recall this day at all, Cassie would cherish it forever.
She thought of her own mother and held Emily a little tighter.
Her mom lived in her heart and there was an attic full of pictures and mementos to remember her by.
Turning Oliver to head back toward the front fields, Cassie swallowed as new memories overtook her. That attic wasn’t just a room to store boxes and old furniture. Now the attic was a place where she’d given herself to a man...a dangerous man. He made her feel too much, want too much.
And what was with him wanting to eat dinner with her and Emily? Not that she minded, but having him in her house just once was enough to have her envisioning so much more than just a friendly encounter.
She had to admit, at least to herself, that Ian intrigued her.
And if she was going that far, she also had to admit that every part of her wished he weren’t just passing through.
She missed the company of a man...and not just sex.
She missed the conversation, the spark of excitement in harmless flirting. .. Okay, fine, she missed the sex, too.
But it really was so much more than that. There was a special connection, a certain bond that strengthened after being intimate. At least there was for her. Perhaps that was why she couldn’t dismiss what had happened between her and Ian so easily.
As she neared the stables, she caught sight of Ian walking toward the main house with the beautiful Lily Beaumont at his side. The gorgeous actress was laughing and Cassie had to ignore the sliver of jealousy that shot through her. Ian wasn’t hers by any means, no matter what she may wish for.
And Lily was a very sweet woman, from what Cassie had experienced on the set. As Cassie watched the two head toward the front door, she couldn’t help but get a swift kick back into reality. Ian and Lily were from the same world. They were near the same age, for crying out loud.
In comparison, Cassie was just a worn-out single mom.
Squeezing Emily tight and placing a kiss on her little mop of curls, Cassie knew she wouldn’t wish to be anything else.
Being the solid foundation for Emily was the most important job of her life, and for now, all her daughter’s needs had to come first. One day, Cassie vowed, she’d take time for herself and perhaps find love.
“I’m actually considering your offer and one other,” Lily stated.
Ian rested his hand on the knob of the front door. “You don’t have to tell me the other agency. I already know.”
And damn if he’d lose this starlet to his rival. They’d ruin her and not give a damn about reputation, only the bottom line, which was money to them.
“It’s not a decision I’m going to make overnight.” Lily lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the afternoon sun. “I am glad you’re on set, though, because that will give us more of a chance to discuss terms and what I’m looking for in an agency.”
Good. That sounded as though she was interested in him. “I’m ready to talk anytime you are.”
A bright smile spread across her face. “Well, right now I’m needed for a scene, but perhaps we could have lunch or dinner one day while we’re both here?”
Returning her smile, Ian nodded and opened the door for her, gesturing her in. “Let me know when you’re not filming and we’ll make that happen.”
Nodding her thanks, Lily headed into the house.
Ian wasn’t sticking around for the short scene retake.
He had other pressing matters to attend to.
Like the beauty he’d seen out in the field moments ago.
With red hair blazing past her shoulders and a heart-clenching smile on her face, Cassie had captured his attention instantly.
So what else was new? The woman managed to turn him inside out without even being near.
More times than not she consumed his thoughts, but when he’d seen her taking her daughter on a horseback ride, Ian had to admit that the sight had damn near stopped him in his tracks.
Emily’s sweet squeals of delight, the loving expression on Cassie’s face... The combination had shifted something in Ian’s heart, something he wasn’t quite ready to identify.