Chapter 4
It took Claire less than a month to settle in as Alexander Blackwood’s new horse trainer. When she had returned to Jonas’ ranch after signing the contract with Alexander, she found him waiting for her with her final check - paid through to the end of the month - and the gelding he gave her loaded up in the horse trailer ready to go. He knew she would be excited to start working for Blackwood, but he wouldn’t stand in her way. She actually spent the night in her new cottage, her horse safely tucked away in the barn.
Now, the office in the stables was decorated and set up the way she liked it, and she had already made friends with Alexander’s foreman and farm hands. She’d spent the afternoon speaking with harness drivers in Blackwood’s employ, getting to know them and which horses they preferred to race and the idiosyncracies each horse had. She had a game plan in place and was excited to discuss it with Alexander.
Getting to know the staff that she now worked with wasn’t the only thing she had managed to do. She was getting to know Alexander Blackwood as well, Behind the stoic facade he presented to the world to maintain his privacy was a man with a sharp sense of humor, a love for 80s pop hits and someone who enjoyed spending time in his own barn grooming the horses. Yes, he had staff to do that, but sometimes, he needed the comfort that came with caring for one of his horses.
It had become a habit over the last few weeks for him to meet her in the barn after dinner, turn on the radio, and, one by one, take each horse from its stall and groom it while chatting with Claire. The subject of his business in DC was off limits, not that she wanted to know exactly what he did beyond finance and real estate and other stuff. Yes, he assured her that he made his billions the old-fashioned way of blood, sweat, and tears - or, in his case, really good investments. But that was all he said about it. She was okay with that.
She hurried towards the house, her heart racing with a mix of excitement and nerves, ready to lay out how she was going to train the horses and how the drivers would be involved. She knew each of them would earn part of any winnings, but she left the numbers to Alexander. The filed folder she carried contained information on every racer, every horse, what they needed to work on, and suggestions on how to mix things up for the best results. Her meetings with Alexander had become routine, checking in with him at the end of the day to go over progress and discuss the next day’s activities.
But tonight, it felt different. There was an undercurrent of tension in the air, a palpable energy she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She let herself into the house and made her way to the room in the back behind the kitchen that was Alexander’s inner sanctum. She could hear him on the other side of the closed door, and she hesitated before reaching for the doorknob and opening the door just enough to poke her in. When he waved to her, she stepped into the spacious office, quietly closing the door behind her and waiting for him to finish his phone call. He glanced up at her, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.
“Give me a few minutes. Grab a drink and sit,” he said quietly, his hand over the mouthpiece of his phone. He turned his chair towards the windows behind him that looked out over the rolling Virginia countryside. “There is nothing to invest in there, James. There hasn’t been for the last ten years.”
Claire wandered around his office, too restless to sit down. She was buzzing with excitement. His office was filled with mementos of his life, each one a story that she wanted to uncover, like the very Raiders of the Lost Ark-esque golden statue sitting on the shelf. It was definitely from somewhere in Central or South America, and she wondered why he had it. There were a few other items similar to it on the shelves, and they fascinated her. She glanced back at him to find him watching her as she inspected his office.
Alexander couldn’t help watching Claire. Her cheeks flushed lightly when she realized he was watching her. He was only half paying attention to what James was saying on the other end of the phone. He didn’t care about investment deals overseas. He didn’t want to throw any more money into the Middle East. He had been trying to get his employees to return their focus to South America instead. There was an opportunity there. They didn’t want to look for it. Which meant he needed to do it himself. “Listen, my trainer is here and now I’m late for my meeting with her. Do what I asked, and start with Peru. There are plenty of precious metals there that we can look into. Talk to you tomorrow.” He didn’t wait until the other man answered, hanging up his phone and walking over to where Claire was standing by his bookshelf.
“So...are you secretly a treasure hunter archaeologist?” she asked, nodding to the statures.
Alexander laughed, deep and throaty. He picked the head up and showed her the sticker at the bottom that said “Made In China.” “Actually, no. Although the thought crossed my mind on several occasions.”
“Then…you don’t speak Hovitos. Well, that’s disappointing,” she responded.
That made him laugh even harder. “There are so many historical inaccuracies in that movie, but it’s one of my favorites.” He set the head back on the shelf. “We’ll have to watch it together one night, and I promise not to point out all the problems, like the fact that the statue the Golden Idol is based on is pre-Columbian and not really Peruvian.” He held his arm out, inviting her to join him on the couch in the sitting area of his office.
“And the Hovitos was based on the Chachpoyas of Peru, the “Warriors of the Clouds,” she pointed out as she settled on the couch. She gazed up at him as he poured them each a glass of wine. “It warms my heart that you are a fan of Doctor Jones.”
“Yes, Short Round, I am.” He handed her the glass, referring to the way she said, Doctor Jones. “And I will defend those movies to my dying breath. Every single one of them.” He sat down next to her.
“Oh really? Cool.” She folded her arms over her chest. “Defend Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I’ll wait. “She raised an eyebrow at him in challenge.
Alexander wasn’t expecting her challenge. It caught him off guard. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it, his brow furrowing.
“I’m waiting.”
He laughed. “Give me a moment. I’m trying to formulate my response here.” He sipped at his wine as he began to pace. “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull gave us Doctor Jones in the position of mentor to his son, Mutt, not that we knew Mutt was his son at the onset of the movie. It revisited the love affair between Indy and Marian. And... “He held up his forefinger to make a point. “It incorporated all of the fun and camp and pulp of the movies from the 1950s. After all, that’s what those movies were supposed to be about.”
Claire’s lips twitched. “Keep going.”
He stared at her, blinking for a moment. “Indiana Jones brought back the adventurous spirit of 1950s Hollywood, invoking the spirit of classics such as The African Queen with Humphrey Bogart and The Hidden Fortress with Toshiro Mifune and Kamatari Fujiwara. They were adventurous and sparked the imagination. They kept viewers on their toes. “He pointed at Claire with the hand holding the wine glass. “You cannot tell me that the opening scenes of Crystal Skull didn’t set the tone for the movie. That Indy being caught by the enchanting Russian agent and having to survive a nuclear test...by hiding in an icebox didn’t get you on the edge of your seat. And the aliens…that was a direct reference to Roswell and the alien crash and all the supposed things they are hiding at Area 51. That was the sci-fi thing in the 50s. It was perfection. “
“No, it did. Keep going. I’m enjoying this.” And she was. She had never seen Alexander Blackwood this animated before.
“That’s what all of the Indiana Jones movies do. Even the new one keeps up the pace set by the previous four. It rolls all of that 50s pulp novel adventure and storytelling together. That’s why they are such good movies. It’s why we want more.” He plopped down on the couch next to her. “Even Temple of Doom had that pulp feel. I mean, how outrageous is the mining tunnel car rollercoaster scene? “he asked, rolling his head along the back of the couch to look at her.
Claire held up her hands. “I totally agree. And you completely defended Indy. I’m impressed.”
“I truly hope your day has been more productive than mine.” He took a sip of his wine.
“It was. As a matter of fact, I hold in my hands a game plan.” He sat so close to her that she could smell the lingering scent of his cologne and feel the heat coming off his body. She sipped her wine and set the glass on the table next to her. ”I spoke with all of the drivers, got their opinions on the horses, what they feel are the horse”s idiosyncracies, anything they could tell me about the equipment....all of it.” She handed him the folder. ”This is the training regimen I want to put into place, the equipment we will need to replace, and which racer I want to work with and the horse I think they are best suited to.”
Alexander rested the ankle of his right leg on his left knee and set the folder in the triangle his legs made, opening it and thumbing through the pages for a second before starting to read the comprehensive report she had compiled. He sipped his wine as he did. He had to admit the report was comprehensive, and some of her suggestions would get pushback from his drivers. However, her analysis was sound and based not only on the information the drivers gave her but also on her own observations and interactions with the horses.
He wasn”t surprised some of the equipment needed upgrading. When he first got into harness racing, he invested very little in order to see if it would be something he wanted to pursue. He tapped his fingers against his chin and nodded before closing the folder. He set it on the coffee table before them. “Do it. I can’t argue with anything you suggest. You have backed it up with the research, and if you think this is what we need to do, then let’s do it. We”ll speak to the drivers together. If they are truly invested, then we won”t lose any.” He shifted on the couch to face her more fully. “How do you feel about actually racin”?”
“Well, I was going to go with Joker’s Quest. Did you want me to race other”?” Her brow furrowed in contemplation. He had offered her the opportunity to race under his colors and keep anything she made with her horse. If she raced under his colors, she would get the trainer and the jockey share of any winnings. “Do I get the same deal? Will I keep the winnings if I race Joker under your colors?”
“Yes. Anyou”llll get the jockey and trainer share of anything you win with one of my horse”.” He loved the way she chewed her lower lip as she thought about it. He stood up and walked over to the bar, refilling their wine glasses while he waited for her to decide. Ever since she agreed to work for himhe”d’d been distracted by her presence. Hcouldn”t’t deny that he wanted her, had wanted her from the day he first saw her with his stallion. And he”d caught her watching him, her cheeks flushing as she turned away.
Even during the two Saturday morning rides they had taken together shhadn”t’t shied away from his advances. She responded to his overt flirtations, enjoyed his compliments, and never declined an offer of dinner in his home. He carried the glasses of wine back to the sofa, handing her her glass in such a way that their fingers grazed.
Claire gazed up at Alexander to tell him her decision, but the touch of his fingers against hers sent a jolt through her. The words died on her lips, her heart racing. Before she realized what was happening, he had taken the glass back, putting it on the table and drawing her to her feet.” I”m going to kiss you, Claire Reynolds, so if you don’t want me to, say so now,” he stated, pulling her against him. When she didn’t reply, he lowered his lips to hers, taking her breath away. When she didn’t pull away, when he felt her body soften against his, her hands gripping his biceps to steady herself, he deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping into her mouth to duel with hers as he claimed her. Claire’s head was spinning. Her fertile imagination could not have prepared her for the intensity of Alexander Blackwood’s kiss. Heat pooled low, and the butterflies in her stomach were trying to escape. She could not help her small moan when his tongue invaded her mouth, dueling for supremacy. She could feel the heat of his hand at the small of her back, the way his fingers gently gripped the back of her neck. If she died at that moment, she’d die happy.
When he finally let her up for air, she managed to answer him. “Yes.”
Alexander looked down at her in confusion. “Yes to what?” he inquired, his voice as husky as hers.
“Yes, racing for you. And anything else you ask for,” she breathes against his lips.