The Black Sheep and the Hidden Beauty Page 15

  Petunia wanted to go faster—he could feel it with the bunch and pull of her muscles. He wondered how often, if ever, she was allowed more free rein than she could get inside a ring. He wondered if maybe she wasn’t supposed to get this worked up. She was older, Elena had said. And more sweetheart than warrior. But she didn’t seem labored and she wasn’t lathering. In fact, he could swear, if a horse could smile, she was grinning ear to ear.

  “Easy there,” he told her, leaning over a little, trying like hell to find a way to sit in a saddle that didn’t threaten his future as an active bed partner and someday father. “It looks a lot easier in the movies.”

  They finally, blessedly, got to the barns, and Petunia mercifully seemed to understand that this was where her adventure came to an end. He pulled up, but she was already slowing, and came to a complete stop by the closed paddock gate. It was empty at the moment, so he slid—somewhat gingerly—from her back, then led her inside the ring and put the reins across her neck. He scrubbed her mane and scratched her between the ears. “Gracias, mijita,” he murmured. “I’ll make sure you don’t get into any trouble. And there will be extra sweet feed for you, promise.”

  She pawed at the ground a bit and lowered her head, butting him on the shoulder, but settled after a few more strokes.

  After making sure the gate was closed properly, he turned toward the barns and headed directly to where Elena’s horse was stabled. One way or the other, he was going to find out what was going on. Game time was over.

  Chapter 12

  Elena paced the length of the barn aisle and back again. “Shit, shit, shit.” Springer grumbled a little and stamped impatiently inside her stall. “Sorry, sweetie,” she said, pausing by the door. Springer was obviously sensing her tension. She shouldn’t have come out here. But she needed time to think. She needed space. And there were too many people around for her to disappear up into her loft. They’d knock first, but, if she was needed, they’d definitely knock.

  At least out here, it would take some time to get to her, and she’d see them coming.

  “Elena.”

  She jumped, plastering her hand over her heart as she spun around to find a very dusty Rafe standing in the center of the aisle. So much for seeing them coming.

  “What are you doing out here?” she blurted, heart racing. To be fair, it was still racing from the phone call. He was not improving matters any, though. “I thought you were in the middle of your lesson.” In fact, though she hadn’t wasted any time in getting away from the stables, she had glanced over to the ring to make sure he was otherwise occupied.

  “I saw you take off like a bat out of hell. I was concerned. So I took a little field trip.”

  “Where I go and how fast I get there isn’t any of your busin—” She broke off and narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean by ‘field trip?’” She angled her body to look past him, but didn’t see anything outside the barn door.

  “Petunia and I thought walking in circles was getting to be a real drag. So we walked in a straight line instead. All the way out here.” He shifted his weight on his feet. “Actually, we went a little faster than a walk. I’m guessing there’s a way to do that that doesn’t render a guy a eunuch. I’ll have to get you to show me that.”

  Any other time, she’d have fought a smile. At the moment, she was still too freaked out for it to register. All she knew was that she needed him gone. Now. “Jackie let you just waltz out of your lesson—”

  “No, she had no say in this. I sort of cajoled her into teaching me—or starting to teach me—how to trot, when I saw you take off. Then Tracey was opening the gate—also not her fault, she was just entering the ring—and Petunia and I just sort of took advantage of it.”

  “Are they on their way out here, too? Tracey and Jackie?”

  “I’m…pretty sure Tracey headed Jackie off at the pass.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “Why would she do that? What could Tracey possibly say to Jackie that would make her think I would want to be interrupted by—” She stopped as visions of the scene Tracey had walked in on earlier swam through her mind. She ducked her chin, and massaged her forehead. “Never mind. And, if you don’t want to be a true eunuch, then you’d better not be grinning when I look up.”

  “So cranky.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “I’m guessing the call didn’t go all that well.”

  His voice was closer, which meant so was he. She had to look up, but she really needed more space, and more time, before having to handle him, or handle anything. Dealing with Rafe up close in her personal space was more than she could take on at the moment. “I appreciate your concern.” She took what she hoped was a steadying breath, and looked up. “But I’d appreciate some time to myself.”

  “I make a good listener. What did the guy want?”

  “Another time maybe.” She stepped back, closer to the stall door and Springer. “It might be a good idea to get Petunia back to the main stables. She’ll be needed for classes later.”

  “That’s assuming I can get back up on her and make it back there.”

  “Something tells me you’ll do just fine.”

  He took a step closer, and she tensed. She tried not to show it, but that much was really beyond her at the moment. The stabilized world she’d thought she’d constructed for herself had just been proven to have very shaky foundations. And she didn’t know what to do about that. What she did know was Rafe Santiago was the last person she’d ever reveal that to. He already had a way of looking at her, into her, like he saw far past her defenses, to some other place she was unaccustomed to people reaching. And that was without her handing it over to him.

  “Elena, I know something’s not right.” He said it quietly, but somehow the softer tone wasn’t the least bit comforting. In fact, it only served to unnerve her further. He saw far too much, far too easily.

  “Whether or not that’s the case, I’d prefer to handle my own affairs my own way.” She put her hand out when he took another step. “Just because we lost our heads for a few moments this morning doesn’t mean I need or want your interference. It’s nothing personal, just, I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time, and I like it that way.”

  “So you’ve made a point of saying.”

  “I don’t expect that pattern to change anytime soon.”

  He stood his ground, kept his gaze steady on hers. “Just because you don’t usually need help, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider accepting some when it’s offered. I’m guessing that doesn’t happen too often.”

  “Do you do that? Accept help?”

  His gaze shuttered a bit and she realized she’d said exactly the right thing if she wanted him to back off.

  “That’s what I thought. Please, get Petunia back to Tracey. We can set up another lesson later.” She turned away.

  “Elena, I really think if you—”

  She swung right back around. “You know, you’re going beyond the bounds of being a nice guy here. In fact, you’re being pretty adamant about this. What’s really going on?”

  It was hardly a blink, and if she hadn’t been expressly looking for it, she’d never have noticed it, but there had been a flicker. She pounced on it without thinking twice. She was in survival mode now and he was the enemy. One of them, anyway. “Why are you so dead set on helping me out? For that matter, why are you really down here taking lessons?”

  “What makes you think—”

  “I’m not stupid. A bit slow at times, perhaps, but not stupid. One of the things that makes me good at my job is being intuitive with the animals I work with, picking up on subtle signals. People aren’t so different.” She folded her arms. “If you have concerns of any kind, or if Kate does, or Mac, or Finn, or anyone else on Dalton Downs, why not just come out and ask? I’m damn good at my job and I thought things were going just fine, but if there’s some other agenda at work here—”

  His eyes went hard and flinty, and she had to resist the urge to
shiver. “Is there?” Gone were those smooth-as-velvet, dulcet tones. In their place was a flat, steely voice that brooked no argument—something far closer, she realized now, to the kind of tone she’d have associated with him before they’d first spoken to one another.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Then it hit her. His sudden appearance, sniffing around her. Followed by that phone call out of the blue today. “Oh my God. It’s you who did this, isn’t it?”

  “What are you talking about? Did what?”

  “The phone call. The investigator. You had something to do with that, didn’t you?”

  “I have no idea who was on the phone or why they called. But I’ll admit I’d be more than happy to listen to an explanation as to why an insurance investigator was so keen to talk to you today.”

  “You’ve been checking up on me, haven’t you? Snooping, making calls, maybe? To my former employer?”

  He folded his arms. “Kate does background checks on all her employees.”

  “I know,” she returned flatly. He wasn’t the only one who could do steely. At the moment she didn’t know whether she was more terrified of the ramifications of what had happened this morning, or pissed off at him for dragging her back into the situation she thought she’d safely left behind. “I passed mine with flying colors. What changed?”

  “Things didn’t add up.”

  She felt the blood drain from her face. So it was true. He did have ulterior motives for being here. With her. It seemed ridiculous now, that she’d wasted even a second thinking otherwise. Of course a man like him wasn’t going to be interested in a barn rat like her. The blood came rushing back, flushing her cheeks until they felt hot, as she realized how easy she’d made it for him. Key word being easy. For someone who’d made it this far living on her wits, she’d certainly lost them when she needed them most.

  “Says who?” she demanded, embracing the righteous anger that filled her, along with the terror that she’d been so close, and now it seemed like it was all unraveling at once. “Did Kate have a problem with me? My past employment? Again, why not come straight to me? And if she didn’t like my answers, she could let me go.”

  “She wasn’t the one with the questions. But she is worried about you.”

  “Worried? What reason did she have to worry about me?”

  “You have a pregnant horse with prior problems.”

  “Which I personally told her about. She seemed fine with it, very understanding, in fact. I have my own vet. You met him. It’s not something that is going to affect my work here or create any problems for her. Is that what this is all about?”

  “You leave the world of horseracing, a world you profess to love and have fought hard to succeed in, to work at a camp for kids.”

  “To give my horse some peace and quiet, and because I wasn’t sure where I was going to go after leaving Charlotte Oaks. And this isn’t just any camp for kids. I resent the implication that what Kate does is somehow inferior to the field I was in. I think she’d take serious offense—”

  “You know that’s not what I meant. You claim to be taking a time-out, giving your horse some space to gestate in the relative peace and quiet of the Virginia countryside. Despite the fact that the operation you left has far more qualified medical personnel on hand.”

  “Asked and answered. Horseracing is a crazy, intense atmosphere. Springer doesn’t need crazy and intense, or a team of doctors. She only needs me and my vet. What, were you an attorney at some point? IRS maybe? You badger very well.”

  “You also neglected to mention Geronimo in your job interview.”

  She tried to keep from flinching at that. “I didn’t see what that had to do with anything. It was international news, but it had happened some time ago when I was interviewed. I figured if Kate had a problem or concern, she’d have asked me. As it was, she wasn’t even curious about it, didn’t even bring it up.”

  “Because she didn’t know about it. Because you didn’t think to mention it.”

  “As I said, it was international-level news back when it happened. I didn’t think I had to.” She tried to keep her heart from pounding out of her chest, but all of her worst fears seemed to be coming to some sort of fruition all at the same time, and she simply couldn’t think straight, couldn’t decide what to say and what not to say. But she clearly knew who not to trust. “So, because I didn’t mention my horse’s pregnancy issues and because I took for granted that the person interviewing me was already aware that Charlotte Oaks was a pretty well-known place, there are official concerns about me?”

  “I’m just saying that what you call a time-out can also look a lot like hiding out.”

  “And you make this brilliant deduction based on essentially nothing, unless there is something you’re not telling me. And then, bam, you suddenly need riding lessons. What a coincidence! God forbid you just come out and ask me. I don’t think I’ve ever been more insulted.”

  “Which is exactly why we didn’t ask you directly. I didn’t want you to storm out of here. You’re the best manager Kate could hope to find.”

  “If I’m not some sort of nutcase, you mean, hiding out from something nefarious.”

  “Elena, that’s not—”

  “And, I’m guessing that riding lessons weren’t the sum total of your grand plan, right? Is that where that—” she waved her hand in the general direction of the main stables “—whatever the hell we did factored in? You didn’t have to seduce me, you know. I was already starting to like and respect you as a person. A few more lessons and God knows the deep, dark secrets you’d have gotten me to expose.”

  “What happened between us earlier had nothing to do with my initial reasons for wanting lessons. If you haven’t figured it out, I was sort of starting to like and respect the person you are as well. It’s why I’m out here right now.”

  She snorted. “Right. It has nothing to do with the phone call I got earlier, which you were being quite pushy about ‘helping’ me with. And because you respect me so damn much, you went snooping around in my past. Stirring up stuff. And now I’ve got investigators wondering if they missed something with me. Thanks. Thanks a hell of a lot.” She went to push past him, wanting nothing more than to end this conversation. She’d been badly rattled by the phone call and this little confrontation only sealed her initial instinct when she’d heard the name Geronimo. She needed to leave here. Tonight.

  He took her arm gently but firmly as she brushed by and turned her around to face him. “I started this whole thing because I wanted to protect Kate. And her kids.”

  “Admirable,” she said, trying to maintain the steely façade, thinking her heart might beat straight out of her chest any second. Did the terror show in her eyes?

  “I help people for a living, Elena. I can help you, too. If something is wrong, you can—”

  “What? Trust you?” She tried to yank free, but he didn’t let her. “I can see not confronting me with your concerns in the beginning, but now you’re acting like you’re all concerned about me personally. How am I supposed to believe that when you just admitted you’re suspicious of me? When you had this supposed big change of heart about me, why not ask me straight out then?”

  “I’m asking you now.”

  His gaze was locked on hers, so intent, so focused. So trustworthy and steady. Still, she wavered. It was too big a thing to leave to a split-second judgment call. But she was running out of time. And running out of places to go. Trusting only herself was getting her just so far.

  “Elena, my instincts told me that something wasn’t one hundred percent with you. Yes, I dug around. It’s also a big part of what I do. So I’ll lay my cards out first. I haven’t found anything specific, and yet I know this isn’t where you want to be. Something is keeping you from being in the world you’ve worked hard to be part of and I don’t think it’s your horse. I don’t think you’re a danger to Kate, but given the way your face went white earlier when the name Geronimo was mentioned, I am
thinking you might be in danger yourself.”

  “And you’re worried that if I’m in danger, Kate or her operation or Dalton Downs is at risk.”

  He took both of her arms then, pulled her closer. “I’m worried about you. I can take care of the rest, but I can’t take care of you unless you let me.”

  “Maybe I don’t want to be taken care of.”

  “So you’ve said. But maybe it’s not about what you want, but about what you need. I think you need a little help.” He gentled his hold, tugging her another inch closer. “I know it’s hard to accept help from anyone. Trust me, I know. Especially someone you don’t know well. I wouldn’t have thought I’d get caught up in you. I never get involved with anyone, on any side, of anything I view as work-related. You took me by surprise.”

  “So did you,” she said, without meaning to, which only caused his gaze to intensify, something she hadn’t thought possible.

  “Your gentleness with the animals, this innate strength you have, with them, with those around you, your confidence, your ease with yourself and with everyone else. You command attention without demanding it. You command attention just by being you. You certainly have mine.”

  She didn’t know what to say to that. As a means of getting her to lower her defenses, she had to admit, it was pretty damn effective. Standing this close, looking into his eyes, she saw no sign of deception, no wavering. He was either very, very good at his job, or he was telling her the absolute truth. She wished the stakes on knowing which it was weren’t so high.

  “I only started this to make sure everything was on the up-and-up, because I take care of what’s mine. Mac, Finn, Kate, her kids, even her damn horses fall under my care as long as I’m part of Trinity, which I will be for as long as it exists. I’m loyal, and I’m trustworthy to those who earn it.”

  “How have I earned either of those things from you? You know nothing of what might be going on with me.”