by Laura Ann
“So you were never her boyfriend?” Coach clarified. “You’re her bodyguard?”
Sawyer’s gorgeous blue eyes met hers, and the warmth in them was intoxicating. “For now,” he said, answering Coach’s question. When his gaze left her, Kinsley felt oddly cold and she wrapped her arms around herself.
Coach humphed and settled back. “You must have taken me off your list if you’re telling me all this now,” he pointed out. “What changed?”
“The horse,” Sawyer admitted. “I honestly don’t believe you would hurt the horse.”
“We can’t prove anyone hurt the horse,” Coach said firmly. His eyes drifted to Kinsley. “Despite people’s opinions.”
Kinsley felt the anger she’d been nurturing earlier bubble up again. “Mary Ann has never made a secret of wanting me out of the way, and today she was flirting with Sawyer and talking to Addy.”
“That doesn’t mean she did something to him.” Coach sat forward and clasped his hands on top of the desk. “Why would she hurt the very thing she covets? Hurting you seems plausible, but hurting Amadeus seems idiotic. She wants him alive.”
“Maybe she’s reached a point where she’ll do anything to stop me from winning.” Kinsley pointed a finger at the coach. “We both know I have a better chance at nationals than she does. Maybe her jealousy is getting out of control.”
Coach tilted his head back and forth. “It’s possible, but I still don’t think it makes sense.” He looked back at Sawyer. “Who else is on this list of yours?”
Sawyer glanced quickly at Kinsley and she turned away, knowing exactly who he was about to say. “Tyrone.”
Once again, those eyebrows shot up. “Tyrone? The pathetic, little man who barely talks?”
You mean the one who can’t talk because you always bowl him over? Kinsley took a deep breath. Her emotions were completely out of control, and it was making her say and think things she normally wouldn’t. You’ve got to keep a cool head, Kins. Getting angry never helped anyone.
“Your assistant, yes,” Sawyer said.
“The guy can barely put two words together to form a sentence. There’s no way he could pull off something like this,” Coach scoffed.
“He has time and access,” Sawyer pointed out.
“But what about motive? What could someone like him possibly gain from hurting Kinsley?” Coach asked in disbelief.
Sawyer shrugged. “I think he might have a hero complex.”
Kinsley shook her head. “Having a crush on me doesn’t mean anything,” she insisted. “Plus, he’s never been the one to come to my aid. You have.”
Sawyer nodded. “While that’s true, he definitely was not happy to see me show up. He still isn’t happy I’m here.”
“How do you know?” Kinsley frowned. “Has he said something to you?”
Sawyer shrugged, and Kinsley immediately grew suspicious. What have those two said to each other that I don’t know about? Could the Tyrone I know really just be a facade? “No,” she insisted. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
“I have to agree with Kinsley,” Coach said firmly. “Tyrone doesn’t have the brains to pull something like this off.”
SAWYER PUSHED A HAND through his hair. Despite their strong objections, he knew there was more to Tyrone than anyone realized. I just can’t prove it yet.
“Since we don’t have any real suspects,” Coach said, “I think the real question is, how do we stop this from happening again? Dr. Wendt said Amadeus will be fine, but a severe case of colic can kill an animal. Whoever’s doing these things isn’t fooling around.” He looked at Kinsley. “And my guess is, whatever you became sick with could have been fatal as well.”
“Strychnine,” she said softly.
Ritton cursed under his breath. “But you told everyone it was an allergic reaction.”
“Because we didn’t want our saboteur to feel threatened,” Sawyer stated. “We need them to think they’re winning. If they go into hiding, we’ll never find them.”
“They are winning!” Coach roared, waving a hand toward the barn. “I’ve got a sick horse over there as evidence.”
“I’m aware of that,” Sawyer said through clenched teeth. “We’re doing the best we can, but so far gathering evidence has been difficult.”
Ritton scrubbed his hands over his face. “So what’s our next step? What are you planning to do?”
Sawyer glanced at Kinsley. “We were planning to put cameras in the stalls.”
“I would think you would have done that first thing,” Ritton grumbled.
Sawyer took a deep breath. His temper was not really in a good place right now to be dealing with the surly coach. He wanted to hold Kinsley and make sure she was okay. He wanted to beat the culprit to a pulp and be rid of this whole situation so he could move on with life and take things seriously with the woman he was falling for. Instead, he was dealing with a cranky coach, whom Sawyer was praying would be able to help them.
“Sneaking a camera into a busy horse barn isn’t as easy as it sounds,” Sawyer said dryly. “We’ve been in contact with the board of the regional’s show and are working to get that taken care of, but that has been our first priority. Until today, the perp hadn’t struck except during a show. Obviously, they changed things up.”
“Which means what?” Kinsley asked softly.
Sawyer shrugged. “It could mean they’re starting to get desperate. They feel threatened. They were out of other ideas.” He shook his head. “It could mean any number of things. I think the only true takeaway here is that it’s definitely someone who either works at or is a member of this club and that they don’t want you to compete.”
“Can we get that camera in soon?” Ritton asked.
Sawyer nodded. “Given the right circumstances. We have to do it when no one is around. Any of the workers could be a suspect, and if they see the camera, all bets are off. Plus, the men who install our cameras sort of...stand out. They’d definitely look suspicious to anyone who worked here.”
Ritton scratched his stubbly chin. “I’d say coming at night is your best bet, but the dogs are usually out and the barn hands sleep nearby. It might be better to come during dinner.” He looked directly at Sawyer. “I can keep the hands occupied while they eat if your men can work quickly.”
Sawyer pinched his lips. “I’ll talk to Ridge and Roman and see what they think. I don’t know how much it will take to get it installed. Twenty minutes might not be enough.”
“Anything is better than what we’ve got,” Kinsley said softly.
Sawyer nodded. “We’ll take care of it.”
“Meanwhile,” Ritton turned to Kinsley, “no picking fights or accusing anyone of anything. At this point, all you have are suspicions, and I still have a stable to run.”
Kinsley’s face tightened, but she nodded.
“Fine.” Ritton slammed his hands down on the desk. “Go do what you need to do.” He waved them away.
Kinsley quickly stood. “I want to go back to Amadeus.”
Sawyer joined her. “Come on. I’ll walk you back.” He held out his hand and was more excited than he should have been that Kinsley grasped it tightly. With a nod to the coach, Sawyer led them out of the office and out into the waning sunlight.
“Do you think they can get it all installed?” Kinsley whispered as they moved quickly across the grounds toward the corral.
“Ridge might be an idiot most of the time, but he’s good at what he does,” Sawyer assured her. “Between him and Roman, I’m sure they’ll get it all figured out.”
Kinsley nodded. When they came in sight of Amadeus, a quiet sob escaped her and she dropped Sawyer’s hand to run ahead.
Sawyer picked up his pace, but kept walking. He kept his eye on Tyrone, wanting to watch the young man’s reaction as they approached.
Tyrone’s smile was a mile wide as Kinsley approached them and climbed through the fence to rub down her beloved horse.
Amadeus nickered and bobbed his hea
d up and down, greeting his owner.
“Are you feeling better, boy? Hmm?” Kinsley crooned, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Sawyer watched carefully as he approached. Tyrone kept his eyes on Kinley the whole time, completely ignoring Sawyer.
“He’s been much calmer for the last ten minutes or so,” Tyrone said. His smile was smug, but when his eyes darted to Sawyer’s approach, it faltered.
“How’s he doing?” Sawyer asked in Kinsley’s ear. He kept a watch on Tyrone through his periphery.
“Much better,” Kinsley said, the excitement in her voice palpable. “Dr. Wendt was right. Most of the time, a small case of colic can be gotten rid of by simply walking.” She buried her face in Amadeus’ mane. “I’m so glad you’re feeling better,” she whispered thickly.
Sawyer put his hand on her back and rubbed it in soothing circles. Despite his words earlier that they needed to keep things light until after the case was over, he was struggling. The need to protect her was going crazy, and touching her helped ease that desire.
Amadeus huffed and leaned over to nibble at Sawyer’s curls.
Sawyer waved him away. “I’m not ready to be bald yet, Addy. Knock it off.”
Kinsley giggled as she watched them. “It’s just his way of saying thank you.”
Sawyer smiled at her. “Thank you for what?”
“For being there when we needed you.” Her face became sober and a yearning appeared in her eyes.
Just as Sawyer was about to close the distance between them, a throat cleared.
“And thank you to you, too, Tyrone,” Kinsley said brightly. She reached out and patted his back. “I’m so grateful you were here.”
All the happiness Tyrone had shown earlier was gone. He kept his head ducked and handed the lead rope to Kinsley. “No problem. It’s what I’m here for.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and stalked out of the pen, disappearing into the barn.
Sawyer shook his head. “I’m telling ya, something is not quite right there.”
Kinsley sighed and laid her head on Amadeus. “I know,” she said. “But I just don’t see it.”
Sawyer took her hand and began leading them toward the gate. “Come on. Let’s get Addy settled and then get you taken care of. You look exhausted.”
“Gee, thanks,” she said sarcastically.
Sawyer glanced over his shoulder. “I didn’t say it detracted from your beauty, Kins. Take the comment for what it was, not how a girl would interpret it.”
“I am a girl,” she scowled.
“And a gorgeous one at that,” he stated, grinning when she suddenly became shy. “But you do look tired, and if we’re going to catch us a perp, we need to be firing on all cylinders.” He unlatched the gate and swung it wide. “If you’re feeling up to it, I’ll treat you to a casual dinner.”
Kinsley stopped and stared at him. “Even though we’re still fake?”
Sawyer met her gaze. “I wasn’t trying to say anything we had was fake, Kins,” he said softly. “There is nothing fake about how I feel about you. But I do think our relationship needs to stay where it is until this is over. I want nothing more than to hold you and forget the world, but not until you’re safe.” His eyes darted to the waiting horse. “And until Addy is safe.” He looked back to her. “Then we’ll see where we go.”
She watched him calmly for a moment. “You should know that I’m starving. I’ll probably eat a lot.”
A crooked grin pulled at his lips. “Sounds like my kind of woman.”
CHAPTER 17
Kinsley burst through her front door.
“Whoa! Where’s the fire?” her father called out from down the hall. His footsteps hurried toward her.
“Sorry, Dad!” she said sheepishly. She closed the door much more gently than she had opened it. “I was in a hurry.”
“Why?” He paused. “Have you been crying?” Her father’s eyes widened. “What happened? Did you get hurt?” He hurried toward her, his eyes darting over her person.
“No, no.” Kinsley shook her head, then swallowed the lump in her throat. Amadeus’ illness still ached in her chest, but she was so grateful he was doing better. “We did have trouble, though.” She took a deep breath. “Addy had colic.”
Garrett’s jaw dropped. “What? How? Did he get into something?”
She shook her head. “We think the saboteur fed him something.”
“But...you weren’t at a show! Why did they change things now?”
Kinsley nodded and flipped a stray hair out of her eyes. “I know. No one was expecting it. And really, we have no way to prove it. But how else would a horse whose diet is watched more closely than a swimsuit model’s suddenly develop colic like that?”
He huffed and pushed a hand through his hair. “I agree that’s the only thing that makes sense.” His head jerked up. “Did Sawyer’s men get the camera in yet?”
“No,” she said softly. “They’re working on getting it in at regionals. We thought our home turf was second priority.”
Garrett cursed under his breath. “How did they know?” he muttered. “Or was it only a lucky break?”
Kinsley shrugged. “There’s no way to know at this point.”
“And no one saw anything?”
Kinsley frowned. “I’d been practicing with Addy for most of the afternoon. I’m really not sure when anyone would have slipped him something. I fed him one apple like I always do after we finished, but Dr. Wendt and Coach both told me that wasn’t enough to hurt him.”
“And it isn’t. There had to have been more.” He sighed. “So what’s the plan now?”
“Sawyer is contacting Ridge and Roman, and Coach is going to help us get the camera in.”
“Ritton is in on it? So he’s not a suspect anymore?”
“Sawyer doesn’t think Coach would hurt Amadeus.” Kinsley shrugged. “It’s true. If he was out to get someone, he probably wouldn’t do it through the horse.”
Garrett nodded. “Makes sense. That would probably be akin to hurting himself.”
Kinsley snorted. “Anyway, right now Sawyer is on his way to take me to dinner.” She began to edge toward the stairs. “I was hoping to shower first.”
Her father frowned. “You sure you want to go out? You look like you’ve had a rough day.”
Kinsley gave him a look. “You and Sawyer! Geez! I’m a grown woman, Dad. I know when I need to rest.”
He put up his hands. “Fine! Fine! I’ll stay out of it.” His eyes narrowed. “But before you go, do I need to give him the talk?”
“Please, no,” she moaned. “We’re both way too old for that, Dad.”
“When a father finds his daughter making out on the front porch with a man, I think he’s entitled to be curious.”
Kinsley turned and started up the stairs. “You can be curious. You just don’t get to interfere.”
“We’ll see about that!” he shouted as she walked down the hall.
Kinsley smiled and shook her head. Now I have to take the world’s fastest shower, she thought to herself. She jumped into action, determined not to keep Sawyer waiting and to be able to spend as much time with him as possible. The walls between them were thinning and he had actually admitted out loud that he had feelings for her. Kinsley had high hopes that tonight, they could really talk about where they stood.
Despite her best efforts, it was over thirty minutes before she practically leapt down the stairs. Cool it, girl. No matter what’s going on, looking too eager will only make you look stupid. You’re an adult. Act like it.
Her scolding helped her slow down and walk like a lady, but it did nothing for her adrenaline and heart rate, both of which felt like they were soaring through the roof.
As she came down the final few steps, she spotted Sawyer sitting in the great room with her father. Sawyer’s handsome face immediately turned towards her and Kinsley had to remind herself to keep breathing.
Those bright blue eyes were so mesmerizing, and the smil
e that spread across his face only proved to make her heart beat even faster. How can he do that to me with only a look? She mentally shook her head. I don’t think I’m falling anymore. I think I’m completely gone. Hook, line, and sinker. Please, oh please, don’t break my heart again.
Sawyer stood and walked across the room, his eyes roving up and down her casual, but cute outfit. “You look great,” he said, his voice slightly deeper than normal.
“You clean up pretty well yourself,” Kinsley said softly.
“I trust I don’t need to give you any kind of warning?” Kinsley’s father called out from his place on the couch.
“Dad...” Kinsley moaned and put a hand to her forehead.
Sawyer chuckled. “I think you just did, sir,” he remarked.
Her father stood and began to walk out of the room. “Then don’t make me repeat it.”
Sawyer nodded. “I’ll take good care of her.” His eyes went back to Kinsley’s, and she had a fleeting thought that there was a deeper meaning in those words, but she wasn’t confident enough to call him on it. “Ready?” Sawyer held out his hand.
“Ready,” Kinsley responded, enjoying his large, warm grip.
He led her to the front door, then stepped aside and let her through first. Once they were outside, Sawyer rested his hand on her lower back and guided her toward the large, black SUV in the driveway.
Kinsley laughed lightly as she settled in.
“What?” Sawyer asked as he sat in his own seat.
“It’s just so cliché,” Kinsley said with a wide smile. “It’s exactly what I expected the first time we went out. Bodyguard. Black SUV. Next thing I know, you’ll be pulling out a pair of aviators.”
“You mean like these?” Sawyer reached into a compartment on the ceiling and pulled out the exact glasses she was thinking of.