Quite unable to believe she had just hired the man she ran over the night before as her live-in bodyguard, Jordan drove home. She and Neil had taken the opportunity while in town to buy more groceries, Caitlyn still sound asleep on Neil’s shoulder as they shopped. She discovered he preferred wine over beer, liked beef, pork, and chicken, disdained most vegetables, but really liked bread.
She also discovered she liked his company.
If it hadn’t been for Axel’s and the horses’ reactions to him, she would not have found anything to dislike about him.
“Uh, oh,” Jordan muttered, spotting a pair of bright, beady eyes on them. “Get ready.”
Neil blinked. “For what?”
“For the matchmaker from hell.”
“Jordaaaan!” A hand beside the beady eyes waved.
Mrs. Helmsley, the resident town busybody and nosy parker, bustled her way through the shoppers toward them, beaming even as her bright blue eyes inspected Neil from head to toe, all the while pretending not to.
“How are you, dear?” she asked, taking Jordan by the arm in a way that made Jordan feel confined, almost claustrophobic. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”
“I’ve, uh, been busy, Mrs. Helmsley,” she replied, heartily wishing the old woman would go away.
“And who is this handsome gentleman?” Mrs. Helmsley inquired, giving Neil the once over without shame. “Are you dating him, dear? He is awfully familiar with Caitlyn.”
“This is Neil,” Jordan said, hoping the old biddy wouldn’t demand she supply a last name as she didn’t know what it was. “We’re not dating. I’ve hired him to help me at the ranch.”
“Hello,” Neil said with a grin.
“How did you meet him, dear? You know it’s not safe to invite just any old man to help you way out there. Did you perform a background check? I know he is quite handsome, but you ought to be more careful in whom you choose to associate with, you know.”
“Mrs. Helmsley,” Jordan said firmly, “Neil comes with the best references.”
“Does he? Oh, good. Now, young man, I do hope you will mind your manners. We love our Jordan and would not want any harm to come to her.”
Neil chuckled, which was more than Jordan could manage at the moment. “Believe me, Madam, I would never harm my employer or her sweet child.”
“Good. Mind you don’t, then. Jordan, you should think about dating this young man. You need a strong husband, dear. He looks like excellent husband material.”
“Mrs. Helmsley—”
“I must be going, Jordan, dear, I see a dear friend. Marthaaaa.”
Mrs. Helmsley bustled off, leaving Jordan to roll her eyes in her wake. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be,” Neil replied with a laugh. “She’s funny.”
“To you, maybe. But to the rest of the town, she’s a royal pain in the ass. Always meddling, trying to matchmake, always has a secret to tell that someone doesn’t want told.”
“Yeah, I can see where that would be inconvenient.”
“You have no idea.”
They finished their shopping, and Jordan nearly erupted in revolt when Neil insisted upon paying for their groceries. “I should be paying,” she hissed under her breath as they stood in line at the checkout.
For answer, Neil handed Caitlyn to her. “Hold your daughter.”
Swearing under her breath, Jordan had difficulty reaching her card with Caitlyn sleeping on her shoulder while Neil winked at her. Whistling aimlessly, he stepped in front of her and put their groceries on the belt, leaving her to fume, helpless.
Thus, he paid, then rolled the cart out to the truck, still whistling and grinning.
“I can see we are going to have to talk, you and me,” she snapped as she put Caitlyn in her car seat.
Neil unloaded the bags into the rear of the truck. “About what?”
“I’m the boss. Got it?”
Neil closed the door and cocked a brow at her over the truck’s cab. “Really?”
“Yes, really.”
Neil shrugged lazily, and after she had witnessed how easily he had handled Knox, Jordan knew who was really in charge.
And it wasn’t her.
Chapter Six
Caitlyn had woken up by the time Jordan drove the truck into the yard and seemed to have forgotten the entire ugly episode with her father. Neil lifted her out of the small seat and turned her over to the happy attentions of Axel. Watching them run in the yard, one laughing and the other barking, Neil asked, “How does she feel about Knox?”
Jordan paused in picking up bags of groceries to also watch the two play. “He scares her. Now, I’d never say anything bad about him to her or try to turn her against him. She loves him, of course, but there have been too many scenes like the one today.”
“And she senses the violence in him.”
“I think so.” Jordan continued to fill her arms with groceries. “But it’s also his loud yelling, cussing, that frighten her. She’s sensitive, and I think she understands more than she should at her age.”
Loading his own hands with the bags, Neil followed Jordan into the house, then helped her put everything away. “Where did you learn to fight like that?” she asked, her back to him.
“Nowhere special,” Neil answered, taking a moment to watch child and dog in the yard through the kitchen window. “It’s simply a part of who I am.”
“The predator you mean?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I suppose if I were to meet anyone by accident,” she said cheerfully, “I’m glad it was you.”
Neil laughed and turned around. “I suppose I am glad I was run over by a lady as beautiful as you are.”
“All right, predator,” she said, striding toward the door. “Let’s see if these horses of mine can get used to you.”
Neil followed her outside. Axel ran on swift paws to greet them, his pink tongue flopping from the side of his wide and happy jaws. Jordan stopped walking long enough to pet him and remind him of what a good dog he was. Neil observed the true affection she had for Axel and speculated on the relationship between a human and an animal.
“Can I ride Jumper?” Caitlyn asked, running behind the big dog.
“Let’s see how scared he is of Neil.”
“He won’t be scared. He loves Neil.”
Neil chuckled at that as Caitlyn seized his hand. “He might need time to get used to me, little one.”
When he approached the corral this time, the horses spooked again, but without the earlier blind panic. They trotted to the far side of the pen, then stared at him from a distance. Taking a rope from the fence, Jordan slithered between the rails and walked over to the smallest one.
She placed a contraption around the animal’s head, then led it to the gate. The others followed, snorting now and then, keeping a wary eye on Neil nonetheless. He stood still, holding Caitlyn by the hand, as Jordan approached with the pony.
“That’s Jumper,” Caitlyn informed him.
Jumper stiffened as Jordan led him toward Neil, his eyes wide, nostrils flaring as they caught his scent. Like he did with Axel, Neil stood still and let the pony examine him with eyes, ears, and nose. Sniffed all over, Neil grinned when the creature permitted him to stroke his face and ears.
“See,” Caitlyn announced, hugging the pony around his shaggy neck, “he loves you.”
“At least he tolerates me,” Neil answered.
Jordan nodded with satisfaction. “So, you aren’t quite as dangerous as they first thought. Baby, go open the tack room and get brushes.”
Yelling with glee, Caitlyn ran across the yard to the barn, Axel galloping beside her. Jordan led Jumper on their heels, Neil following more slowly. “So, you ride these horses?” he asked.
He knew he had just exposed his ignorance of humans and some of their ways but didn’t care. Jordan eyed him curiously but answered him without the surprise he had expected.
“Horses have long been used for all kinds of work,” she
said. “Modern ranches often use ATVs for rounding up cattle, but I grew up using horses.”
She grinned as she tied Jumper to a rail. “I still prefer them over machines.”
Caitlyn emerged from the barn with brushes and set to work cleaning Jumper’s hair. “Here,” she said, handing one to Neil. “You have to help.”
Following her example, Neil stroked the heavy brush over the pony, who by now had fully relaxed around him. Jordan emerged from the barn with a strange object and set it on the rail near Jumper. She handed Caitlyn a metal object.
“Don’t forget to pick his hooves.”
Watching in fascination, Neil saw Caitlyn grunt in effort as she picked up Jumper’s right front foot and used the metal to dig dirt from it. He bent closer to watch, observing it was clearly an effort for her. “Why do you do this?”
“I make Caitlyn do much of her own work,” Jordan replied, also watching. “If she wants a pony, she can’t just enjoy the riding part, but also has to care for him.”
Neil gestured as Caitlyn, panting, put the foot down, and went for another. “But what does this mean?”
“A horse’s hoof can collect rocks and dirt that can cause problems while you’re riding,” Jordan explained. “So, we clean them out. Jumper is barefoot, but those others are shod. They’re ridden over the mountains, and their feet need to be protected.”
“This is so hard,” Caitlyn complained but continued to puff as she picked up each hoof and cleaned it.
Jordan lifted the leather object and a thick pad and settled them on Jumper’s back. “Caitlyn isn’t quite strong enough to saddle him,” she explained. “
So, I do that for her.”
Neil watched as she strapped the saddle to the pony, then put another odd headpiece around Jumper’s face. A slim metal object went into his mouth. The pony raised no objection to this, and Neil almost asked why he didn’t mind it.
“Now take him over there and warm him up.”
Caitlyn led Jumper a short distance away and made odd clucking sounds at him. The pony slowly walked in a circle around her, then broke into a trot as she waved her free arm at him. “This is fascinating,” he commented.
“She is really quite good with him,” Jordan replied, and Neil heard the note of pride in her voice. “She has a natural way with horses.”
Once Jumper was warmed up to Jordan’s satisfaction, Caitlyn climbed up into the saddle despite it being over her small head. The pony stood patient while she seized pieces of leather in her small fists and finally sat astride him. Flailing her small legs, Caitlyn made the chirruping noises again, and Jumper started to walk.
“These animals don’t mind being ridden this way?” he asked, baffled.
Jordan laughed. “To give you a brief history,” she replied, “horses were domesticated thousands of years ago. Humans use various methods, some cruel, some kind, to train them to carry riders.”
“Why would people be cruel to them?”
Jordan took her eyes from her daughter to study him. “People are hateful and evil to one another. So why wouldn’t they be just as terrible to a helpless animal?”
Neil shook his head. “I suppose I have much to learn,” he muttered.
Caitlyn whooped with happiness as Jumper carried her around in circles, Jordan calling instructions to her. Neil studied the pony’s body language, and it seemed to him that Jumper enjoyed the activity as much as the child did. “He likes having her ride him.”
“If horses are treated properly,” she replied, “they can come to enjoy their work.”
He glanced at the others in the pen, their long tails swishing as they searched the ground for edibles. “You say you breed horses?”
Jordan gestured toward the barn. “I have a stallion in the barn there,” she answered. “The broodmares are up in the pastures with their foals.”
Neil knew his expression displayed his ignorance, and Jordan laughed. “A stallion is a horse who hasn’t been gelded. Jumper and those others are geldings.”
“What does that mean?”
“They’ve been castrated.”
Neil winced. “Ouch.”
“It’s a necessary thing,” she explained, “as truly only the best animals should be used for breeding.”
“But why castrate the others?”
“By their nature, stallions can be aggressive and dangerous,” she replied. “If all male horses were kept stallions, they’d have only one thing on their minds. So, animals that aren’t good for breeding are cut.”
“I see. I think.”
“It’s a little hard to explain. When Caitlyn is done riding, I’ll bring the stud out. He needs to be worked anyway.”
When Caitlyn finished her ride, the process of tying Jumper up and grooming him was repeated. Jordan removed the saddle, and Caitlyn, insisting Neil help, brushed the pony again. He saw the light sheen of sweat on his coat and how the child cleaned it.
“Okay, I think the horses are calm enough,” Jordan said, gesturing for Caitlyn to put the pony back in the pen. “You can take him in there.”
He was still amazed at how easily the little girl handled not just Jumper but led him amidst the other horses who towered over her. Her blonde head didn’t even reach their massive shoulders. “They will not harm her?” he asked.
“I trust those old boys,” Jordan admitted. “But not just any horse. Those fellows won’t kick or bite, but not all horses are as well mannered as they are. I keep Caitlyn well away from the stud, for instance.”
“Kick?”
Jordan pointed toward their hooves. “Horses defend themselves with their feet,” she explained. “A single kick from a horse can break bones, or even kill.”
Alarm raced through Neil as Caitlyn stood amidst the big animals in the pen, petting noses that dropped down to her level. “She shouldn’t be in there,” he said, thinking to go in there and get her out.
Jordan seized his arm before he could. “You go over there; you might spook them. Just watch.”
After long minutes in which Caitlyn laughed and petted the curious faces, she wandered at last out of the pen. “See?” Jordan told him. “They can be trusted not to hurt her. But believe me, they are the only ones I do trust.”
Neil relaxed at last as Caitlyn ran toward them. “I had no idea these creatures could be so dangerous.”
“Almost any creature on this planet is dangerous in one way or another,” Jordan said looking him in the eye. “It depends upon not just your outlook, but also how you treat them.”
I suppose I’m one of the most dangerous of all.
Chapter Seven
“Caitlyn, you stay right here with Neil.”
“Okay, Mommy.”
Puzzled by Neil’s complete lack knowledge about things most folks took for granted, Jordan walked into the barn. “It’s almost like he comes from another planet,” she muttered.
The big quarter horse stallion, nicknamed Cade, nickered at her in greeting. She quickly haltered him and led him from his stall, grabbing a lunge rope as she did. Back outside, Cade’s deep red-brown coat gleamed under the sunlight, and he called out to the other horses in a long pealing whinny.
Tying him, Jordan brushed him down and picked his hooves, hoping he would be on his best behavior. While a sensible enough horse with a calm nature, Cade also had his quirks. She knew Neil watched closely from a distance and hoped he wouldn’t spook him. “I’ll take him to the round pen,” she called, untying Cade from the hitching rail.
Neil didn’t reply. Leading the bay stallion behind the barn, Neil and Caitlyn following down the narrow alleyway, Jordan took Cade to the round pen, and through the gate. Whether the stallion caught a whiff of Neil’s predatory odor, or for some other quirky reason, Cade suddenly reared. Caught flat-footed, Jordan tried to hold onto his lead rope and felt it burn through her hands.
On his hind legs, Cade spun, his front hooves catching Jordan in her chest and shoulders, knocking her to the ground. Half-blinded by her hair
in her face, she saw the shadow of his bulk over her and knew his front would smash down on her in an instant.
He didn’t. Somehow, he leaped over her body on the ground and took off as though shot from a cannon. Caitlyn!
Struggling to her knees, Jordan swiped her hair from her eyes as Cade charged straight toward Neil and Caitlyn. Caught between the side of the barn and the fence of the round pen, Cade had nowhere to turn. And Neil and her daughter stood right in his path. Though it all happened in a matter of seconds, Jordan felt time slow down to a trickle as she watched the big horse charge straight toward the two.
A split second later, Cade reared high again, his front hooves boxing at an impossibility.
Where Neil stood beside Caitlyn, a tremendous thing had taken his place. Spread wings blocked the sun, casting everything in its vicinity into shadow. So big, it dwarfed Cade and loomed over him. The stallion danced on his hind legs, frantic to escape the monster that angled its huge gaping muzzle toward him. Spinning again, Cade tried to run, but tangled his front feet together in his haste and went down. Up again in a flash, he charged back toward Jordan and the open gate of the pen.
Seeing him come, Jordan flung herself to the side and out of his path, rolling across the ground and up against the wall of the barn. Cade bolted into the round pen, and she listened to him galloping in circles. Even the still-open gate didn’t tempt him to leave.
Getting painfully to her feet, she shut the gate before turning back to Neil. He stood there beside Caitlyn as he had before, holding her small hand. Yet, his expression appeared tight, defensive, as though he expected her to scream at him for revealing to her what he really was.
A monster.
Limping, her chest and shoulders hurting where Cade had hit her, she walked toward him just as he led Caitlyn down toward her. “Mommy, did you see that?” Caitlyn asked, excited. “Neil is a dragon.”
A dragon?
Jordan stared between Neil’s defensive, panicked eyes and her daughter’s enthusiasm. “A—a—” she stammered, feeling her panic rising.
Dragon Fever: Limited Edition Holiday Romance Boxset Page 17