by Toni Leland
Warmth flooded her heart and reality hit her. I’m in love.
Howard handed her a glass of wine, then raised his and held her gaze. “To the future.”
Chapter 55
Jess opened her eyes, instantly aware of Howard’s warmth next to her. Snuggled beneath the heavy goose-down quilt, she focused on the feel of his bare skin against hers, remembering the passion of the night. Warmth crawled along her inner thighs, and she sneaked a look at his sleeping countenance. He was the handsomest, sexiest, nicest man she’d ever known.
Her gaze drifted to the high window in the loft bedroom. Through the small panes, the electric blue sky promised a magnificent day. As though anything could be better than last night.
Howard stirred, then rolled toward her, slithering his arm across to cradle her against him.
“Mmm. Good morning, beautiful.”
She pressed her body against him, wanting nothing between them, sinking into her emotions.
She kissed his chest and murmured, “What are we going to do today?”
A wicked chuckle rumbled through his answer. “Indoors or out?”
“You’re the resort owner–you tell me.”
“Later, I’ll take you down to the lake. After a heavy snow, Coeur d’Alene is the most beautiful sight you’ll ever see.” His hand slipped down to cup her breast. “But I’m not ready to get up yet.”
Jess awoke with a start, the thick aroma of bacon tickling her nose. She gazed up at the brown logs rolling toward the peaked ceiling, seeing the differences in each one, admiring the meticulous skill that had gone into building such a structure. The cozy loft felt like a secure cocoon, and she nestled deeper into the bed, content to never move again.
Howard’s voice echoed from the kitchen. “Chow’s on! Rise and shine!”
Jess’s heart contracted with happiness, and suddenly she couldn’t wait another minute to feel his arms around her again.
Minutes later, she snuggled into his hug, delighting in the sound of his voice, only a heartbeat away.
“Boy, you are some greenhorn, layin’ in bed all morning.” He stepped back and smiled mischievously. “You sure you really work at that fancy horse barn of yours?”
Jess laughed with genuine amusement. “I’m not sure of anything anymore.”
Howard moved into the kitchen and Jess sat down at the table. Through the windows, the world resembled the soft white shapes of the clouds high above the earth. Howard returned to the table and she stared at a plate heaped with eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast.
“Good grief, is this for both of us?”
Howard grinned. “Hell no, you gotta keep your strength up. We have a long day ahead of us.”
Jess studied him for a moment, loving the feeling of being pampered. “You’re the boss.”
When the dishes were cleared away, and the fire secured, Howard shrugged into his jacket.
“Come on, I want to show you something.”
Outside the cabin, Jess stopped to inhale the sharp air, savoring every new smell and each new visual delight. Howard took her hand, leading her off the porch and around the side of the building. A bright blue snowmobile rumbled to life at the turn of a key, and Jess chuckled as she climbed on behind Howard.
“I’ve never been on one of these things.”
“Hang on.”
She slipped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his back, thinking about all the “nevers” she’d experienced lately. The vehicle moved forward, then picked up speed, and Jess felt as though they were airborne. They flew across a field and down a slope, Howard expertly zigzagging between the trees. At the bottom of the hill, he guided the vehicle onto a road grooved with one set of tire tracks. A few minutes later, he pulled up in front of a small barn, and the snowmobile sputtered and died.
Jess stared. “What’s this?”
“My riding stable.”
Jess sat quite still for a moment, then climbed off into the snow. Howard’s face formed a collage of emotions. Pride danced around the edges of uncertainty, as he waited for her response. Suddenly, the hilarity of the situation overtook her and she burst into laughter.
Howard’s smile changed to a mock scowl.
“What’s so durn funny?”
Jess leaped into his arms and kissed his cheek. “You are. Why didn’t you ever tell me about this?”
He chuckled. “I wanted to make sure you were interested in me, and not just my horses.” He extricated himself from her clutches and stepped back. “Well, come on, but don’t get your hopes up. This is just a bunch of nags for the customers to use.”
The structure looked like something out of an old Will James story. The flat roof slanted toward the back of the building, the front edge forming an overhang that shaded the stall doors. Weathered gray rails fenced individual turn-out paddocks in front of each of the five stalls, and five curious faces hung over the fence, warm breath curling into the cold air.
Jess slipped her arm through Howard’s and leaned her head on his shoulder. “They’re beautiful. Just beautiful.”
In the quiet moment, the shaggy horses turned back to snuffling through the snow for any missed bits of hay, and the brilliant beauty of the morning closed around Jess, confirming her thoughts that change was in the air.
“Feel like a little trail ride?”
Jess’s throat tightened. She hadn’t been on a horse since her last ride on Danny. Fighting the tears, she gazed up at Howard and nodded. He reached out and brushed a tear off her cheek.
“Careful, hon. You’ll turn into an icicle out here.”
Jess took a deep breath and gathered the reins. The large, shaggy palomino blew dust from his nostrils and shook his head. The bulky western saddle felt strange, so different from the sparse, sleek form of a jump saddle. Howard sat easily on a large brown and white pinto with one blue eye. The horse pawed the ground impatiently.
Jess gazed at Howard, seeing yet another side to the man who now filled every thought of the future. His brilliant eyes sparkled in the morning sun, and laugh lines crinkled around his grin.
“Head ’em up and move ’em out!”
The horses moved easily through the drifts, and Howard turned toward a dark opening in the trees. Within minutes, Jess heard the sound of water. As they moved closer, it became a roar, and as they left the dense tree cover, the sheer beauty of the place took her breath away. Spray from the hidden falls rose in the air, clinging to every branch and twig, instantly freezing into crystal sculpture.
Howard dismounted and tied his horse to a small tree. Jess slid to the ground and handed him the reins. About thirty feet away, a wooden viewing platform hung over the water, surrounded by railings and wire mesh. Howard slipped his arm around her shoulders and guided her toward it. A moment later, she felt the power surging through the wooden structure, humming through the rocks on which it was built. She looked down at the frothing white abyss, both horrified and exhilarated. Glistening spray rose and swirled, then disappeared into the billowing mist, carrying her fears away with it.
“Jess?” Emotion and anticipation defined Howard’s face. “Now I’ve shown you my world. What can I do to convince you to be a part of it?”
Words couldn’t explain everything in her heart, or her fear of the rocky road ahead. She answered him with a kiss, soft and tentative, but promising.
The road south to Coeur d’Alene looked like an artist’s fantasy. The highway ran alongside a river for miles, providing glimpses of rolling water, then areas frozen solid. The heavily blanketed boughs of the towering pines bent down with the weight of the snow, and every so often, the wind would flip a branch, dumping an avalanche of white stuff onto the road.
The serenity of the landscape soothed Jess’s inner turmoil, and her thoughts turned to Howard’s question–and reality.
Ending the financial mess hadn’t solved anything–the past few weeks would always dilute whatever happiness she might find at Easton. Her chest tightened. The time
had come for change, and no matter how much she hated the thought, she could do nothing to alter that. And, if there were any chance for happiness with Howard, she’d need to do what had to be done.
The dark ribbon of highway wound through the white wonderland, distorted by sudden tears that threatened to spill over.
Howard took her hand. “Things’ll work out, honey. They always do.”
The lake came into view and Jess’s spirits lifted. “Oh, what a view!”
He chuckled, squeezing her hand. “I know. I’ve been coming down here for years, and I never get used to that first glimpse, especially in winter.”
A mile or so down the road, he pulled off into a scenic overlook and parked. Jess gazed at the sparkling turquoise water surrounded by brilliant white snow under an electric blue sky.
“The lake is thirty miles long, with over a hundred miles of shoreline. I like it best this time of year, when no one is around.”
“You’re quite the hermit, huh?”
“Sometimes.” He threw her an almost shy smile. “But it gets lonely out in the woods.”
Jess’s pulse skipped and she sighed deeply. She couldn’t make any commitments yet, no matter how much she wanted to.
“Things got really crazy after you left Connecticut. The phone rang constantly, and we picked up fourteen new students for the winter session. Faith got a work-release so she could take the girls to Brandford.”
“How’d they do?”
Jess beamed with genuine delight. “Fabulous. Lexie took the junior champion trophy on Danny, and Beth took reserve–” She grinned. “–a feeling I know all too well.” She gazed out the windshield at the serene setting. “Things should level out once we start again. Faith seems committed to getting back in control.”
Howard’s thumb traced the outline of Jess’s knuckle. “You know, I have a good staff here. I could come out to Connecticut, just do the lodge at the peak season.”
She quickly covered his hand with hers. “Howard, you can’t do that–you’ve worked too hard.” She took a deep breath. “I’ve come to realize that the dream has changed–nothing will ever be the same for me at Easton. When the time is right, I’m going to give Faith the rest of the poker money. Frank is willing to sell the place, and if she wants to own it, she’ll have a down-payment.”
Howard was silent, then cleared his throat. “That’s a pretty generous gift. Don’t you need something for yourself, for your new plans–whatever they might be?”
She chuckled. “Oh, I’m fine. I sold a horse before I left home.” She gazed at him for a moment, then smiled. “Didn’t you say I could show folks out West a thing or two?”
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Arabic Glossary
Arabic is a beautiful and musical spoken language, with many dialects and forms of address; however, it is difficult to convey the rhythm and sound in writing.
For the interested reader, the following words and phrases are those used in the everyday life of Middle Eastern people.
Allaah – God
Insha’Allaah – God willing
Allaahu akbar – God is great
Ma’assalama – goodbye (Go in peace)
Shukran – thank you
Yalla – hurry
quyeese (m) /quyeesa (f) – good
Ana behibek – I love you
Habibi – my darling, sweetheart
umm – mother
hijaab – Muslim woman’s headscarf
subha – prayer beads
muezzin – the crier who calls the faithful to prayer every morning and evening
Acknowledgments
If nothing else, this book taught me that the craft of writing is 30% inspiration and 70% research. Without the diverse group of willing individuals to help me through all the stuff I didn’t know, you wouldn’t be reading Gambling With the Enemy.
Many thanks to: Officer McElhaney of the Zanesville Police Department; the Cincinnati FBI Field Office; Peter Cultice for a peek into the mind of a lawyer; Barbara for her knowledge and experience in the economics of horse farm management; my patient critique partner, Janet; and my gambling gurus, Bob and Art.
I owe a serious debt to the eagle-eyed advance readers who spared me the embarrassment of typos and plot inconsistencies: Holly, Robert, Ellen, Art, Marilyn, Janet, and Carolyn.
As always, thank you, Bob, for putting up with this madness.
The Author
From the age of eight, Toni Leland nurtured an on-going love affair with horses. Every moment of every day was filled with fantasies of owning her very own horse, a dream that finally came true at the age of twelve. Her life has been graced by many of these beautiful creatures, so it only seemed natural that her careers would revolve around them, as well.
Graphic artist, advertising consultant to the equine industry, and publisher/producer of magazines, books, and videos about horses have consumed the past eighteen years of Toni's life.
The next step was obvious: equestrian fiction.
Visit her at
Romancing the Horse
http://www.tonileland.com
Other Kindle Books by Toni Leland
Unfinished Business (Kovak & Quaid Book 3)
Balancing Act (Kovak & Quaid Book 2)
Double Exposure (Kovak & Quaid Book 1)
Winning Ways
Rescue Me
Hearts Over Fences
Deadly Heritage
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