I hope Caden’s mare is okay. Poor thing. I wish I was there with him. I couldn’t do anything practical, but I could lend morale support. Heather’s a poor thing too. I wonder what’s making her so sad. That mother of hers is a trip. Good grief. Talk about a prima donna, and she seems like a total control freak. Caden, I miss you. Training. That’s what you said. God, that turns me on! That thing about wearing a skirt so you can lift it and smack me, ooh.
Her hand slipped between her legs, but recalling his edict, moaning reluctantly, she pulled it away.
“It’s not fair,” she muttered. “I should be allowed to do this. I’d be totally focused on you and all your wicked promises.”
Resigning herself to a simple soak, she forced herself to think about things other than her sexy cowboy and his salacious plans. Finally rising from the tub, she toweled off, donned the bathrobe hanging on the hook behind the door, and was walking into the bedroom when the phone rang. Running to answer it, praying it was Caden, she picked up the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Hey, darlin’.”
His voice sounded weary, but not sad or melancholy.
“How is she?” Bridget asked hoping she’d read him correctly.
“It was touch and go, but she’s out of the woods, and I have a brand new foal. A little girl. Cute as could be.”
“Yay. Silly question, but aren’t they all cute?”
“Yes, Bridget, they are, but some are cuter than others. I can already tell she’ll be full of mischief. Her mother is, so it’s in her blood.”
“She’s really okay, the mother?”
“Patty, yes, but I’m stayin’ here overnight just in case.”
“Do you have cameras in the barn so you can monitor her?”
“Oh, sure, but I’m not relyin’ on that. I’ll bring a sleepin’ bag down here and stay in the stall next to her and her baby.”
“Really?”
“I’m not leavin’ her, not a chance. The vet said she’d should be brighter in the mornin’, and as long as she is I can head on back there.”
“Caden, you take my breath away. That is so wonderful.”
“What?”
“Sleeping in the stall to watch over her. I wish I was there with you.”
“Me too, but I think she’s gonna be just fine and we’ll be together again tomorrow. What’s goin’ on there? How was Heather?”
“She’s so nice, Caden. She helped me clean up Valentino, and she wants to take a lesson. I have to check with Richard and find out how that works. The only thing is…”
“Is what?”
“I think she’s really sad.”
“Of course she is.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Didn’t you hear about her and Jeff Ludlow?”
“They’re engaged right? Did something happen? Is that why she’s here with her mother and not him?”
“You honestly don’t know?”
“No, tell me. I don’t watch those entertainment shows. What?”
“The engagement was called off, and it wasn’t that long ago, maybe, two, three weeks?”
“I wonder why,” Bridget frowned. “At least that explains it. I’m glad you told me. She asked if she could come over and have a drink with me tonight, after she’s had dinner with her mother.”
“Probably wants some normal company.”
“I’m sure,” Bridget agreed, “and to talk about horses. Um, Caden?”
“Yes, darlin’, what’s that I’m hearin’ in your voice?”
“I was wondering, can I, uh, please may I have permission to play with myself?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“No? Why not?”
“I have my reasons.”
“Can I know what they are?”
“When I get back.”
“What if I beg?”
“Beggin’ can be good, but it won’t change my mind.”
“Shoot.”
“Have you seen Jane?”
“No, she was MIA all afternoon. You didn’t need to spank me at lunchtime after all.”
“Darlin’,” he said lowering his voice, “you always need to be spanked.”
“Oh, Caden, please, can I touch myself? Pleeease?”
“You can, of course you can, but then I’ll have to punish you, and that doesn’t necessarily mean a spankin’.”
“What does it mean then?”
“Disobey me and find out,” he warned. “Just so we’re clear, I’m tellin’ you, no you may not touch yourself. Understand?”
“Yes, Sir,” she breathed feeling the slick heat between her legs.
“I’m gonna go now. I need to eat and have some coffee. Don’t worry if I don’t call you tonight. I’m exhausted. I’ll probably fall asleep early, but I promise I’ll call you in the mornin’.”
“Okay. I love you and miss you,” she said wistfully.
“Back at ya, darlin’.”
Hanging up the phone, she leaned back on the bed, grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest.
He’s sleeping in the stall next to his mare. My heart, I can hardly stand it. What a wonderful man. I think I just fell in love with him all over again. I’m so tired. Maybe I’ll take a quick nap.
Drifting off to images of Caden and Valentino, she had disjointed dreams of them both, and when she blinked open her eyes she was shocked to see it had passed seven o’clock. Wide awake and hungry, not wanting to intrude on Heather and her mother in the dining room, she called down for some dinner, then dressed in case Heather should knock on her door.
As she waited for her meal, staring out at the quickly darkening sky, she realized she hadn’t called Richard about giving Heather a lesson.
“Shoot, it’s too late now. I’ll call him first thing in the morning,” she muttered, “and I didn’t get a page from Jane. Maybe I slept through it.”
Moving across to the desk she picked up her pager.
“Nothing. Huh, maybe she’s just going to ignore me. A girl like that, who knows what she’ll do. I knew she’d be trouble.”
Dinner arrived, and she ate it slowly, enjoying every bite. She’d ordered a bottle of wine, not to have with her meal, but because she wanted it there to share with Heather when she arrived, and as she put the tray outside her door for room service to collect, she saw the young star walking towards her.
“Hi,” Bridget smiled.
“Looks like good timing,” Heather remarked.
“Perfect, I just finished dinner. Come on in.”
“The food here is ridiculous,” Heather said walking into the suite.
“I know, not that I’ve eaten in many high-end places, but I think it’s great.”
“My mother is impossible to please, but even she’s raving.”
“Wine?” Bridget offered, thinking Heather seemed edgy.
“You bet. I can’t drink around my mother,” Heather said moving around the room, “unless I’m upset, then she doesn’t seem to mind.”
“You can have whatever you want here,” Bridget declared pouring them both a glass.
Taking it from her, Heather took a swallow, then stood for minute, looking uncomfortable.
“This is lovely,” she said. “Whoever decorated this place did a terrific job.”
“I agree,” Bridget nodded. Why are you so nervous? Hmm, should I ask?
“I like how all the rooms face the paddocks,” Heather continued.
“Heather,” Bridget said slowly, “I get the feeling you want to talk to me about something. I don’t mean to pry, but-“
“It’s just…” she began, then taking another swallow of wine she wandered to the window, and staring out across the grounds, she muttered, “the landscaping lights are gorgeous.”
“It’s just?” Bridget pressed.
“Sorry,” Heather sighed. “It was seeing you and Caden today.”
“What about us?”
“You’re so happy,” she said wistfully.
“I�
��m sorry about you and Jeff Ludlow,” Bridget said quietly.
“It’s really hard,” Bridget mumbled. “Sorry. I don’t know why, but I feel like I can talk to you.”
“Of course you can,” Bridget said warmly, “and I’m glad you feel that way.”
“Maybe it’s the horse thing. Being with you and Valentino today was incredible. It really cheered me up.”
“Horses do that for me too. They’re my therapy. They make everything okay.”
“I know, right?” Heather agreed. “It’s their energy or something. I really miss being around them, but I’m going to change that. I’m definitely getting back into riding.”
“I couldn’t live without horses in my life. If it’s in your blood, you can’t stay away from them. Even if you take a break, you have to get back to them.”
“Its definitely in me,” Heather nodded. “I felt so much better when I was with you in the barn.”
“Maybe you and Jeff can work things out,” Bridget suggested.
“I don’t think so.”
“About two months ago, I walked away from Caden, and it was horrible. I felt as if someone had punched me in the gut, it hurt so bad.”
“You left him? Why?”
“I saw him with another woman. Before I started going out with him, he had a reputation for being a total player, so I immediately assumed he was cheating on me.”
“Oh, my, gosh. That’s happening with me,” Heather exclaimed. “How did you get past it? I mean, if he cheated on you…”
“It turned out that he hadn’t. The girl who used to own Valentino had to give him up, and she’d just handed him over to Caden. She was really upset, and Caden was just comforting her.”
“You jumped to the wrong conclusion.”
“Totally. We just got back together a couple of days ago.”
“That recently? Why did it take so long?”
“I refused to talk to him,” Bridget said frowning. “I was such an idiot. He finally got me to listen to him. I won’t bore you with how that happened, but honestly, I thought we were totally done, and now look. You never know what might happen. Maybe there’s more hope for you and Jeff than you think.”
“I doubt it,” Heather muttered swallowing a fresh wave of sadness.
“You just said the same thing happened to you. Maybe you misunderstood like I did,” Bridget offered. “Can you talk about it?”
“There’s not much to talk about. One day I opened up my email, and there was a photograph of him and some girl in bed together.”
“What? That’s crazy Who sent it?”
“I have no idea. After I told my mother she hired a private detective but they couldn’t trace where the email came from. He had a new haircut, so I knew the picture had just been taken. I forwarded it to him, and told him we were done,” she finished, tears abruptly spilling down her face.
“Oh, Heather, this sounds crazy.”
“It was, totally crazy,” she sputtered.
“This is horrible.”
“He emailed me back, he said he had no idea what it was, but I wouldn’t listen, I mean, how could I? He was there, with another woman, in color. After that he starting calling me, leaving me messages saying he hadn’t done anything, begging me to let him tell his side of the story, but I couldn’t handle it. I didn’t need to hear lies and excuses.”
“I know that feeling,” Bridget remarked.
“I got a new phone with a different number, and a new email, and my mother wouldn’t let him in the door, then she decided to bring me here, so Jeff wouldn’t be able to pester me.”
“That’s so weird, that’s exactly why I came here, so Caden couldn’t reach me, and I wouldn’t have to risk running into him. This is totally bizarre,” Bridget declared shaking her head.
“Really? That is weird,” Heather nodded wiping the tears from her face. “Wait a second, he was here? How did he find you?”
“I’ll tell you about that later. It’s just so bizarre that you’re going through almost exactly the same thing I did.”
“It is,” Heather frowned. “It totally is, except I have photographs. Oh, I can’t stand to think about it.”
“Don’t you think what happened to you and Jeff is a bit strange?” Bridget said thoughtfully.
“How do you mean?”
“It must have been right after you announced your engagement, right?”
“Just a few days.”
“Why would anyone do that to you? How would they get your email, and a story like that, whoever it was could have sold it to the tabloids for a mint, couldn’t they, especially with racy pictures?”
“Huh,” Heather said with a heavy frown. “I guess I never thought about it. I just reacted.”
“Maybe I’m crazy, but it reeks of someone purposely sabotaging you two.”
“Who would do that, and why,” Heather said drinking her wine, then looking very sad, she added, “and does it make any difference? He did what he did.”
“Are you sure? I keep thinking about what happened to me and Caden. It looked so bad, but it wasn’t. Heather, what exactly did the picture show.”
“Jeff was naked, or rather, his lower half was covered by a blanket, his eyes were closed, and this girl in this really trashy lingerie was lying next to him.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s not enough?” Heather declared downing another swallow of wine.
“Were there other pictures, or just one?”
“There were three, all similar, except one where the girl’s eyes were open.”
“I’m going to give you some advice,” Bridget said soberly, “advice I wish someone had given me. Call Jeff, listen to what he has to say. I’ve got a funny feeling about all this.”
Heather stared at her, then walked across to a chair and dropped down.
“You think it was a setup,” Heather murmured, her voice almost a whisper. “You think he had no idea what was happening. You think the whole thing was done deliberately to break us up.”
“Yeah,” Bridget nodded, “I think it’s at least a possibility. Do you know anyone who would have wanted to do that? Someone who knew your email address, and could finagle something complicated like that?”
“Only one person,” Heather breathed staring at her hands. “I’m afraid to call Jeff, because if you’re right, there’s no good outcome.”
“What do you mean?”
“Either Jeff really was in bed with another woman, or it was my mother’s handiwork. Like I said, no good outcome.”
“Shit. I’m really sorry,” Bridget muttered walking across to her. “I should have kept my big mouth shut.”
“No. No, that’s not true. I had such a weird feeling when it happened, and I didn’t know why it seemed so…off…somehow. Everything you just asked, who would have my email, why didn’t they just sell the pictures, and one question that just came into my head, who would be in a position to even take a picture like that?”
“You need to talk to him,” Bridget reiterated. “At least hear what he has to say.”
“You’re right,” Heather nodded staring at her. “So strange that I should meet you, and you were here to help me like this.”
“It is, but it’s good strange,” Bridget smiled.
“Very good strange,” Heather agreed. “I’ll call him tomorrow after my lesson. I’m not sure I can face it tonight.”
“Lesson? Do you mean a riding lesson?”
“Yes. My mother arranged it. I guess Jane has to evaluate me before she can let me take a lesson with you.”
“I see.”
“I told mother I didn’t want to take a lesson with Jane, I wanted it to be with you, but Jane told her it was the hotel policy and it had to do with insurance or something.”
“When are you having this lesson?”
“Tomorrow morning at ten-thirty. She said it would take about an hour. I’m excited, but I wish it was going to be with you. Will you come down and watch.”
“Maybe. I can always watch from the terrace.”
“Can’t you come and sit on the viewing deck?”
“Let me think about it. Like I said, I just started here, and I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes.” Now I know why Jane hasn’t paged me. She doesn’t want me there in the morning. Should I show up? I’d love to see her face. Shoot. I promised Caden I wouldn’t provoke her.
“I can tell her I insisted you be there, or would that be difficult for you?”
“It might be, let me think about it, and my goodness, I forgot to tell you. I talked to Caden. The mare is doing better. He’s staying overnight just in case, but he should be back here tomorrow morning.”
“That’s fabulous, what a relief,” Heather smiled.
“Listen to this,” Bridget said dramatically. “He’s taking a sleeping bag into the stall next to her, so he can be right there with her and the baby through the night.”
“Ooh, no wonder you’re so in love with him.”
“He’s the best,” Bridget sighed. “The foal is a little girl, by the way.”
“That news has really perked me up,” Heather declared. “I’ve felt weird about this whole thing with Jeff from the very beginning. I’m definitely calling him tomorrow, and one way or another, I’m getting the truth, whatever that truth may be.”
“Good for you,” Bridget exclaimed. “You won’t rest if you don’t.”
“Here’s to new beginnings,” Heather said raising her glass.
“New beginnings,” Bridget said clinking.
“Did you hear we might be having a storm tomorrow?”
“I did,” Bridget replied.
“I know this old character actor. He told me once that a storm blows in change. There’s the drama of the thunder and lightening, the rain to wash everything clean, and then the dawn of a new day.”
“That sounds profound and accurate,” Bridget declared.
“I’m so grateful to you,” Heather sighed. “Thank you for everything.”
“I didn’t do very much,” Bridget replied, “but you’re welcome.”
“The thing is,” Heather began tentatively, “when I met you, you treated me like a normal human being, and so did Caden. I hope we can stay friends after we leave here.”
When a Cowboy Loves a Woman Page 11