The path was only wide enough for one horse, so King had to drop further back to avoid crowding Bella. Danny was still intensely aware of his eyes watching her from behind but was able to relax sufficiently to delight in the tranquil, heavily scented morning. It was a glorious day, the country was a slice of heaven after the traffic, crowds and stresses of London, and she was doing one of the things she loved most in the world—riding Bella.
Although the dawn chorus was officially over for the day, she could hear blackbirds calling to each other as they flew from tree to tree and foraged in the leaf litter beneath for tasty treats of insects, spiders and snails. On the other side of the path, she caught sight of a family of mallards, floating and dabbling in the stream ignoring the hornets buzzing alongside and, high above them, a few skylarks were singing in the sky.
The well-worn bridle path was smooth and flat, so Danny let Bella quicken her pace from a walk to a gentle trot. She’d been ordered not to go faster than a trot, but it wasn’t safe to do so here anyway. Plus they would be reaching the woods soon, where it was too dangerous to go faster than a walk. She hoped he didn’t think she was only trotting because he’d demanded it.
They reached the entrance to the woods where the path narrowed further and twisted and turned around the trees. Danny slowed Bella back to a walk taking care to avoid the occasional overhanging branches.
In the full bloom of summer, the woods’ quiet, unspoiled, natural beauty brought joy to her heart. Streams of sunlight, pouring from the glimpses of blue sky above, filtered through the oaks and ashes leaving white gold splatters across the leaves, branches and boughs. Striking orange and black-spotted, silver-washed fritillary butterflies flitted about feeding on the flowers in the sunny glades.
Hidden in the foliage, larks were singing and, as if he could hear her thoughts, the man behind broke into song as well. She couldn’t make out the words, but his voice rippled over and through her, connecting him to her as palpably as if he had reached out and touched her with his hand.
The bridle path ended at the edge of the woods, and as the horses emerged out into a field, King drew alongside. Danny felt the breath catch in her throat, as his rider smiled at her, and she could see that, like her, he was utterly enchanted by nature’s beauty.
“Och, it’s magic, isn’t it?” he said.
“It’s perfect,” she agreed, feeling the knot in her middle tighten. What was it about this man that he could turn her to jelly with a glance, a smile, a word?
“It’s perfect all right,” he said more earnestly, glancing at her hair then capturing her eyes with his. “Just perfect.”
Unable to bear the intensity of his presence, Danny tossed her ponytail as if to dislodge it, squeezed her heels into the mare’s sides and gave her her head.
“Come on, Bella,” she cried. The mare needed little urging; filled with the joy of being alive and out and about on such a day, she sprang into a canter.
“Hey! Slow down!”
Danny ignored the command. She’d brought Bella this way on other rides and they always cantered across this field, slowing down when they got to the top of the small hill and then going slowly down the other side to the road at the bottom. And that’s what she was going to do today, too.
King flashed alongside.
“Slow down, I said!” The demand came again, this time with more urgency. Again she ignored him.
“Stop. Now!” His voice was brittle with anger. “Stop! I’m warning you.”
“What?” She’d heard clearly enough but was surprised by his words. She was having fun, and it wasn’t as though she couldn’t ride! Besides, it was her ride. She hadn’t even asked him to come along! She urged Bella on, her defiance making her more reckless than she would normally be were she on her own.
She reached the top of the small hill and prepared to slow Bella for the slope down towards the road, but at that moment a gunshot sounded from a farm not far away, startling the already excited Bella.
Leaping forward, she put her head down and bolted. Danny sat down hard into the saddle and tried to pull her up, but Bella just leant against the bit and galloped on.
“Whoa, Bella!” Danny pulled on her reins, released and pulled again, but Bella refused to respond. “Whoa!” Danny cried again, a note of panic in her voice. The wind was rushing against her face so hard she could hardly breathe.
The road was looming towards them, and Bella was still refusing to obey her commands to stop or turn. She tried pulling on the reins again to slow her down. Then tried using her weight, legs and hands to turn her, but Bella, still in a panic, galloped on.
“Bella, please,” she cried, tears springing into her eyes, terrified Bella was going to run straight out onto the road and crash into the fence on the other side, or get hit by a car, or fall over and break her leg.
“Oh God, please stop, Bella,” she cried again.
And just when escape seemed impossible, King flashed alongside and turned in front of her, forcing Bella away from the road. Seeing her friend next to her was enough to snap Bella out of her terror, and she finally allowed herself to be pulled up, nostrils flaring, sides heaving, neck and flanks wet and dark with sweat.
Danny slithered off, shaking so hard she could barely stand and then his arms were around her, pulling her close, gripping her tight, stopping her from falling.
“It’s all right,” he crooned against her hair. “You’re safe now, little girl.”
The aftermath of the shock hit her, and she burst into tears against his chest. His arms tightened and he held her quietly while she quivered and wept.
As the tears subsided and the shaking eased, he drew back and taking a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped her eyes and nose.
“Okay?” he asked gently.
“Yes, I think so.”
She turned to pat Bella. “Are you okay, baby?”
Bella turned her sweaty head and rubbed it up and down Danny’s shirt nearly knocking her over. She chuckled, bending to kiss Bella’s nose, happy and grateful the mare had not been injured.
She turned back to the man still standing close.
“Thank you. Oh my God, I hate to think what might have happened if you hadn’t been here.”
Pulling her back into his arms, he looked down at her. There was no hint of humour, his brow was furrowed, his lips set in a thin line.
“You gave me quite a scare, naughty girl.” He gently brushed a strand of hair from her face. A tic was throbbing in his left temple. “You are never ever to do anything dangerous like that again, do you hear me?”
“It wasn’t my fault…” she began but he cut her off.
“I forbade you going faster than a trot; you did. I then told you to stop and you disobeyed me again.”
“I always canter Bella up that hill. It wasn’t my fault some idiot fired a gun.”
“No, but you would have been much safer if you had just done as you were told.”
Okay, so Danny had often thought how exciting it would be to have a man telling her what to do, but now this man was doing just that, she was actually finding it a bit annoying. She couldn’t deny she liked the safe feeling she had wrapped in his arms, but she was much less sure about being scolded!
She pulled away. “Why would I do what you tell me?”
“Because you want to, and I want you to.”
“Really?” she tried to sound scornful. “What makes you think that?”
“Your ponytail told me, as did your getting to the stable at exactly seven thirty,” he replied evenly. “But like all naughty girls who know they need and want a strong man to take them in hand, you couldn’t help behaving like a spoiled brat at the first opportunity.”
“Oh,” she gasped, so taken aback by his unexpected words that she was momentarily unable to answer. No one, except in her imagination, had ever spoken to her like this.
Overcome with confusion and involuntary excitement at his words, she bit her lip and turned away, unwilling to let hi
m see the full extent of the effect he was having on her.
“It was just a canter, for goodness’ sake. I can’t be held responsible for the gunshot.” She tried to dismiss the incident.
“It was a gallop after you had been forbidden from going faster than a trot. That was number one. Number two is that you didn’t stop when I told you to. You and Bella could have been badly injured – or worse. You deserve to be punished for both misbehaviours.”
“Punished?” She shot a quick look at him to see if he was joking. The determination in his eyes and mouth told her he wasn’t.
“Yes, punished. You will find out exactly how later.”
“No!”
“Yes.” Putting his hands on her shoulders, he forced her to look into his eyes as he spoke calmly but firmly. “We are going to continue our ride with you doing as you are told, and you are going to accept whatever punishments I deem appropriate when I say so. Or I am taking King back to the stables, and this will end. We will go our separate ways.”
He paused but Danny was unable to speak.
Holding her eyes with his, he bent his head further and pressed his lips on hers. A jagged bolt shot through the very core of her, then spread like molten lava until her whole body was melting into him. She felt like a woman dying of thirst who had just been given the most heavenly drink. She wanted to gulp it down, satiate herself with it, but as quickly as the kiss started, it was over.
He pulled away, leaving her bereft.
“Is that what you want?” he prompted staring down at her as though the kiss had never happened. “To end this?”
He gritted his teeth and the tic she’d seen when she’d frightened him pulsed again at his temple. He doesn’t want to leave, she realised with a shock. This matters to him.
“Well, is it?”
She couldn’t leave him suffering any longer. She didn’t understand why she was unable to resist allowing this man to control her, but as afraid as she was of what might happen, she knew she couldn’t back out without finding out.
Torn by conflicting emotions and unable to speak, she put her hand on his chest feeling the tension in his body and shook her head, her answer in her eyes.
Releasing his breath in a sigh of relief, he wrapped his big, strong arms gently around her, bent his head and softly and slowly kissed her again. Danny pressed herself against him in a silent plea for him to crush her into his arms and kiss her long and hard until she couldn’t breathe, but instead he lifted his head, again leaving her aching and longing for more.
“Say it,” he demanded. “I want to hear you say ‘No, I don’t want this to end’.”
Her overflowing heart felt as light as a flake of snow. She smiled pure happiness.
“No, Jones. I don’t want this to end.”
“Good girl,” he said gently with that faintly amused grin. “Don’t worry. You made the right decision. Just put your upcoming punishments out of your mind for the moment and let’s enjoy the ride.”
Patting Bella, who had calmed right down, Danny collected her reins and lifted her left leg, allowing herself to be helped back into the saddle without objection.
“That’s a good girl.”
He patted her thigh, jumped back onto King and turned him towards the road.
“There’s a sign over there for breakfast. I think we could both use a strong coffee. Stay close.”
Without waiting for an answer, he set off, knowing for the moment at least she would follow.
Turning into the drive of Teeanne Toast Farm a few minutes later, they were immediately met by two children.
“Good morning,” said the elder of the two, a boy around fourteen. “Have you come for breakfast?”
“Aye, we have, thanks, my lad. If there’s some to be had.”
“Sure is,” the boy answered with a grin. “Shall Kate and I take your horses? We can give them a drink. And unsaddle them, if you want.”
Brandon shook his head. “We shan’t be long, so maybe just loosen the girths a little. And a drink would be good.”
Having dismounted and the horses led off to a barn to be tended, Danny was ushered to the alfresco dining area. Under a wisteria-covered pergola, four white, sturdy, wooden tables were waiting. In the centre of each, a small glass vase held a freshly picked rose bud, and a menu leant against a sugar bowl.
Any coolness in the morning had been banished by the warmth of the summer sun, and a steady drone from the bees mingled in the air with the perfume from the array of plants cluttering each available nook and cranny with a delightful wantonness of shape and colour. Bunches of pretty white daisies mingled with pink, purple and white bellflowers and delphiniums, while red hollyhocks and yellow sunflowers stood over them like babysitters.
Pots of basil, parsley, mint, coriander, chives and thyme clustered around the front door through which emerged a plump, friendly-faced woman in her late thirties. Her simple cotton frock and lace-up shoes quite matched the charming informality of the garden, Danny thought. She had a happy baby with marmalade on its face on her hip and at least two more children were peeping out the front door behind her as she greeted her guests and offered to take their orders.
“Coffee and toast for two, please. Soymilk on the side. And marmalade. That’ll do, I think.”
Danny was surprised to have not been consulted; how could he be sure that was what she wanted? Or even liked? And yet there was something about his supreme confidence, the way he took charge, the way he acted as if ordering for her was the most natural thing in the world, that felt surprisingly familiar and right.
“Have you always worked on farms?” she asked wanting to find out more about this man who was so different to any other she’d ever met.
“No,” he grinned. “That’s actually quite new. But I’ve been around horses one way and another most of my life having pretty much grown up on a farm.”
“Was your dad a farmer then?”
“No.” His mouth set in a grim line at the mention of his father. “The only thing my father ever grew was tired of having a wife and son. He walked out one day and didn’t bother coming back. Mum and I moved to a farm when Mum got a live-in job as a housekeeper. They had horses and that’s where I learned to ride and take care of them.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. About your dad.”
“That’s okay. But you can be sure of this,” his words were slow and measured, “no woman of mine will ever be left to fend for herself the way my mother was. If, when, I commit myself to a woman, the mother of my children perhaps, I will protect and take care of her with my life if necessary. She will be loved, cherished and protected until the day I die. I shan’t be walking out on her or my kids the way my father did.” The last was spat out with obvious contempt.
Danny shivered, despite the day’s warmth. He spoke with such sincerity and conviction; she didn’t doubt for a moment he spoke the truth. That ‘woman of mine’ as he had called her, whoever she might be, would never feel alone, never feel she had to fight her own battles, and never feel insecure about the devotion of her man. Danny felt her heart surge with admiration.
“Here we are.” Their hostess arrived with mugs of black coffee, a jug of milk, plates and knives, a small tub of butter and another of marmalade. “I’ll be back directly with your toast – nice and hot.” She smiled.
While she was gone, Danny poured milk into her coffee and passed it to her companion. The toast arrived, and Danny busied herself with spreading a slice with butter and marmalade.
“What about you then, Daniella?” he asked having taken a drink of his coffee and replaced his mug.
“Me?” Her hand trembled as she passed him the butter and marmalade for his toast.
“Yes. Tell me something about yourself.”
Danny told him how she had grown up in the north. Her father worked in a factory and her mother in a small newsagent until they decided there was a better life to be had in Australia. When her parents had taken her younger brother and emigrated, Danny had
declined to go, moving instead to London.
Danny was afraid it was rather a dull story, but her companion listened attentively until she’d finished.
“And you write. Tell me more about that,” he prompted as she was about to ask him more about himself.
So she told him again about Bluestocking and her column. When she told him it was called “Mouthing Off,” he hooted with laughter.
“I’m sure it’s a very appropriate name,” he teased her. “I can well imagine you are exceedingly good at ‘mouthing off’.
“I really want to be a novelist,” she said, blushing, and wanting to change the direction of the conversation.
“Yes, you said last night that you’re writing a book,” he nodded.
Danny sighed.
“I don’t know how good it is though.” She shrugged, cupping her hands around her mug and staring at its contents.
He put his hand on her arm.
“Let me see it. I’ll read it and tell you what I think.”
Danny’s eyes opened a little wider in surprise.
“What’s the matter?” He chuckled. “Did you think I can’t read? Or do you just think a humble yard-boy wouldn’t be able to tell good writing from bad?”
“No! I mean, yes. No.” Danny was flustered, embarrassed that he could so easily read her mind and that she could have had such an unflattering thought.
“Well,” he said with a grin. “Now you’ve insulted me, I insist on seeing it. No.” He held up a hand to silence her as she went to speak. “I’m not hearing any excuses or objections. But right now,” the smile faded, and his body tensed as he placed his hand over hers and stared into her eyes, “we’re going to get going. We can’t be late back as you have work to do, and we have other business to attend to first.”
Chapter 4
Danny felt her heart lurch as she watched him stand up and go inside to pay for their breakfast.
Danny’s Secret Desire Page 5