“You’re not staying?”
She leaned back but propped herself up on her elbows. The smile she gave him built slowly. He swept his tongue over his bottom lip and traced her with a burning gaze from tip to toe. Tally suppressed an urge to fan herself.
He put the tray down on a nearby table and bent over her. “You’re becoming as insatiable as me.”
His lips were centimetres from hers, and she couldn’t resist reaching up to kiss him. He groaned softly and pushed her down onto the bed, holding her hands over her head. He nudged aside the towel and traced one of her nipples with the tip of his tongue. It puckered, and he blew on it before pulling it gently into his warm mouth. As her stomach tightened, she allowed her lids to fall closed, her lips parting in anticipation of what was to come, but when her body chilled, she opened her eyes to find him standing over her.
“You’re hard to resist, sweetness, but we don’t have time.”
She pouted. “Sure we do. There’s twenty minutes yet.”
Cash laughed. “I’m all for a quickie, but not this morning. Now, get dressed.”
He grabbed the tray and left before she could say another word. She hugged her knees to her chest, wondering what he had in store. Probably the last thing she’d expect.
* * *
Cash drove deeper into the Northern Ireland countryside. Green fields were knitted together like a patchwork quilt with hedgerows separating each square. Occasionally, a dilapidated barn or isolated farmhouse broke up the view, but mostly they could have been all alone in the world. The ominous rolling grey clouds reminded her that spring was still a few weeks off.
After they’d been driving for about thirty minutes, Cash turned right up a narrow dirt track. His huge four-by-four brushed the shrubbery on either side, scattering crisp brown leaves that had managed to cling to their branches through the winter storms.
At the end of the track was a charming old house that must have been well over a hundred years old. On one side, a large paddock had several horses meandering about, eating grass or just resting. On the other was a decent-sized ménage where a horse was being lunged, and behind that, Tally could just about make out a U-shaped stable block. With a squeal, she turned to Cash.
“Tell me we’re going riding!”
“We’re going riding.”
She clapped her hands. “Yes,” she said as excitement began to build. It had been ages since she’d been on a horse. “How did you know I love to ride?”
“I asked Emmalee what some of your hobbies were, and she said you used to ride but hadn’t been recently, so I knew I was taking a risk.”
“The only reason I haven’t ridden is because I’ve been so busy working since finishing university, not because I fell out of love with horses.”
They got out of the car, and Cash clasped her hand as they set off for the rear of the house. The stable yard was busy, with buckets clanging, grooms preparing hay nets, and horses neighing as they vied for attention. She breathed in deeply. She’d always loved the smell of horses, and nothing had changed that over the years.
“Marcie.” Cash waved at a woman on the far side of the yard.
Marcie wiped her hands on well-worn breeches as she headed over then tucked escaped strands of greying hair into an untidy bun. Her face had the ruddy complexion of someone who’d spent her entire life outdoors.
“Cash,” she said, giving him a brief hug. “Thought you’d forgotten about your babies.”
“Not a chance. I only got back last weekend, and I’ve had other things on my mind this week.”
“So I see,” Marcie said with a pointed stare in Tally’s direction.
“Marcie, this is my girlfriend, Natalia McKenzie. Natalia, this is Marcie. She owns this place.”
Tally shook Marcie’s outstretched hand. “Hi. Good to meet you.”
“Not nearly as good as it is to meet you, hon,” she said. “Girlfriend, Cash? Do I need to buy a hat?”
Cash rolled his eyes. “I’ll let you know. So how have they been?”
“They’ve been no trouble.”
Cash turned to her. “Want to meet my horses?”
Excitement rushed through her. “Definitely. How many do you own?”
“Three. Come on.” He knitted their fingers together and strolled to the far side of the courtyard. They stopped outside the first loose box, where a stunning Palomino was eating from a hay net. Its golden coat shimmered even in the dim light, and its silken white mane and tail flowed long and free.
“This is Kachina. She’s an eight-year-old mare I picked up in Spain three years ago.”
“Oh, wow, Cash. She’s beautiful.”
“I know. I have to admit, she’s my favourite.” He dug into his pocket and produced a clear plastic bag full of chopped carrots. “Here, girl.” He held one in the flat of his palm, and Kachina ambled towards them. She swept the carrot from Cash’s hand and crunched loudly as she ate. Cash rubbed her forehead and tugged affectionately on one of her ears. When she realised no more treats were forthcoming, she turned back to her hay net.
They moved on to the next box, where a black stallion was pawing the floor. The steel of his shoe made a scraping sound and his nostrils flared menacingly. She’d never yet found a horse she couldn’t handle, but somehow, she didn’t want to test that theory on this particular horse.
“This is Shadow. He’s a little… challenging. He needs a very firm hand.” Cash held out another piece of carrot, which Shadow snatched from his outstretched palm before retreating to the back of his box to eat. He watched them carefully as he crunched, his ears pinned flat against his head and a fierce, almost wild look in his eyes.
“What’s wrong with him?”
Cash grimaced. “Some idiot thought buying a stallion for a green thirteen-year-old was a sterling idea. She was riding Shadow one day, and he spooked at a rustle in the hedge and threw her. She suffered a head injury that left her with epilepsy, and her father decided to take out his anger on Shadow.”
With dread unfurling in the pit of her stomach, Tally swallowed. “How?”
“He whipped him until he’d lost so much blood he couldn’t stand. Luckily, a passing farmer witnessed it and called the police. Shadow barely made it.”
Tally felt the blood drain from her face as Cash’s vivid description of Shadow’s suffering hit home. “How did you end up with him?”
“Marcie,” Cash said, tilting his head towards the house. “It’s a small world around here, and she heard about his story. He was being cared for by the RSPCA, and once he was well enough, I brought him here. He’s still very wary of strangers, men in particular, but I’ve been working with him for over a year, and he’s slowly getting there.”
“What happened to the father?”
“He was banned from owning horses for life and fined.” Cash laughed bitterly. “Some punishment, huh?”
He held out another piece of carrot for Shadow as Tally squeezed his arm. “He’s lucky he’s got you.”
He shrugged and pointed at the next box. “Here’s who I really want you to meet, though. I have a feeling you’re going to love him. This is Mason.”
Tally moved along and peered inside the loose box at a dark-chestnut gelding. He exuded calm and tranquillity, and as Cash had suspected, she instantly fell in love with him. Tally took a piece of carrot from Cash. She flattened her palm, and Mason ambled over, his lips like velvet curtains opening across her palm before the carrot disappeared. She reached out to stroke him, and he nudged her with his head.
“I think he likes you.”
She glanced at Cash. “He’s gorgeous. I adore him.”
“Hmm. Perhaps I’ll have to sell him.”
She frowned. “Why on earth would you want to do that?”
“Because, sweetness, if he’s a contender for your attention, he’ll have to go.”
She grinned and pecked Cash on the cheek. “Always good to have some competition.”
He reached for her, pulling h
er close to his body. “So have you decided?”
She frowned, unsure what he meant. “About what?”
“Which one you want.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think I already know the answer, but which horse do you want?”
“To ride?”
Cash shook his head. “No. To own. One of these is yours.”
FORTY-FIVE
Tally stared at Cash in amazement. “You can’t give me a horse.”
“I can do anything I want to, sweetness. So, Mason is it?”
“You’re crazy.”
He flicked her hair over her shoulder, his fingertips softly scraping her neck. “Crazy for you. Sure I can’t tempt you with Shadow?”
She laughed. “Think I’ll pass. But Cash, seriously, I know horses. He’s worth a fortune. You can’t just give him away.”
“But if he was yours, it would give you another reason to have to visit,” he said. “After all, you couldn’t abandon him.”
She took a step forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I have enough reason right here.”
The kiss she gave him was soft and gentle, but when someone wolf whistled, she broke away, a hot flush stealing across her cheeks.
“Come here,” Cash said, reaching for her. “Ignore them.”
His mouth slanted over hers, and he had such a tight hold she wouldn’t have been able to break away even if she’d wanted to. Blood rushed to her head, and the catcalls and whistles faded into the background. When the two of them broke apart, her legs seemed unable to anchor her properly, and she clung to Cash’s arm for support.
“You have to stop worrying so much,” he said. “I’m crazy about you, and I don’t care who knows it.”
Her face burned even hotter, and she focused instead on Mason, rubbing the white diamond-shaped blaze on his forehead. Cash slipped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.
“Let me give him to you. It would make me happy.”
She leaned into him, allowing her head to fall back against his broad chest. No matter how tense she was, Cash’s arms always relaxed her.
“Thank you,” she said, knowing it was pointless to fight him when he’d made up his mind. “He’s the most precious gift I’ve ever been given. I’ll treasure him.”
Cash kissed her hair. “Let’s grab his tack, and then we can get going.”
She followed Cash to the tack room, ignoring the pointed stares and furtive whispers. Reading everyone’s reactions, she hazarded a guess that she was the first girl Cash had brought there. The thought was immensely comforting.
Mason’s name was embossed in gold on a mahogany plate above a dark-brown saddle and bridle with a martingale attached.
“Why do you have him in a martingale? Does he throw his head a lot?”
Cash lifted down a jet-black saddle and tucked it into his hip. “On occasion. Nothing too bad, but before I had him in a martingale, he gave me more than one bloody nose.”
“I don’t really like the restriction of a martingale. I’d like to try him without.”
Cash shrugged. “It’s your nose.”
“Are you riding Kachina?”
“I had planned to, but Shadow needs a workout. See him pawing the floor?”
“Doesn’t your livery include exercise?”
“Yes, but given his problems, Marcie is the only one who rides him, apart from me, so if she’s busy and I’m away, he doesn’t always get the exercise he needs.”
Tally unfastened the martingale and hung it on a nearby hook. She mirrored Cash, hooking the bridle over her shoulder and tucking the saddle into her hip. As Cash disappeared inside Shadow’s box, she paused outside to listen. He began to hum softly while Shadow’s hooves scraped against the concrete floor. She peeked around the stable door. Cash had stacked the tack in a corner and was stroking Shadow’s neck, all the while continuing to hum. Shadow’s head began to drop, and after a minute or so, Cash picked up the bridle and, without any fuss, slipped it over Shadow’s nose and ears. He fastened the chinstrap, rewarding him with a tug on his ear and a piece of carrot.
“Good boy,” he whispered. He grabbed the saddle and, with extreme care, positioned it on Shadow’s back. The stallion’s front hooves rose off the floor in a semirear, and Tally held her breath, fearful that at any moment the giant animal would crush Cash. Shadow pawed the ground and flattened his ears but allowed Cash to tighten the girth. Even though she now knew what an awful history he’d had, she was relieved she didn’t have to ride him.
She left Cash speaking soothingly to Shadow and moved onto Mason’s box. He whinnied as she slipped inside. In minutes, she had him saddled up and ready to go. Excitement unfurled inside her. It had been ages since she’d found the time to ride, and the fact she was going to share it with Cash made the day all the more special.
She led Mason outside, his steel shoes making a clopping sound on the concrete. Cash was already mounted when she realised she didn’t have a riding helmet. Or boots.
“Here, I’ll hold Mason,” Cash said, reaching down for her reins. “Marcie has a spare hat and boots for you. She said to go on up to the house when you’re ready.”
She grinned. “You read my mind.”
She ran over to the house, where Marcie soon had her kitted out in a pair of riding boots and a hat that fit her freakishly small head, although Tally did have to tighten the chinstrap onto the last notch.
Jogging back to where Cash was waiting, she mounted Mason, unable to keep the smile off her face. It had been too long since she’d had a horse beneath her.
“Ready?” Cash asked.
“You bet.”
“Good. Let’s go. It’s going to be a great day.”
As he wheeled Shadow around, she knew that the greatest day of her life was the day she’d met him.
FORTY-SIX
Cash spoke to Shadow in calming undertones as they trotted out of the yard, turning left down a narrow bridle path. The horse’s powerful body danced beneath him. It was obvious Shadow was full of energy, his ebony neck already even darker with sweat. He was going to give a hell of a ride that day. Cash twisted in the saddle to make sure Natalia was all right. She was talking to Mason, her mouth moving quickly, although he couldn’t hear what she was saying.
“You okay?” he shouted back.
“Yeah. It feels so good to have a horse beneath me again.”
“Well, don’t use up all your hip action on him. You’ll need some left over to ride me later.”
Her mouth dropped open, and he laughed loudly before twisting back around in his saddle. The bridle path opened into a large, rolling field with a three-foot hedge at the far end. Shadow bounced on his toes before rearing a few inches off the floor, probably sensing that Cash was about to give the horse his head. Hoping Natalia would follow his lead, Cash squeezed with his calves and loosened the reins. Shadow took off, his long legs covering the ground with ease. The cold wind whipped against Cash’s face, and his eyes began to water. The low hedge grew large as they got closer, and he urged Shadow forward. Needing no encouragement, the horse gathered beneath him, and then they were flying through the air as he cleared the obstacle with a foot to spare. Without breaking stride, Shadow took off up the hill.
They were halfway across the field when a sudden thought hit him: what if Natalia couldn’t jump? Bloody hell. He shifted his weight back, sitting deep into the saddle, and applied more rein than he would have liked. Fortunately, the training he and Marcie had been doing with Shadow paid off, and the horse began to slow rather than fight against the bit. From the corner of his eye, Cash spotted a chestnut blur shooting past.
“What are you stopping for?” Natalia yelled as she pressed on towards the next field, a five bar gate the only thing standing in her way. Mason took it from about three feet away, rising strongly on his haunches and lifting off perfectly. As they disappeared from view, Natalia’s whooping echoed across the field. Cash began to laugh and turne
d Shadow towards the gate, which he also jumped with ease. Natalia and Mason were already halfway across the next field, but Shadow’s breeding meant they soon caught up, and Cash and Natalia took the next jump side by side.
“Time out,” Cash shouted to Natalia, who nodded and slowly pulled Mason up. They were both breathing heavily, although the horses seemed barely affected.
“I wasn’t sure you could jump, so I panicked and pulled him up. And then you took advantage.”
“I can’t help it if you didn’t do your research properly. I have several trophies from one-day eventing, so this is bread and butter for me.”
He half shook his head. “I wonder if you’ll ever stop surprising me.”
“I hope not. You might get bored.”
He moved Shadow alongside Mason, although Shadow’s flattened ears told him he wasn’t happy with the close proximity. Cash leaned in for a quick kiss. “Can’t see that happening, sweetness. You ready to go again?”
“Yep.” She wheeled away, urging Mason on. Cash followed, but he held Shadow back. The chance to watch Natalia ride was too good to miss, and Mason was loving the ride she was giving him.
After they’d been riding for a couple of hours, Natalia said, “I’m exhausted.”
“Let’s head back.” Cash pointed to a gap in the hedge. “If we cut through there, we can hack through the village and be back at the yard in twenty minutes.”
* * *
Natalia fell asleep on the way home, and when Cash cut the engine, he couldn’t resist studying her. Her skin was pale again, her hair in disarray from the wind and the riding hat. Her mouth was slightly parted, and her chest rose and fell with steady breaths. He caught a lock of her hair and lifted it to his nose. It had that special Mason smell of wood chips, hay, and dust—a smell he adored. And beneath the horsey smell, a trace of Natalia’s shampoo remained, sweet and floral.
She stirred, and her eyes drifted open. “What are you doing?” she murmured, her voice heavy with sleep.
Winning Ace: A Winning Ace Novel (Book 1) Page 23