by Rhavensfyre
“One of the horses pulled off his shoe. I have to put it back on tomorrow,” Dani said, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands.
“Okay?” Allyse drew out the question. She had no idea what Dani was talking about.
“It’s Polo. He can be a bit difficult. If it was any other horse it would be fine, but this one is just a pain in the ass.”
Allyse put her tea down and twisted to face Dani. She was still lost, but now she knew it had something to do with a horse.
“Then why do you keep him?” It was a fair enough question, and one that Dani wouldn’t hold against her.
“I rescued him from a very bad situation. I just need to get him trained and safe for people so I can find him a good home. Right now we have major trust issues. He doesn’t trust me and I sure as hell don’t trust him, but I still want what's best for him.” Then as if some floodgate opened, Dani leaned forward and kept talking.
“When I got Polo, he had been starved and abused. He was scared to death and didn’t want to get into the trailer. The local horse rescue called and asked for my help, which they do from time to time. He looked horrible and acted even worse, but there was just something about him. I can’t explain it. Once we finally got him in the trailer, I offered to take him myself. They were relieved at not having another mouth to feed, so they agreed to my terms. He’s gained all of the weight back, but he’s still very distrustful of people.”
Allyse leaned back and settled in, content to listen to Dani speak so fervently about her work and watch as Dani became more animated as she went on. It was clear that horses were her passion, and that Polo was particularly special to her.
“If I could, I’d leave him unshod, but his feet are in such horrible shape. I’ve got corrective plates on him now until new hoof growth kicks in, but he can’t go for long without them or we’ll have to start all over. I’m just glad he didn’t damage his hoof when he pulled his shoe off today. It will make it easier for me to fix tomorrow. But not until we get a bit of sedative in him.”
“It sounds like you are doing the best by him that you can,” Allyse answered sympathetically. She hadn’t understood half of the horse terms, but she did get that Dani had saved an animal from a bad situation and was trying to help. Maybe tomorrow wouldn’t be a good day to ask for a tour of the farm. It’s not like she didn’t have time to do it another day. Time! Allyse had forgotten what time it was. She really needed to get online.
“Thanks, I appreciate that. He’s really a good boy, you know. He just doesn’t realize it yet.” Dani leaned back on the cushions and closed her eyes.
“Dani?” Allyse waited to speak for several minutes. Dani looked so comfortable that Allyse felt guilty asking for yet another thing, but she had a date with two very important young ladies. “I really need to use the internet.”
“Sure, no problem.” Dani pulled herself back up and showed Allyse the small alcove she used as an in home office. She scribbled something down on a notepad and handed the sheet to Allyse. “Here’s the password you’ll need to log on. You can use the desk in here if you want.”
“Thank you. Don’t forget to call Erick tonight.” Allyse reminded her, then ran upstairs to retrieve her laptop.
With nothing else to do but sit and wait, Dani quickly became bored. She fidgeted for a few minutes, then snatched up her Kindle from the coffee table and tapped the screen, curious to see what someone like Allyse would read. She wasn’t sure what she expected, perhaps the daily newspaper or something heavy and business oriented, but that wasn’t what popped up. Dani chuckled. Allyse had found her collection of lesbian fiction and had gotten quite far on one of the lustier tales Dani had downloaded. She cocked her head at the sound of Allyse’s voice, still safely upstairs and unaware of Dani’s snooping. Probably talking to Erick, Dani thought, then tuned out the conversation until she overheard her say “I love you, too.”
So, not Erick. She must have called her girls.
Dani really didn’t want to end her day chatting with Erick. All that would do is make her long day even longer, and she just wanted to relax and hit the bed early. Tomorrow was going to be busy. Not only did she have to catch up for lost time from playing hooky today, she also had to deal with Polo. She could call him now instead of waiting until later. While she contemplated her options, the phone rang, making her decision for her. How did he do that?
“Hey, sweetheart.” Erick's voice held nothing but affection for her. His greeting was over enthusiastic, even for him. Dani went on alert instantly, sure he was up to something.
“Yo, Erick, what’s up?”
“Would you please talk like a proper young lady?” He admonished, revisiting an old and familiar argument. She only talked like that to him, but he didn’t know that. She only did it to annoy him, but he didn’t know that either. Jay had never tried to make her behave ladylike, he was just happy when she was happy.
“As soon as I turn into one, I sure will,” Dani responded sweetly, just like she always did. “Allyse said you wanted to talk to me.”
The woman in question appeared just as she spoke her name. Dani smiled at her and waggled her phone, mouthing Erick’s name.
“I just wanted to make sure you were behaving yourself, and of course, to see how you are doing.”
“Hold on. Allyse, am I behaving myself?” Dani called out, pulling the phone away from her ear.
Allyse stood silently, unsure if she was supposed to respond or not. Dani grinned at her and winked. Allyse made a silent “Oh” when she realized Dani was teasing Erick. She joined Dani on the couch without another word, content to watch the comedy play out between the two of them.
Dani returned the phone to her ear. “Apparently I am.”
“Is she really right there?” Erick asked.
“Yes, do you want to talk to her?”
Allyse leaned over and took the phone out of Dani's hand before she could hear his reply.
“Erick, leave your niece alone. She is being a perfectly good hostess,” Allyse said, affecting her haughtiest New York attitude, then handed the phone back to Dani with a smirk and a wink.
“Anything else, ya old fuss budget?”
“I can’t believe you did that to me.” Erick sounded scandalized.
“I didn’t, she took the phone from me.” Despite Dani’s plea that she was innocent, she could hear him sigh. She had forgotten how much fun it was to tease him. She held back a pleased chuckle, then sobered the instant she remembered how long it had been since they had joked like this. Her smile slipped away. “Anything else, Erick?”
“How are things there?”
“It’s fine. I have to put a new shoe on Polo tomorrow, so that sucks.”
“You be careful around him, he’s dangerous.”
Erick's warning crackled through the air, loud enough for Allyse to hear. Her heart flip-flopped on hearing Erick's warning. Dani had told her that Polo was a handful, but had she glossed over the extent of the danger involved? Erick rarely raised his voice, to hear the fear for Dani in his voice made Allyse pause.
“I am aware. I am the one that almost got a broken arm from him.”
Allyse sucked in her breath at the inadvertent revelation, loud enough to get Dani’s attention. Her guest didn’t look pleased, not angry, but definitely not happy. Dani shrugged. There was nothing she could do about it. This was her job, her life. It was what she did, and she accepted the risks involved. At least the animals she worked with were honest. She understood their body language. It didn’t lie, and it didn’t require second guessing to figure out what they wanted or what they were going to do. People were another matter. Still, Allyse was her guest. She shouldn’t make her worry for no good reason.
“Don’t worry, at least he leads and stands now. Plus I am having him sedated at morning feed before I even go near him,” she said, intent on reassuring both parties at the same time.
“I don’t know why you just can’t let the farrier do it. That is what he’s pai
d for.”
“Because Polo won’t let a guy near him, and I am the only one he will stand for at all.”
“Okay, I know you can handle him. I just worry,” Erick said.
“Hey, thanks for that, but I will be fine.”
“Okay, sweetheart, have a good night. Call me when you get done with him first thing, okay?”
“I will.” Dani hung up and kicked off her boots before propping her feet back on the coffee table. She needed some time to digest the last few minutes. That had to have been one of the oddest conversations she had ever had with Erick, considering most of their interaction the last few years was mostly business related. If it wasn’t for his monthly visits to check on her latest projects, she doubted they would talk at all. Now he was acting like he was worried about her and taking an interest in what she was doing. It was all very odd.
“Do you feel like dinner?” Allyse asked. “I’ll even cook tonight.”
“Okay, just don’t poison me, please?”
“I will have you know that I am a very good cook, thank you very much,” Allyse responded, her voice laden with mock hurt at the insult offered to her cooking. She arched one delicate eyebrow at her hostess, daring her to play along.
“I will just have to take your word for it.” Dani stared at her for a moment, then threw her head back and laughed. Not just a chuckle, but a full-blown belly laugh.
Allyse felt a sense of triumph fill her, not the ego stroking triumph of working in the corporate world and winning, but something intrinsically more personal. She loved making Dani laugh like that.
“Funny woman,” Allyse said. “Just leave dinner to me. Watch TV or something.” Allyse waved Dani down. “Just relax, Dani. You drove for hours and put up with me and the mall all day. Let me do something for you.”
Allyse handed her the remote.
“Yes, ma’am,” Dani said, saluting her with the remote.
Allyse left Dani in the living room, but she couldn’t stop thinking about her. She was so serious for someone her age, knocking about inside this huge house all alone. Erick mentioned his niece quite often, but he had said nothing about her...quirkiness. Allyse had to cast about for the right term before landing on that, but quirky was pretty close. Today, Dani revealed a playful side that Allyse found charming, as well as a quick wit and a bite to her humor. Allyse liked that.
A weaker person would let her steamroll over them, and she wouldn’t realize she was doing it until it was too late. She had a feeling Dani wouldn’t do that. Dani had pegged her early and with disturbing accuracy. Allyse did have a habit of taking over and it was a rare person who would dare call her on it. Allyse paused, her knife hovering in mid-air over the cutting board while she considered that. Dani didn’t get that from Erick. He was a pushover when it came to letting Allyse have her way. It must have been her uncle’s influence.
Allyse wished she had known Jay better. This farm, the animals Dani cared for, everything that she loved, it was all tied back to him and her childhood here. And despite all their joking and carrying on today, things are still strained between Dani and Erick. She could feel it in her bones as surely as she knew what was going to be in style next spring.
Allyse had to hunt Dani down when dinner was ready. She found her standing on the porch, watching the sun go down.
“Hey, dinner’s ready,” Allyse said, joining Dani at the railing.
“Hey, yourself,” Dani answered. “Beautiful night, isn’t it?”
Allyse followed Dani’s gaze. The sun had gone down and the brilliant vermillion blue sky was slowly giving way to the deepest blue black. Solitary lights winked on, one after the other.
“If you stay out here long enough, the sky will fill up with so many stars, it’s a wonder there’s any darkness left,” Dani said, turning her back on the sky. In the gathering shadows, Dani’s brown eyes were too dark to see, but Allyse could feel their weight on her. “This was Jay’s favorite time of the day.”
“I can see why.” When was the last time she had seen stars, or even bothered to look for them?
Allyse strained her neck to look up and lost her balance. She grabbed for the handrail. Instead of cold wood, she met warm flesh. She didn’t need her eyes to know that Dani’s hand lay beneath hers. Her heart raced and her palm seemed intent on memorizing the shape and feel of strong fingers latticed against hers. She froze, knowing she should pull away and unable to make herself move. Dani cupped her hand, steadying her against a sudden dizzy spell that made a different type of star weave and streak across her vision.
“Are you okay?” Dani asked, her voice rough with concern. “Your hands are cold as ice. Let’s get you inside.”
“I’m fine. Really. I just looked up too quickly.” Allyse kept her voice level. “It’s nothing to worry about.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, and maybe just a little hungry.”
Dani seemed to accept Allyse’s shaky excuse. “Okay. That’s fixable.”
“It is, and I still have to prove my cooking skills.” Allyse freed her hand with some regret, but took advantage of Dani’s chivalrous attitude and slipped her arm through hers. “Shall we?” She asked, leading Dani back into her own house.
After dinner, Dani put the dishes in the dishwasher and bid Allyse good night. The food had been excellent just as Allyse had promised, but it had been a busy day and she was ready to get some much needed sleep.
“I hope you don’t mind. I have a lot to do tomorrow and I need to be on my A game.”
“Not at all. I have a few things I need to do down here.” Allyse had her laptop open and was scrolling through an impressive amount of emails. She looked up when Dani hesitated. “Don’t worry. I’m only checking the emails Erick told me I need to look at. I haven’t forgotten I’m supposed to be on vacation.”
***
Dani ran her bath so hot it took her a few minutes to sink into it. Her hand felt empty. She had foregone her normal nightcap in consideration of her date with Polo in the morning. The bathroom was similarly empty. Callie had stayed downstairs with Allyse while she headed up to soak in her tub. As much as that bothered her, it also worked out. With company in the house she had to remember to stay behind closed doors and Callie didn’t like being locked into a room. It stressed her out until all she did was pace nervously and whine until Dani opened the door.
Fickle dog, she thought, abandoning her person for another woman. She couldn’t blame her that much, could she? Look at today. She had dropped everything to take Allyse shopping, something she hated doing even on a good day.
Still, Callie’s behavior seemed to follow a common theme in Dani’s life. Everyone or thing she ever loved eventually abandoned her. Her parents had died and left her with her uncle, who also died. Then Erick stopped visiting, preferring New York over the farm that his partner loved more than anything in the world. Now even her dog preferred someone else’s company over her own. She dove under the hot water to clear her thoughts, failing miserably as the overwhelming loneliness she felt most days washed over her, threatening to steal the day’s happy moments. God, she was being morose tonight. Her bath ruined, she stepped out of the tub and was drying her hair with a towel when Allyse walked into the bathroom.
“Hey there, did you need something?” Dani asked, casually wrapping a towel around her waist.
“I’m sorry. I was just going to take a shower,” Allyse apologized, amazed that she hadn’t stuttered at the sight of a very naked woman in her bathroom. She had turned around in mid-sentence but hadn’t counted on the mirror in front of her offering an unrelieved view of Dani’s naked body. She closed her eyes. It didn’t matter. The memory was emblazoned on the back of her eyelids and in every cell and fiber of her being.
“I didn’t realize…” Allyse did stutter when her brain made the spatial connection between their two rooms. It was an old house. The bathroom obviously straddled their rooms.
“I’m sorry. I should have told you we would be sharing th
e bathroom. Just let me get out of here.”
Dani seemed completely unaware of the other woman’s discomfort. She strolled over to the far door that Allyse had assumed was a closet and disappeared into her room. “Have a good night.”
Allyse stood in the middle of the room with her arms full of forgotten towels, stunned and unsure how to proceed. It didn’t help that the woman didn’t seem to have an ounce of decorum, but that didn’t take away from the fact that Allyse had thoroughly enjoyed watching her walk away. Dani had an exquisite body.
Allyse hugged her robe around her neck and contemplated the still damp tub. There was no way she could slide into the same tub that Dani had just vacated. Just the thought of it sent hot shivers down her spine that landed directly between her thighs.
Well, that’s a sight I soon won’t forget, she thought, then headed for the shower. A cold shower.
Chapter Five
When Dani came downstairs the next morning, she did her best to pretend nothing had changed. She had done a bit of rearranging in the middle of the night. Her special mug, the one Jay had given her, sat exactly where she had left it last night. The sticky note she had left there was still boldly plastered across the side of it like a canary yellow tongue.
Allyse sat at the kitchen table, impeccably dressed and drinking coffee out of her new mug—a very special mug Dani had left on the kitchen counter where her guest couldn’t miss it, right next to the coffee maker. A mug Dani had seen at the mall and just had to have, so when Allyse was trying on clothes in one of the changing rooms, she ran out and bought it.
The new mug was emblazoned with YOURS in huge black letters across the side, so, no need for a sticky note there. Besides, the mug was a horrid bright yellow color, making it incredibly hard to mistake for her shiny black mug. Dani thought it was funny as hell and hoped Allyse would get the joke. As a hint, the sticky note was probably overkill. It was like using a mallet when a light hammer would do, but Dani couldn’t resist using the mundane office supply to make her point.