Shaking his head, Cam knocked on Hunter’s door. When no one answered, he tried the doorknob and walked in. He followed the noise to the great room.
The house was packed with Sid’s extended family and supporters. The keg had been tapped, wine bottles sat on the kitchen counter, and everyone was in a festive mood for Sid’s next race. Because the football and hockey seasons were in full swing, the majority of the investors hadn’t been able to make the trip to Santa Anita Park in SoCal for the biggest two-year-old race of the year.
Cam knew next to nothing about horses. In fact, he knew nothing about animals. His neat-freak mother never allowed even a goldfish in her immaculate house, which her small army of servants kept meticulously clean according to her strict rules. She ran the household, her husband, and her children with a strict, no-nonsense attitude. His mom had worked tirelessly selling high-end real estate, while his father was a successful cardiologist.
Cam had grown up with wealth and privilege, and he’d never fit in anywhere. Not at home with his professional parents, who frowned on his obsession with sports. Not at the private California schools he’d attended where he was one of the few African Americans. And certainly not in his own culture, because he was as much of an outsider there as anywhere else.
They’d been beyond devastated when their youngest chose to attend U-Dub in Seattle, rather than one of the schools they approved of. In reality, he wanted to put as much distance as he could between himself and his family. He was the family underachiever despite being a top-notch football player with Pro Bowl credentials. He wasn’t a junior partner in his uncle’s law firm like his brother or a heart surgeon like his dad and sister.
Nah, not him. He was an afterthought, born nine years after his sister, an accident neither parent wanted. He was used to being in the way. So he removed himself from their presence, and still they bitched. Now he was too far away.
Cam glanced around for Kate. She’d refused to give him her phone number at the wedding reception. He frowned when he didn’t see her. He’d hoped to get a date out of her. He glanced in the kitchen. Lilli was putting some appetizers on a large platter. His heart sped up at the sight of that long black hair framing her beautiful face.
“Need some help?” he asked, stepping farther into the kitchen.
“I’d love some, Cam.” She smiled in his direction, which made him smile back, even if she couldn’t see him.
“Is Kate here?” he asked conversationally as he stacked the plate with finger food. Just one of the many football players in attendance could eat the entire plate. He hoped they were serving something more substantial than this stuff.
“I don’t think so. If she were I’d hear her arguing with my brother.”
“Those two enjoy getting under each other’s skin, don’t they?”
“They seem to. Help yourself to the wine or beer.” She waved a hand in the general direction, just as Avery, one of the hockey player’s wives, swept into the kitchen.
“What can I help you with?” Avery offered. Her twin sister, Emma, appeared behind her.
Cam watched in admiration as Lilli not only recognized them by the few words they’d said but also gave them directions on what they could do to help. Shaking his head and smiling, he poured himself a beer from the keg and wandered into the crowded living room.
* * * *
Hunter sat on the edge of a barstool, his eyes glued to the large UHD flat-screen he’d purchased specifically for this party. The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile was raced on the first Saturday in November, and the team didn’t play until Sunday night. Normally, they spent the night before a home game in a local hotel as a team, but since the game was later, Coach told them to stay home and out of trouble. Hunter rarely held parties, but he’d made an exception when Lilli had suggested it.
Things had calmed down considerably in his life since the wedding reception almost a month ago. He’d avoided Kate, and she’d avoided him. Even better, Cam had avoided Lilli. The way Hunter saw things, all was right with his world, even if Kate did invade his nights at times. He excused such shortcomings as being caused by the lack of a woman in his life.
He’d had a dream a few nights ago. While he couldn’t see her face, the dream indicated his bachelor days were nearing an end. His best guess had Talia returning to the area.
Hunter glanced around the room, feeling a measure of pride in the work he’d done to assemble this group of investors. He frowned as he noted Cam walking into the room from the kitchen.
Cam caught his gaze and weaved his way through the throng of local athletes to stand next to Hunter.
“Don’t say it. We’re just friends. It’s Kate I’m interested in. Have you seen her?”
“Not since the reception. I think Lilli invited her.” Hunter shrugged, giving the impression he didn’t care enough to notice, but he had noticed Kate wasn’t here, which irritated him, almost as much as Cam’s blatant pursuit of Kate irritated him. He should be grateful the man chose to chase Kate instead of Lilli. Only he didn’t feel grateful. And damned if he could figure out why.
Just then the object of both their thoughts walked into the room looking like she’d attempted to dress down and as a result was as casually dressed as a runway model. Her expensive clothes—tight jeans, blue blouse, and polished boots—screamed money, leaving Hunter’s wild imagination to picture her minus the expensive clothes and in sexy lingerie.
“Hey, beautiful.” Cam rushed forward to give her a hug and a kiss. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Nice to see you.” Kate extracted herself from his embrace, a fake smile frozen on her face. Hunter grinned in satisfaction. At least one woman in this house was immune to Cam’s bullshit.
Kate turned to Hunter. “Ready for the big race?” She sipped the wine Cam had plied her with.
Hunter nodded slowly, still digesting why the hell his brain had gone to forbidden territory and pictured this ballbuster in Victoria’s Secret.
“Is Sid ready?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t get a chance to ask him. He’s been in California for the past week.”
She blinked a few times, as if she didn’t know whether to take him seriously or not. “Ask who? The trainer?” She looked as if she was certain she hadn’t heard him correctly. Hunter suppressed a grin. He loved jerking her chain.
“No, Sid, of course. He’ll run the race he was meant to run, depending on how he’s feeling this morning.” Hunter shrugged. The only race that mattered to him was the Kentucky Derby, though winning today’s race with its large purse and prestige would certainly impress his investors.
“That’s right. You talk to your horse.” He got the distinct impression she was trying hard not to snicker. Nonbeliever. One more reason why they’d never make a match.
He spiked a brow and held back his grin, staying completely serious. “Don’t you?”
“No.”
“Hmmm.” He rubbed his chin. “My people have always been more in tune with nature than your people.”
She didn’t appear to know how to answer that.
Hunter chuckled, and Kate narrowed her eyes. “You’re purposely toying with me.”
“Somewhat,” he admitted, thoroughly enjoying himself. “But I do talk to my horse, and I do listen to his responses.”
“Sid talks to you?” Her skepticism entertained him.
“Not with words. With his body language. His expressions. Now, Lilli can actually communicate.”
“I hate to ask this, but how?”
“Animals think in images, so you have to send them an image and read the images they’re projecting back.”
“I see.” She looked ready to call 911 and have him locked up in the mental health ward.
“Ask Lilli. She can recommend some books on communicating with animals.” Hunter’s amusement faded to a frown as Cam offered his arm to Lilli and took her around to talk to various people. Being Lilli’s eyes was admirable, but Hunter wasn’t convinced Cam’s intentions
were so noble.
“There’s nothing going on there,” Kate said, following his gaze.
Hunter forced himself to relax. He needed to get a grip. Lilli was thirty, and he couldn’t control her now any more than he had three years ago when Steve came into their lives and swept her off her feet. Two years later, he’d swept her right out of Seattle to the East Coast.
With a sigh, Hunter forced his attention away from the two of them and focused on Kate, suddenly curious about her. “Other than your horses, what do you do?” It was meant as a conversation starter, but her entire body stiffened, and she shot him a glare.
“I oversee the breeding and racing program in Kentucky at Oak Brook Farm.”
“How do you oversee it from here?”
“I have people I trust, and we talk every day.”
“Oak Brook is a legend in the racing industry, but I haven’t heard much about them lately.”
“We fell on some hard times when my grandfather took ill and wasn’t able to give it the attention it needed. It’s my goal to bring it back to its former glory.”
“A lofty goal. Is that even possible anymore? Considering the Thoroughbred racing economy? I’m sure you could get a tidy sum if you sold it for development like most of the other farms in the Lexington area.”
She scowled at him, and he made a mental note about another touchy subject. “I’m determined to be one of the few left standing.”
Hunter rubbed his chin. Her dedication to the family farm was admirable, but probably not practical. She might be wealthy, but Hunter understood the industry enough to know that it would put a huge dent in anyone’s pocketbook to maintain a place such as that. As far as he could recall, they didn’t have any big-draw stallions in their breeding program and hadn’t had any huge winners in the past several years.
“Hey, you two. The race is about to start,” Tanner called to him. Hunter jerked his head toward the TV. They both turned to watch as the horses were loaded into the gate. Sid was being difficult. He’d go inside halfway, then leap backward. He pulled that stunt multiple times before they finally got him loaded.
Hunter glanced at Lilli. Cam was giving her a running commentary. He was really good to her, and Hunter felt a wave of gratitude along with a healthy dose of guilt. Cam was a good guy, despite his manwhore tendencies. Hunter needed to trust Lilli. She wouldn’t get dragged into anything she didn’t want to do. He was being ridiculous. Besides, Cam insisted he had the hots for Kate. God only knew why. The woman was too superficial for Hunter’s tastes. He wasn’t even convinced that she loved the horses for themselves but more as objects to be exploited.
The gate clanged open and the race began. Hunter searched the screen for the dark-blue-and-lime-green silks of his Salish Sea Stables. He couldn’t find Sid at first in the crowd of fifteen horses until the camera panned to the back of the pack. Sid ran easily behind the other horses as if he were out for a gallop in the park. The jockey perched on his back was urging him with his body. Hunter hated the use of whips, so the jockey had instructions to use a whip sparingly if at all.
As they rounded the first turn and entered the long backstretch, Sid woke up as if he’d suddenly realized he had a race to win. Turning on the speed, he slipped to the outside of the tightly packed bunch and began his bid. His huge strides ate up the lost ground as if the stragglers were standing still. By the time they reached the far turn, there were four horses in front of him. Sid swung wide on the turn, losing ground, but dug in as they straightened to run the final quarter mile in a sprint to the finish line.
Hunter’s guests erupted, leaping to their feet and yelling. Cam continued to talk into Lilli’s ear. She was clapping her hands and yelling, too, getting into the moment. Hunter had to smile. He’d make a point to thank Cam later for his kindness to Lilli. Normally, Hunter did the play-by-play for her, but he’d been distracted by— He quashed that thought. Kate didn’t distract him, she just—
He stopped that line of thinking again. Now he was distracted from paying attention to the biggest race his horse had run in to date.
The front-runner, a fast horse out of New York, increased his speed as Sid bore down on him. The finish line was coming up too fast. Sid’s nose was near the leader’s shoulder. With a few more powerful strides he was almost even as they crossed under the finish line. Sid lost by a nose.
“Oh my God. He almost made up that lost ground.” Kate had her hands over her mouth as if in complete disbelief. Hunter smirked, feeling very pleased with himself. He’d purchased this horse for a shit-ton of money, and so far, he’d made the right decision.
The group sent up a collective sigh, followed by everyone talking at once. No one seemed upset Sid had lost. Instead they were excited at the possibilities. Hunter heard Paisley and Izzy, the hockey captain’s wife, discussing the hats they wanted to wear to the Derby, and he caught Zeke’s eye. They both shrugged and chuckled.
Hunter couldn’t stop smiling, even though Kate wasn’t.
Hunter and company had a Derby horse.
Chapter 7—Breaking Slow
Kate and Lilli headed to the barn after the race. Usually, Lilli didn’t ride when others were in the arena, but Kate insisted they could work this out.
Kate was a skilled rider, and her horse was well-trained. She suggested Lilli call out where she was going and what she was doing next, and Kate would stay out of her way. For the most part, she did. Actually, it worked out well. Kate found riding with Lilli easier than riding in a warm-up arena at a major show where too many self-absorbed women attempted to pilot huge, lumbering animals and assumed everyone else would get out of their way.
She couldn’t concentrate. The image of Sid’s huge strides eating up the ground and flying past the other horses replayed over and over. Another several feet, and he’d have won. The Kentucky Derby was another sixteenth of a mile long. If Sid ran the way he did today, there wouldn’t be a horse who could run with him. Not even her best horse, Jet.
Fear settled heavy in her gut. No one could predict the winner of a race. Anything could happen, and Sid was unpredictable, but still—her plans to keep the farm and realize her mother’s dream of a refuge for washed-up racehorses who otherwise would be destined for the slaughterhouse seemed further and further from her grasp.
Her mother would be heartbroken, but she wouldn’t show it. Just as she never showed any emotion when the doctor told her she had an aggressive form of cancer and didn’t have long to live. Her mother loved Oak Brook. It’d been her family’s home for over a century. Kate’s mother needed to spend her last days on the farm, but she wouldn’t if Jet didn’t win the Derby.
Kate rounded a corner and almost fell off her horse as Sol skittered sideways. Hunter leaned on the railing. He wasn’t watching his sister. He was watching Kate with those intense brown eyes of his. She tried not to let his presence get to her, but his grim expression judged her unworthy. She’d been unworthy all her life. She didn’t need this man to pass judgment on the one thing she did well.
Kate was an excellent rider and treated her animals fairly. What the hell was his beef with her now? Irritation flooded through her, more at herself for allowing him to get to her. As a result, her body stiffened, and so did Sol’s back. He was a sensitive, high-strung animal who reacted to every little thing in his environment, but he was also crazy-good talented. Lately, they’d been at odds and frustrated with each other.
She couldn’t relax herself or him and finally gave up. Dismounting, she led the barely sweating horse to the arena door.
“Lilli. You have the arena to yourself. I’m leaving.”
“Thank you,” Lilli called back, completely in the zone.
Hunter opened the arena gate for her and closed it after her. She ignored him, hoping he’d take the hint and stay with his sister.
He didn’t.
She should’ve known better. Hunter rarely did anything he didn’t want to do, like his horse. He followed her to the empty grooming area and leaned a
gainst the wall, muscled arms crossed over his broad chest. Today his black hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail.
Good Lord, the man was gorgeous, and once again she pictured how magnificent he’d be naked. Too bad she’d never get the chance to see him sans clothing. They could barely stand each other, let alone trust each other enough to get naked.
Fucking had nothing to do with trust, she reminded herself. Since when had she ever trusted any man who’d gotten her sweaty and underneath him?
“You’re not one with the horse,” Hunter remarked, his tone judgmental. She hated that. It reminded her too much of her father.
“Tell me about it,” she snarled a little more strongly than intended. One of his dark brows shot up, but that was the only reaction she got other than an amused glint in his eyes.
Turning her back on the infuriating man, she vigorously ran the brush over Sol’s glossy coat. Finally, she couldn’t stand it anymore. When he grunted, she whipped around.
“Now what? Are you going to criticize how I’m grooming my horse? Or maybe you’d like to advise me on the best boots to wear or how to keep them polished in a dusty barn.”
He snorted, thoroughly amused by her outburst. Propping her hands on her hips, Kate fumed, certain steam blew out of each ear. He grinned broadly. She wanted to slap that grin off his smug face.
Kate took a step toward him and then another until they stood toe-to-toe, two warriors challenging the other to back down first. His brown eyes bored into her, burying themselves so deep inside her, she’d never get him out of her head or her heart. Her heart?
Unable to face the truth of what she’d been thinking, Kate looked away. “You’re an ass.”
“Thank you.”
“That wasn’t meant to be a compliment.” She jabbed her finger into his rock-hard chest. “You. Are. An. Ass. As in asshole. An arrogant jerk.”
“I’ll take what I can get from you. Kate, you make me crazy.” Hunter wasn’t smiling now. His eyes darkened. He reached out and yanked her against him before she could react. A second later, his mouth slammed down on hers, his lips firm and demanding as he took no prisoners and blasted away her resistance. She collapsed into him, lost in the bruising kiss. She buried her fingers in his silky, thick hair, which was a sensual experience all by itself. Hunter growled and slid his hands down her back until he palmed her ass and held her against the hard length of what felt like an impressive erection.
Game Changer: Seattle Steelheads Football (Game On in Seattle Book 7) Page 6