Mark met John’s gaze. John stared for a brief second, then smiled, his head nodding against his thick neck. John rose from his seat and moved to Mark’s side. The two men clasped hands and bumped shoulders, clinging tightly to each other. Luke and Matthew rose to join them, and the four men hugged each other warmly.
“Mom would have liked that,” John said softly. “She would have liked that a lot.”
Mark swiped at the moisture that had risen to his eyes.
The rest of the family stared, each of them fighting back their own tears. The moment was more emotional than any of them had anticipated.
Matthew and Mark punched fists, Matthew nodding his approval, before they all moved back to their seats. Matthew fell into deep thought, suddenly wishing that Katrina was there by his side to share in the moment. He looked up to find Vanessa staring at him as she slowly rubbed her pregnant belly. She smiled sweetly, seeming to sense his thoughts, her gaze wishing him all the very best the future might have to offer. Nodding his head ever so slightly, he smiled back, knowing that Vanessa knew he wished only the very best for her, as well.
Clearing her throat, Vanessa interrupted the moment. “I’m sorry,” she said as she pointed to her swollen stomach, “but Miss Irene’s new best friend is starving and something smells really good.”
Everyone laughed out loud.
Lifting platters of food from where they rested, Joanne and Marla moved the freshly cooked food from the counters and stove to the center of the dining table. Each of the family members took their usual seat, all of them making room where room might be needed. The conversation moved from babies to food, the passing of platters becoming everyone’s focus.
“Blueberry muffins!” Luke exclaimed excitedly as Joanne placed two on his plate. He leaned over to kiss his girl’s lips. “You must have been reading my mind!”
Joanne giggled ever so softly. “Not hard to do, baby, with you wishing you had some blueberry muffins every day for the last week.”
“Doesn’t hurt to toss out a hint or two every now and then,” Luke responded. He bit into a moist muffin, savoring the taste of vanilla and blueberry against his tongue.
“Or nine or ten, knowing you,” Matthew interjected.
“So, have you two set a wedding date yet?” Juanita asked.
Joanne and Luke both cut their eye at the other. Luke shrugged his shoulders as Joanne began to hum.
“Well…um…we…um…” she began.
John laughed heartily. “We’ll take that as a no.”
“We’re enjoying ourselves,” Luke said, reaching to hold Joanne’s hand beneath his own. “We know that we’re eventually going to be married, but there’s no reason to rush into anything. We’re still young.”
“Tch!” Juanita sucked her teeth loudly. “Now, you boys weren’t raised to be shackin’ up like you don’t have good sense.”
“We’re not shacking up, Aunt Juanita,” Luke said, rolling his eyes. “We’re just taking our time.”
“Don’t take too much time…” the older woman advised.
Her husband interrupted. “Woman, don’t start. These kids know exactly what they’re doing. They’ll tie the knot when they’re good and ready.”
“Good and ready,” Luke echoed, shaking his head in agreement.
Juanita rolled her eyes skyward.
Marah laughed. “Juanita’s ready to have another wedding!” she exclaimed.
“So, Matthew!” Vanessa interjected as she licked her fingers clean. “How are you and the judge doing?”
Matthew choked on the swallow of coffee he had just put in his mouth. He coughed to clear his throat before responding. “Excuse me?”
“You and Judge Broomes. How are you two doing?” Vanessa asked, eyeing him curiously. “Are there any wedding bells on the horizon?”
All the women turned to stare at Matthew, each leaning forward in anticipation.
Matthew chuckled softly, his head waving from side to side.
“We’re due for another wedding,” Marah said coyly, winking an eye at John.
Her husband winked back, a wide grin filling his face.
Matthew’s cell phone ringing on his hip interrupted the moment. “Saved by the bell!” he said, rising from his seat. “Excuse me. I need to take this,” he said, a smile spreading across his face.
Vanessa laughed. “Tell the judge we said hello!” she said as he made a quick exit out of the room. The rest of the family laughed with her.
Edward shook his head from side to side. “I swear, you all are like a pack of vultures!”
* * *
With breakfast completed, Matthew made his way down to the corral as the stable hands were moving his favorite horse from the barn to the work track.
Papa Chico, the elderly Mexican man who’d been with the Briscoe family since forever, tossed his hand up in greeting. “Buenos días, Señor Mateo.”
“Good morning. How’s Champ doing this morning?” Matthew asked as he stroked the horse’s muzzle, the massive animal nudging him for attention.
The ranch hand nodded. “He’s doing well. Ready to be exercised. Do you want to ride him this morning, señor?”
Matthew shook his head. “Not this morning, sir. Do your thing.”
The older man nodded. Grabbing the horse’s reins, Papa Chico guided the animal down to the track. Moving down to the fenced field behind them, Matthew leaned against the wooden gate and watched as they prepped Champ to run.
The horse was impressive, heavy on muscle with long legs. Papa Chico started the horse at a slow trot around the track once and then a second time. He picked up the pace with the third lap, the horse moving smoothly through the first furlong. By the time he hit the sixth furlong pole, the mammoth animal was moving as though he was in full control. As Champ rounded the backstretch, his long legs were reaching out for the ground so swiftly that it appeared as though he were just a dark streak blowing in the breeze.
Matthew nodded, satisfaction painting his expression. His investment in the horse was about more than business. His affection for the animal had taken a strong hold on his spirit, and it moved him to see Champ doing so well.
Following the horse and rider back into the barn, Matthew helped unbridle and unsaddle the animal. “He’s running really well,” he said.
Papa Chico nodded his agreement. “This one’s a serious runner, señor. He loves the track. Have you decided if you want to race him or not?”
Matthew nodded. “I have. I agree with you that he’s definitely derby material. So, let’s schedule him for a few prep races and see how he does.”
Papa Chico grinned broadly, excitement gleaming from his dark eyes. “Si, señor!”
“And we need to start interviewing jockeys. Whoever is going to ride him needs to come on board early. When you’re ready to set up interviews, just call my office and have my secretary clear my schedule.”
Nodding, the older man couldn’t hide his pleasure. He’d been waiting for this day since the first time he was able to run the horse. Matthew sneaked a hand into his pocket and pulled out a cube of sugar. Sensing he was going to receive a treat, Champ whinnied, his head brushing against Matthew’s shoulder. When he’d taken the sugary snack from the palm of his owner’s hand, he nuzzled Matthew one more time.
John stepped into the barn as Matthew stood watching the horse being led away. He gestured for his brother’s attention. “Hey, do you have a minute?”
Matthew nodded. “For you, big brother, I have two. What’s up?”
“Is your passport current?”
“You need to ask?”
John smiled. “I need you to fly to Paris tomorrow. Pierre Demy had a mild heart attack yesterday and is in the hospital. He was smack-dab in the middl
e of negotiating our import deal with the French Trade Commission. I need you to pick up where he left off.”
Matthew nodded, expressing his concern for the senior solicitor in the Stallion Enterprises European offices. “Pierre’s doing all right, I hope?”
“He’s doing very well. His wife said they anticipate a full recovery, but he needs to take it easy for a few weeks.”
Matthew shifted into business mode. “No problem. Pierre has kept me briefed, and I’ve already reviewed all the contracts. We shouldn’t run into any glitches.”
“Unless you forget your French and call someone’s mother a babbling baboon.”
The two brothers laughed heartily.
“My French won’t be the problem. J’ai reçu des A dans toutes mes classes de français, au cas où vous avez oublié.”
John’s laugh echoed across the fields. “No, I didn’t forget that you passed your French courses with all As. I remember clearly that you passed French, Spanish and German at the top of your class.”
“And please, don’t forget I also speak fluent Japanese and Arabic. So you don’t need to be worried about my French. I got it like that,” Matthew said, high-fiving his brother.
John grinned. “Show-off!” he muttered, his head waving from side to side.
Matthew laughed with him as they headed back in the direction of the family home. As they approached the back of the house, he paused, coming to a halt.
“What’s wrong?” John asked.
“I was just thinking that I should have everything wrapped up by day two. I might take the rest of the week for a little rest and relaxation. Paris is beautiful this time of year.”
“Sounds like a plan to me. Paris is even more beautiful with the right woman,” John said, his eyebrows raised suggestively.
Matthew cut an eye in his brother’s direction, a wide smile blossoming across his dark face. “I was actually thinking the same thing.”
“Do you think Katrina will be able to go? I’m assuming, of course, that it’s Katrina you want to take with you.”
Matthew grinned broadly. “No one else! I know she has a light court calendar this week. Making arrangements for her son might be the only issue.”
“That’s not a problem,” John said. “Collin can stay here at the ranch with us. Marah and I will keep our eye on him. It’ll give us some practice.”
Matthew raised an eyebrow. “Something you want to tell, big brother?”
John laughed. “Practice for all the babysitting we’ll be doing once Mitch and Vanessa have their babies. Nothing more, thank you!”
Matthew grinned. “Well, then, I guess all that’s left is convincing my girl to go away with me.”
“And knowing your persuasive skills, I don’t anticipate you having any problems at all.”
Matthew shrugged. “I don’t know, John. Katrina’s not like any other woman I have ever dated. She’s…” Matthew paused.
John stood staring at him, waiting for him to finish his statement. When his brother said nothing, dropping into deep thought, he nodded his head knowingly. “It looks like you might have met a woman who truly challenges you,” he said, breaking the silence.
Blowing a gust of warm air past his full lips, Matthew sighed. “Just between me and you,” he said, looking over his shoulder to ensure that no one was eavesdropping on their conversation, “the way I’m feeling about Katrina, if all goes well, the girls might get that wedding sooner than they think. And I’ve never imagined myself thinking about doing something like that.”
John grinned, tapping his brother on the back. “I’m happy for you, Matthew. If Katrina brings you half the happiness that Marah has brought me, then you are a very lucky man.”
Matthew nodded. “She does and then some. Looks like you’re going to have to pay Vanessa another twenty dollars,” he said nonchalantly.
John laughed. “Not me. I knew better than to take a fool’s bet like that one!”
Chapter 14
Standing at the foot of the bed, staring into an empty suitcase, Katrina looked completely lost. The task of packing for a few days of vacation shouldn’t be so daunting, but suddenly she found herself overwhelmed.
Inside her walk-in closet her friend Lacey was chattering nonstop, the woman’s enthusiasm bursting at the seams. Lacey poked her head out the door to see if Katrina was still listening to her.
“Did you hear me? This will be the perfect opportunity for you to dust off them cobwebs! It’ll be like losing your virginity all over again.”
Katrina blushed profusely. “You have completely lost your mind. I don’t even know if I should go.”
“What do you mean?” Lacey asked as she moved back into the room, a mountain of garments tossed over her arm. “You better go.”
“Collin’s having issues. He doesn’t want to stay at the ranch, plus I have work that needs to be—”
“And there’s a full moon on Wednesday and the sky might fall,” Lacey said sarcastically. “Damn, Katrina, you can come up with a million and one excuses why you shouldn’t go spend a week away with the man of your dreams or you can come up with one absolutely brilliant excuse why you should. I say go with the one, finish packing and head for the airport before he leaves without you. You know you need to shake some of that dust out that chimney of yours!” she added with her eyebrows raised suggestively.
Katrina laughed. “I swear, Lacey, you are such a fool sometimes!”
Lacey laughed with her. “No, I’m honest. You know you want to go. Paris. On a private jet! It’s an opportunity that might not come along again anytime soon, so you need to go for it. Collin will get over his issues. He’s a teenager. They’re never happy about anything.”
Lacey shifted gears, holding up a pair of white cotton panties. “Now, do you have anything that the man will want to take off of you slowly and not run from when he sees them? ’Cause these aren’t going to work.”
Shaking her head from side to side, Katrina sauntered over to her dresser and pulled open the top drawer. Two oversize Victoria’s Secret bags lay inside, the familiar pink wrapping moving Lacey to grin broadly.
“Ohhh, what do we have here? You’ve been keeping secrets. Let me see what you’ve got there!” she exclaimed excitedly, pulling the bags from Katrina’s hand.
Katrina grinned. “Don’t hurt yourself, Lacey,” she said as her friend held up one item of lingerie after another.
“It’s not me I’m worried about,” Lacey retorted and laughed. “Looks like you plan to put a hurtin’ on your man!” She held up a little black and lace number that would clearly accentuate Katrina’s curves and leave little to the imagination.
Katrina snatched the garment out of her best friend’s hands. “I’ve got this covered, Lacey. I just need some help putting together a few outfits that don’t look like I’m going to work, please.”
Lacey nodded. “Did you call the stylist I told you about?”
Katrina nodded. “She and I are getting together when I get back. I will get me a whole new wardrobe then.”
“Well, it’s about time. I’ve been telling you since forever that you need to improve your style.”
“Thank you, Lacey.”
Lacey rolled her eyes, dropping down onto the side of the bed as Katrina tossed her lingerie into the suitcase. “No thanks necessary. Just remember to take notes. Paris is seriously for the grown and sexy. If I can’t be there myself, I can at least live vicariously through you.”
* * *
When Katrina arrived at the ranch with Collin in tow, the boy had just about worked her very last nerve. He’d been argumentative and testy since his mother had told him she was going away. He had lost every ounce of his common sense when Katrina made him toss jeans and T-shirts into a duffel bag to
get him through the week. As they made their way up the wide steps to the home’s large front porch, he was still pouting profusely.
“You need to fix that attitude of yours,” Katrina admonished. “I don’t know why you have that chip on your shoulder, but I am past ready to knock it right off.”
“I don’t see why I have to stay here. I’m old enough to stay home by myself. Aunt Lacey could have checked in on me.”
“Aunt Lacey is trying a very important case this week. She does not have time to worry about you. Besides, someone is going to have to get you back and forth to school and here to the ranch so that you can stay on your probation schedule. Matthew’s brother volunteered, and you need to show some appreciation. I am telling you now, Collin. Do not act like you have never had any home training while I’m gone. You will not be happy if I come back and find out that you’ve embarrassed me!”
Collin rolled his eyes at his mother, twisting his face into an annoyed scowl. “Whatever.”
Katrina clenched her jaw tightly. She was just about to respond when Marah pulled open the front door and greeted them warmly.
“Katrina, hello. Hi, Collin. Come on in,” she said, swinging open the screened door and gesturing for them both to come inside. “Collin, we’re so excited that you’ll be staying with us.”
Collin shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah.”
“Katrina, Matthew is back in the family room with the rest of the family. Collin, let me take you upstairs and show you where you’ll be staying. Then we’ll come back down and catch up with your mother.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he muttered under his breath.
Katrina watched as her son followed reluctantly behind his host. Standing at the bottom of the stairs, staring, she couldn’t help but wonder if taking a trip with Matthew was the right thing for her to do. Matthew called out her name, interrupting her thoughts.
As he moved to her side, gliding an arm around her waist and pulling her close to his body, all her doubt disappeared like vapor.
“Hey,” she said, pressing her palms to his chest as she reached to kiss his lips. “How are you?”
Seduced by a Stallion Page 10