Laurie Salzer - A Kiss Before Dawn

by Laurie Salzer

  “If you don’t mind, I’d love to watch.” You, Mary Jo added silently, chiding herself for thinking it. To be perfectly honest, she did want to watch Chris work the horses. Her quiet confidence had an eerily calming effect on the animals. She imagined Chris was an excellent rider as well, melding with the horse, moving as one.

  The Labs raised their heads when she stood. They seemed to have found comfortable places to sleep while she and Chris chatted.

  Before heading out the door, Chris told them, “You girls stay here.” Apparently happy to oblige, the dogs sighed heavily, groaned, and tucked their heads into their tails. Sadie lay curled up next to Cagney, still sound asleep.

  Chris hesitated in the doorway and stepped back inside. She took hold of a gray sweatshirt that hung on a coatrack nailed to the back of the door. “It’s getting a little chilly.” She pulled the sweatshirt over her head. “Do you want a jacket?”

  Mary Jo felt cool air wafting from the barn area. “You’re right, it is. A sweatshirt or jacket would be fine.”

  “Take your pick.” Chris closed the door a bit to give Mary Jo a view of the garments hanging on the rack.

  Mary Jo selected a thick red sweatshirt. As she pulled it over her head, the smell of hay, horse, and patchouli drifted to her nose. Grateful for the extra layer of warmth, she followed Chris out of the office.

  As they walked side by side down the aisle, Chris told her, “I’m going to work the Thoroughbreds. Try to memorize their movements and habits. That’ll help when it’s you in the middle of the pen with whichever one we get to work with.”

  The three mares must have heard Chris’s voice. They were pacing in their stalls and nickering, clearly anticipating their daily exercise.

  Chris stopped next to the liver chestnut’s stall. She took Ramquette’s halter and a long lead chain from the hook and slid the mare’s door open just enough to slip in sideways. Talking too quietly for Mary Jo to decipher, Chris walked to the mare’s head. She slipped the halter on and attached the lead. Still talking low, she opened the door and raised her voice to say, “You might want to step back a little.”

  Chris tightened the chain on the horse’s nose, and the mare followed, allowing Chris to lead her out of the stall. As soon as her hooves hit the aisle, the mare tensed, her head held high above Chris, her tail raised, her nostrils flared. She stepped with great animation, and her eyes grew wide, showing the white surrounding her dark irises. Her ears flicked nervously back and forth as she listened to Chris, and she pranced as she was led down the aisle toward the riding ring.

  Mary Jo watched in stunned silence as Chris calmly walked next to the horse. It appeared the mare was struggling to keep to Chris’s pace, barely holding herself back from surging down the aisle.

  Suddenly realizing it was one of these horses Chris suggested she work with, Mary Jo felt the blood drain from her face. Her stomach clenched in terror that bordered on nausea. She’s out of her fricking mind. No way. That horse is going to make such a fool out of me, and that’s the last thing I want with Chris looking on.

  Completely oblivious to Mary Jo’s internal struggle, Chris never broke stride, never lost her composure. Mary Jo could see her lips moving but couldn’t hear a single word. The mare’s ear closest to Chris continued to flick back and forth toward her. Incredibly, Ramquette began to calm down. Her head lowered, and her muscles relaxed. The mare pushed excess air out of her overinflated lungs with a huge snort. She seemed almost normal by the time the three of them reached the round pen.

  Chris turned to Mary Jo, grinning. “Ain’t she gorgeous?”

  “Uh, yeah, gorgeous,” Mary Jo said hesitantly. “Are they all like that?” She dreaded the answer.

  “Yeah, pretty much. But they won’t hurt you.”

  “Uh-huh.” Mary Jo remained unconvinced.

  Chris shook her head and turned to the horse. “You wouldn’t hurt a flea, would you, big girl?” She opened the gate and led the mare through.

  Mary Jo couldn’t understand the apprehension she felt when around a high-spirited horse. Sure, she’d been trained to deal with them in college, but there had always been a more-experienced person around to assist her if the situation got out of control.

  She hoped Chris could teach her to shed that anxiety and hesitation and replace it with a confidence of her own.

  Chapter 12

  The phone calls the previous evening went better than Chris could have hoped. All three owners were quite agreeable to having their horses worked. Of course, it swung the odds in her favor when she took the liberty of offering them free vet care should they take her up on her proposition.

  Assuming that Mary Jo had chickened out or forgotten all about it since she hadn’t called, Chris went about her daily chores. She wasn’t exactly surprised. Any of those mares would intimidate the crap out of someone unfamiliar with racehorses. Still, as the day wore on, she felt disappointed. It would have been fun teaching Mary Jo the round pen technique. She would have gone about it the same way as Bill. He’d shown her the basics and then let her mold them to fit her own style.

  She kept the barn doors closed for the day. The Indian summer temperatures had disappeared overnight as a cold front moved in, and a strong north wind blew sheets of heavy rain around. That morning, she’d even had to forego shorts and T-shirt for jeans, a long-sleeved flannel shirt, and a fleece pullover. She’d also switched from her thin cotton boxers to heavier ones for the extra warmth. However, liking the way the soft flannel felt against her breasts, she left the bra on her dresser.

  She was just finishing the evening chores when the dogs took off toward the front of the barn. They whined and scratched at the door. Wondering what had set them off, she put the hay cart away and went to the office to lock up. She reached around to the inside handle, twisted the lock, and pulled the door closed. Satisfied, she headed down the aisle where the impatient dogs waited.

  When she approached them, the three dogs turned their heads and wagged their tails, obviously wanting to go out.

  “What’s got you guys all riled up?” she asked as she opened the door. Before she could say anything else, they took off and quickly disappeared. She heard the sound of paws scrambling across the dirt but couldn’t see where they went. Since the days had gotten so short, it was usually pitch dark out by the time she finished in the barn. Tonight was no exception. The heavy clouds that had kept the day cold and damp still hung around. They blocked any moonlight or starlight and made the evening darker than usual.

  Chris pulled the door closed and started for the house. Only an intimate knowledge of the dirt drive allowed her to walk to the house without tripping over something. Apart from the wind, the only sounds were raindrops dripping from the trees. Every once in a while, a noisy mess of loose oak leaves scrambled past her, driven by a sudden gust of wind. Her steps were inaudible; the wet, soggy ground absorbed them completely.

  The dogs would return as soon as they finished their investigation, so she continued up to the house, her daily activities running through her head.

  It had been a productive day. A load of sawdust had arrived early, before the rain moved in. She and the driver unloaded the bagged shavings out of the tractor-trailer and into the barn in about two hours. Shortly thereafter, a delivery of rye straw for bedding in the foaling stalls arrived. She preferred the rye to oat or wheat straw as the horses didn’t like the taste of it. An hour later, she had body-clipped Stetson. Since she worked him vigorously through the winter months, it was easier to keep him shaved and blanketed and not have to wait for hours until he was cool and dry. Those three tasks, as well as her normal chores, had kept her busy since before sunup to after sundown.

  There weren’t any lights on in the house as she hadn’t been back there since she left for the barn at five o’clock that morning. As she approached the porch, she heard the dogs snuffling and panting.

  “You better not be harassing a skunk or you’ll be sleeping in the garage tonight,” she warned. />
  “Don’t worry. I took a shower before I came over.”

  “What the hell are you doing sitting in the dark, let alone on my porch?” Chris was dumbfounded. How could she have missed Mary Jo’s truck in the drive? “Girls, come on, leave her alone. You must be freezing, sitting there. Come on into the house.” As she walked up the steps of the porch, she lightly touched Mary Jo’s shoulder as she passed. “Aren’t you cold? Are you crazy?”

  “To answer your questions, not in any particular order, mind you, yes, I’m freezing my ass off here.” Mary Jo groaned as she stood up, her legs clearly stiff.

  Chris chuckled.

  “And while some people,” Mary Jo said, “including my employer, might think I’m off my rocker, I can assure you I’m perfectly sane. Most of the time anyway.”

  Chris swung open the heavy storm door she used for the winter months and reached to her right. She flicked the switch for the mudroom light and waited for Mary Jo and the dogs to move past her before closing the door tight against the rain and cold.

  Mary Jo stood beside her, bundled in a purple parka. Chris could see little of her as her arms were crossed in front, and her head was ducked as low as possible in the neck of the coat.

  Still chuckling, Chris said, “You look a little like a purple version of the Michelin Man. Take your coat off. I’ll start a fire and get it warmed up in here.” She turned on lights as she went into adjoining rooms. She pulled her fleece off over her head, threw it on the couch, and set to work at the fireplace.

  “I think I’ll leave this on until I get warm, if you don’t mind,” Mary Jo called from the mudroom.

  “Suit yourself.” Chris crumpled newspaper into the fireplace. She added some short kindling and put a match to it. After coaxing the flame to catch, she turned and looked for Mary Jo. “Where are you?”

  “Um, I’m still in the mudroom. My boots are muddy, and I need to take them off.”

  “And the problem is?”

  “I can’t seem to get my fingers to work yet.”

  “Oh, for the love of God,” Chris said under her breath. “Hold on.” She paused a bit longer to throw a few more twigs onto the growing flames. She went into the mudroom and tried not to laugh as she approached Mary Jo. Grabbing the zipper, she undid the parka and squatted down at Mary Jo’s feet to unlace her boots.

  “I didn’t necessarily need you to undress me,” Mary Jo kidded, a slight blush covering her cheeks.

  “I don’t often have to take my guests’ clothes off.”

  Mary Jo shivered noticeably. “God, I swear I have goose bumps on top of goose bumps.”

  “Your jeans are soaking wet. Hold on, I’ll get a pair of sweats for you. Take the jeans off, and I’ll throw them in the dryer.” Chris rose to her feet and left Mary Jo to take off her clothes. As she climbed the stairs, she thought Mary Jo would probably be shocked to know the only person she’d ever actually undressed was herself.

  * * *

  Mary Jo heard Chris go through the living room and run up the stairs. She would wait to change her clothes in private, feeling a little self-conscious. From what she had seen, Chris didn’t have a modest bone in her body.

  She pried her boots off by putting toe to heel and walked without hesitation through to the living room. As she stood by the little fire, Chris came down the stairs and appeared with a pair of sweatpants in her hands. Chris had changed clothes and now wore gray sweats and a black wool sweater. She looked so snuggly, Mary Jo wanted to embrace her and bask in her warmth.

  Shrugging away an urge that would undoubtedly leave her even more embarrassed, Mary Jo took the offered sweats. At once, Chris squatted in front of the fireplace to tend the growing flames.

  As delicious warmth emanated into the room, Mary Jo decided to forego changing in the bathroom. Her fingers were finally nimble enough to undo her own jeans. She couldn’t contain the blush that engulfed her face at the thought of having to ask Chris to undo her pants. She stepped away from the fire and away from Chris, released the button, pulled the zipper down, and let her jeans drop to the floor. Chris stole glances at her while she changed, and she smiled to herself.

  “Have you eaten? I have some leftover chili in the fridge. You want some?” Chris shot a glance at Mary Jo as she stood. “They fit you good.” She nodded in apparent satisfaction, before rolling her neck from side to side.

  “Sure, if you have enough. Do you mind if I stand next to the fire for a minute?” Mary Jo rubbed her hands in front of the flames. She picked up her discarded jeans and draped them over the wood carrier to dry instead of surrendering them to Chris.

  “Nope.” Chris went into the kitchen, where Mary Jo heard her open the refrigerator. “When you’re ready, come in here and pick out a bottle of wine,” Chris said. “That’ll warm us up faster than beer.”

  Chris was pulling spoons out of the drawer as Mary Jo walked in on stocking feet. Her host reached up into the cupboard above the counter and pulled out two bowls. She spooned an ample amount of chili into each one and put them in the microwave to heat.

  Chris pointed at the wine refrigerator. “Grab a bottle from in there. The corkscrew is on top.”

  “Do you have a preference?” Mary Jo opened the door and began pulling the bottles halfway out to see what kind they were.

  “Nope, just pick one.”

  Mary Jo decided on a red wine called Chocolate Lab from a local winery she often passed on her way to calls. “Is this okay?”

  “Perfect. And that has a screw cap as a bonus.”

  The microwave timer went off. Chris’s stomach grumbled loudly enough for both of them to hear.

  “I’m starved,” Chris said. “I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast.” She pulled both bowls out and handed one to Mary Jo. “There’s your spoon on the counter. Go on in by the fire, I’ll be there in a sec.”

  “Thanks. God, this smells wonderful.” Mary Jo went into the living room and took the chair closest to the fire. She still felt slightly chilled from sitting on Chris’s porch.

  The Labs had already found their beds and lay curled up. Sadie sat in her own bed, closer to the fire. Her nose wiggled back and forth as she scented the chili in Mary Jo’s bowl.

  “Uh-uh, you’re not getting any of this, little Sadie,” Mary Jo said.

  Chris came in with her own bowl tucked between her forearm and chest, the wine bottle in one hand, and two wineglasses in the other. Mary Jo put her dinner on the table and stood up to help. She took the wine bottle and set it on the table before sitting back down. Chris put the glasses next to the bottle and sat on the floor, her back to the table, her legs and feet pointing toward the fire. She gobbled half the chili, took a break to pour their wine, and returned to her position in front of the fire.

  “You’ll be warmer if you sit down here,” Chris said. She finished her chili in a few more spoonfuls and set the bowl on the table as Mary Jo joined her on the floor.

  Mary Jo relished the waves of warmth as the flames licked, then took hold of, the logs. The brightness sent shadows dancing on the walls and illuminated Chris’s face. Sadie had lain on her side but made no effort move away from the heat despite her panting. A comfortable silence settled in the room.

  Chris sighed, noticeably trying to stifle a yawn. “Warm fire, full stomach, good wine, and good company. Who could ask for better?”

  “Did you even taste that?” Mary Jo asked, barely halfway through her own bowl. Her eyes met Chris’s for a brief second, and then she glanced away.

  Chris crossed her feet and took a sip of wine. “So? I was hungry. I got busy today and didn’t take time for lunch.”

  “Frances would kill you if she knew. Is that why you didn’t answer your phone?”

  “What? You called? When? I had my cell on all day.” Chris seemed befuddled. “Oops, I left the phone on the desk in my office when the bedding was delivered.” She shot Mary Jo a sheepish smile. “I wondered why you hadn’t called.”

  Mary Jo chuckled quietly
and admired the way Chris’s smile reached her eyes. “Did you talk to any of the owners?” She stared at the fire, not at Chris, and held her breath while hoping for a positive reply.

  “Yeah, seems you get to take your pick. Of course, I did make the offer a little more attractive for them.”

  Mary Jo glanced at Chris, unable to resist the mischievous note in her voice. “And that means?”

  “I offered them free vet care while the horse was being trained.”

  Mary Jo laughed outright. “That was mighty presumptuous, Martel.”

  “Doctor Cavanaugh, I thought you wanted to work with one of those horses,” Chris said, feigning shock.

  Without thinking, Mary Jo put her hand on Chris’s thigh. “I do, and I’m grateful. Though there is one thing you need to agree to if we’re going to make this work.”

  Chris raised an inquiring eyebrow.

  Mary Jo could feel the muscle beneath her hand tighten in response to her touch. “I want you to call me MJ. All my friends do.” She lifted her hand away from Chris and returned her attention to the bowl of chili.

  “MJ it is.” Chris finished her glass of wine. She retrieved the bottle from the table, refilled her glass, and put the bottle on the floor between their outstretched legs.

  After a few minutes, Chris said, “I guess the first thing you need to do is decide which horse you want.”

  Mary Jo hadn’t had time to think about which mare she would prefer. The day had been crazy busy, and she’d had to deal with an owner who was too cheap to have his horse treated appropriately.

  “What’s the matter?” Chris asked. “You have a weird look on your face.”

  “I was just thinking about a client I had this afternoon. I spent two hours working on his horse. Turns out, he doesn’t care about it after all. I’ll probably end up euthanizing the poor animal before all is said and done.” Mary Jo took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “That idiot really jerked my chain.” She shook her head, still frustrated at the situation.