by Laura Moore
“Hank, darling,” she offered soothingly. “I know you’re worried about how Caleb’s going to react to Cassie.”
“That’s putting it mildly! I finally find a decent rider to work with Orion, and the whole thing’s going to come flying apart!” Hank grumbled, his hands moving instinctively to stroke her soft, round shoulders.
“Why do you think that?”
“You moving Cassie into Caleb’s house, that’s why. I’ve been racking my brains, figuring how to keep them apart, and you send her off to live next door! That’s tantamount to sending a lamb into the lion’s den. He’s going to swallow her whole.”
“Hank, honey I have a feeling you’re underestimating Cassie. She strikes me like she might be one tough cookie. I don’t think Caleb’s going to have such an easy time seducing her. Just look at the way she handled that jerk.”
“What jerk?”
“Brad the Cad,” Melissa replied, slightly exasperated. Hank didn’t always zero in on the complexities of relationships. “You remember, the man she was going to marry. A person doesn’t have to be Einstein to figure out he balked at taking on the twins. Can you believe it?”
“Definitely a creep. Didn’t I say so earlier?”
“Yes, love, you did. Anyway it’s clear Cassie’s no light-weight. Caleb’s smooth talking isn’t going to turn her head like these fluff balls he’s been seeing. And it’s darn well time Caleb learned the difference. There’s no way I’m going to let that blood-sucking witch Pamela destroy Caleb’s chance at finding a real woman.”
“Still isn’t a good idea.”
“Hank, really, there’ll be a housekeeper. I’m sure things will work out fine. Better than fine when you consider Cassie’s added ammunition.”
“What? Woman, I’ve lost you,” Hank said, shaking his head in mild aggravation.
Laughing softly, Melissa planted a lingering kiss on his lips, before whispering softly in his ear. “The twins, Hank. You know what a softie Caleb is when it comes to children. He won’t be able to think of a young, beautiful mother as one of his playthings.”
Deeply satisfied with how well things were working out with respect to Cassie Miller Melissa settled back against the plump pillows. A sigh of pleasure escaped her as Hank reached for her, pulling her into his embrace. Linking her arms around his neck, her mouth nuzzled the warm flesh at the hollow of his neck. In response, Hank moved his hands slowly down the gentle curves of her back, molding her close to his body.
Quickly losing any interest in conversation, Hank reached out, extinguishing the bedside lamp. Turning back to his wife, he began trailing kisses along her neck. “So, you think Cassie’s got ammunition? Well, sweetheart, I’m armed and dangerous.”
Her soft laughter enveloped them in the dark. “Oh, Hank, I love you so.”
With a happy grin, Hank settled himself over his beloved wife. Caleb and women be damned. He had his own woman to tend to.
5
C aleb stared, furious. “Let me get this straight. You mean you’ve gone ahead and hired this girl without my even meeting her, without my seeing her ride Orion? That’s a hell of a fucking partnership we’ve got, Hank.”
With a sad sigh Hank rubbed his hand along his jaw. He looked at the younger man wearily. Caleb’s anger was evident in the taut line of his body, and the hard glitter of his dark eyes. This was one of the few times he and Caleb had ever had a serious disagreement, and Hank was sorry for it. Moreover Hank knew he was in the wrong, a feeling he disliked intensely. Problem was, he hadn’t, not even with all of Melissa’s suggestions and strategies, figured out an easy way to break the news to Caleb that he’d hired Cassie.
So he’d stalled. For two long weeks.
Now he had not only to convince Caleb that Cassie was the rider they were looking for but also that he hadn’t deliberately gone behind Caleb’s back in hiring her. To top that off, he had to inform Caleb that he had a new tenant for his house. Jesus, what a mess. His temples throbbed mercilessly.
“Look, Caleb, I know you’re angry.” He chose to ignore Caleb’s snort of disgust. “When Cassie came for the interview, you were nowhere around. I wanted you to have a chance to meet her, but there just wasn’t time.” His hands rose in a helpless gesture. “She’s been living up in New York and was heading off early the next morning. Here—” He broke off and rifled among the papers on his desk, shoving a stapled sheet eagerly toward Caleb. “Take a look at her résumé, the classes she’s won. She’s had plenty of experience for someone her age, but that’s nothing compared to how she rides. You’re going to love her ” Hank said, deciding that he’d be damned lucky if Caleb was even willing to tolerate her.
“Jesus Christ, Hank, she’s only twenty-four. She’s a baby! What the hell’s the matter with you? Just how much experience could she possibly have?”
Caleb simply couldn’t believe it. Hank was usually as level-headed as they come. Somehow this Cassandra Miller had managed to turn Hank into a complete idiot. It was tempting to demand that Hank fire her immediately but the truth was he valued Hank and Melissa’s friendship too much to jeopardize it.
Shit! In all fairness, he supposed he had to give this girl a chance. But if she wasn’t everything Hank promised and more, he’d throw her out on her ass, and to hell with friendship.
With a defeated sigh he dropped into the chair facing Hank’s desk and shot him a baleful look. “All right,” he agreed grudgingly. “We’ll give her a try. When does she get here?”
“Thanks, Caleb. I owe you one. Cassie should be arriving this afternoon sometime.” Hank grinned, deeply relieved that Caleb had let him off the hook so easily. “She’s bringing down some horses with her, so I don’t know exactly when she’ll be arriving. We’ve invited her to sleep at our house. Why don’t you come by in the morning and I’ll introduce you?”
“What do you mean, sleep at your house? Isn’t she moving into the cottage?”
“Er, no. Melissa and I have decided to let Raffael have it. As barn manager he really deserves to have more than the studio over the garage. He was having trouble finding anything suitable close by, and Melissa and I don’t want to do the late evening check on the horses anymore.” Hank paused. Time to lay it on a bit thick. He gave Caleb a regretful smile. “I don’t like to admit it, but we’re not feeling quite so young these days.”
Caleb stared at Hank. What was going on here? Hank had more stamina than most of the thirty-year-olds Caleb knew. This conversation was beginning to feel like something out of the Twilight Zone.
“So where’s this Cassie going to be staying? Have you found her a house?”
“Well, as a matter of fact, Melissa came up with a nifty plan. Hey, you know what? She’s up at the house. Why don’t we go get a beer from the kitchen and she can tell you all about it.” So, he was chickening out. At least he’d managed to convince Caleb to give Cassie a shot. Hank wasn’t about to press his luck further. He’d let Melissa go a few rounds this time. Caleb had always had a soft spot for her.
“Sure,” Caleb said, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. “I could use a little fresh air. This room’s beginning to reek of B.S.”
Caleb and Hank were seated around the kitchen table. Both men had opted for coffee as it was still only ten o’clock. The sheepish expression on Hank’s face when he’d looked at the clock over the stove had been a sight to see. Unable to resist a crack about premature senility, Hank scowled, restoring much of Caleb’s good humor.
He stretched his long, booted legs in front of him. The cup of steaming black coffee was cradled in his hands. His eyes were trained on Melissa, regarding her with curiosity. In all his life, he’d never known her to be a hoverer but here she was, moving around the kitchen, alternately sitting, the next moment standing up, acting like some sort of deranged butterfly.
Suddenly it struck him. Melissa was nervous. This woman who had paddled Caleb’s behind more than once during his mischievous childhood, who had always appeared as calm and tranquil as a mount
ain lake, was fumbling about like a self-conscious teenager. What in the world was going on? Caleb normally considered himself pretty bright, but right now he was experiencing the annoying sensation of being two steps behind the game. The feeling had been creeping over him ever since he’d sat in Hank’s office listening to the crock Hank had been dishing out. It was starting to irritate the hell out of him.
“All right, Melissa, spill it. What have you cooked up in that devious mind of yours?”
Melissa swallowed, wiping damp palms against her slacks. Her thoughts had been racing, frantically rehearsing various approaches in her mind, discarding one after the other. She took a deep breath. Okay, she’d simply tell Caleb Cassie’s story and appeal to his protective side. Despite the damage Pamela had done, Melissa knew that Caleb was still a caring and compassionate man. Of course he’d want to help out. The fact that Cassie had kids might sway him, too. Melissa remembered how she’d thought of the twins as Cassie’s secret ammunition. Caleb had always had an incredible affinity with animals and kids. Melissa was trusting that his nobler sentiments would rise to the occasion when he heard children were involved.
Melissa pulled out the chair next to Caleb and sat down. She reached over and plucked one of the wildflowers out of the vase placed in the center of the table. Twirling it back and forth between her fingers as she spoke, she recounted the tragic accident that had struck Cassie’s family, leaving Cassie and her brother with the care of two small infants.
“Cassie’s adopted the twins, Caleb, so they and the housekeeper will be coming down in a week. They were all supposed to come down together, but Cassie wanted her brother Alex to have a little extra time with them. They seem to be very close. Alex is driving the children, Thompson, and all their stuff down.”
“Tough break. It must have been hard on both of them,” Caleb offered grudgingly. It was difficult to maintain his resentment toward Cassie Miller now that he’d heard about the accident. But, he reminded himself, that still didn’t mean she was skilled enough to handle Orion. No matter how hard her life had been recently, she had to be able to do the job.
“What does all this have to do with where Cassie’s going to live?” he asked, looking at Melissa and Hank.
Melissa cleared her throat. “Well, I thought that you might be interested in renting her your house.” She hurried on, before Caleb could begin protesting. “You’ve been talking about renting the place for some time now. A house like your parents’ needs someone living in it. Otherwise, it gets neglected.”
“Mrs. Trapp comes in once a week, as you’re well aware,” Caleb replied curtly, his jaw clenched at having been maneuvered once again by Hank and Melissa. “What makes you think I want a couple of screaming four-year-olds living fifty yards away from me? Personally, I was envisioning something more along the lines of a quiet professional couple.”
“They’re five, not four, and absolutely adorable,” Melissa corrected with asperity. “Honestly, Caleb, do you think I would have even made the suggestion if I thought Cassie and her children were going to be a nuisance?”
“Well, now Melissa,” Caleb drawled, anger lacing his voice. “It seems to me that an awful lot of decisions have been made here recently without my having any say whatsoever. I guess choosing the tenant for my house could just be one I might want to make all by myself.”
“Cal dear . . .”
Caleb stiffened in affront. Now Melissa was shooting below the belt. Nobody dared to Cal-dear him except his mother and Melissa. They were the only two people who got away with it, but even they had the sense to reserve it for special occasions. Or when they wanted to make it clear that he was being unforgivably obstinate and selfish. And they always succeeded in making him feel as if he were a naughty ten-year-old again. He hated it.
“Just think how happy your parents will be when they hear children are living in the house again. I was planning on calling Susan in Arizona tomorrow and telling her all about it.”
Caleb threw up his hands in utter disgust. And defeat. He was turning into a regular doormat, letting Melissa walk all over him like this. But he figured it was easier to give in now than have Melissa badger him for the entire week.
“Fine. Great. They can live in the house.” Caleb glared at Hank and Melissa. “But no more going behind my back. Is that agreed?”
His friends laughed in relief and Melissa sprang out of her chair to hug Caleb, kissing his cheeks soundly. Caleb smiled ruefully as he returned her embrace, unable to stay mad at Melissa for more than thirty seconds.
“Now I know why the pair of you are so successful in the horse business. You two could sell water to a drowning man.”
It was nine-thirty the next morning when Caleb parked his truck and made his way directly to the barns, avoiding Hank’s office. He’d decided last night that he was going to get a jump on Hank and Melissa and corner Cassie Miller alone. He didn’t want Hank running interference for her.
Caleb started at the larger barns, moving slowly through them, checking to see whether anyone he passed looked like an overgrown pony camper. He was still incredulous that Hank had hired a twenty-four-year-old girl to be Orion’s rider and trainer. Hank may have lost his wits when he hired her, but that didn’t mean Caleb had. He wanted to judge for himself just how good she was before she stayed on another day. He wasn’t about to sacrifice his stallion for some starry-eyed twit who wanted to mess around with horses.
Caleb traveled the length of the barn, saying good morning to the stablehands he passed. As he exited the barn and stood in the morning sunshine, his gaze moved between the two barns in front of him: The brood mares’ barn, or the smaller stallions’ barn? She’s probably all eager to get started on her new charge, Caleb thought sourly and veered off toward his stallion’s barn.
The interior of the stallions’ barn was designed differently from the larger main barn. There were fewer stalls, and each was a good bit bigger than a normal box stall, allowing for a stallion’s natural tendency to pace. The barn was constructed so that the stalls were spaced widely apart, standing as isolated units. This was to prevent the studs from trying to tear each other apart. Stall walls were heavily reinforced to withstand the kicking and pounding of hooves. Double doors permitted the stallions to pass by each other with a minimum of fuss.
At the moment, Five Oaks had three stallions: Orion; Orion’s sire, Kenyon; and a newly purchased Selle Français named Gaspar. In Orion’s stall, Hank and Caleb had given him a donkey as a stallmate, believing that its presence helped calm the stallion. They’d also installed speakers so that music played quietly in all the barns. In addition to it being soothing for the horses, the staff liked working with the songs playing softly in the background.
At the far end of the barn, with Orion hooked up to a pair of cross ties, Caleb saw her. She stood with her back to him, her tall, slim figure illuminated by the light streaming in through the barn doors. Her hair was pulled into a thick braid down her back, but the escaping tendrils formed a golden halo around her head. Trick of the light. Must be dust motes in the air Caleb muttered to himself, annoyed with the fanciful image. Nonetheless, he felt strangely shaken without knowing why.
The girl turned sideways and Caleb felt a kick in the gut. A jolt of recognition speared him.
His stripper!
He’d spent enough time staring at those breasts in Hank’s office to commit them permanently to memory. Hank wanted her to ride Orion? Well hell, he thought cynically, now he knew how she’d gotten the job. Just a shimmy of her delicious body would have most men’s tongues hanging on the floor. Poor Hank’s brains had probably turned to mush within three minutes. Never mind that he was old enough to be her father. She’d probably have that effect on a ninety-year-old.
He stopped and propped his shoulder against the barn wall so he could watch her from a discreet distance. He didn’t want thoughts about her body clouding his judgement, although even from this distance his eyes locked on her slender waist and her impossibl
y long legs encased in breeches and boots. He remembered only too well how she’d looked wearing next to nothing. Today she had on some sort of tight-fitting turtleneck, and when she lifted her arms high to curry his horse’s neck, Caleb found himself swallowing like a schoolboy. Get a grip, you jerk. It’s not like you haven’t seen a pair of breasts before. You’re here to see if she’s any kind of a rider, not whether she should enter a beauty pageant.
Caleb watched. Cassie Miller had obviously just begun grooming Orion, for she went from curry comb, to bristle brush, and finally to the soft brush, covering the horse’s body in slow even strokes. She was always touching Orion: stroking, brushing, scratching, rubbing, always keeping contact, even when she exchanged one grooming tool for another.
And she used her voice. Sometimes she spoke, low crooning sounds, murmurs he could not decipher from where he stood. But when she began to sing to the radio songs coming over the speakers her voice rose and harmonized, flowing smoothly from one song to the next. It could have been ten minutes or two hours that passed as Caleb watched Cassie weave her spell on his horse. Caleb knew for certain that some sort of enchantment must be involved because he himself felt positively bewitched. And he could tell by Orion’s twitching ears, shifting back and forth as the horse followed both the sweet cadence of Cassie’s voice and the movement of her hands against his velvet coat, that Orion, too, had fallen under her spell.
Caleb stepped forward as the last notes of Van Morrison’s “Moondance” ended and a Bonnie Raitt song began to play. “Moondance” had been one of his favorite songs when he’d been in high school, and he had to admit, Cassie Miller did a fine job harmonizing. She had a low throaty voice that flowed like thick golden honey out of a jar. But, he reasoned to himself as he approached her, she couldn’t be nearly as entrancing close up. It was the softly lit interior of the barn and the nostalgia of hearing a lovely voice singing one of his favorite tunes that had created this atmosphere. When he looked her in the face the illusion would be shattered.