Ride a Dark Horse

by Laura Moore

  Okay, so she’d admit she was scared witless he was going to try to seduce her now that they were alone together, but she hadn’t exactly wanted him to avoid her like she had the plague either.

  “Caleb?” she called to him tentatively.

  “What?” Now his voice sounded strained, edgy. Guiltily, she realized that she hadn’t even considered how tired he must be, putting in the extra hours at the hospital just so that he could make the trip tomorrow.

  “What time should I have Hot Lips ready?”

  “The drive’ll take about five hours. I’ve got a few patients to see in the morning. Can you have her ready by noon?”

  “Of course.”

  “You know Cassie, if you don’t want to come, it’s no big deal. I can handle the drive myself.”

  Why was he suddenly giving her a chance to back out? Didn’t he want her to go with him? In anyone else, Cassie would have recognized the perversity of her feelings. Rather than gracefully accepting the opportunity he was providing, she now wished for nothing more than proof of his desire for her company.

  “Don’t you want me to come? Will it be inconvenient?”

  He gave a strangled sound of exasperation. “Look, I just thought you might be feeling uncomfortable about traveling with me alone. And I know how exhausting competing every weekend is. Maybe you’d appreciate a little time to yourself, that’s all.”

  “Oh,” she said again. Annoyed with her less than brilliant response, she continued. “Well, I’d like to take her. See where she’s going and everything.”

  “Fine. Great. See you at noon.” He vanished into the darkness. Without having shown his face. Without having said he wanted her to come.

  Damn. He wished she’d said no.

  It wasn’t that he didn’t want her to go. Hell, he wanted to spend every second of the day with her. As well as the night.

  But he loved her. And it scared the daylights out of him.

  He’d promised himself he wouldn’t open himself up to that kind of pain, that kind of hurt again. But somehow she’d snuck past his defenses. He figured he’d eventually sort it all out, that he’d tell her about the way he felt. But not now. Not when he was still feeling as if he’d just jumped out of an airplane with no parachute.

  22

  C hrist, this was turning out to be a rotten day. First, Pamela had caught him as he was about to leave for the hospital. He should have followed his instincts and let the machine pick up, but as bad luck would have it, he’d lifted the receiver and got stuck with an eight-o’clock-in-the-morning conversation with his least favorite person in the whole world.

  She’d immediately started in on him, wanting to know why he hadn’t called her. Then she’d started badgering him about meeting him that afternoon, to “discuss” Orion’s progress. Caleb couldn’t believe she actually thought he fell for her transparent games. Pamela didn’t care about the horse, she just wanted to yank Caleb’s chain—and see whether it was attached to his dick in the process.

  Even if he hadn’t had an excuse, he’d have found one.

  “Sorry. Can’t do it. I have to go out of town.”

  “What for?”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve got to take a horse to U. Penn for aquatherapy.”

  “Oh, what a shame. An injured leg?” Pamela had been his wife long enough to have learned that much.

  “Yes.”

  “One of Hank’s horses?”

  “No.”

  “Mmm, then, let me guess. Oh, I know . . . It must belong to that new girlfriend of yours. That fabulous rider. So, she can’t even keep her own horse sound? My, my . . .”

  “Knock it off, Pamela,” he interrupted with icy disdain. “Her mare most likely injured herself before Cassie even purchased her.”

  “But you can’t be certain, can you? Really, Caleb, you’re taking a terrible risk. Rather, you’re making me take a terrible risk. Perhaps you should consider getting a new rider.”

  “Cassie stays.” Let her chew on that for a while, he thought bitterly. But he felt a nagging worry when she merely laughed.

  “Oh, Caleb, you always did think with your cock. Someday that’s going to get you into a whole lot of trouble.” She’d made it sound like a promise.

  Yeah, the phone call had certainly set the tone for the day. And now this. With increasing concern, Caleb finished examining the dog. Seconds passed as his right hand held the stethoscope pressed against the chest of a gently panting, long-haired collie. Already certain of what he would hear, he moved the stethoscope to the dog’s stomach.

  He removed the stethoscope from his ears. “You said that Belle isn’t spayed, Mrs. Kline? Do you know when her last heat was?”

  “Oh, some time ago. I can’t remember exactly. We haven’t spayed her because we thought we might want to breed her sometime. She’s so pretty and she’s got a pedigree that’s chock full of champions.”

  Belle’s owner didn’t even realize her dog had gotten pregnant. In Caleb’s experience, that was often a really bad sign. Dog owners didn’t like those kind of surprises. Why Caleb asked himself, did owners opt not to spay or neuter their dogs on the off chance that later on they might like a basketful of cute puppies? Lord save him from amateur breeders.

  “Well, Mrs. Kline, it looks like your wish came true. Your dog’s about halfway through her gestation. The puppies will be born next month. Any idea who the sire might be?”

  “But, but, that’s impossible,” Mrs. Kline objected, clearly aghast. “We’ve been so careful when she goes into heat.”

  “Does she go out alone at night to relieve herself?”

  “Why, yes. But we’ve got her in a fence. We leave her there lots of times. It’s a strong, wooden fence.”

  “How high?”

  Mrs. Kline raised her hand to roughly waist level. Caleb counted to twenty, fighting to keep his anger under control. Didn’t this pea-brain know there were animal rescue centers full of unwanted, abandoned puppies, many of them destined to be put down?

  Teeth clenched, Caleb enunciated his words carefully. “Mrs. Kline, when a female’s in heat, unneutered male dogs will sometimes travel miles to mate, attracted by her scent. You don’t honestly think a three-and-a-half-foot fence is going to deter them?”

  Mrs. Kline’s face crumpled. “Oh, Lord, what am I going to do? This is terrible. Who knows what the puppies will look like?”

  Caleb impatiently passed the lady a box of Kleenex, not bothering to speak until she’d finished blowing her nose. “Mrs. Kline. I’m going to give you some supplementary vitamin pills for Belle to take. You’ll need to increase her food, make sure she stays calm and stress free. We’ll talk in a couple of weeks as Belle gets closer to term.”

  Mrs. Kline nodded her head feebly still sniffing into her tissue. Caleb leaned down to scratch the dog behind the ear. Belle’s tail swished against the linoleum. A fine dog, doubtless more intelligent than her owners. Straightening, he jotted some notes in Belle’s folder and continued his instructions.

  “After she’s birthed her puppies, I’ll see what I can do about helping you place them in good, responsible homes. In return, I strongly urge you to consider spaying Belle. If you want to see cute puppies, either make an appointment with your breeder to see a new litter or go to an animal shelter. There are plenty of cute ones there, too. Have a good day, Mrs. Kline.”

  Caleb closed the examining room door behind him, feeling as if the smoke was still pouring out of his ears, he was so angry. Shaking his head, he glanced at his watch. Ten to twelve. No way he was going to be on time picking up Cassie at Five Oaks.

  “Joyce, could you please get some high-potency vitamins for Belle? That fool woman let the dog get pregnant. You’ll probably need to make sure the dog’s records are in order, too. I doubt Mrs. Kline will continue to use our services.”

  “You think she’ll take her to another vet?”

  “Yeah, well, I wasn’t at my most sympathetic. Oh, while you’re at i
t, dig out that xeroxed article on what happens to abandoned dogs. Make sure she gets it with her bill. Got to run. Sorry to leave you with this mess.” He gave her a crooked smile.

  “Not to worry, Caleb. Derek’s here for the rest of the afternoon, and both he and Mark are working tomorrow.”

  “Joyce, you’re a wonder. What would I do without you?”

  She laughed. “Just remember that when you’re writing out the Christmas bonuses!”

  Caleb grinned and winked. “I will, I promise. But don’t you think your husband’s going to get mighty suspicious?”

  Her eyes lit up with mischief. “That’s the point, Caleb.”

  Cassie had Hot Lips ready and waiting by the time Caleb pulled into the spot where he habitually parked his truck at Five Oaks. Twenty minutes later they were on the road, Hot Lips having loaded into the van without kicking up too much fuss. An unexpected bonus, considering the mare’s high spirits at finally being outside after the long weeks she’d spent confined to stall rest. The short periods of hand walking Cassie’d given the mare were certainly not enough to calm her thoroughbred temperament, either.

  “You want to drive first or shall I?” Caleb inquired, the first sentence he’d spoken after a curt hello. For her part, Cassie hadn’t been exactly loquacious either.

  “I’ll drive.”

  She’d dressed in slim black pants, black paddock boots, and a black sleeveless mock turtleneck. Her hair was raked back tightly into a bun at the nape of her neck. Dark sunglasses shielding her eyes completed the outfit. There was no denying she looked stunning, but Caleb didn’t like it. To him, she reminded him of the way she’d acted when they first met. Cool, beautiful, and unapproachable. Ice Case Cassie.

  Just as well, he thought, shrugging his shoulders as he made his way to the passenger side. She walked past him, inches away, as if he didn’t exist.

  Nettled, Caleb spoke. “So, we going to a funeral or did you get a job offer from the Mob?”

  Cassie stopped and gave him a where are you hiding your spaceship look. “What are you talking about?”

  “What’s with the black stuff?

  “Get a life, Wells,” she snapped before slamming the driver’s side door and starting the engine.

  I had a life before you showed up, he thought sourly. I liked it just fine. Everything was basically okay, just the way I wanted it. And now, well . . . shit.

  “Stop the car a second. Now.”

  Cassie slammed on the brakes. “What’s the matter with you? You’ve . . .” Her next words were cut short as Caleb hauled her over to him, and kissed her fiercely thoroughly and over and over again.

  Cassie’s toes were curling by the time they broke apart and sat staring at each other, their breath coming in short, irregular pants in the confines of the Jeep.

  Caleb looked at her with a happy grin. Her hair was loose, strands tumbling chaotically around her face. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips, her lips were deliciously wet, still parted, breath unsteady. He knew that behind her sunglasses, her eyes would be a deep, shining blue, ever so slightly out of focus from passion.

  That was the look he really liked on her.

  “Okay, Slim, I think we’re ready now.”

  Shaking her head, Cassie eased the Jeep forward, her front teeth biting down on her lip to keep from smiling.

  The lawyer escorted Pamela to the bank of elevators outside the reception area of the law firm Pamela had retained for her divorce. It suited her, this firm, and all it represented. Money elegance, and power. It had gotten her Orion from Caleb’s hands with breathless ease, and now it had made her a sizable mountain of money. Even her prodigious spending habits wouldn’t put a dent in a sum this large for quite some time.

  Pamela flashed her lawyer what she liked to consider her signature smile. The instantaneous male reaction she read in his face was gratifying, and wholly expected. Fleetingly Pamela considered inviting him to bed. She rejected the thought just as quickly. The poor man simply wasn’t attractive enough. Only beautiful things turned her on. Lowering her lashes, she feigned a coyness utterly foreign to her. These lawyers were clever, but their area of expertise was limited.

  Extending her hand gracefully, Pamela let the smile linger on her lips. “Thank you so much for all your help, Alden. I really appreciate your resolving an intolerable situation so efficiently.” Just for the fun of it, she let her gaze linger on his face, widening her eyes a touch for added effect.

  Alden Whittaker straightened his spine. She didn’t have to look to know that other parts of him were standing at attention, too. “I’m happy that we could be of assistance, Mrs. Ross. We were especially fortunate that an interested party presented itself so quickly. That was like magic.”

  “Magic?” Pamela purred in disbelief. “Alden, this surely means you haven’t spent enough time in Virginia’s horse country. Rumors and speculation fly just as fast there as they do on Wall Street. I imagine the TLM Group had reports on Orion for some time and were just waiting for an indication that I’d be interested in selling.” And I did. And I have, she thought with a rush of excitement flooding her veins.

  “Perhaps, Mrs. Ross,” Alden Whittaker acknowledged with a somewhat stiff smile. The lawyer doubtless didn’t appreciate being contradicted. “As you know I’ve given instructions for the transfer of funds to be made immediately. You’ll be able to verify the transfer by three o’clock this afternoon with your personal banker.”

  How lovely. “Well, I suppose that’s it, then.”

  “Yes, except for notifying your ex-husband. We’ll send him a letter by express mail informing him of the sale. Is there anything else I can assist you with before I fly back to New York?”

  “No, thank you, Alden, what you’ve done is perfect. Thank you, and good-bye.” Pamela’s smile had turned into a low throaty laugh as she stepped into the elevator. Yes, the letter would be waiting for Caleb when he got home, but she’d so enjoy giving him the news personally, face to face.

  Leaving the law firm’s offices in Washington’s Columbia Square Building on Thirteenth Street, Pamela paused momentarily on the sidewalk, letting the anticipation build inside her. Cartier or Tiffany? she wondered. Which store would she prefer to begin spending an indecently large sum of money in, knowing that she’d have tons more after she finished shopping. She already knew what she’d buy: a rock. Surely a deal like this should be celebrated, commemorated with a really big, glittery stone. A stone for a stud.

  She loved how it had been so quick, like that first, wild fuck she’d had with Caleb. But this time she’d screwed him without his even knowing it. And it was watertight, one-hundred proof legal, all there in fine print. It had only taken a word in her lawyer’s ear, and within a week’s time, she’d had an offer the size of which had caused a total meltdown of her insides.

  Pamela felt great.

  And Caleb was going to feel really bad.

  23

  I t was ridiculous and irrational, but nonetheless she’d been nervous about meeting Caleb’s friends, worrying she’d be tongue-tied and awkward around them. But they’d been wonderful.

  Tod Harper was waiting for them at the equine center run by the University of Pennsylvania veterinary school. Lending a hand, he helped them unload Hot Lips from the van, directing them to an empty box stall. Tod and Caleb held the mare’s halter while Cassie unwrapped her bandages.

  “So, Cassie, tell me about your mare. She’s a lovelylooking animal.”

  Cassie lifted her head to smile gratefully at Tod Harper. U. Penn’s reputation was such that some of the finest horses in the country came to be treated here. It was awfully kind of him to bother complimenting her on Hot Lips’s looks. Briefly, she described Hot Lips’s habit of bucking and crow hopping the first fifteen minutes someone rode her, as if she were the toughest draw on the rodeo circuit.

  “Caleb isn’t sure if the injury happened while she was at the track or after I bought her. Unfortunately I’m afraid that though she was gett
ing better behaved with me, she was persisting in putting on quite a show.”

  “Well, I’d like to take a look at how the leg’s healed. I’ve got the sonogram machine set up, ready, and waiting.”

  Cassie grabbed the mare’s lead and followed Tod Harper to some nearby cross ties. She waited while he knelt down beside Hot Lips’s foreleg. No one spoke as Tod carefully examined her. Finally he stood, patting the horse’s shoulder before speaking.

  “Seems to have healed just fine, Caleb. No swelling, no heat. And nothing turned up on the screen to worry about. So, it’s safe to take the next step in her rehabilitation. As I’m sure you know, the aqua tank is terrific for tendon injuries.”

  “She’s probably going to be quite a handful.”

  “Oh, we’ve had plenty of experience with hot-blooded thoroughbreds. Get racehorses in here all the time. Don’t worry, she’s going to get so much swimming, she’ll calm down quick enough. When you come back to pick her up, you’ll think you own a seahorse.”

  “That would be a new experience, all right.” Cassie laughed as she unclipped her mare from the ties and led her back to the stall. “I’m mainly concerned about what to do when she’s back on dry land. I’m afraid she’ll reinjure herself as soon as I start riding her again.”

  “You say her antics continued pretty much unabated after she left the track?”

  “Yes, unfortunately. She does eventually calm down, then she’s a really nice mover.”

  “Well, I’m assuming you’ve had her thoroughly vetted, so it’s not a physical ailment that’s causing her discomfort and pain.” Cassie nodded and he continued. “Then I suggest you treat it as a behavioral situation. You have to do something to interrupt the cycle. Change the pattern on her so the need to act up is eliminated.”

  “Do you mean like altering her schedule, or something?” Cassie asked, puzzled.

  “Well, that would be a place to start. You’ll need to look at what you’re doing with her, analyzing it carefully. For instance, when’s her turnout time in relation to when you ride her? Does she come back to the barn and sit around for a few hours, getting all revved up again? Maybe she needs a good, ten minute canter right off the bat when you get her into the ring. Unorthodox definitely but ultimately better than having her buck and throw herself around ’til she’s settled. It might be something absurdly simple that ends up calming her down. You’ll just have to experiment.”