by Tonya Kappes
“It’s worse than Luvie thought.” Millie’s hands squeezed.
“Luvie?” I asked. A tear fell down my cheek and I quickly rubbed it off.
“She said that he was a looker and she told me how you acted around him.” Millie smiled. “But it’s okay. From what she said, he is crazy about you too.”
“He isn’t.” I laughed. “I feel so stupid. Like some teenage girl.”
“You are far from stupid. I can’t ever recall you ever being gaga over any boy that had two legs.”
“Two legs?” I questioned her.
“You have only ever loved those four-legged stallions. It’s time.” She stood up and started to gather all the yoga mats left over from her class. “It’s about time you had a boyfriend or a man that can show you what it’s all about.”
“I know what it’s all about.” I joined her. It wasn’t like I was a virgin or anything. Though it had been a long time since I had been with a guy.
“A couple dates here and there aren’t what I’m talking about.” Millie’s brows lifted. “And what’s so wrong with exploring a little Clay Preston?”
“Great!” I threw my hands in the air. “You mean to tell me that Luvie told you all about him including his name?”
“I’m telling you that you need to explore that part of your life. We want you to be happy. You can’t be around that farm all the time.” Millie pulled herself into tree pose. “You need to make your whole being whole.”
“Easy for you to say.” I gestured for her to come on. “Let’s go meet Luvie. I’m starving.”
Since Yolo was located downtown across from Fountain Square, it took me and Millie just a matter of a few minutes to get to Joe Bologna’s. Just like she said, Luvie was sitting on one of the wooden benches in the hallway of the restaurant.
“Hey girlies!” Luvie was covered head to toe in dog hair from her mobile pet grooming spa. “It’s been a long day.” She held her finger out. “I got nipped by a Yorkie today. Damn dog.”
Collectively we all laughed as we walked up to the hostess desk.
“So tell me about what’s going on with Brilliance.” Luvie tugged on my shirt.
It was a sure sign that Leonard was worried if Luvie knew about it. It was common knowledge among the Beidermans that business was kept out of the house. The only way for Luvie to know anything about Brilliance was if Leonard was talking about it at home.
“He’s sending me to Infiniti Farms sometime soon he said.” There was a pit in my stomach. I ached for Luvie and her friendship with Birdie, her roommate from New York City that ended up marrying the Sheikh who owns Brilliance.
“I really can’t believe that Birdie can’t do anything about it,” Luvie said. “My mom is beside herself. Especially after she took Birdie in after we moved back here.”
Birdie had many jobs during her working career and when Luvie decided to move home, Birdie was off on one of her job adventures and had left her little dog, Iggy, in Luvie’s care.
Luvie left Birdie a note in the New York apartment and took Iggy with her back to Lexington. Iggy was in a desperate need of a haircut and Luvie just took the shears to him and found out she was actually pretty good at dog grooming. To make a long story short, that was how Luvie started her mobile pet spa, Primp My Pet.
Birdie ended up coming to Lexington to get Iggy and the Sheikh happened to be at the farm making the deal with Leonard for me to train Brilliance. The Sheikh fell in love with Birdie and she fell in love with him. He signed Brilliance over to the Lady B and was now having second thoughts because all sorts of farms were promising him the world when all I could promise was the best we had.
“What in the world can you do at Infiniti?” Luvie asked me the same question I had asked Leonard.
“I’m not sure what he expects me to do down there.” It was exhausting to think I was going to have to go to some meetings when all I ever wanted to do was work with the horses.
“Bat your eyes.” Millie opened and closed her eyes, exaggerating her lashes. “You are going to have to fix yourself up a bit. Maybe a little mascara.”
“At least some lipstick.” Luvie rolled her eyes.
The both of them had spent countless years trying to get me to the makeup counter at the department stores which seemed useless to me since the horses didn’t care if I had on the perfect shade to match my skin tone.
“I’ll worry about what I look like.” I glanced around the restaurant as we followed the hostess to our seat.
We climbed the steps to the upper level since all the tables on the lower level were filled. It was a very popular restaurant, especially this location since a lot of the University of Kentucky students made it a frequent stop.
“Hey,” Luvie nudged me from behind, “isn’t that Grace over there in the corner with Clay?”
“Where?” I asked looking to where Luvie had nodded.
Grace was laughing at something Clay was saying. Her head was thrown back and mouth wide open. His dimples were deepened from the growing smile on his face. There was definite pleasure in Grace’s reaction to whatever it was he was saying.
“Oh my God.” I ducked behind Millie, who was walking in front of me. “What the hell?”
I did a good job keeping undercover and slinked down in my chair once we were seated.
“The hell is that he’s on a date with Grace.” Luvie let out a big sigh. “We gave him to you on a silver platter the other night after your dinner party and you screwed it up.”
“I told him that we didn’t allow dating among the employees.” My insides were fuming and it took everything I had not to go over there and interrupt their little date.
“Whose rule is that?” Millie wasn’t buying my made-up rule.
“The Lady B’s, that’s who.” I ignored them by flipping the menu over and giving it a once over.
“We always order the same thing.” Millie put her hand on the top edge of my menu to push it down. “So stop lying to us.”
“Did you make the rule for you? Or so no one else would get her claws into him first?” Luvie drummed her fingers on the table. “Because I know my dad would never come up with such a stupid rule.”
Ahem, I cleared my throat and watched the waitress put three waters on the table.
“Fine.” I had waited until the waitress left until I started to talk. “He saw me naked.”
“Naked?” Millie and Luvie gasped at the same time.
“Sort of.” I took a long sip of water though the straw. “There is a pond on the farm that I’ve known about for years. No one ever goes there and when I want to get away, I jump on Comet and we end up at the pond. It’s great. Refreshing to swim in.”
“And you swim naked?” Millie’s eyes were big and round as if I had told her I had killed someone.
“Eww.” Luvie’s face contorted.
“Yeah,” I shrugged like it was no big deal. “No one is ever around and it’s so refreshing. Comet drinks from the pond while I float around for a little bit. It helps all the stress melt away.”
“Hey,” Millie straightened her shoulders, “that is what the candles are for.”
I sucked in a big breath of air.
“I’m a little confused about the Clay part.” Luvie wanted to get to the good stuff. “You invited him to go with you and you took your clothes off?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Of course I’d be all for it if you did.” Luvie glared over at Clay and Grace.
“Me too!” Millie raised her hand like she was in school. “I bet he’d melt the stress.”
“So what is he doing with her if you implemented a crazy rule to save your heart.” Luvie’s mouth dropped. “Unless. . .” Her eyes grew as big as the sun on a beautiful bluegrass day. “You didn’t seduce him right.”
“Oh I seduced him alright.” I twirled my hands in the air. “With his darlin’ and eyes all glassed over. And he did plenty to try to seduce me.”
The memory of him pulling me toward
him in the cottage burned in my mind, making his little tryst with Grace sting even more.
“And you just let that go?” Millie couldn’t take her eyes off of Clay. “I would say he didn’t get to you, but by the way you have been acting, I know better.”
“So what are you going to do about that?” Luvie asked and pointed to the laughing couple.
“Nothing,” I murmured and took another drink. “I’m the one who turned him down, not once but three times.”
“And you are giving up just like that?” Luvie sat back in her chair. “This is the first guy I have ever seen you lose your shit over. I’d say it would be worth exploring, even if you are his boss.”
I glanced over at Grace and Clay. Though they weren’t holding hands or even sitting close, I had a feeling that I had really messed things up.
The waitress came over to take our order. Just like I thought, we still got the same thing we always did. Even though I wasn’t hungry and I couldn’t stop glancing over at Grace and Clay, I went ahead and ordered my usual baked penne with tomato sauce and a slice of their signature carrot cake.
“Let’s talk about the street dance in a couple weeks.” Millie handed the menu to the waitress after she placed her order. “It’s kind of like the one they had when Luvie pulled the grooming van in front of the yoga shop. I need y’all to help me pass out flyers with the yoga schedule on it. Help spread the word.”
“Great. And I’ll be sure to drag Jase along.” Luvie smirked. “And I can get him to do a little two-step with me.”
“Viv?” Millie tapped the table. “Are you with us? Or are you on their date?”
“Yea,” I muttered. I forced a smile on my face. “Of course I’m going to help you.”
“Great. We have a couple weeks to get a plan and get my marketing brochures printed,” Millie said.
She and Luvie spent the rest of the night coming up with cute shirts for us to wear and promotional prices to bring in new customers. I nodded to show them I was there, but I wasn’t. Millie was right. I was on Grace and Clay’s date.
Chapter Nine
“You didn’t eat anything tonight and it was your big idea to go there.” Luvie had followed me home from the restaurant. She had to clean up the mobile pet spa to get ready for the next day. Her vacuum hose was in one hand and the scrub brush in the other. “Job hazard. Here.” She shoved the vacuum hose in my face and I took it.
The only thing I really wanted to do was to go to bed and wake up the next day, hoping that seeing Grace and Clay was all a dream. Nightmare.
“I have nothing better to do.” I followed Luvie up the steps of the RV.
I flicked on the switch and sucked up all the loose hair while Luvie filled all the shampoo bottles in the bathing station.
“How do you stand this?” I rubbed my nose that was all ticklish from the hair.
“I love it.” Luvie scrubbed the tub and all the tools she used. “I guess I love it like you love horses.” She blew air out of her mouth to get a stray hair away from her face. “I can’t stand being around horses.”
“I guess.” I shrugged and looked at the door when someone pulled it open.
“Ladies,” Clay Preston’s gaze was set on me but well aware of Luvie’s presence. “Vivian, can I speak with you?”
“Oh, go on,” Luvie tried to contain a devious smile and shooed me away. “I do this every night without you.”
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” I took a deep breath and put the vacuum away. I had to get all of my feelings in check. He was obviously coming to me as his boss and I couldn’t let on that I knew about his date with Grace.
He stepped out of the RV and held the door open.
“Let me know when you are going to Texas,” Luvie reminded me that I could be leaving anytime soon. A pressure I didn’t need.
“Are you sure it’s okay for us to talk?” Clay was simply standing there watching for my reaction.
“Sure.” I was wildly aware of the sexual tension between us.
“I thought we could take a ride to your pond,” he suggested.
“I. . .” I felt like I was being baited for something.
“I haven’t been there since the first time.” He put his hands up in a cute boy-scout kind of way. “I promise. It’s just that it’s the only time I felt like you were yourself and I wanted to see that side of you.”
“I’m not sure.” Biting my lip, I looked away. My heart and body told me to go, but my head told me to stay put. There was just something about him that was nagging at me.
I couldn’t help but wonder if Millie and Luvie were right and that was the part I was having a hard time overcoming. I hadn’t let anyone into my heart. Anyone with two legs, that was.
“I can tell that you are thinking about it.” He leaned his shoulder on the door and his body followed. He stared at me until I blushed. “See.” He pushed himself off the door frame and held his hand out for me to take. “Come on. Truce.”
“Fine.” I took his hand, knowing this was not the last time his hands were going to touch me. “I’m driving.”
“Fine.” He shrugged, his blue eyes never once leaving my face. “Let’s go.”
Since I left the old truck keys in the truck, I shut the door behind me and walked ahead of Clay, very aware of where his eyes might be. Trying to keep up the confident, no-holds-bar attitude, I hopped in the truck before I could give him the opportunity to rush ahead of me and open the door.
“I didn’t want another day to go by without clearing up some things.” Clay broke the silence as we approached the tree line that was right in front of the pond. “I think it is going to be a really difficult working relationship if we don’t.”
“What would you like to talk about?” I asked and turned the truck off.
Before Clay responded, we got out of the truck and started walking.
The warm breeze rushed through my hair and the white moon generously gave its light to the tree line for us to see as we made our way to the pond. The trees opened up to the night sky, leaving us with a spectacular show of shooting stars.
“Wow,” Clay stood in awe with his mouth open, leaving my question unanswered.
It was sweet watching him as he gazed and pointed to each star.
“There are a lot of meteor showers here at night.” I looked up just as a star was falling. “I’m not sure why you can’t see it from the rest of the farm, but it’s been this way since I found my way here.”
“What did you wish?” Clay asked with his head to the sky.
Wish? I glanced over at him. The man was exquisite. There were no other words.
He plopped himself down on my rock and remain confidently still. I was unsure what to do and found myself easing my way down next to him. I was oddly comfortable with the silence between us. He leaned back, resting on his elbows, legs outstretched before he decided to lie completely down. His long body lay across the rock; his hands behind his head and his biceps were perfectly sculpted even as they were relaxed.
“I could lay here all night,” he sighed happily. “Now about that wish.”
“What wish?”
“You can’t tell me you don’t stay out here and make a wish on all of these stars.” Slightly he turned his head toward me. His blue eyes danced around my face. They settled on my lips.
“I don’t give into silly old-wives tales.” I laughed, knowing good and well that I had spent every waking moment out here praying on every single falling star that I would meet the man of my dreams.
Someone who loved horses as much as me. Someone who could hold his own against me. Someone who understood just how amazing life on a farm was and all its glory, just like this pond. Someone like. . .
Slowly our eyes met. The magnetic pull of his masculinity was almost too much to bear. There was an intense physical awareness between us that neither of us could deny. A sense of tingling delight started to flow through me as his gaze deepened.
“I. . .” I wanted to break the bond
that had seemed to form, only he broke it as his lips touched mine. . .featherlike.
“I’m sorry.” He bent his forehead down and rested it on my chin. His breath was hot against my collarbone. “I’ve told myself time and time again over the past couple days that you are completely off limits. I’m pretty good at resisting, but something about you makes me not want to give up on the possibility.”
His lips seared a path up my neck, across my chin, and back to my lips. I pushed back the negative self-talk that would have stopped this from happening and let my senses take over as Clay began to take over me.
Wishing the kiss would last forever, I let his tongue nudge open my lips as it found its way and caressed the inner walls of my mouth. Desire zinged through every blood vessel in my body as his kiss deepened into the depths of my soul.
He pressed his body hard against mine. Gentle moans of passion escaped his lips. He pulled his face away and took a long look at me while his hands caressed my hair.
“Vivian, darlin’, I don’t think I’m going to be able to stay away. And if I did try, my heart couldn’t take it.” The words came from his mouth and passed through me as if I didn’t hear them.
Deep down I knew he was right, but deep down wasn’t what mattered at this time.
I took my hand and placed it on the back of his neck, bringing him toward me, letting his warm mouth smother me as the shooting stars lit the night sky above us.
“I’m going to go in for a swim,” I finally whispered between the passionate kisses that tore up my insides. “Would you like to join me?”
He pulled back. His eyes darted between mine as if he was trying to read me.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.” I pulled away from him and stripped off my clothes to my bra and panties. “It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”
“I saw a lot more before.” Playfully, he caught my shirt as I tossed it toward him and he twirled it on the tip of his finger like the lasso I had seen him twirl earlier in the day.
“So,” I turned around when I reached the edge of the pond. Seductively I looked him over. His eyes drank me in. All of me in. “Are you going to join me or am I going to have to play alone?”