He tossed a glance at Aimee, as if conveying his real meaning only to her. She still felt the burn of his hands on her waist. Could it be he remembered that moment too?
“But it’s so subjective,” Kate complained to the group. “No offence, Aimee, but I’ve never liked horse shows. The outcome is determined by a judge, a fallible human being. Give me a fast race horse, a finish line, and a camera to determine the winner in a dead heat.”
“I suppose everyone has his own motive when choosing a sport,” Cam said in a conciliatory way, his gaze traveling around the table.
Aimee smiled sweetly again when Cam’s gaze captured hers. I bet. And what might your motive be?
She didn’t trust him. Or maybe she didn’t trust herself. She knew she was too gullible where men were concerned. Besides, she had a job to do. She couldn’t screw this up. More than anything, she longed to give Mr. Camden Brennan one more set of marching orders.
Chapter Four
Holt Stables
Near Simpsonville, Kentucky
Hands stuck in the hip pockets of his straight leg jeans, Cam stood at the picture window in the barn lounge. He had a clear view of the training arena where Aimee circled on the back of his horse, Wedded Bliss. The irony of the name was one reason he had forked over the low six-figure sum to purchase the five-gaited American Saddlebred.
In the center of the arena, Jimmy barked out orders, and from what Cam could tell, Aimee translated them flawlessly, making subtle adjustments in her riding to encourage better performance from the horse.
He felt a pang of longing. Aimee was beautiful. She fit his picture of a perfect equestrienne. Aimee was tall, almost as tall as he, with a shapely body and long jodhpur-clad legs that made her look slim and elegant in the saddle. Her blond hair was straight, touching her waist, and today she let it flow freely, catching the air as she cantered. Until last week, it had been years since he’d seen her, and he’d forgotten about her loveliness and stylish grace.
He could enjoy this moment if it wasn’t for the niggling jab of his conscience.
Cam scowled. From his sources, he had learned Jimmy Burke was in trouble. The old trainer’s body was giving out, betraying him in the worst way. He couldn’t ride any more. Therefore, he couldn’t train the horses under his care. As a result, customers had taken their business to other trainers, ones with whole legs and straight backs. The man needed him and his money. He didn’t feel guilty there.
As for Aimee, well, she was fair game, wasn’t she? Because she had rejected him, he knew where he stood with her. Winning her friendship, let alone her heart, was a fifty-fifty proposition—the same odds he had with her father and the important contract. Cam liked the odds. He would give it his best shot.
He shifted his stance as his conscience tweaked him again. His motives, while not pure, were honest. His adoptive father had entrusted the wellbeing of Brennan Equipment Company to him instead of his own son Harry.
Cam’s stepbrother Henry Brennan, Jr., fondly called Hank by his dad, had no interest in the family business, much preferring his oil paint and canvas to disgruntled clients, late payments, and issues with human resources.
Being only a year younger, Hank had looked up to Cam at first when their parents married and they became a stepfamily. It didn’t last long after Cam began to outshine his stepbrother at school. Hank felt entitled, being the biological son, and ultimate heir to the family wealth. That’s one thing Cam liked about Aimee. She didn’t act snooty and put on. She didn’t live off her father’s money, and in fact, wanted nothing to do with it. Her independent streak spoke to his sense of self-reliance.
Cam’s thoughts were interrupted when the door to the lounge suddenly opened and a gray-haired woman walked in carrying a UPS box, an environmentally friendly green grocery sack, and a thermos bottle of what might be coffee.
“Oh, I didn’t know anyone was in here,” the woman said, quickly recovering her surprise and giving him a quick grin. “You must be the new customer.”
“Yes, ma’am, I’m Camden Brennan.” He offered his hand.
The woman dropped her bundles on a worn, black leather sofa, turned and took his hand. “Camden? Is your mother Ginny?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I can’t believe it! I knew your mother years ago.” The older woman pumped his hand. Her grip was strong and sure. “You were just a kid. So, your mother married Hal Brennan? Good for her!”
“Yes, ma’am, he adopted me and they changed my last name.”
“A good man. I told your mother that at the time.” She nodded her head. “We were in a divorce support group. The last time I saw her, I was leaving the next day for St. Louis to marry Jimmy. The way the two of us have traveled over the years, I never saw your mother again.”
“Jimmy?”
“I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Lydia Burke, but friends call me ‘Toady.’”
Toady? The look on his face must have reflected his bewilderment. He’d never met a woman named Toady.
She laughed. “It’s because I’m obsessed, you see.” She stripped off her jacket and slung it on the sofa, revealing a gray tee shirt with an embroidered green frog on the front. “I collect frogs and toads. Not real ones, mind you. I have dozens of stuffed ones and all kinds of statues and knick-knacks.” She shrugged and threw up her hands. “I know I’m crazy.”
What could he say to that?
“Want some coffee?” she asked, opening the top of the thermos. “Jimmy takes it black, so I don’t have any cream or sugar.”
“Black is fine.” He watched her dig into her bag for a Styrofoam cup. She poured coffee into it and then handed him a cup filled to the brim. Steam rose from the dark liquid. Cam took a sip. He had to admit it hit the spot.
“So how’s your mom doing?” Toady asked as she stood at the window and waved at Jimmy. He acknowledged her wave, but continued shouting instructions.
“Actually, she has recently survived breast cancer.”
“Oh, my!”
The shock on Toady’s face mirrored his own feelings. Learning his mother was sick with a potentially fatal disease had shaken him to the core. Thank goodness Hal had been there—as he’d been there for twenty of Cam’s thirty years. His father had gotten the best doctors who had given her the best care. Still chemo and radiation treatments had taken their toil. That’s why his adoptive father had turned over the reins to Brennan Equipment to him. Cam owed Hal for the confidence he’d shown in him and for the way he had taken care of his mother, something Cam could never financially have done alone.
“She’s better now,” Cam said. “Last month, Hal flew Mom to a resort in Sedona, Arizona. They have made no plans to return home. My father has decided it’s time to stop and smell the roses.”
“Smart man.” A determined look appeared in the Toady’s eyes. “Now, if I could only get my stubborn husband to slow down.”
“Don’t you go talking about me, woman.” Jimmy’s tone was brusque as he opened the door and walked into the lounge. His eyes twinkled.
Toady didn’t seem to mind her husband’s gruffness. She hugged his neck. “Brought your morning coffee, you old coot.”
“Humph.” He frowned. “Morning, Brennan. I see you’ve met the missus.”
“Yes, sir, she knows my family.”
“The old gal knows everyone.” Jimmy couldn’t keep the fondness from his voice.
A wave of something akin to sadness swamped Cam. Jimmy and his wife reminded him so much of his mom and Hal—the easy banter, the glances filled with love. Seeing them together triggered a sense of longing for something he would never have, given the calculating course he was pursuing.
Cam straightened his shoulders, renewing his resolve. He had something to prove—to himself and to the man who had adopted him. He cleared his throat. “How’s the horse doing?”
Jimmy and Aimee had been training Wedded Bliss for a week now, a week that Cam had forced himself to stay away from the barn. He didn’t care a
s much about the horse as about the rider. He wanted to give Aimee plenty of time to wonder about him. No point in coming on strong. Too much was at stake.
They still had that spark of chemistry. He felt it when he touched her. Aimee knew it too. He had seen it in her eyes. She’d never been good about hiding her feelings. They were written all over her face like words in a book.
“The horse is coming along,” Jimmy said, wrapping his big hands around his cup of coffee. “We’re showing him next week at Rock Creek, if you agree.”
Cam nodded. “Fine with me. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a show at Rock Creek.”
“We’ll see how Bliss does in that setting. Should tell us a lot about him.”
Cam shifted his weight and kept his voice all business. “Showing in places where he will be seen by influential horse people is important.”
“If he makes a good show,” Jimmy added the words of caution.
“Ah, but I’m counting on it.” Cam let his eyebrows lift along with an encouraging smile.’
Jimmy’s eyes narrowed. “We’ll do our best, son. Now I’d best get back at it.” He turned and spoke to his wife. “Thanks for the coffee, old gal.”
“You’re welcome, you old coot.”
Jimmy left the lounge and Toady turned to stare up at Cam. “So the new horse is just a business investment?”
Cam cocked his head. “You can say it’s a business proposition.”
Toady gazed at him as if wondering what his motives might be and Cam moved back to the window. He didn’t want the cagy, former friend of his mother to catch on.
“Well, I need to get going,” she said picking up her bag and jacket. “Will you tell Aimee this package came for her at the house?”
“Sure.”
After Toady left the lounge, Cam finished the coffee, stuffed his hands into the hip pockets of his jeans again and stood at the window. In the arena, Aimee worked a big, flashy Saddlebred. He followed the pair with his gaze, mesmerized by the teamwork of horse and rider. How his scheme would turn out, he couldn’t guess. Cam only knew that the next few weeks would prove interesting.
* * * *
Aimee licked her lower lip as she entered the lounge and saw the tall, lean body of Camden Brennan standing at the window. He turned when she came in, his brown eyes appraising her. He had taken her earlier advice. He wore a white, long-sleeve shirt and dark indigo straight-cut, cleanly styled jeans. Armani, if she had to guess. He had lost that businessman look, but remained appealing in a physical, male sort of way.
Her eyes honed in on the button fly front beneath his waist, and quickly she snapped her gaze upward to see his amused grin. Damn him!
His dark brown hair was too long, curling around his ears, and all too sexy—almost begging fingers to run through it. Cam knew he was a gorgeous chick magnet, and he knew she knew it too.
“What’s the idea of acting like you don’t know me?” A good offence was always better than a bad defense. She had not received an answer from him the other night.
He raised an eyebrow and then narrowed his eyes, considering her with an air of amusement. “I thought you might prefer your employer not knowing about our…ah…past. And I half-hoped you would want to make a fresh start.”
“Our affair was over and done with a long time ago,” she said with a testy tone.
“But we are making a fresh start as employer and employee. Strange how things work out.”
He tilted his head giving her a very bland look, not smiling, but assessing her, almost stripping her bare with his gaze. Aimee felt her face grow hot. Their being together in the small lounge brought back suddenly fresh memories of other times together. Was Cam remembering too? Was he thinking about those times as he watched her with such delicious bedroom eyes that she thought she would faint right away with longing?
Instead, she straightened her spine. “Why Jimmy Burke? There are plenty other Saddlebred trainers in this area. Why not go with a bigger stable?”
“I didn’t know you were working for him, Aimee, if that’s what you’re driving at.” He rubbed his nose, looking down and breaking eye contact.
“I don’t know what I’m driving at,” she admitted as she watched him sit down on the leather sofa.
Gazing up at her from the sofa, he didn’t look so intimidating, but when he draped both arms over the back of the sofa leaving his whole body open and exposed, Aimee was struck by a strong desire to jump into bed with him for old time’s sake.
She turned her back on him and looked out the window into the empty arena. “I need this job, Cam,” she said softly. “I don’t want what we once had to get in the way of what I do for Jimmy.”
“I don’t intend for our past to get in the way,” he said in a deep, sincere voice.
Aimee turned to look at him. She had to trust him until he proved her wrong. The past was dead, but the way her body was reacting, she certainly had not forgotten those old feelings he had once stirred. She was determined that something as uncontrollable as lust would not manage her life.
“I’ll do a good job for you, Cam,” she told him.
“I know you will. I’m not worried about that.” He smiled then, a charming, mind-blowing smile that tore at her heart.
She swallowed hard and stepped back. They sized each other up a moment, quietly staring into each other’s eyes until she looked away.
“Mrs. Burke—Toady—wanted me to give you this package,” he said.
Aimee glanced back. He held out a UPS package, his lips twisted in a wry grin. “I can’t get used to calling a woman Toady.”
She smiled then. “Well, it is an odd nickname, but you’ll find Toady is unique in more ways than just her name.”
Aimee took the package from him and sat down in the only chair in the room, as far away from Cam as she could get. It was from her father. A sick feeling slid through her stomach. She opened the box, dug through the packing material and pulled out a cell phone and battery charger. Suppressing a groan, she unfolded the accompanying letter.
“You may not want money from me, Aimee,” the letter read. “But call your mother. Don’t be stubborn. Don’t hurt your mother. She’s worried about you. Remember the Renfro’s party this weekend. Dad.”
Direct, dictatorial, good old Dad. Aimee turned the cell phone over in her hand, staring at it as if it were a noose to be hung around her neck.
“Is there something wrong?”
Aimee’s gaze lifted. “Oh, no, nothing.” For a moment, she’d forgotten about Cam.
“Your face doesn’t look as if nothing is wrong.”
Anger got the best of her. “It’s my father. He’s trying to pull strings again,” she shot back. “I’m twenty-five-years old. I make my own living and I resent his interference.”
“What does he want?”
She shook her head, furious. “He wants me to go to a stupid party in Chicago this weekend to satisfy my mother who has it in her head that she’s going to fix me up with Mark Renfro. I can’t stand the guy. Besides, I’ve got to get the horses ready for Rock Creek. I don’t have time for such foolishness.”
Cam rubbed his chin. “Would you get her off your back if you went to the party?”
Aimee stood up and glared down at him. “Don’t you understand? There would be other parties. Other men for me to meet. My mother won’t stop until she marries me off.”
Cam gazed at her mildly and shrugged. “She’d stop if she thought you had a boyfriend.”
“But I don’t. What’s more, I don’t want one.”
“I understand.” Cam sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “But you can tell her you have a boyfriend. A little white lie wouldn’t hurt if it gets you out of a jam.”
“She won’t believe me.”
“She’d believe you if she saw you with a man.”
Aimee’s stomach lurched. “What do you mean?”
“Go to the party, and take a man with you—your boyfriend. Your mother will see proof a
nd she’ll leave you alone.”
“You’re forgetting one small detail.”
“A boyfriend?”
“Yes.”
Cam stood up, now looking her in the eyes. “I offer my services.”
Her mouth dropped open. For the life of her, Aimee couldn’t respond.
“I’ll fly you to Chicago on Saturday. We’ll fly back after the party. You’d only miss one day of work.”
Aimee put her hand on her hip and found her voice. “Why would you do this for me? After the way I treated you?”
“I’ve met your father at business conferences. I know how persuasive he can be.” Cam shrugged. “And let’s just say I’m protecting my investment. That horse cost me a nice chunk of money. If you’re happy, maybe my horse will be happy.” He took a step nearer. “Besides, I find myself attracted to you. You might say you owe me another chance to get to know you again, to show you I’m not the jerk you accused me of being.”
Something in the tone of his voice made her knees weak. She swallowed, trying to decide.
“I almost lost my mother to cancer this year, Aimee,” Cam said in a quiet voice. “Don’t take yours for granted.” He unclipped a cell phone from his belt and handed it to her. “Use my iPhone. It’s charged. Call your mother and tell her you’ll be there.”
Aimee’s gaze traveled from his face to his hand and back up to his face. “I don’t know how to use an iPhone.” It seemed a pathetic admission.
He grinned. “And I don’t know how to ride a horse. What’s the number?”
Aimee told him, and as she watched Cam tap in the numbers on the flat pad, she had the strangest feeling she had been manipulated big time, but part of her didn’t care.
Chapter Five
Highland Park, Illinois
Saturday night
The Renfro family owned an impressive multi-million dollar lakefront estate on Chicago’s exclusive North Shore. Aimee’s mother and Helen Renfro were friends. Aimee had visited the 1920’s era mansion many times while growing up. She wasn’t awed when the limo her father had sent to pick them up at Midway, where the Brennan corporate jet had landed, turned from Sheridan Road
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