Breaking the Reins

by Juliana Haygert

  “How nice of him,” I said with a smile. Used to the fakeness of the society they lived in, my parents didn’t notice the sarcasm dripping from my words.

  “You’re late,” my mother said. Her tone wasn’t disapproving or accusing. Though it was almost uncaring.

  I could try to explain what happened, but I doubted she would care. So I ignored her comment and kissed her cheek. “You look beautiful, Mom.”

  She looked down at herself, pretending to be demure. “Thanks, dear.” Her indigo cocktail dress accentuated her blue eyes, and her blond hair was pulled back into a fancy bun. I had inherited her short height, five-four, and delicate form, nothing more. “You look dashing too.”

  “Thanks.”

  My father put his hand on my back and led me in. “How’s school?”

  “Four days ago was my last final. The semester is over.”

  We heard the engine of a car approaching the house. My father patted my shoulder. “If you’ll excuse us, we’ll greet our guests.”

  “Sure.”

  They turned back to the front door, and I glanced around the foyer. Imposing and too white. At the top of the rounded stairs, my sister watched me.

  “Hi, Hilary,” I said, offering a smile.

  She didn’t smile back. “Hi.”

  She flipped her blond hair and walked down the stairs like a Miss America contestant. Though she was already a little taller than me at sixteen, she was exactly like our mother. Fair, perfect skin, rosy lips, green eyes—the only thing she didn’t get from our mother─?and a complete snob. She didn’t pretend to be demure as our mother did.

  “Is school over yet?” I asked, attempting to initiate some kind of conversation with her.

  She looked at her pink nails as if bored. “Two more weeks.”

  We walked together to the living room. A waiter offered us drinks, and I grabbed a glass of sparkling water. “Any big plans for the summer?”

  Hilary took a glass of some pink cocktail. Hopefully, it wasn’t alcoholic. “Not really.”

  This wasn’t going well. She had to give me more, or I wouldn’t be able to keep this conversation going by myself.

  My parents and their guests entered the living room moments later and, as good hosts, they kept everyone entertained and talking.

  My parents loved hosting fancy dinners where they could show people how rich and elegant they were, how beautiful their daughters were, how impeccable their house was, and how exquisite their horses were.

  I hated all of it.

  What I wouldn’t give to go back to my ranch, light the fireplace—even in the summer—and curl up on my sofa with a book and a glass of whiskey on the rocks. With Eric massaging my feet, of course. Not that he would ever do that. He hated that ranch. Unfortunately, he was more like my parents, loving the fancy and rich things.

  At some point, tired of listening to the women talking about the new dresses they’d bought, or the latest resort they’d gone too, I went into the kitchen. The waiters widened their eyes at me, until the cook hugged me.

  “Hello, Miss Taylor,” Rosa said. “Long time no see.”

  “True.” I pulled back and smiled at my mother’s cook. She had been with the family since I was a kid and she knew I loved hiding in the kitchen——and tasting whatever she was cooking—during these dinners.

  She held my hand between hers. “How have you been?”

  Ah, the golden question. “I’m good.” I reached to the counter behind her and served myself some whiskey. The waiters seemed confused, which in turn was almost entertaining. “So, what goodies do you have here?”

  Rosa smiled and showed me a tray with what looked like homemade Swiss bonbons. Dessert before dinner, one of the many reasons I loved the kitchen.

  “Hannah.” My father’s voice came from the door, and I almost chocked on my bonbon. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

  With my glass in hand, and trying to swallow the rest of the bonbon, I followed my father to his office. He closed the door behind me and showed me to the seat before his thick mahogany desk.

  “What is it?” I asked, a little worried.

  He clasped his hands on the desk. “We haven’t talked business lately, and well, it has been eight months since you inherited the ranch. We should talk about your plans for it.”

  “Should I have any plans? I mean, I thought about running it like grandma did. Offering riding lessons, accepting a horse for boarding every now and then.”

  “Once you graduate, you will sell it, won’t you?”

  “What? Of course not.” My grandma, his mom, had left the ranch to me because she knew I’d take care of it. If she wanted to have it sold, she’d have left it to him. But she didn’t. I wouldn’t betray her like that.

  He frowned. “Excuse me? You have to forget about this idea and sell it. Or incorporate it into our lands and business.”

  “Dad, I don’t like talking about this. You’re still young and will be the head of the company for a long time.”

  “I’m fifty-eight, and I’d like to retire before I’m too old to truly enjoy what my money can buy.”

  He’d been telling me that since I was five years old. That one day I would run the entire farm and he would be able to retire. When I was a kid, I felt proud because that meant he trusted me. Now, I was torn. I loved horses and wanted to keep his farm. But it wouldn’t be at the expense of grandma’s ranch.

  “I would prefer keeping both businesses. Her ranch and your breeding farm.”

  “I don’t think you’ll be able to keep up with both. And, if we analyze this situation, you will see that the breeding business is the best choice.”

  “I don’t need to do this alone. I have Jimmy. And Hilary could help me with your farm.”

  My father laughed out loud. “Hilary? Have you seen her around horses? No, I don’t think so. She doesn’t like them. She doesn’t even look in the stables’ direction.”

  Yeah, I remembered, but I thought she would grow out of that phase. “Dad, I need more time to think.”

  “There’s nothing to think about. You have to sell the ranch. And the sooner you do it, the better.”

  “But I don’t—”

  A knock on the door shut me up.

  Eric peeked inside. “Am I interrupting something?”

  A huge smile appeared on my father’s face. “Eric! Come in. Hannah and I were just talking business.”

  My boyfriend strode into the room, sporting a big grin. His hands were inside the pockets of his gray suit, which emphasized his dark blue eyes. With short black hair and his fair skin, he looked amazing.

  “Well, whatever you say, sir. I’m on your side.”

  My father laughed. “That’s why I like you.”

  Eric winked at me, enjoying the good points he had scored with my father along the years. I would never understand what he’d done to earn my father’s blind approval. It was like that with almost everyone, actually. Eric would smile their way and win them over.

  With that same pretty smile, he offered me his hand. “Hello, baby.”

  I took it and he pulled me up. Even though I had on four-inch heels, he was still a couple of inches taller than me. “Hi.”

  He kissed my cheek and whispered, “You look beautiful.”

  My father walked around the desk and patted Eric’s back. “Good to see you, my boy. You might like to know Hannah and I were discussing selling the ranch.”

  Eric’s brows shot up. “Really?”

  Since the day the lawyer told me that everything my grandma had owned belonged to me, Eric had been trying to convince me to get rid of it. It wouldn’t be good for me to hold on to the past so much, he’d said.

  “No,” I said. “Father, like always, suggested it and I negated it.”

  “You really should think about it,” Eric said. “Your father and I have been telling you that since day one. Don’t you think you should listen to us?”

  “Good point,” my father said. “We have experi
ence with business ownership, Hannah, and we agree that you should sell that ranch.”

  I knew I had no arguing point here anymore. So, to change the subject, I lied. “I’ll think about it.”

  “Good.” My father walked to the door and held it open for us. “How about we go back to the party? We shouldn’t leave our guests unattended.”

  Eric and I followed my father out of his office, but before we could walk into the living room, Eric held me back.

  “You really look beautiful,” he said before kissing me.

  My hands slid around his shoulders as I opened my mouth to him. His kiss was hungry, demanding, and forceful. His fingers dug into my hips, and he pulled me to him. Knowing we had been together for a little over two years and I still had this effect on him took my breath away. He’d first shown interest in me when I’d been a teenager, and being five years older than me, he’d been a man already running his family business. I couldn’t believe he truly wanted anything with me.

  His lips trailed down my jaw, and his hot breath on my skin sent a shiver rolling down my spine.

  “We better stop now,” he whispered.

  Smiling, I pulled back. “What? Can’t lose control, Mr. Bennett?”

  He rested his forehead on mine. “Not here, no, I can’t.”

  I laughed and slipped my hand in his. “So, tell me, how was the meeting?”

  “Not too good. The French team we were negotiating with doesn’t want to lend us a player anymore.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” he said, turning to the archway leading into the living room. His arm snaked around my waist, and he positioned me beside him, my left shoulder in front of the right side of his body. “Let’s go.”

  He loved that. Showing us off. The beautiful heiress to the equestrian empire and the best polo player in the world. What a couple, everyone said. You two belong on the cover of magazines, I’d heard before.

  Sometimes I thought he had chosen to date me just because of my father’s business, because of our money. But he was filthy rich too, so that wasn’t right. Maybe he wanted to keep his family status. Though when he looked at me, his eyes gleaming with desire and possessiveness, as if I were only his and he was damn happy about it. I knew that status and money didn’t really matter to him.

  The room went quiet when we walked in.

  “Good evening,” Eric said with a diplomatic smile, and the people exploded into grins and salutes and compliments.

  Five seconds later, we were engulfed by the guests, talking about polo matches and horses. Every now and then, someone would tell us how good we looked, what a fortunate couple we were, and what a great player Eric was. It was annoying, really.

  One of my father’s associate approached us. “Hi, I’m Scott O’Neill.”

  Eric shook his hand. “Hello, Mr. O’Neill. I’m Eric Bennett. I assume you’re doing business with Mr. Taylor.”

  “That’s right,” the man said. He looked younger than most of the men my father did business with, around thirty-five, and his black suit complemented his gray eyes. “And you’re the famous polo player.”

  Eric smiled. “That, and I also run my family’s farm.”

  “Oh, really? A breeding farm as well?”

  “Not exactly. My business is a regular horse and cattle farm.”

  “I see.” Mr. O’Neill’s eyes found me and he smiled. “And you must be Hannah Taylor, famous for your beauty. The rumors don’t lie.”

  My cheeks heated, and Eric’s grip on my waist tightened. “That’s a new one,” I said, smiling politely, though all I wanted to do was to walk away from him.

  Scott nodded to Eric. “You’re a lucky man.”

  “I know,” Eric said, the amusement in his tone gone.

  Relief colored Eric’s face when the butler came in, announcing dinner was ready.

  The food was delicious, and dinner would have been bearable if it wasn’t for Mr. O’Neill’s constant stare and Eric’s tight grip on my thigh under the table. Each time the man smiled at me, Eric’s fingers dug into my skin and I pressed my lips together, willing the scream to stay in my throat.

  “What do you do, Miss Taylor?” Mr. O’Neill asked from across the table.

  “I’m attending college in Santa Barbara and I run a riding ranch.”

  His brows arched up. “Really? That’s interesting.”

  One of my mom’s friends asked, “But the town is almost ninety minutes away. You live on campus?”

  “No, I—”

  “Ah,” she interrupted me. “That’s good. I have only heard bad things about college residency.”

  “Where do you live, then?” Mr. O’Neill asked.

  Right then, Eric’s grip became agonizing and I jerked free. He was probably imagining the man’s throat instead. That didn’t excuse him for hurting me.

  I opened my mouth to answer, but Eric spoke first. “The club might hire a French player to add to my team,” he announced.

  I frowned. He had just told me it wasn’t going well, and now he was announcing it to the entire table as if it were a done deal. But, he succeeded in what he planned as everyone shot him questions about it, including Mr. O’Neill.

  Chapter Three

  The following morning I told Jimmy what happened with Argus—though I had to alter the story to leave Leo out of it—and asked him to nail more wood around Argus’s stall.

  Thankfully, we only had a familiar group scheduled for today, and they could ride around the property without any guides. I helped them saddle the horses and sent them on their way before sinking to the ground. I pressed my back against the wall, and my eyes fixed on Argus’s door.

  I had no idea what to do with him. My first error had been to allow him to come here. I wasn’t my grandma. I couldn’t “cure” a horse like she could. Even though she denied it, we all called her a horse whisperer. She was that good. And I certainly wasn’t.

  “Just looking at him won’t fix him,” Jimmy said as he walked into the stable.

  “I shouldn’t have agreed to this,” I told him.

  He sat on the bench beside me. “You wouldn’t have forgiven yourself if he’d been put down instead.”

  True. But that didn’t do anything to help the horse. Poor animal. I wasn’t much different than his owner. I saw him suffering and did nothing. The only thing we did so far was call the vet in to treat his visible wounds.

  I sat on the bench. “I want you to get started with him.”

  “Me? I can only ride horses, nothing more. You’re the one with your grandmother’s blood.”

  “As if being able to help a damaged horse was some kind of genetic trait.”

  “Maybe not that, but your personality. Your character. You’re just like her.”

  I looked at him. To my grandma, Jimmy had been like a son. She had taken care of him, helped raise him, and had given him a job. Growing up, he had been like an uncle to me.

  I wondered why my grandma had left only a couple of horses and a tiny house on the property to him if she considered him a son. Didn’t she love him enough to give him more? I certainly didn’t need all of this, not with my family’s money. At least I’d given him a fat raise.

  “I’m not like her,” I finally said. “She was determined, contagiously happy, and decided. She knew what she was doing. I don’t.”

  “Sure you do. You just have to trust your instincts.”

  He would never understand. “I can’t,” I whispered.

  He took my hands into his callused ones. “How long since you last rode a horse?”

  “What does that have to do with helping Argus?”

  “Just answer.”

  “No.”

  “Well, good thing I know then. Since that day. Since your grandmother and Hercules died.”

  I pulled my hand from his and shot up. “I still don’t know why that matters.”

  Jimmy stood and looked into my eyes. “’Cause you’re afraid. You’re afraid of caring for thi
s poor animal as much as you cared for Hercules.”

  “What? That’s nonsense.”

  “Is it? Then explain to me why you haven’t touched other horses? And I don’t mean to saddle them up for our customers. I mean to pet them. To ride. To jump. You loved jumping. You were great at it.”

  “I’m too old to pursue a career in jumping, and someone has to run this place. And my father’s place too, some day.”

  “I’m not talking about being professional anymore. You could do it as a hobby.”

  “I’m out of shape.”

  “Another excuse.”

  I groaned. “What do you want from me?”

  “I want you to admit the truth to yourself. Deep down you know it.” He put his hands on my shoulders and squeezed. “You can see yourself falling for Argus and you’re afraid of it. Just because your horse is gone, it doesn’t mean you’ll stop caring for him. You won’t. Ever. Think of it like this. Even if you meet new people and make new friends, you won’t forget your grandmother, right? You will love her forever, right? Same for the horse. You don’t need to feel guilty for helping another horse, for caring for him. You can love more than one horse at a time, you know.”

  Actually, I didn’t know. And I didn’t want to know.

  ***

  Hand in hand, Eric and I walked from the parking lot to the club’s main house.

  “I’m glad your classes are over for now,” he said, squeezing my hand. “Otherwise, I would have had to come here alone.”

  I smiled, not amused. He would never be alone. First, he had his teammates: Tomas, David, and Justin. Second, he knew everyone at the club and everyone adored him. He just wanted to please me, and I loved him for that.

  However, I was glad my classes were over for now too. I needed more time at the ranch and I liked coming to his games, even exhibition-only like this one. Granted, I hated everything else about the club and the people here.

  As soon as we stepped into the main house, we were surrounded. Friends of my parents, Eric and my father’s business partners, horse-loving people, and the ladies from high society welcomed us into the club, as if we hadn’t been here in ages, when, in fact, Eric had been here yesterday, and I was here two weeks ago.