by T. J. Kline
The soft pleading in her voice killed him. She knew other owners wanted to see her fail, if only to remind her that her world was in San Francisco. They wanted to prove that she didn’t have a place in this cutthroat industry of fast horses, jockeys, and dirt.
They weren’t wrong; she didn’t belong in this world of greed. But Travis knew something they didn’t. He’d seen the joy her horse brought her. She might not understand why she wanted this so badly, but he did. Racing had done the same for him. He wouldn’t kill that for her. Instead, he wanted to fuel that fire in her, to see her succeed.
Travis stepped in front of her and took the container from her hands, setting it on the desk. “I’m not leaving, Fallon.”
A flicker of surprise ran across her face. But there was something else there, something that made his body respond with a flare of heat that traveled from his chest down to his groin.
Stepping between her legs, his fingers trailed up her arm to cup the back of her neck. Her hands found his ribs and he waited to see if she would push him away. He wanted her to push him away. It would have made this easier.
But Fallon pulled him closer. He knew he’d been the one to suggest they keep their relationship professional, but right now, having her this close, with her hands on him, he realized it had been impossible from the start. At least, it had been for him.
Fallon intrigued him, bewitched him, and he couldn’t seem to stop himself from getting closer when he was near her.
“And this isn’t just business,” he whispered. “Not for me.”
His head dipped, his mouth brushing over hers lightly. She sighed, her fingers gripping his torso tighter, as if worried he’d try to escape. His other hand came up and cupped her face, his thumb brushing over the satin skin. A soft whimper came from her throat as Fallon arched into him, her tongue sweeping past his lips to meet him. It was more than he could take when her hands moved up, lightly trailing the hard wall of his chest to his shoulders. She was sweet, vulnerable, and so very tempting.
Holy hell. He couldn’t let this happen, even if it was physically painful for him to pull away. Travis forced himself to break their kiss, dropping his forehead against hers and trying to catch his breath. “Damn it,” he muttered.
Fallon smiled slightly, biting her bottom lip and looking up at him through her thick lashes. “Does this mean you don’t want to keep this professional?”
What had he been thinking? She was practically San Francisco royalty, or as close as he’d ever come, and he was nothing more than a poor kid from the wrong side of the tracks with a gambler for a father. Not exactly her type. Or the right guy for her, whatsoever.
“Travis?” she whispered, lifting her face to kiss his mouth lightly. He took a deep breath and rolled his lips inward, pinching them together. “Okay, I see,” she said, clearly hurt. He couldn’t blame her.
“Fallon,” he began, wanting to explain himself, to apologize for his lack of control, but he wasn’t sure what he could say to excuse his behavior. It wasn’t like he could tell her who he really was.
She patted her hand against his chest lightly and slid past him. “Don’t worry about it, Travis. I get it.”
Chapter 10
Fallon awoke in the morning, stretching her hands over her head, arching her back, unsure why she felt so content. She decided not to fight the feeling and snuggled under her covers, tugging the down comforter tighter around her. She wished she didn’t need to venture out to the barn. Just the thought of what—or better, who—was waiting for her caused a shiver of anticipation to work down her spine. And it had nothing to do with the chilly winter air that swept over her.
“Shit,” she muttered, throwing back the covers. If she was this cold in the house, Travis had to be freezing in the barn.
Fallon hurried through her morning ritual—brushing her teeth, running a light coat of mascara over her eyelashes, and tugging her brush through her hair—before she found a clean pair of jeans and flannel shirt. After brewing two cups of coffee, she grabbed a quilt from her brother’s hall closet and hurried outside to find Travis.
The barn was empty but for Bubba, who greeted her with his happy braying.
She heard Travis’s muffled voice outside. “Hey, hey…right there. That’s a good boy.”
Dropping the blankets on the couch in the office, Fallon headed to the back of the barn and into a small, enclosed turn-out pasture. She skidded to a stop as she saw Travis working with Dreamer, her mouth falling open as she watched the colt practically dancing with the man. If Travis turned to the left, Dreamer turned with him, pivoting on his back foot. If Travis backed up, the horse followed. When Travis jogged across the pasture, the muscles in his thighs bunching under the denim of his jeans, Dreamer elongated his stride, following his new trainer like a playful puppy.
Fallon leaned over the fence, watching the pair intently. It was magical, as if they were two parts of a whole. Travis jumped sideways and Dreamer froze, his attention focused, ears twitching. Using a short crop, Travis touched the colt’s shoulder and Dreamer took a step away from it. Travis jumped to the side again, repeating the movement with the horse until he did it without the crop cuing him.
A sharp bark from Maggie broke Dreamer’s focus and his head shot up. The dog had seen Fallon, and once the horse had, too, he whinnied.
Travis followed Dreamer’s gaze and Fallon saw his gray eyes crinkle slightly in the corners as he smiled. “Good morning. About time you got up,” he teased, moving toward the fence and accepting the mug she held out to him.
“I’m the boss. I’m allowed to sleep in.” She gave him a smirk as she took a drink of her quickly cooling coffee. His brow dipped quickly, almost imperceptibly.
“You don’t have anything planned today, do you?”
She was surprised by his question. “Not really.” Dreamer pranced away from them, circling the pen before dropping his head to nibble at the short grass.
Travis gave her a lopsided grin. “Good. Because I wanted to take him out for a ride today and it’s probably best to ride with someone in case he acts up. Want to saddle up?”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” She glanced at the horse, nibbling on the grass, but thought of Travis’s reaction to their kiss last night.
“Yes,” he drew the word out slowly, as if unsure why she would ask.
Fallon shrugged, not one to beat around the bush. “It’s a valid question. Whenever you’re around me you can’t seem to make up your mind whether you want my company. If we go on a trail ride, how do I know you won’t kiss me and leave me stranded in the hills?”
She waited while his expression went from suspicious to mildly annoyed before, finally, a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Okay,” he said with a sigh. “I apologize for last night.”
“And the night before?” She arched an eyebrow and lifted the mug to her lips. Then she sighed, too. “Look, I don’t want your apology, Travis. I just want you to make up your mind.”
“What?”
“I think you’re a lot like Dreamer. You know what you want to do, but you’re afraid to let yourself do it. Maybe he’s not the only one around here who needs to relax and go with the flow.”
Travis turned around and leaned his elbows on the fence railing, looking at Dreamer thoughtfully. “You might be right.”
Chapter 11
Fallon sat astride Sadie, waiting as Travis led Dreamer out of the barn. There’d been a moment when he’d been worried Dreamer wouldn’t tolerate the western saddle but the horse had remained remarkably still as Travis placed it on his back. It looked like Casper hadn’t screwed up this one aspect of Dreamer’s training after all.
“Ready?” Fallon asked.
“Yeah.” Travis gathered the reins in his left hand and slid his foot into the stirrup. He couldn’t help but feel slightly bewildered as he settled into the saddle, waiting for Dreamer to act up. Instead, the colt remained still, twisting his neck to look back at Travis when he didn’t cue hi
m to move. “Huh?”
“What?” Fallon carefully moved her mare toward Dreamer. The colt simply dropped his head, completely relaxed.
“I expected…” He gave her a slight shrug as he squeezed his thighs, cuing Dreamer to move out, as calm as a rocking horse. As the colt began walking beside the mare, his head and ears relaxed. Travis let his fingers loosen on the reins, rewarding the colt for his positive behavior.
“What?” She raised her brow in curiosity.
“I expected something. Some sort of blow up. I didn’t think he’d be this calm.”
Fallon flashed him a bright smile. “He’s always been like this under saddle.”
“I have to admit, I didn’t think Casper would have started with the basics. He doesn’t seem that patient.”
“Oh, Casper didn’t. I hired him only a few months ago. I started Dreamer.”
“You broke him to saddle?”
She nodded. “It was a piece of cake. I’ve never had any trouble with him. He’s always taken new things in stride.”
And just like that, Fallon surprised him again. He watched her closely as she held the reins easily between her fingers. She was a natural in the saddle, relaxed but with perfectly balanced body position. Hell, he felt himself grow hard as he watched her hips rock in rhythm with the mare’s movement.
He tore his eyes away and asked, “How long have you been riding?”
The corner of her mouth quirked up mockingly. “Not all of us rich girls take riding lessons at the country club, you know.”
“I wasn’t suggest—”
She tipped her head toward him slightly. “You didn’t have to. I could see it in your face. You think I’m just another spoiled, rich girl who only knows how to ride because she’s been on million-dollar grand prix horses with half-million-dollar trainers.” She rolled her eyes. “As much as I wish I’d taken riding lessons growing up, my parents were too busy running the business to take me, and, more importantly, my grandmother never approved of the sport. No one contradicts my grandmother.”
He nodded, pretending to focus on Dreamer as Fallon fell quiet. He wanted to allow her the privacy of her thoughts.
“I was twelve when Grandmother decided it was time I learn how to be a proper lady. The next six years were the worst years of my life. But then, when I finally went to college, I noticed the school had an equestrian team. I started hanging around the barns—watching only—until one of the guys on the team took pity on me and offered to teach me how to ride.”
Fallon cleared her throat, reaching down and sliding a hand over her mare’s neck. “He taught me the basics and said I was a natural,” she said with a sly smile.
“How long did the two of you date?”
Her gaze leapt up to his. “How’d you know?”
Travis chuckled, his shoulder bouncing in a guilty shrug as he looked away sheepishly. “I’ve used that line a time or two.”
She bit back her smile. “Ah, so, you were a player, too, huh?”
“Hardly,” he answered quickly.
This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to pursue, even in jest. He certainly didn’t want to open a discussion about his past with Fallon. He’d have to confess that he’d never actually owned a horse of his own. That he’d ridden animals worth millions but none of them belonged to him. Or how, most of the time, he didn’t have two nickels to rub together.
Her eyes widened slightly but she didn’t push for more. “We dated for about a year. That was long enough for me to join the team and realize I wanted a future with horses, and not with him.”
“How’d you end up involved in racing?”
“I went to a charity event and saw my first claiming race. I didn’t have a place to keep the horse but it didn’t stop me from putting my money down. I left the race with Dreamer’s mother, Destiny.”
Travis shook his head and scoffed in disbelief. It was shocking how Lady Luck had simply smiled on Fallon. Born into the right family who loved her. Money rained down on her. As did brains and beauty. She’d been gifted every advantage. Then she’d happened to be at a race where she won a filly that would later give birth to a horse as talented as Dreamer.
“How’d you choose a stud for her? Or learn to break him?”
She pursed her pretty, pink lips at him. “I questioned professionals and reviewed race stats. As for breaking him, I learned what makes him happy. You spend some time with him. And then you just know.”
She’d mentioned before how she wanted to see Dreamer happy. Travis had assumed she was anthropomorphizing the colt, or at the very least, viewing a horse’s psyche as an unqualified layperson. But he was quickly finding out that Fallon understood this animal. She might not use the same terms he or his mentor, Buck, would have, but Fallon had a gut instinct that he couldn’t deny. True, she’d researched stallions while deciding which one to breed with Dreamer’s dam, but he’d bet she’d ultimately made that decision on her intuition as well.
He shook his head. “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you, Fallon Radcliffe?”
She lifted her face toward the sun, the rays dappling her face through the trees, and smiled broadly. The sight made his chest ache with longing. If only things had been different. If only he was somebody. If only he was a man with a future, instead of one of her hired lackeys.
Her laughter fell over him—light, carefree, and making him feel like he’d walked into heaven. It drew him away from his morose thoughts.
“You have no idea.”
Chapter 12
Fallon slid the heavy western saddle and blankets from Sadie’s back. Travis hurried over to take it from her, looking shocked to see her carry her own gear.
“Get out of here,” she said with a laugh, brushing past him. “What kind of prissy girl do you think I am? I can saddle and unsaddle my own horse.”
She hated when people assumed they knew who she was because her family was wealthy. Just because they’d read articles or had seen the public images of her didn’t mean they should assume she only fit that portrayal. Just because her family donated money at charity events didn’t mean Fallon wasn’t willing to get her hands dirty working behind the scenes. Whether it was building homes with Habitat for Humanity or working at one of San Francisco’s many homeless shelters, Fallon cared more about the people she helped than the image she portrayed. It was also probably the main issue of contention between her and her grandmother.
Lifting the grooming caddy from the tack room floor, Fallon carried it into the aisle where both horses were cross-tied, facing one another. She reached for a brush at the same time Travis did. When their hands met, he jerked back as if he’d been burned. She pressed her lips together, trying not to take it personally.
She was surprised by how hesitant he was. When it came to horses, Travis was confident, taking immediate control. But when it came to her, he seemed on edge and nervous.
Fallon brushed the mare down and said, “You said you worked with Buck Taylor. What was that like?”
“Incredible. The man could get a horse to do pretty much anything.” She could hear the note of hero worship in his voice.
“You know, you’re not too shabby yourself, Mr. Mitchell,” she teased. “I saw you this morning, dancing with Dreamer.” She carried the brush back to the caddy and retrieved a hoof pick, tucking a small face brush into the back pocket of her jeans.
“That was liberty work,” he corrected as he wandered closer, watching as Fallon carefully picked the mare’s hooves clean.
He was quiet for a few minutes and she looked back over her shoulder. His gaze was focused on her rear. She wiggled the hoof pick at him. “You waiting for this or enjoying the view?”
His eyes darkened slightly but he didn’t move or apologize. Instead, he continued staring at her. “You want to help me train Dreamer next time?”
“I’ve never done it before.”
“Maybe we should both try new things.”
She stood upright, cocking her head to one sid
e, watching him carefully, trying to be sure she’d read the correct meaning behind his words. It was clear he wasn’t talking about horse training any longer, but he looked confused, torn. And he’d left her hot and bothered too many times before.
Besides, there was something else in his expression. Something she wasn’t sure he’d want to put a name to—hunger.
“Do you…” She paused, biting the corner of her lower lip, wondering if she wasn’t about to make a mistake. It seemed she’d made so many of them with him.
But this didn’t have to be a regret. She could be reaching out as a friend, as someone who shared her adoration of Dreamer and horse racing. It was safe. She cleared her throat. “Do you want to have dinner with me tonight?”
Emotion flickered in his face. Confusion. Doubt. Perhaps a little anxiety. Apprehension began to take root in her belly. She could practically hear her grandmother’s voice, reminding her that a lady should never throw herself at a man.
“I…I mean—”
She wasn’t sure how to cover for her stupid idea. She’d made them both uncomfortable and now he was about to reject her again. Why did she keep putting herself in this position with him?
“Sure.”
She hadn’t expected that. “Really?”
Travis nodded slowly, his gaze caressing her. He didn’t move, but his eyes were stormy again, cloudy and fathomless, and Fallon felt her knees weaken.
“It’ll give us time to talk about Dreamer and the training planned before his next race.”
“Oh.” Even she could hear the disappointment in her voice. She had to get a grip. Fallon cleared her throat and nodded. “That makes sense.”
Turning away from him, hoping he didn’t see the embarrassment in her face, Fallon took a deep breath to calm the unwelcome desire washing through her veins. She wasn’t some teenage girl with a crush. She was an intelligent and successful woman who could tell when a man wasn’t interested.
She unclipped Sadie and backed her out of the barn quickly. She’d made a fool of herself and, thankfully, Travis was enough of a gentleman to let her save face. She needed to figure out how to get rid of this crush for the sexy horse trainer she’d hired because it obviously wasn’t mutual.