All the King's Horses

by Katherine Rhodes

  “I’d like to kiss you, princess. If you don’t mind. If I’m not too forward.”

  “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t, Mister Miller.”

  He closed in on her, pressing his lips gently against hers. He was soft, careful, tasting the sweetness there. But it wasn’t enough, and he pressed forward, licking at the seam of her lips, asking for permission to enter. Lucy allowed him, willingly, and he speared in and conquered her. She tasted like summer and chocolate, and he moved his arm to pull her closer. He swept across her mouth, listening as Lucy made little sounds of pleasure. Those little sounds stirred his cock, and the soft silk of the skin on her back only worked to make him even harder.

  Her hand brushed against his fly, and he could feel her smile against his lips as he jumped just a little.

  “Why, Mister Miller. Are you happy to see me?”

  “I’d be happier to take you to bed.”

  “Goodness, how forward of you,” she murmured against his lips. “I like that.”

  “Lucy...” He took her again, enjoying her willing kiss, the warmth of her mouth, the taste of her lips against his. “Lucy, I want to take you home.”

  “That would be rude, RJ. We can’t leave.”

  She was right. It would be rude. But damn if he didn’t want this woman—and it was clear she wanted him. “Mmm. Damn it.”

  “I’m staying at Double Down, RJ. You get me all week.”

  “But I want you right now...”

  “I’m right there. But we have to be polite.” She backed up a bit. “Might want to take a moment and let that little pants issue calm down.”

  “I assure you, princess. That pants issue is anything but little.”

  She giggled again, and it didn’t help his issue. At all.

  Chapter Four

  LUCY TROTTED BIRCH RIGHT UP TO WHERE RJ was standing in the ring, pulling up to halt the horse just inches from his foot.

  He smirked, looking up at her. “You don’t have to show off, princess.”

  “I’m not, Birch is.”

  “Oh, sure.” RJ knew she wasn’t lying, though. He had a lady on his back and he wanted to show her what he could do and how well he could listen. He was just a little shit of a horse. Grabbing the reins, he started to lead the horse over to the mounting block for her to dismount.

  “Where are you going?” Lucy’s voice was from the side opposite the horse.

  RJ whipped his head over and looked at her. “The mounting block?”

  “Why?” She walked along with him, grinning.

  “Because you ride English and... well, shit.”

  “Born in the saddle, RJ. Born in the saddle. I don’t need the block, at all. For any saddle.”

  He shook his head and started unbuckling the saddle. “You really know these creatures well, don’t you?”

  “I like them, so I got to know them.” Something flickered across her face, but was immediately replaced by the grin he was starting to really enjoy.

  The radio at his waist crackled and came to life. “I’m taking King out, if your princess is interested in seeing him.” Addie’s voice was full of teasing.

  Lucy shook her head, but wasn’t really angry. “You are all going to keep teasing me about that one, aren’t you?”

  “I’m not. But my sister might. She holds onto things for a while.”

  Lucy rolled her eyes. “Do we need to put up Birch?”

  “Ren will handle him. We have to get over the other paddock. King doesn’t like to wait for anyone, once he has that saddle on. She doesn’t have much time to get him through his paces. He’s an impatient one.” RJ motioned over Ren and handed him the reins, and then grabbed Lucy’s hand and led her across the ring and out to the red barn.

  Addie was already cantering out of the building, and King’s Dominion was a massive thoroughbred that had to stand close to eighteen hands and was mostly leg in that. Ellen had recognized the potential in the foal when he was born and had started his training as soon as she could. Addie and Josef had taken to the big horse quickly, and they had done a good job with him. He was never broken, he was tamed only enough to win his races. Addie was a natural rider, and it showed the way she trotted the big horse around.

  “She likes him.” Lucy leaned on the fence of the pen.

  “More, he likes her.” RJ was studying King’s stride. “They work well together. She’s just a little too tall to be a jockey, and that’s a damn shame. Josef is good with him, though.”

  “Does Addie ride in competition?”

  “She’s done barrel racing and a few dressage shows. She likes her big mixed roan for that, though.”

  “Dressage and barrel racing on the same horse?”

  RJ smiled and twisted their fingers together. “Same horse.”

  They watched the two of them go through the paces. Walk, trot, canter, run, and back again. It was clear Addie knew the horse, and after just a few minutes of the paces, she nodded at one of the hands at the back of the pen to open the gate.

  RJ smiled and pulled Lucy along. “Come on, she’s gonna run him. She only does this once a week off season.”

  They rounded the back of the pen as King and Addie trotted into the huge practice field. RJ hopped up onto the fence and helped Lucy up too. She looked amazing in her tight jeans and riding boots, and her little riding jacket accented her pert breasts just the right way. She was completely enraptured by the thoroughbred that his sister was lapping around the ring.

  He was more interested in her.

  Addie pulled the horse over to them, and he saw a flicker across Lucy’s face. Addie was all smiles. “I’m going to run him four times around. I’ll bring him back and we can cool him off.”

  “Go.” RJ nodded.

  Trotting him out a little way, Addie adjusted her feet into the second set of stirrups and hunkered down on King’s back. She let him trot, and then kicked him into run. It didn’t take him a dozen strides and he was going.

  Lucy let out a whistle and watched the horse tear away. But he’d seen it so many times, he watched the pretty filly on the fence with him. She was intense as the horse ran, studying footfalls and pacing, her black eyes tracking the horse and rider. She’d pulled her hair back in a ponytail, and her hair had a line from the riding helmet she’d had earlier while on Birch.

  There was nothing about this woman that didn’t draw him. After the kiss the night before, he wanted more. More kisses. A chance to caress those marvelous breasts. A chance to peel those tight pants off her ass and nibble on those firm globes.

  Damn it. Once again, his cock was filling too fast, and this time he was sure that the zipper was going to bust open. This little princess made him want to do very unladylike things to her. He also didn’t want to be a one-time thing. His filly made him start thinking about the big picture after just four days of knowing her.

  “Have you ever noticed that he favors the right foreleg a bit?”

  RJ got caught staring at her breasts. He cleared his throat and looked out at the horse. “I’ve never noticed that before.”

  Lucy pursed her lips, displeased. “Too busy noticing my tits?”

  “Do you want me to lie?”

  “Ugh.” She pointed out to the pen. “Watch. His right foreleg.”

  RJ looked out and watched, but he didn’t see anything unusual. King ran the way he always ran. Full tilt. Damn the torpedoes.

  Jumping off the fence, Lucy signaled Addie to bring him over to them at the fence. It took Addie a moment to get the horse to listen to her, but she finally did, and they trotted over to Lucy. He was pawing at the ground.

  “What’s up?”

  “He’s favoring a leg,” Lucy said. She put a hand on his neck and petted him gently. “Easy, boy. Let me see that leg.” Running a hand down his flank, she convinced him to stop pawing and offer the limb to her.

  “Wow,” Addie said, looking over at RJ. They both knew he never let anyone touch him or convince him to do anything.

  W
ith careful fingers, she ran her hands down the leg and stopped at the knee. Her fingers danced over it a few times, and then up and down again. With a friendly pat on his flank, she released his leg and looked up at Addie. “Cool him off. Come to the front of the barn when you have him stabled.”

  The three of them were out there in less than fifteen minutes, and Lucy had her arms folded. Addie was impatient, but Lucy wanted her sister there. Fatima came trotting out of the main house a moment later, with her bag.

  “What’s wrong with King?” Addie asked.

  “It’s not wrong. Not really,” Lucy explained. “I saw him favoring his leg. You might not be able to see it because you ride and your brother is used to watching him. But from what I could tell, he has a weak bit of cartilage on that side. I know you’re expecting a triple crown run for him next season. You may have to wait if you want him to win and not bust the knee. You’ll have a Barbaro all over again, and I like him too much to let that happen. I’d like to let Fatima confirm what I thought I saw, and if that’s the case, he can be fixed and healed and ready for the season.”

  RJ was shocked. “You’re asking us to pull our horse for the season? There’s no chance we can get him back in this season if there’s an operation.”

  “Well, you could let him run and blow the knee so you have to euthanize him.”

  “This horse is worth millions of dollars,” RJ said. “Millions. If we take him out of the circuit for the season, he’ll drop in worth, and we’ll have a hell of a time getting him back in the season after.”

  “You’re going to literally run him to his death. Fatima can tell you this operation is small and simple, and you won’t lose him at the starting line or finish line.” Lucy folded her arms. “I’m telling you what I saw, what I felt in that leg. He needs the operation before that injury gets to the point where he can’t even walk. I don’t care about your bottom line, I care about the horse.”

  “Fatima, will you look at him?” Addie asked, skipping RJ’s input.

  “Hang on.”

  “I’m not losing my horse.” The words were snapped at him. “After Fatima looks at him, I want our vet to come in and check him out. No one is riding him until we get him checked.”

  “Addison, this is—”

  “No. This is our farm’s best horse. No way am I taking this chance.”

  “This isn’t even your farm.”

  Addison looked straight at RJ, and he knew he had gone a step too far. There were tears in her eyes. “Fuck you, Robert James Miller.” She spun on her heel and marched away from him, back into the barn. Fatima looked between RJ and Lucy and ran after Addie.

  “You’re just scoring all kinds of points, Mister Miller.”

  “Look, princess—”

  She dropped her arms to her side. “It’s Lucia. And if you can’t find the most basic level of respect for the people around who are trying to help, I’m with your sister. Fuck you.”

  * * *

  Lucy sat on the back porch, looking out at the big stars above the main house as the last of the sun disappeared in the west.

  “A lot more sky out here, yes?” Ellen, RJ’s mother, walked out to join her.

  “Yes.” Lucy wrapped her arms around herself. “Beautiful.”

  “Lucia, I want to apologize for my son. He was incredibly mean to his sister and downright rude to you. I saw the scans of King’s Dominion’s leg, and you were spot-on. They are going to be able to do the operation endoscopically, and it’s not going to take the whole season. We’ll have to pull him from a few races to heal and a few more to recondition. But the whole season isn’t a wash.”

  Lucy smiled. “I’m glad to hear it.”

  Ellen offered her a mug. “Tea.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I don’t want you to think we aren’t a loving family—”

  “Mrs. Miller, I know. I’m not used to being questioned or having money explained to me. I’m well aware of the price of horses. I just wanted what was best for King’s Dominion.”

  “And I appreciate that.” Ellen leaned against a post. “There are things in this world I wish had turned out differently. Biggest of which is that I wish Addison and RJ had the same father. Addie’s father was the biggest mistake a girl could make.”

  Lucy looked over at the older woman, realizing she was just trying to relate to her. She had been embarrassed by her son’s behavior earlier in the day. “Addie and RJ love each other. More than most families I’ve seen. You don’t have to worry about them. RJ just knows where to hit Addie to hurt her. I’m sure they’ll be fine in a day or so.”

  “Thank you for that. Running this farm after I lost James in the fire was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Double Down was founded in 1830, and I didn’t want to lose all that history. We’ve built it up bigger than I think James dared to dream.”

  “You have an amazing farm here, there’s no doubt about that.”

  Staring up at the sky, she smiled. “I had me a loving husband, two amazing children, and two suitors I have no idea how to choose between. Never thought I’d end up here.”

  Lucy leaned against her own post on the porch. “Mama and Dad want the American Paints. Seven females, two males. They want to set up a straw trade with Double Down. They’ve asked me to pick the horses out and arrange for their transport.”

  “That’ll take a month.”

  “If you don’t mind hosting me.”

  After a sip of the tea, Ellen smiled. “Have you seen the size of my house?”

  Lucy laughed. “As long as Tee and I aren’t in your way.”

  “You’re good for us.” Ellen took another drink. “Stay as long as you like. And don’t judge RJ too harshly. He’s a guy, and he’s been influenced by men who don’t understand what it’s like to have a woman that is your world. His cousins are good for him.” She nodded and turned to walk back into the house. “You’re welcome as long as you need to stay. You pick the Paints out. We’ll talk about numbers another day.”

  Once she heard the screen door close, Lucy let out a sigh. She didn’t hate RJ, not even a little bit. He screwed up with the dick jokes and the staring at her chest, but she... well, after Greg, she didn’t mind the attention. Greg had been a total cold fish after just a few weeks of dating. It was a mystery why she had stayed with him as long as she did, and why she ever said yes to his proposal.

  At the same time, she really wasn’t used to people questioning her about the horses. She had always been good with them and admitted to herself it was probably a lot of the gift from Nana Sofia.

  She missed Nana so much.

  The tea warmed her a bit in the cool night air and Lucy decided to just stare at the stars for a while and not think about anything.

  It was a shame that RJ kept slipping into her mind. Over and over, she played their kiss through her mind. His warm lips, his warm hands, his hot... Well. That was a whole other story, too. She had teased him about a little problem, but when she’d brushed a hand over him, he had not been small. Oh, not at all.

  Ha. That rhymed.

  There was a bang, and another bang in the distance, then what was nothing more or less than a massive explosion.

  Chapter Five

  THE DOOR BANGED OPEN, AND RJ and Addie crashed through.

  “What was that?” Addie demanded.

  “I have no idea, but I saw a flash in the south.” Lucy pointed.

  “South pasture. The Mustangs,” RJ said. “Addie, called Ten. I’m heading down there to see what’s going on. I don’t like this, and if those ’stangs are out of the pasture it’s going to take us all night to wrangle them all back in.”

  “Let me go with you.” Lucy stepped forward.

  “Stay here. We don’t know what’s out there yet. We may need you at the barn.” RJ jumped off the porch and made for the pickup that was sitting in the driveway. It roared to life as Addie dialed the number for Highlands and disappeared down the road a moment later.

  “Tenne
ssee, it’s Addison—” She paused. “Yeah, we heard the explosion. He’s already on the way to the pasture. Alone. Thank you.”

  She ended the call and looked to the south.

  “That’s growing,” Lucy mumbled.

  “That is growing,” Ellen agreed.

  “Let’s not do anything until RJ calls,” Addie said.

  The four women stood on the front porch, watching the glow of what was clearly a fire growing on the horizon. Lucy saw both Addie and Ellen getting agitated as the moments ticked by, waiting for RJ to call.

  Ellen’s phone rang in her hand, and she looked at the face of it. “Heath?” She swiped to answer and put it on speaker. “Hello?”

  “Aunt Ellen, there was a tanker explosion just south of your south pasture. It sparked a wildfire, and your horses down there are in real danger. Ten, Philip, and I are en route down there to wrangle but it’s growing fast. Where’s RJ currently?”

  “He left to investigate. He had his phone.”

  “Damn. We need someone to ride out and drop the bridge on the creek.”

  Addie leaned in. “I got it.”

  “We’re gonna need you to set up the pen, Addie. And I know you still have Fatima there. I’d like her to be on call for injuries to the horses. Ellen, I guess—”

  Lucy slid into the conversation. “I got the bridge.”

  “Lucy, I don’t—”

  “Look, you need to get that bridge down to get the horses safe. I’m not a vet and I’m not a firefighter. What I am is a damn good rider. Just point me in the right direction.”

  “She’ll go,” Ellen said. “Just get down there and help RJ, boys, please.”

  “You got it,” Heath said, and the line went dead.

  “I’ll saddle Birch,” Addie offered.

  “Lemme throw on boots and just bridle him.” Lucy headed into the house to grab that as Addie ran for the red barn. Lucy didn’t even bother changing out of pajamas, she just pulled the boots on and ran for it.

  Addie was pulling the bridle on as Lucy entered the stall. She tightened the buckle, and was going for the saddle tack as Lucy threw herself up onto Birch’s back.