“Come in.”
She exhaled and entered. Danforth’s shirt was unbuttoned a bit more, but it still strained across his muscular chest. Blood thrummed through her body at the intensely masculine sight.
He smiled. “How can I help you?”
She introduced herself, but the Callen name didn’t seem to register, or else he was a good actor. He must not know Randy or he’d be aware of the existence of the large ranch.
“This may sound a bit odd, but I heard you just arrived here from Denver, and I was wondering if you knew a Randy Stark?”
He wrapped his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. “Does your father own a ranch?”
So he had heard of the family. “You could say that.” She loved it when a man challenged her with wit.
“Then yes, I know Randy Stark. He’s my roommate.”
Ka-ching, Ka-ching. That was the mental sound of pulling the slot machine lever and the lights flashing. She might be able to learn more about Randy through him. “He works on our ranch.”
“I know. It’s quite a spread according to Randy.”
She waited a beat to see if he’d add anything more about what his roommate said, but he didn’t. She guessed he wasn’t the type to freely give out information. Should she thank him and get out of there, or come out and ask what he could tell her about his roommate? The latter might be a little obvious that she liked him, which wouldn’t go over well if Randy ever got confirmation of the fact.
A small smile crept on Dr. Danforth’s face as if he found her discomfort interesting. “I saw you in Dr. Riley’s class. You getting your master’s in education?”
He knew the answer to that since everyone in the class had the same goal, but she appreciated the lifeline. “Yes, if I pass this class. I suck at physics.” She didn’t have to work at saying that sentence. It was the truth. “Ask me to dissect a frog or a grasshopper, and I’m your woman. Have me discuss the difference between RNA and DNA, and I’m good. I can even balance chemical equations and calculate molecular weight, but if you need me to figure out the frequency of a wave or calculate the coefficient of friction, I’m lost.”
He sat up and laughed. The sound came out deep and rich as if he laughed a lot. He opened his drawer and pulled out a box. “I just had these made.” He extracted a business card, turned it over, and wrote something on the back. “If you need help, feel free to call me. Anytime. I’m not teaching anything until September and have some time on my hands.”
“Wow. That’s awfully nice of you.” She glanced at the clock over his head and realized she was already late to class. “Ooh. I gotta go. Thanks. Bye.” She spun around and raced out.
His chuckle could be heard halfway back to class. Now he’d go back and tell Randy he’d met a really crazy girl tonight.
* * * *
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Last night hadn’t quite gone as planned, but there was nothing she could do about it now. She stood on her parents’ porch, ready to face the beast. After she’d embarrassed herself in front of Blake Danforth, she bet Randy might mock her for putting the moves on his roommate. Not that the man wasn’t worthy of her undivided attention, but she had set her sights on Randy. Why, she didn’t know. She liked that Blake could laugh, a talent she bet Randy had never cultivated.
She filled up her water bottle, ready for her adventure. Dressed in jeans, boots, and a hat, she stepped into the barn. Sure enough, Randy was there working on the horses. The man did take his job seriously. Apparently, Gus was still out with his bad back.
“Hello, again.”
She hoped he’d be a bit friendlier today. When he turned around, there was a small upturn of his lips. Good. He ran his gaze from her hat to her boots. “You coming to ride?”
Was he agreeing to help her? What changed his mind? She bet Daddy had spoken with him. Good thing he didn’t appear pissed that she’d used her influence to get what she wanted. “Yes. I’m pretty good at going slow, but when the horse starts to gallop, I freak.”
“Your dad asked if I’d show you a few things.”
Ah, she’d been right. “Good.” She wouldn’t admit to asking for her father’s interference.
“Let me put some of this away, and I’ll give you a few pointers.”
He opened Fleet of Foot’s barn door and led him out. She’d never ridden this horse, but she didn’t think he was the right one for her. “Could we start with someone gentler?”
He laughed. Actually laughed. “He’s the most gentle of the lot.” His mouth opened a bit. “You thought his name reflected his personality?”
He seemed to think she wasn’t very smart. “Maybe.”
“He’s a gelding and very gentle.”
She trusted Randy to know which horse was the best. “I’ll give him a try.”
Randy saddled Fleet of Foot as well as another dappled gray for himself. She placed her foot in the stirrup, swung up her leg, and landed a bit too hard.
“Gently.”
He must have seen her crush her pussy. “I keep forgetting my own strength.”
He pressed his lips together, probably trying to hold back some retort. He mounted. “Stroke the horse’s head. He’ll like that.”
She did as he suggested. She expected the sweats to descend like they had the last few times she’d tried to get back on a horse, but she remained amazingly calm. Maybe now she could explore the beautiful land. Her dad had sold five thousand acres to Sam and ten thousand to her twin brothers, but there wouldn’t be any problem riding on any of the Callen acreage.
“Where do you want to go?” he asked.
He had been out riding for a couple of days, but she bet he’d never been to the pond that was full of frogs and fish. “How about we head west. There’s a really nice body of water there.”
“You know the way?”
“Yup.”
“Okay, we’ll take it easy at first.”
At first? “I’ll fall off if I go too fast. I have no desire for speed.”
He waved a hand. “Then I’ll stay behind and watch to see how you sit and hold the reins. I’ll give pointers once we get to our destination.”
At least he wouldn’t be like her dad who would comment every few seconds on what she was doing wrong. It was one additional reason why she never took up riding again.
The wind was mild and the sun strong. Despite being a little awkward on this beast, the view from on top of a horse was quite special. Her destination wasn’t too far, but after ten minutes, her thighs were straining a bit, trying to make sure she didn’t slip off the horse. Fleet of Foot probably could tell she was inexperienced, which was why he didn’t always respond to her change in directions. About a mile away sat a copse of trees that hid the five-acre pond. It was secluded, yet inviting at the same time. Her brothers had used this as their summer swimming hole, but being much younger, she’d been afraid to dive in. The mud at the bottom contained too many unknown creatures for her.
When she got close, she slowed the horse. Fearing the horse might take her into the trees and not even be aware a branch might hit her in the head, she pulled to a stop and dismounted.
“Whew.” She tugged down her jeans and jumped up and down a bit to get the circulation back in her butt and legs.
Randy dismounted. She watched him tie off his horse. She found a similar tree and did the same. With water bottle in hand, she ducked under the limbs and headed to the pond. “This used to be my favorite place to come. I’d spend hours every day looking at the wildlife.”
She crouched down at the water’s edge and Randy joined her. Instead of glancing at her, he, too, studied the water. He tapped the surface of the calm lake with his finger, and the ripples radiated outward. She couldn’t help but think of her comment about calculating the frequency of waves. God, could she have said anything more inane? She hadn’t thought before she’d spoken, but what else was new?
&nbs
p; A frog croaked, and mosquitoes skimmed the now-calm surface. Without saying a word, Randy stood. He returned a moment later with a blanket. “Let’s sit on this. That way our butts won’t get wet.”
When would someone like Randy care about getting his butt wet? Maybe he thought she’d care. In this case, he’d be right. “Thanks.”
Sitting side by side brought conflicting emotions. Being this close to such a large man made her a bit nervous. “You don’t ever just beat up on someone because you can, do you?”
He stared at her for a moment. Glare might be a better word. “Do I seem violent to you?”
He did speak calmly with the horses and had done nothing inappropriate with her. “No, but maybe you can snap for no reason. You did fight for a living.”
“Cage fighters are not necessarily violent people. In fact, I’ve never known a more disciplined group of men. Did you know we spend hours upon hours weight training, and follow that same regimen when learning fighting techniques?”
“I hadn’t thought about what it would take to be the best.” She picked up a rock and tossed it into the water. “What was the hardest part of fighting, besides getting hit?”
“I never minded the punches. It was the constant routine of always working out and watching what you ate that was hard. Then there’s the emotional side. If you let your head get the best of you, you’ll lose the fight.”
When he stopped, she let out a breath. She wasn’t aware he could string together so many words. “Oh.” Given he had his emotions in check, it was easy to imagine why he became a star. As long as he was in a talkative mood, she might as well push her luck. “Why did you quit?”
“Got too old.”
“You don’t look old. You’re still in great shape.”
There went that slight smile again. “That may be, but I didn’t want to chance having permanent damage. Some of these guys get so many concussions that they lose some of their senses. I’ve seen spleens get ruptured and kidneys damaged. I got out just in time.”
“Do you miss it?”
He picked up a rock and chucked it far into the pond. “Nope.”
She hadn’t expected the definitive answer. His eyes looked sad, and she wanted to soothe his ache. Without thinking, she placed a hand on his thigh and squeezed to give him some comfort. The heat from his leg burned her fingers, and his muscles twitched under her touch. She wanted to move her hand up his body and explore what was between his thighs, but before she got to make her move, he picked up her fingers and gave her back her hand.
“We better get back.”
They’d just gotten there. “You didn’t tell me what I did wrong.” She hoped he realized she was talking about riding and not why he peeled her fingers off his thigh.
He stood and held out a hand to help her up. At least he was a gentleman. “You did fine. You just need more practice and you’ll learn to feel the rhythm of the animal. The two of you need to find a balance that works for both of you. You’re like a piano that’s a bit out of tune. With a little bit of tweaking, you’ll do well.”
She’d never been compared to a piano before, but he could have chosen something worse. “To practicing.”
While the trip wasn’t the romantic interlude she’d hoped, she enjoyed herself and had gotten a better insight into the man beneath the muscles. She mounted Fleet of Foot, and they headed back to the barn. Everything was going quite well until they got close to their destination. The horse jigged or jagged probably to avoid some indentation in the ground, causing her to grab hold of the horn to keep from slipping off. In the process, she dropped the reins. That must have been the signal to her mount to take off for the barn at a breakneck speed.
She panicked and leaned over to get a hold of the dangling reins. She couldn’t reach them. Her blood zoomed through her veins, making her blood pressure soar. The ground raced below and she did everything to keep from falling. Her thighs burned as she squeezed the horse’s flank.
“Help!”
Randy was behind her, but with the speed she was going coupled with the softness of her semi-scream, he probably didn’t hear her. Her butt flew high off the seat almost to the point where she was standing, and then she landed back in the saddle, hard. Her ass burned. Her heart bludgeoned her ribcage as she saw imminent disaster nearing.
She didn’t register Randy’s shouts until his arm was securely fastened around her waist.
“Let go!”
Why should I do that? The fact he was trying to save her didn’t enter her mind until his strong grasp overcame her ability to hang on. Next thing she knew, she was plastered against his hip with her feet dangling high above the ground. His arm nearly cut off her supply of oxygen. When Fleet of Foot raced off in front of her, she realized she was no longer on that monster, but in Randy’s care.
He slowed to a stop, and then leaned over and eased her to the ground. Her legs gave way and she dropped to her knees. He was beside her in a second.
“Are you okay?”
She hadn’t been thrown, so he didn’t need to ask if she had any injuries. Her state of mind was a different matter. Between each hyperventilated breath, she told him she was fine. He knelt in front of her and gathered her in his arms. Her face plastered against his chest, and she could feel his heart beat almost as fast as hers. His masculine scent was the balm she needed to calm down. When her breaths evened out, he leaned her back.
“Do you think you can walk back, or do you want to ride behind me?” The concern in his voice nearly brought on the tears.
“I’ll walk.” They weren’t more than a hundred yards from the barn.
He helped her up. “What happened?”
She tried to recreate the scene the best she could. “The details are a little fuzzy, but that gentle horse just took off.”
He laughed. “Don’t you know that as soon as a horse sees his home, he races for it? You have to slow him down. You’ve lived here twenty-five years and you didn’t know that?”
If he hadn’t said it with such kindness, she would have smacked him. Not that her hand ever would have reached his face. She bet his reflexes were as fast as Superman’s.
She planted a hand on her hip. “I do know that fact, but as I said, I lost control of the reins.”
He held up two hands in surrender. “Okay. You dropped the reins. We’ll go with that.”
Jerk. “Did you think I wanted to be on a galloping horse?”
“Something like this happen before?” His jaw tightened and his body stiffened.
“Yeah. I told you how I broke my leg. Horses scare me.”
“I’m sorry. You were brave to get up on one again.”
When they got to the barn, she decided she needed time to get over her embarrassment. “Thank you for saving me. If you don’t mind, I need to go.”
She didn’t wait for his reaction and took off toward the house.
* * * *
Randy watched her go. The girl had spunk, that was for sure. At first he thought she was hitting on him when she asked him to teach her to ride, but given the way she held herself in the saddle, she needed help. Her lack of experience together with her previous fall explained a lot. Now he knew why she was terrified when her horse sprinted to the barn.
He wondered if she would want to ride again. He hadn’t expected to enjoy himself, but he’d just found his new calming place. The pond surrounded by tall pines, firs, and poplars was a slice of heaven. He could almost hear the music of the leaves as they rustled in the wind. The slow lapping of the water against the rim had sent out a soothing, steady beat.
Fleet of Foot snorted. He was outside his stall and needed some attention. Randy unsaddled both horses and brushed them down. By the time he watered and fed them, his shift was over. Before he left, he wanted to see if April was okay. Traumatic events could cause a delay in reaction.
As Randy headed to the house, notes of music sounded in the air. Mrs. Callen was back at the piano
, creating her masterpiece. He liked the riff she was playing, but as he neared, he could tell she was struggling with the next measure. Quietly, he stepped onto the porch. As if his legs wouldn’t take him inside, he stood outside and listened. Eyes closed, he absorbed the healing sound and breathed in its essence. Endorphins swirled in his veins as the music planted itself in his head. He wanted to show her what to do, but he didn’t dare.
Blake had tried to tell him that he was wasting his talent by working with horses. His mom had told him there was nothing to be ashamed about by making an honest dollar for an honest day’s work. It was, she said, the American way. Playing the piano was fine for entertaining guests at a party, but it didn’t buy homes or put food on the table.
Mrs. Callen stopped playing, shaking him out of his reverie. He turned on his heels and silently strode to his truck. Tomorrow would be soon enough to check on April.
When he got home, Blake wasn’t back yet from the University. Needing some release from the intensity of the day, he changed and hit the weights. After his five hundred sit-ups and one hundred pull-ups, he hit the bench press, pushing himself harder and harder as Mrs. Callen’s unfinished music crammed his brain.
He tried to force the score from his mind, but he couldn’t. He hated sometimes when the notes slammed into his head and refused to stop tormenting him. There was only one way to get them to leave him alone.
Randy finished his workout. Sweat poured off his body and his pulse soared. He dragged a towel over his face and stomped to the piano. In the seat, he found a ream of blank music sheets. Without needing to touch the keys, he wrote down the notes to the rest of her piece. He didn’t need to play the score, as he knew this was the perfect ending to an already-wonderful creation.
With his demons satisfied for the moment, he went in to shower. April’s scent still lingered despite the intense workout. Holding her in his arms had somehow altered his body from the inside, and he didn’t like it one bit. He scrubbed every inch of his skin to erase the memory of having her pressed against him, but his leg still throbbed from where she’d clasped his thigh. The girl was getting under his skin, and he needed to find a way to stop it.
Secret Temptation [The Callens 3] (Siren Publishing M?nage Everlasting) Page 3