by Alexa Davis
“Um, yeah,” I agreed. “Why though?” I added, wishing it was my hand instead of her washcloth between her legs. Unable to help myself, I reached down and played in the floral-scented foam until I drew a whimper out of her.
“We don’t have time,” she pleaded as I cornered her against the glass and cold tile.
“We always have time for this,” I countered, kissing her as I rubbed my soapy hand over her while she trembled and moaned. I kept going until her eyes closed as her head fell back and she clutched my arms to keep from falling. “It’s not my fault you’re so goddamn pretty,” I said to her, holding her until her legs regained their strength. “So, Pop and I will go get Miss Blythe, and you can do paperwork so you’re on site when we get back,” I offered.
“My, idea, exactly,” she panted slightly as she agreed, still steadying herself against the shower wall with one hand. “Tonight,” she warned me, “you will get yours.” I laughed.
“I certainly hope so.” I winked at her and slapped her wet butt as she wrapped her towel around herself, then washed and followed her out as quickly as I could while actually getting the important parts clean. She slipped out and made her daily trip to her own cottage, and I counted the hours until I could just move her in and call it good.
Tucker responded to my message from the night before and promised to bring Mandy up to see Verica the next day and said he might have something to share on our little family problem, as well. I replied in the affirmative and headed to the big house for breakfast and to let my mother and father know what to expect for the next couple of days.
Pop agreed to come with me on my errands when we went to the airport, making an excuse to get us out early so we could get the ring. Jackson had Caleb’s number, so after a few minutes of my younger brother and Rachel’s brother texting each other, I got word that her father was actually home for the day and he’d be happy to see me.
To avoid the texting teens pitfall in the future, I had Jackson give me Mr. Martinez’s number and called him properly. I told him I needed to speak with him, and he again assured me that I could drop by on my way to the airport, unless I wanted to wait until they came up to the ranch tomorrow to meet the prospective new member of the team. Afraid Rachel would catch us, I told him I’d be there shortly.
Pop and I made our excuses and took off in Mom’s Escalade. I picked up the ring first, and we headed the few miles out of the way to the Martinez residence. I stared at the ring while my father drove, marveling at the intricacy of the platinum lace band and the sparkle of the pink diamond. I couldn’t believe how much it made me think of Rachel, and I uttered one last silent prayer that everything was going the way it was supposed to.
I was dropped off by my father to speak to Rachel’s dad while mine did some shopping for my mother. Mr. and Mrs. Martinez didn’t seem at all surprised by the reason for my visit, and Rachel’s mom gave me a smile as she left us alone, as if to offer me encouragement. I sat on the couch across from Frank and didn’t know how to begin.
“You seem nervous. Are you okay?” he finally prodded me.
“Yes, sir. I just, well, I never thought I would be having this talk with anyone, so I’m a little underprepared, to be honest.” I wiped my sweaty palms on my thighs, took a big gulp of air, and went all in. I explained that I knew it hadn’t been but a minute since we’d met, but that I couldn’t imagine a life without Rachel at the helm of the ranch, and I couldn’t stand her being on the ranch if she wasn’t by my side in every way.
“So, you want to marry my daughter,” Frank echoed back in shorthand.
“Yes, sir, I do,” I confessed, sheepishly. I licked my lips and continued. “I would very much prefer to have your blessing before I tell her all of this, though,” I admitted. “I did speak with my parents, and of course, they’re delighted.” I shot him a grin. “Then again, they are getting the better end of the deal.” Frank laughed out loud and slapped his thigh.
“I have to admit it. I was nervous about this day since the day she was born,” he told me. “I think we’re doing all right in the deal, after all.” He stood and reached out to shake my hand. “God bless the both of you and your marriage. She has been through more than she deserved. I hope you make up for that.” He clapped me on the back and I nodded.
“I surely intend to, sir. That is, in fact, the whole of my plan.” He shook my hand vigorously and laughed, and I saw tears in his eyes. “I look forward to seeing you up at the ranch tomorrow, and you should know, I’m not going to ask until after Miss Blythe has been interviewed, no matter what she says, so I’m keeping this conversation between us for now.”
“I think that’s the best idea. If you’re going to do it, might as well do it right, not just throw it in with everything else that’s happening.”
I felt a slight twinge in my stomach at his words, unintentionally thinking about Jason Steed and whether my brother’s connections could save us the embarrassment of being publicly attacked by his family. I shoved the thought firmly from my mind and forced a smile. I wouldn’t let anything get in the way of what I wanted. I never had before, and with Rachel, it only mattered even more.
We didn’t discuss it with Rachel’s mother, but we sat and chatted with her in their sunny kitchen, eating fry-bread with honey-butter until my dad came back around, the back of the truck full of food stuffs. We had a little more time to kill, so Dad helped himself to some of the delicious fried dough and Frank brewed a fresh pot of coffee while they peppered us with questions about Texas Tango, how Rachel was doing with the horses, and the ranch in general.
After hearing everything my father and I had to say about her, it occurred to me that if they hadn’t wanted to give their blessing already, knowing how much we all loved and appreciated her might have swung things in my favor anyways.
“You think she’s tenacious now, but if you’d seen her before…” Her father’s voice broke under the weight of so much emotion. “She was more tender, softer. Always the hardest worker, of course, but more quietly sure of herself, no fear.” He frowned. “I know bad things happen to good people. But, it would be nice if bad people weren’t able to just hurt the good ones and walk away.” Merida patted her husband’s hand.
“I plan to keep her safe from now on,” I growled.
“We know you will. It’s just one of those things that you never really get over, watching your child almost die. She’ll never make a big deal out of it. To be honest, there’s just a lot she wasn’t even aware of, because she wasn’t awake. But, Daniel, we almost lost her. She had to relearn to walk, to ride. Everything she loves, she’s fought for. Just don’t get in her way, and she will never let you down.” Merida reached out and squeezed my hand. “I am glad you chose each other.”
She glanced at the clock. “Oh gracious, you need to skedaddle, or your soon-to-be-jockey will think you forgot her.”
I glanced down at my watch. Sure enough, we had to get back on the road. With thanks, hugs, and a couple of travel mugs of fresh coffee to go, we headed to the Bergstrom airport to wrangled us a jockey. On the way, we didn’t talk to each other, and there was no sound in the car but old country on the iPod I’d given my mom for Christmas when they were still popular.
I tried to focus on interview questions in my head while my father hummed along with the music and tapped the steering wheel with his fingers in time to the mandolin. I chewed my lip and thought about what Rachel’s mother had said about her. I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that I’d read her wrong, and maybe I shouldn’t do anything about the ring weighing down my pocket like lead.
“That look on your face has me concerned, son,” my father casually mentioned as he pulled into a parking stall. He picked an empty, manila envelope out of the console, and used his teeth to pull the cap off a sharpie he found in the depths of the same. “Verica Blythe” he wrote in his ungainly scrawl across one side.
“I’m fine, Pop, just worried that I pushed so hard for this, that I’ve scared yo
u off of trusting my gambles,” I teased. He shook his head at me.
“No, son, I trust your gambles. And don’t you worry. She will, too.”
I knew without asking that the “she” my father referred to was not the inbound jockey. I knew Rachel was worth the risk. She had shown me that from the first minute I’d known her. But, she had a past that made men like me look like scum, and I fought back a sharp little edge of fear that either her past, or her perception of mine, might prevent us from having a future.
I stood by the baggage carrousels and held our hand-made sign up high. I had only one thing to worry about today and that was to get Rachel the jockey she wanted to race the horse she loved. Nothing else. Proposals and public relations nightmares and drunk and vicious exes were matters for another day.
I glanced around the room, scanning for the face I’d seen in pictures at the top of a small person. I still wasn’t prepared for how tiny the jockey was, even shorter and thinner than Rachel.
“Verica Blythe?” I asked, lowering the sign incrementally as she bounced over, her perky walk more reminiscent of a fourth grader than a world-class competitor.
“Yes, sir, that’s me,” she chirped. Her voice matched her slight size. I glanced down and nodded my head. She gestured with the one carry-on piece of luggage in her hand. “This is everything. I’m ready to go.”
We walked to the waiting car and my father. As I climbed into the backseat, I wondered to myself if I was ready. So much had changed for me in the last few weeks. I didn’t know if anyone could be ready for that.
I reached my hand into my pocket, where within the small cardboard box lay a velvet ring box, and inside that, the symbol of the simplest, yet most important question I would ever ask. If nothing else, I knew the one thing I was ready for. A lifetime with Rachel by my side was a picnic under the stars and a question away. I hoped she was as ready as I was.
Chapter Seventeen
Rachel
It was like Christmas morning in the middle of July, and I was apparently on Santa’s best of the best list. The young jockey Verica Blythe had a good chance of making a name for herself and for Lago Colina on the circuit. I was going to do my damndest to make sure it happened. My wrist jangled sweetly as I walked, the little charms of the beautiful bracelet Daniel had given me daintily banging together with each swing of my arm.
Even the ranch hands vibrated with excitement as they ate breakfast double-time and rushed about their morning chores with an almost reckless abandon. There were smiles all around and a curious lack of complaints when the roster was called out. I was so excited for Pete and Daniel to finally get to branch out their equestrian breeding to horses that were meant for more than casual riders or dude ranches.
Texas Tango was beautiful. He had a natural speed and easy gait that did his lineage proud. I had been in awe every morning I’d woken up on the ranch, shocked that I’d lucked into an internship with people who treated me like an expert and that I got to see their first racehorse, their first jockey, and be a part of it for even the few weeks that I had left before school started again. The experience I’d gained would have been worth doing the work for free, but instead, for my efforts, my last year of school would be paid for.
The thought of leaving in September made my breakfast leaden in my stomach, and I pushed the thought away as quickly as I could, wiping a few stray tears from the corners of my eyes before anyone could catch me. I knew that my time with Daniel was to be short-lived, but I planned to make the most of the time we had left. How was I going to walk away from the man who gave me a reason to believe in love again?
Tracy, Freddie, and even Ms. Green from school had all texted with congratulatory and good luck messages. Daniel kissed me goodbye before he and his father had gone to the airport to collect Miss. Blythe. They were due back any second. Hannah had asked for my help with the late lunch that we were having for Miss Blythe before taking her through the stables. While I peeled potatoes, I thought about my first day on the ranch and my amazement at how fine their stables were for a longstanding cattle ranch.
But, it was the mustangs they protected that made me think that they had a future in horses. The Hargraves were worthy of the deepest respect as people who would keep horses they would not profit from and use land that otherwise would be profitable, simply because it was the right thing to do and was good for the animals.
At Lago Colina, I wasn’t “out there” or a “winger” as I’d been called in the past. And, I wasn’t a failure, or a “wannabe,” as the Steed family had proclaimed. Here, I was valuable and responsible. Here, I was everything I needed to be – no more, no less.
I finished the last of the potatoes and looked around for other small jobs I could do to make lunch and dinner easier for Hannah and Patty, but they had the kitchen all squared away, so I started setting places at the eighteen-foot table out on the veranda. I was only to the silverware when a raucous wave of commotion fell on my ears. Dropping the forks and knives to the table with a clatter, I half-ran through the kitchen to the front of the house, just in time to see the men arrive with our guest of honor.
Verica was even smaller up close than she appeared the few times I’d seen her race. But, that was usually the case with jockeys. Their small stature and weight made it easier to coax more speed from their mounts, but up on their racers, confident and at ease, sometimes they seemed huge. Verica was no different. In heels, she was the same height as I was in my flat riding boots. It was a shock to the system to see her in “regular people” clothes, her long hair down her back instead of twisted and tucked away under her equestrian helmet, jeans instead of jodhpurs.
She was all smiles and Daniel stood towering over her like a proud papa. I did my best to stifle the jealousy that purred dangerously in my ear as she gazed up at him and schooled my features into as pleasant a face as I could manage. I reminded myself that she was here because I’d practically begged for her to come, so I couldn’t very well drop-kick her back to Kentucky as soon as she arrived.
Daniel could see something was off. When he questioned me with a look, I attempted a smile. He arched an eyebrow in response and excused himself to her. He strode over to me, a worried look on his face. He reached out tentatively, as though he wasn’t sure I’d accept him touching me. I let his arms slide around me and breathed him in.
“Are you okay, darlin’? I somehow thought you’d be a little more, you know, excited, to see a potential new jockey…” His voice trailed off as I heaved a loud sigh.
“I know. I feel like an ass, but I’d be a lot more excited if she wasn’t looking up at you like you were God’s answers to her bedside prayers,” I confessed. “I don’t like looking like the jealous girlfriend, God knows I may not even have that much of a claim on you. But I still want to punch her in the throat.” I buried my face in his chest and took a last deep breath.
“But I’m okay now, and I’m not about to make a scene. This moment is about you, and the ranch, and even Miss Blythe,” I choked out her name. “It’s not about me, and I’m not going to make it so.” Daniel laughed and tipped my head back. He kissed me long and deep, until my knees went weak and I dug my fingers into his arms, clutching him to stay standing.
“Miss Blythe – Verica,” Daniel corrected himself at her admonishing look. “I want you to meet your champion, and the number one reason you are here today.” My blush deepened as he squeezed my shoulder. “I’m really excited to be the one to introduce you both. Miss Blythe, Miss Rachel Martinez, the woman you’ve been hearing about nonstop since you landed.”
I almost felt bad as I saw a little of the glimmer fade from Verica’s eyes, but not enough to keep me up at night. I strode forward, hand extended, and she side-stepped it to give me a hug, instead.
“Thank you for getting them to give me a chance to be their starter,” she whispered as she clutched me to her. I felt my eyes go wide as I stared at Mr. Hargrave, and he shrugged and pursed his lips together to hide his smile.
She nodded and beamed at me, and at everyone standing around us.
Daniel stepped aside to let his parents be the gracious hosts, and they led the procession of jockey and ranch hands into the house. We lagged behind, and Daniel slung his arm over my shoulder. I saw Verica glance behind at us as she disappeared through the doorway.
“She’s disappointed,” I remarked.
“She’ll live,” he replied drily. “However, I’m not sure how mad I am at you for suggesting I haven’t been clear about my expectations of our relationship.” He cursed under his breath. “You think it’s dumb luck that not one guy on the ranch has even tried to ask you out?” I snorted and bumped him with my hip. “I didn’t work so damn hard to get you naked just because you’re short, you know.” I laughed out loud and hugged him around the waist.
“I know, I know. It’s new, and I don’t know, important,” I replied as we finally made it up the stairs trailing behind Jackson, who looked back and rolled his eyes at us, either because he heard us, or because it was taking so long to get to our waiting lunch. “I said I was trying not to be jealous,” I reminded him.
“You said you wanted to punch her in the throat,” he countered. Jackson snorted and tried to cover it up with a cough. Daniel shoved him forward and he laughed harder, staggering and falling against the doorframe. As we passed him, he winked at me.