by Nora Roberts
“I want you.” He had to fight every instinct in his body to keep from lunging forward and taking what had nearly been his. “You want me.”
Because it was true, urgently true, she had no choice but to strike back. “I’m not a mare to be hobbled and serviced. And I didn’t come here tonight so you could find out if the daughter takes after the mother.”
To restrain them, Gabe stuck his hands in his pockets. “Clarify.”
“I’m not excusing myself, but at least I have the decency to stop this before it goes any further. You have no decency at all.” She shoved her tumbled hair back. Fury, fueled by an acid guilt, turned her voice into a whip. “Is this all just another game to you, Slater? Lure the daughter, wine and dine her, charm her into bed and see if she’s as good as the mother? Did you place bets, calculate the odds?”
He took a moment before he answered. When he did, neither his face nor his voice revealed any of the clawing anger. “You think I’m sleeping with Naomi?”
“I know you are.”
“I’m flattered.”
“You’re—What kind of a man are you?”
“You have no idea, Kelsey. None at all. I doubt very much you’ve come across my kind in that nice, comfortable little world of yours.” He stepped forward, curling his hand around the back of her neck. It was a small, nasty way of paying her back. But he was feeling small, and he was feeling nasty.
However stiff she held her spine, her body began to tremble. “Take your hands off me.”
“You like my hands on you,” he said softly. “Right now you’re afraid, excited, but afraid, and wondering what you would do if I dragged you upstairs. Hell, why go to all that trouble when there’s a floor right here?” His voice was smooth and cool as cream, but there was a light in his eyes, a dangerous burn. “What would you do, Kelsey, if I took you right here, right now?”
Fear clawed up her throat, shredding her voice. “I said take your hands off me.”
He could read the terror on her face. It was clear as a scream even when he released her and stepped back. It didn’t quite fade, nor did the feelings of disgust that simmered inside him.
“I’ll apologize for that. Only for that.” He studied her for a moment. The color he’d deliberately frightened out of her cheeks was coming back. “You’re quick to judge, Kelsey. Since you’ve made up your mind, we won’t waste time discussing fact or fantasy. I’ll take you home.”
CHAPTER
SEVEN
NAOMI WAS TYING THE BELT OF HER ROBE WHEN SHE HEARD THE FRONT door slam. Surprised by the angry sound, she hesitated before going out into the hall. Was it her place, she wondered, to question Kelsey after an evening out? She had no precedent. If she’d lived through those teenage years with Kelsey, through the late-night talks, the arguments and worries, through the triumphs and tragedies of adolescence, she’d know.
But she had no guideposts, only instincts. The sound of Kelsey’s feet rushing up the stairs decided her.
She opened her own door, certain she could keep the whole experience very casual. No prying, just a quick how was your evening. One look at Kelsey’s face erased all intentions.
“What happened?” Before either of them could think, she moved forward to take Kelsey’s arms. “Are you all right?”
Still revving on temper, Kelsey went instantly on the attack. “How can you associate with him, much less . . . God, you all but asked me to spend the evening with him.”
“Gabe?” Naomi’s fingers tightened. She trusted Gabe implicitly, without question. But a small female dread curled in her gut. “What did he do?”
“He kissed me,” Kelsey shot back. Her color flared at the ridiculously lame understatement of what had happened between them.
“Kissed you,” Naomi repeated, while relief and amusement twined through her. “And that’s it?”
“Don’t you care?” Frustrated, Kelsey jerked back. “I’m telling you he kissed me. I kissed him back. We were groping at each other. And it wouldn’t have stopped if I hadn’t remembered.”
Out of your depth, Naomi, she thought. If they couldn’t deal as mother to daughter, perhaps they could begin as woman to woman. “Come in and sit down.”
“I don’t want to sit.” But Kelsey followed Naomi into the bedroom.
“I do.” Rearranging her thoughts, Naomi settled on the padded stool of her vanity table. “Kelsey, I know you might still be raw from your divorce. But you are divorced, and free to develop other relationships.”
Kelsey stopped her restless pacing and gaped. “I’m free? This isn’t about me. It’s about you.”
“Me?”
“What’s wrong with you?” Now there was insult added to temper, insult that the woman who shared her blood could be so shallow. “Don’t you have any pride?”
“Actually,” Naomi said slowly, “I’ve often been told I have too much. But I don’t see how that applies at the moment.”
“I’m telling you that your lover wanted to sleep with me, and it doesn’t apply?”
Naomi’s mouth worked silently before she could get it around the words. “My lover?”
“God knows how you can let him touch you,” Kelsey barreled on. “You’ve known him for years and you must see what he is. Oh, he’s attractive, and he may be charming on the surface. But he has no scruples, no honor, no loyalties.”
Naomi’s eyes flashed, her jaw stiffened. “Who are you talking about?”
“Slater.” On the edge, it was all Kelsey could do to keep from screaming. “Gabriel Slater. How many lovers do you have?”
“Just one.” Naomi folded her hands and drew a deep breath. “And you think it’s Gabe.” After a moment’s consideration, she began to smile. Then, to Kelsey’s astonishment, she began to laugh. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sure this isn’t funny to you.” Helpless, she pressed a hand to her stomach. “But it’s wonderful, really. I’m so flattered.”
Kelsey spoke through gritted teeth. “He said the same thing.”
“Did he?” Chuckling, Naomi wiped a tear from her eye. “You mean you actually asked him if he was sleeping with me? God, Kelsey, he’s in his thirties. I’m nearly fifty.”
“What difference does that make?”
She couldn’t stop it. Naomi’s smile spread like a sunbeam. “Now I’m really flattered. Do you actually believe a gorgeous—God knows he’s gorgeous—hot-blooded man like Gabe would be romantically interested in me?”
She studied Naomi as dispassionately as her mood allowed, taking in the classic features, the slim, elegant body in the simple white robe. “I didn’t say anything about romance,” Kelsey said flatly.
“Oh.” Naomi nodded, struggling to compose herself. “Well, now. So you assume that Gabe and I are, what, engaged in a hot, sexual affair?” She pursed her lips. “I’m feeling younger all the time.”
“Before you bother to deny it, I’ll say two things.” Head high, Kelsey looked down at her mother. “First, it’s none of my business who you sleep with. You can have twenty lovers and it’s none of my concern. Second, I heard you last night. In here, with him.”
“Oh.” Naomi blew out air. “That is awkward.”
“Awkward?” The word all but exploded out of her mouth. “This is awkward?”
Realizing she was going to have to be very clear and precise, Naomi lifted a hand. “Let’s handle your statements in order. First, despite what you think or have been told, I’ve never been promiscuous. You may not choose to believe me, but your father was my first lover. There was no one else until two years after I got out of prison. He’s been my only lover since.” She stood so they were eye to eye.
“If that’s true, it’s even worse. How can you not care that he would cheat on you this way?”
“No man would cheat on me more than once,” Naomi said in a tone Kelsey not only believed, but understood. “It wasn’t Gabe you heard in here with me last night, Kelsey. It was Moses.”
She couldn’t speak. It was impossible to ignore t
he truth when it was slapped so neatly across her face. Silently she sank to the bench herself. “Moses. Your trainer.”
“Yes, Moses. My trainer. My friend, and my lover.”
“But Gabe—he’s always touching you.”
“To risk a cliché, we’re very good friends. Gabe is, excepting Moses, my closest friend. I’m sorry you misunderstood.”
“Jesus.” Kelsey squeezed her eyes shut as everything she’d said rushed back to humiliate her. “Oh, Jesus, no wonder he was so angry. The things I said.”
Risking rejection, Naomi brushed a hand over Kelsey’s hair. “I don’t suppose you bothered to ask him?”
“No.” Her own words came back to her, stinging like bullets. “No, I was so sure, and I was so ashamed that he’d made me forget myself, even for just a minute. I’ve never—With Wade it was always—It doesn’t matter,” she said quickly. “The point is, I jumped in with both feet and said some filthy things to him.”
“You were in a difficult position. I’ll call him and explain.”
“No, I’ll go over in the morning and apologize face-to-face.”
“Hateful, isn’t it? Apologizing?”
“Almost as bad as being wrong.” It was always a chore to swallow pride. “I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need where I’m concerned. You’ve walked into a world filled with strangers, Kelsey. You trusted your instincts. Whatever you did tonight, you did because you have a strong moral code, a finely developed sense of right and wrong.”
“You’re making excuses for me.”
“I’m your mother,” Naomi said quietly. “Maybe we’ll both get used to that in time. Go get some sleep. And if you don’t want to face the lion in his den alone tomorrow, I’ll go with you.”
But she went alone. It was a matter of self-respect. At first she thought she’d drive over, but that would be so quick. Despite lying restless most of the night, she had yet to come up with the exact words or tone she wanted to use.
She decided to ask for a mount, and clear both head and nerves with a ride from farm to farm.
She found Moses rubbing liniment over the throat of a roan gelding. Foolishly she found herself hesitating. How did she approach him now that she knew he was Naomi’s lover?
For the moment she just stood back and watched him. His hands were gentle, darkly tanned, wide at the palm. At his wrist he wore a bracelet of hammered copper. There was nearly as much gray as black in his braid. He had a distinctive face, though no one would have called it handsome, with its prominent nose and weather-scored skin. His body was tough and wiry, with little of the lithe muscular grace of Gabe’s.
“Hard to figure, isn’t it?” There was a touch of amusement in Moses’s voice. He didn’t have to turn for Kelsey to deduce it would be reflected in his eyes. “A beautiful woman like her. Rich. Classy. And a half-breed runt like me.” He set the liniment aside and reached for a bowl of watery gruel. “Can’t blame you for being surprised. Surprises me all the time.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Naomi figured she should let me know she told you about us.”
Wincing, Kelsey rubbed a hand over her face. How much more embarrassing could it possibly get? “Mr. Whitetree.”
“Moses, let’s make it Moses considering the situation. Come on, boy.” Murmuring, he urged the gruel on the gelding. “Try a little now. Just a little at a time. I fell in love with her when I first came to work here as a groom. She’d have been about eighteen then. I’d never seen anything like her in all my life. Not that I expected her to look at me twice. Why should she?”
Kelsey watched him nurse the horse, saw the kindness, the strength, the simple sturdiness. “I think I can see why.” Making the gesture, she stepped into the box until they were shoulder to shoulder. “What’s wrong with him?”
“King Cole here’s got laryngitis.”
“Laryngitis? Horses get laryngitis? How can you tell?”
“See here?” Taking her hand, Moses guided it over the throat. “You can feel it’s swollen.”
“Yes, poor thing.” She made soothing noises as she rubbed gently. “Is it serious?”
“Can be. If it’s severe, the air passage gets blocked and he can choke.”
“You mean die?” Alarmed, she pressed her cheek to the gelding’s. “But it’s just a sore throat.”
“In you. In him it’s different. But he’s coming along, aren’t you, fella? He can’t take food yet, but gruel or some linseed tea.”
Tea for a horse, Kelsey thought. “Shouldn’t the vet see him?”
“Not unless it worsens. We keep him warm, use eucalyptus inhalations, smear camphor on his tongue three, four times a day. He’s not coughing anymore, and that’s a good sign.”
“How much of the doctoring do you do yourself?”
“We only call Matt in when we can’t handle it.”
“I thought a trainer trained.”
“A trainer does everything. Sometimes it seems the horses are the least of it. You spend a day with me sometime, you’ll see.”
“I’d like that.”
It had been an offhand remark, nothing he’d expected her to pick up on. Thoughtful, he eyed her. “I start before dawn.”
“I know. And you probably don’t want me tagging along. But I was wondering if there was something I could do while I’m here. Muck out stables or clean tack. I wouldn’t expect to be trusted with the horses, but I hate doing nothing.”
Her mother’s daughter, Moses mused. Well, they’d see. “There’s always something to do around here. When do you want to start?”
“This afternoon, maybe tomorrow. There’s something I have to do this morning.” Her mood shifted downward at the thought. “I’d rather shovel manure than do it, but it can’t be avoided.”
“Come down when you’re ready, then.”
“I appreciate it. I wonder, is there a riding horse I could borrow this morning? I do know how to ride.”
“You’re Naomi’s daughter. That means you know how to ride and you don’t have to ask for permission to take a horse.”
“I’d rather ask.”
“We’ll saddle up Justice, then,” he decided. “He’d suit you.”
The roan gelding liked to run. He’d been retired for three years, but he had never accepted his lowered status as a riding mount. He was often used to pony a contender onto the track for the post parade, and though he preferred to run, he performed his duties with dignity.
He’d never been a champion, as Moses explained to Kelsey. But neither had he been common, and he had finished steadily in the money throughout his career.
She didn’t care if he’d lost every race, not when he took her flying over the hills, his body running like an oiled engine beneath hers.
He responded eagerly to the slightest pressure of her knees, moving from churning trot to fluid gallop, as happy as she to have the morning and the rising fields stretched out before them.
This was a pleasure she realized she’d denied herself for too long. And one she wouldn’t deny herself again, no matter how her muscles might ache later. Even when she left Three Willows, she’d find a way to indulge herself in this one delight.
Maybe she’d give up her apartment entirely, move out of town. There was no reason she couldn’t buy a small place of her own, and a horse. She might have to have it stabled, of course, but that could be arranged. If she absorbed enough from Moses, she could even work at a stable.
She gulped in the cool wine of early spring, the smell of grass and young growing things. Why in the world did she ever think she had to stay in an office or gallery hour after hour when she could be outside, doing something for the sheer joy of it?
She shook back her hair and laughed as they sailed over a narrow creek and thundered up a rise.
Then she reined in, spotting the spread of buildings below.
Longshot. Leaning forward, she patted Justice’s neck and studied the scene. The ride had done her a great deal of good, but it hadn
’t solved the essential problem. She still hadn’t a clue how to approach Gabe.
“So, we’ll play it by ear,” she muttered, and clucked Justice into a dignified trot.
Gabe saw her come down the rise. He stayed where he was, by the fence watching a yearling respond to the longe. He wasn’t any more calm than he’d been the evening before. Nor, he realized as she rode closer, so slim and straight and golden on the majestic Thoroughbred, did he want her any less.
He took another drag on his cigar, expelled smoke lazily. And waited.
As she dismounted and walked the gelding toward Gabe, Kelsey supposed she had been more miserable. But past miseries never seem as huge as current ones.
“You ride well,” he commented. “An old trooper like this takes a steady hand.”
“I usually have one. If you have a few minutes, I’d like to talk to you.”
“Go ahead.”
Why should he make it easy? she asked herself, and swallowed another lump of pride. “Privately. Please.”
“Fine.” He took the reins and signaled a groom. “Cool him off, Kip.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kelsey lengthened her stride to keep up as Gabe turned away from the stables. “You have a nice operation here. It all looks very similar to Three Willows.”
“Want to talk shop?”
“No.” She let the attempt at small talk wither and die. “I realize you’re busy. I’ll try not to take up much of your time.” Then she closed her mouth and said nothing more until he slid open a glass door at the rear of the house.
It opened into the tropics. Lushly blooming plants tumbled from pots and basked in the sunlight that streamed through the glass roof. A tiled pool glinted in the center, oval-shaped and invitingly blue.
“It’s beautiful.” She trailed a finger over a flashy red hibiscus. “I guess we didn’t get this far last night.”
“Continuing the tour didn’t seem appropriate.” He sat on a striped lounge chair and stretched out his legs. “This is private.”