The Black Sheep and the Hidden Beauty (3 page)

“I know I've been here for a little while now, but I'm afraid I don't know all that much about what you do. I know you, Mac, and Finn run some kind of foundation, so I take it Trinity is some kind of charitable organization, but—”

“We help people. But we're not a charity, or a foundation.”

“Okay.” She paused to see if he would elaborate, but he said nothing more, and she took that to mean her line of questioning was over. Perhaps for the best. Information was fine, but in hindsight, the more he offered, she supposed, the more she owed in return. Maybe the less they had to talk about, the better.

As if to prove her point, he said, “How long have you been working with horses? I understand you work with racehorses as a rule.”

She stilled briefly, surprised that he knew about her past. Not that it was a secret. Kate knew her work history when she hired her. Maybe it was common knowledge around the grounds—she really didn't know, as she made a point not to engage in small talk with any of the other personnel. Still, it was more than a little unsettling to think that he'd been checking up on her, or asking about her. Her guard increased. “I do. Or did. It's a tough industry to get a break in, though, and I wasn't moving along the way I wanted to in my former situation.” It had been her stock answer to Kate. And Kenny. And anyone else who wondered why she'd left the industry. Still, she found it hard to maintain direct eye contact in the face of his rather intense focus. She doubted he missed much, and, after dealing with Kenny's surprise visit, her guard was in need of a bit more shoring-up before handling this kind of test.

“I'm guessing there aren't too many women in your line of work.”

“Not too many, no.” Before she could deftly change the topic back to him and the classes he wanted, he continued.

“So, have you given up on it completely then?”

She forced herself to maintain steady eye contact, but it cost her. She could only pray he didn't see anything in her gaze that was less than forthright. “No, just taking a break. My horse is expecting, so I thought it was a good time to step out of all the chaos for awhile, regroup a little, and think about where I want to go from here.”

“How is she doing? Everything going okay?”

Her guard, already on alert now, leapt even higher. This was precisely the conversation she didn't want to be having. She wondered if he'd overheard any of her talk with Kenny. Kate knew about Springer's condition, of course—it would have been impossible to conceal. But Elena had been somewhat circumspect in sharing the rest of her horse's background. Other than letting Kate know that she wanted to use her own vet, an old family friend, as her horse's time neared, she hadn't shared any specifics.

Kate had seemed fine with everything, not suspicious in any way, but now Elena couldn't help but wonder if there might be some ulterior motive for Rafe's surprise visit. She was probably just being paranoid, but better to be overly cautious than simply to take everything he said at face value. She couldn't afford to be less than vigilant where Springer was concerned. Too much was at stake.

“She's doing very well. It's much calmer here and I have more time to spend with her.”

“You worked for a good-size outfit, then? You mentioned it was chaotic,” he added, when she looked surprised by the question. “So I just assumed that meant it was a big operation.”

She had to relax and respond as if this was just a normal, getting-to-know-you conversation, which it likely was. She just didn't want anyone getting to know her, that was all. Especially this man, with his dark eyes and overwhelming intensity. He made her nervous and made her pulse race, all at the same time. “Yes, one of the premiere stables in the mid-Atlantic.” It wasn't anything he couldn't learn from Kate, but she really needed to get him off this line of questioning. She just wasn't sure how to do it without appearing rude.

“You'd think they'd have a pretty good setup for a pregnant horse. Assuming they breed horses.”

She tried to maintain a casual air, but the longer he pursued this line of questioning, the harder it was to believe it was simply innocent. Kate had, of course, asked her about her previous work experience when hiring her, but how much Rafe knew, she had no idea. Elena had been as up front and open as possible when Kate interviewed her, and had told the truth. Just not the whole truth. Whether or not Kate had contacted her reference at Charlotte Oaks, she didn't know. She hadn't asked anything specific about Elena's former employer, much less mention that she knew about the famous resident who'd had an all-too-brief stay there, and Elena certainly hadn't brought it up.

Kate had asked questions pertinent to her skills and training and her decision to work outside her chosen field, but she'd seemed satisfied with the answers. After two months here, she'd thought things were going quite well, but…maybe not. Maybe Rafe or Mac, or even Kate, had pieced things together, and now they'd come digging.

She ruthlessly shoved that thought from her mind. She had to maintain a steady demeanor. “Yes, the owners were breeders first, racehorse owners second. But the two go hand in hand. No one wants the offspring of an untried mount, no matter how much promise he might have.”

“Meaning you gotta play to win.”

Her lips curved a little, despite the nerves jumping around in her stomach. “Something like that, yes.”

“So why leave? Wouldn't they have taken care of your horse during her gestation?”

He was like a pit bull with this. It was unnerving. And he was unnerving enough, just standing so close. “They had a nice setup there, yes, but it was geared toward racehorses, which mine is not. And those facilities are for the horses they own. I was just an employee.”

“Still, it seems like the level of care available would have been superior to anything you could get out here. I mean, it's not like they'd refuse to help if she was in trouble, right?”

She tensed. She really had to divert this line of questioning right now. So, she made an abrupt decision to go on the offensive. “I know you said she didn't send you down here, but has Kate said something to you? About me? Or Springer—my horse?” she added, when he frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“It's just—I hope you'll pardon me for saying this, but you really don't look all that excited about the prospect of getting on a horse. Is there another reason that you came down here? All these questions about my horse—”

His lips twitched, but the amusement didn't go anywhere near his eyes. “Perhaps the interest wasn't so much in your horse, but in you.”

Even knowing he was just deflecting her question—there'd been no evidence that he was coming on to her—his claim still made her pulse jump. “I wouldn't think I'd be your type,” she answered, this time with complete honesty. Why not?

He cocked his head, and now there was interest in those midnight eyes, but she couldn't be certain exactly what the source of it was. “Perhaps,” he said, at least being honest about that much. “But, as you said, people are complex animals, and who can explain the reasons for attraction?” He moved slightly closer, hardly discernible, except she suddenly had a hard time breathing. “Watching you work out there, with that abused horse, was fascinating. You have a way with them that I find intriguing. And so it follows that I find
you
intriguing. Does it have to be any more complicated than that?”

He was standing far too close—at least, that was the excuse she used for taking a slight step back. “I—I suppose not.”

He didn't allow the escape, minor though it was. A small step and he was even closer to her than before. “Besides, if I wasn't here for riding lessons, or because I wanted you…then why else would I be here?”

She didn't even hear the rest of whatever else it was he said. She was still hung up on the
because I wanted you
part. Dear Lord. Where was that fan? Or a nice bucket of ice, maybe. When he turned it on, the heat was so intense, she felt scorched clear down to her toes. She had muscles quivering in places that she'd normally have to be naked to have quivering, and he hadn't so much as laid a finger on her.

And, God help her, in that moment, she certainly wanted him to lay fingers and a whole lot more on her.

Trying desperately to shake herself free from such a spellbinding haze, she broke away from his intent gaze and turned to look out over the paddock beyond the open barn door. She didn't care if she was being obvious, or rude. If she thought she could have fanned herself without him seeing, she would have. Her cheeks were probably bright pink. And other parts of her—well, she didn't want to think about what other parts of her were doing. Instead, she was eternally grateful for her baggy bib overalls at the moment. Her nipples were so tight they hurt.

“I don't know,” she managed, her voice more of a croak than anything, which further mortified her. He was probably vastly amused, or, at the very least, used to having this effect on women. The thought didn't help much, though, and she kept her gaze carefully averted while she once again scrambled to shore up her defenses. “That's why I asked. Me being the new hire, maybe Kate is concerned about something?” She steeled herself and made an attempt at a casual glance in his direction, though it cost her. His gaze was still connected to her like a tracking beam on a heat-seeking device. She swallowed, but her throat was too dry to manage it. “If that's the case, or if you, Mac, or Finn are worried about something, you can ask me straight out.”

So much for rule number two about not showing aggression, but she couldn't help it. She wasn't one to sit and wait for the axe to fall. She liked to take control when she could. Years of harnessing the energy of fifteen-hundred pounds of bullheaded horseflesh likely had something to do with it. “There's no need for pretense.”

There was no outward reaction to her challenge; his gaze didn't so much as waver. All he said, was, “What would Kate have told me?”

“What?”

“I asked after your horse's welfare, and you responded by asking if Kate had talked to me. What would she have told me?”

Elena was nonplussed for a moment, trying to mentally backtrack over their conversation, but at this point he had her so discombobulated, she couldn't think fast enough. “I, uh, I wasn't sure what you knew about me and what you didn't.”

“Not much. Just that you worked with racehorses and left a pretty nice place to bring your pregnant horse here, to a very small place in the middle of nowhere.”

He was worse than a pit bull. Pit bulls could take lessons from him. “Hardly the middle of nowhere. The farms here, if you can call them that, are more like mansions with acreage and stables. And tennis courts. I think I even saw a private golf course on one.”

His lips might have twitched the tiniest bit at that. At least he didn't mind spunk. Which was a good thing, because she was feeling a mite more spunky, the longer he dragged this out. She wanted to demand that he tell her what his real motives were, but she'd pushed in that direction about as hard as she could without jeopardizing her job. And she needed to stay here. Pit bulls notwithstanding, in every other way, Dalton Downs was perfect for her needs. Being back out on the road again was not.

“You might have a point there,” he said. “But, with the occasional exception, this isn't exactly race country.”

“True, but it's not unfamiliar territory for me, either. My father was a show horse trainer. I was raised in this kind of environment, at least the working side of it. So, if you're questioning my background or abilities, the type of control and basic training Kate is looking for with her school horses is well within my field of expertise.”

“As I said earlier, even someone who knows nothing about horses can see you know your stuff. I wasn't questioning your abilities.” He studied her face. “Are you always so defensive over a little conversation?”

So much for going on the offensive and taking control. All she'd managed to do was encourage more of it. Great. But she couldn't back down now. “When I understand the nature of the conversation, no.” She turned to face him, forcing herself to hold his gaze steadily, despite what it did to the butterflies in her stomach. And the painfully tight points of her nipples. “I apologize if I seem rude in any way—I really do. I didn't mean to. I guess I'm just trying to understand the dynamics here. You and your partners have power at Dalton Downs, and a strong connection to my boss. I haven't been here long enough to learn the politics of who's who and what's what. I like my position here—I'd like to keep it. I have no problem fitting in some lessons for you. But if there really is anything else on the table here, then I'd appreciate it if you'd say so, so I don't inadvertently step on anyone's toes. Or jeopardize my job.”

He seemed to ponder that, and she braced herself for his response, already mentally kicking herself for being so outspoken. But she had a horse to protect, and herself to protect, and she couldn't afford to sit back and find out too late that there was something going on she wasn't aware of. Call her paranoid, but better paranoid and safe than paranoid and—she didn't want to go there.