Ride a Dark Horse Read online

  He was dead wrong.

  It was tempting to come to a complete standstill, just so that he could stare, focusing all his energy on absorbing the perfection of her features. But he forced himself to put one foot in front of the other until he stood a short yard away. As the sound of his footsteps reached her, he watched her face register his presence.

  Cassie’s hands slowed their work on Orion as the man came forward out of the gloom of the barn’s interior. A big man, she thought distractedly even taller than her brother Alex. Her eyes traveled quickly over him as she took in his lean hips clad in stained, faded blue jeans. Momentarily mesmerized, she watched the fabric strain and shift as he came toward her with the grace of a big cat hunting its prey. Embarrassed at the prospect of being caught, she jerked her eyes upward to the faded sweatshirt he wore over his broad shoulders, and finally to his face. It wasn’t smiling.

  Cassie was taken aback. This was the first person she’d encountered at Five Oaks who hadn’t immediately offered her an easy smile of welcome. Instead, the man who stood staring down at her had his lips pressed together in a forbidding line. He looks like a wrathful angel, Cassie thought a bit wildly to herself.

  Damn, she’s utterly beautiful. Caleb was annoyed at how strong the temptation was to reach out and touch the soft wisps curling about her face, to feel their silkiness beneath his fingertips. His eyes roamed over her face. He let the silence between them grow, fascinated by the way her eyes widened into deep blue saucers as nervousness betrayed her.

  The man’s dark, penetrating eyes were making her feel absurdly self-conscious. A deep rich brown, his irises were almost indistinguishable from his pupils. His gaze was intense, the eyes of a preacher. With a single look, he could show me heaven or damn me to hell.

  But who is he? Uneasy she tried to place him, explain his presence, his stare. He must be one of the grooms I haven’t yet met, and he’s angry that I’m handling Orion.

  Eager to break the tension that engulfed them, Cassie tried to speak, only to find her mouth had gone dry. That’ll teach you, she chastised herself. First you stare at a gorgeous man’s pants, and then you practically drown yourself in his deep, come-hither eyes. She swallowed and watched the man’s thickly lashed lids descend as his gaze lowered to her throat. Oh my God, he’s watching me swallow.

  Her tongue was suddenly a foreign and awkward object in her mouth. She tried to speak. “Uh, hi. I’m Cassie Miller. I’ve, um, been hired to be the new trainer here.”

  “Hi,” Caleb paused for a few heartbeats. “I’m Caleb Wells.”

  Oh, no, she thought, utterly flustered. Not her other new boss! Why couldn’t he look like a normal guy, maybe twenty pounds overweight and sporting one eyebrow?

  “You’ve got a great singing voice. That one of your training techniques?”

  He’d heard her singing, too? How embarrassing could this get? Cassie swallowed again, searching for a dignified response. “Not exactly . . . it’s just that I’ve listened to so many songs on the radio in so many barns since I started riding—I was five when I started—that I know most of them by heart. Half the time I don’t realize I’m singing. But I do think that horses like music. Orion seems to, at least. . . .” Cassie’s voice trailed away. She sounded like an idiot. An earnest idiot.

  “Yeah, he certainly seemed to be.” Caleb’s hand reached out to stroke his stallion’s head. Orion dropped his nose down, nuzzling Caleb’s flat stomach, searching for a treat. Caleb grinned, flashing straight white teeth. Out of the corner of her eye, Cassie saw his other hand disappear into his blue jeans’ pocket and fish out a treat. With truly impressive willpower, Cassie succeeded in keeping her eyes above Caleb Wells’s waist, although the pull she felt to follow the path of his hand was almost irresistible. No! She would not start looking at just how and where Caleb Wells’s jeans bulged.

  “You’ve got a beautiful horse,” Cassie offered a bit desperately determined not to succumb to her new boss’s outrageous good looks. It suddenly occurred to her she didn’t know how to address him. Mister seemed ridiculous. He couldn’t be too much older than herself, Cassie thought. Calling him Caleb seemed far too intimate, dangerous even, given the bizarre effect he had on her. She decided she’d stick with you.

  “Orion’s got the makings of a great jumper ” she contin-ued. “Big, athletic, and quick. He seems to have the character, too.”

  “Yeah,” Caleb drawled, his voice deep and lazy. “I think it must have been his character that was sending so many of the riders we hired sailing through the dust.”

  Cassie laughed. “Well, that goes with the territory.”

  “That’s not what one of Orion’s riders thought. He ended up with a broken collarbone after his first week with Orion, and wimp that he was, washed his hands of him after that.” Caleb looked steadily at Cassie, a challenge in his dark eyes. “I’ll be interested to see how you handle him.”

  Cassie smiled brightly, aware that Caleb had thrown down the gauntlet. Well, lots of other big, strong men had doubted her abilities because she was a woman. Just because he was better looking than any man she’d ever seen in her life, didn’t mean he wasn’t like many of them inside: a chauvinist pig.

  “I guess you’re in luck then. I was about to pick out Orion’s hooves and tack him up. Hank had suggested that I ride at around ten o’clock. He had some work to do with the yearlings, but wanted to watch me work out.”

  And stick close by you to act as a guard dog, thought Caleb. I’m one step ahead of you this time, old buddy.

  “That’s fine. I’ve got to head off to the hospital later this morning. When I come back, I can take you to see my parents’ house. Melissa told me you might be interested in it.”

  “All right,” she returned hesitantly. Now that she’d met Caleb Wells in the flesh, she wasn’t so sure it was a good idea for her and the kids to move into his house. The mental image she’d painted of Caleb Wells didn’t match the man standing next to her one iota. This man was too intimidating, too big, too sexy too much. It might be best if she reconsidered.

  “Of course, if renting your house is inconvenient at all, it’s no problem for us to find another place.” Cassie hedged, racking her brain to come up with a polite excuse.

  “Oh no.” Cassie could have sworn Caleb’s voice dropped even lower. It caressed her like warm velvet brushing her skin. “I’m delighted to have you and your children at the house.” As he spoke, his hands stroked Orion’s neck with his long, lean fingers.

  A delicate trembling started, traveling from her head to her feet. Her body felt electrified. As if it had been she rather than the stallion Caleb had touched, caressed.

  He watched her face change before his eyes, subtly softening, as if slipping into a dream. He had an overwhelming urge to learn the texture of those slightly parted lips, then bring her body close to his, ease her down into the fresh straw and make slow, endless love to her.

  Jesus. With a shake of his head, Caleb tried to banish the erotic image from his brain. He’d known this girl for five minutes and already he was thinking with his pants. She was tying him up in knots without even trying. He felt the anger grow inside, that her looks could so easily affect him. Hadn’t he learned his lesson after Pamela? he thought with self-disgust.

  Well, he’d best make it crystal clear to Cassie Miller he wasn’t the type of man to grovel at her feet the way she was probably used to. If she wanted to play it would be on his terms.

  “You know ” he observed, his voice different now: harder, slightly mocking. “If working as a trainer doesn’t pan out, you might want to consider a career change.” He paused as his eyes locked with hers. “Singing, perhaps, or maybe even a strip show. Believe me, you’ve certainly got the talent for it. See you at the ring, Slim.”

  Cassie yanked her saddle off the stand, her breath coming out in angry pants. She was trembling from self-righteous anger. His words kept repeating themselves over and over in her mind, each time like a bucket of ice-cold water
dashed in her face. What a royal jerk that Caleb Wells was. Insufferable moron. Just the sort of snide comment she’d expect from an arrogant SOB. Cassie shook her head in disgust as she pulled Orion’s bridle from its hook and bent down to grab his bell boots from the tack box. She must have been born under an unlucky star she thought bitterly. Of all the people to catch her one flimsy garment away from her birthday suit, she had to get stuck with Caleb Wells. How typical, she muttered under her breath, my boss and my supposed landlord. Not that she had any intention of moving in there now.

  She’d rather commute from Timbuktu than live within spitting distance of that creep! Good thing she wasn’t attracted to him at all. He could be as drop-dead sexy as he wanted. Dr. Caleb Wells was the one who could drop dead, for all she cared.

  Feeling slightly calmer, Cassie proceeded to tack Orion. She wasn’t going to give that jerk of a vet the pleasure of screwing up her training session. She was a professional, and she worked damn hard. She deserved this job. No way was it going to slip through her fingers on account of some lascivious peeping Tom.

  As Cassie led the stallion out to the exercise ring, she saw Hank and Caleb standing together by the entrance gate. Bet he’s probably telling Hank what bra size I wear, thought Cassie sourly. Resolutely she pushed Caleb Wells out of her mind. Approaching the men, she schooled her features into a polite, emotionless smile. Hank beamed at her and started toward her, Caleb following more slowly.

  “Cassie, let me introduce you to my friend and partner Caleb Wells. I’ve been telling him how lucky we are to have you riding for us.”

  So, Cassie thought, he hasn’t told Hank about our previous encounter. Must be waiting for some golden opportunity to embarrass me publicly. She nodded coolly in Caleb’s direction, her eyes glittering like sapphires.

  Caleb returned her look with a small smile. He’d been wondering how she’d react to that last comment he’d made. He’d surprised himself a bit. He didn’t ordinarily go out of his way to make people uncomfortable, especially not beautiful women. Women he had every intention of making love to.

  He dismissed his rudeness, easily convincing himself that Cassie’s beauty hadn’t been the equivalent of a sucker punch to the gut, leaving him rattled and off balance, but that instead he was still royally ticked off she’d been hired without his say-so.

  Just because he’d wanted a taste of that delectable body from the moment he’d seen her, didn’t mean she’d get the job. Hank might fall for those beautiful eyes and that killer body, but Caleb was a bit wiser than his partner. Until Cassie Miller proved her worth, he wasn’t going to give her an inch.

  Caleb could tell by the deep-freeze look she was giving him that he’d just taken on the role of Public Enemy Number One.

  Hank’s gaze was darting between the two of them, bewildered by the lack of response from either Cassie or Caleb. Caleb’s smile widened lazily, amused when she stiffened up like a poker in response.

  “Actually, Hank, I introduced myself to Cassie earlier in the barn. I wanted to have a chance to chat a bit before she rode. If Cassie rides nearly as well as she, uh, sings, your praise will be justified.”

  Hank shot a worried glance at Cassie. Damn, it was clear as rainwater that Caleb had already said something to set Cassie off. It would be just great if Cassie quit before Caleb even had a chance to see what a superb rider she was. And knowing Caleb, he’d probably be too stubborn to apologize for whatever dumbass remark he’d made.

  Cassie directed a withering look in Caleb’s direction, refusing to acknowledge his comment. “If you’ll excuse me, Hank, I’ll hop on Orion now. Don’t like to waste the day yapping.”

  “Yapping,” Caleb muttered, shaking his head in bemusement as he watched Cassie lead his horse to the center of the ring. Little terriers yapped. Boy, she sure knew how to dish out insults. He felt positively wounded.

  “Good going, Caleb,” Hank commented sarcastically “What’d you do back there in the barn? Pour on some of your renowned charm?”

  Caleb shrugged his shoulders helplessly. “What can I say. She finds me irresistible.”

  “Yeah, right. I could see just how much she liked you. If you’d gotten any closer to her, I’d have had to treat you for frostbite.”

  Caleb gave Hank what could only be described as a feral smile. “You know Hank, you haven’t been straight with me yet with respect to Cassie Miller. I suppose it escaped your notice that she’s beautiful enough to make a saint sweat?” He paused, watching the guilty flush stain his partner’s cheeks. “Right. You know of course, who else is going to notice? My lovely ex-wife. We might have gotten away with this scheme if Cassie Miller had looked like a close relative of Barney the donkey. When Pamela gets a load of your little rider there, she’s gonna have a shit fit. Then it’ll be, ‘Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars.’”

  “Hell, Caleb, we’ll deal with Pamela when the time comes. With any luck, she’ll be so busy with her social calendar she won’t even know we’ve switched riders. Swear to God, Caleb, just wait ’til you watch her ride. Then you’ll see I made the right decision. Come on, she’s already up.”

  An hour later Caleb had that sick sensation in the gut when you’ve eaten humble pie. To top it off, he thought, he might just have a couple of busted ribs from Hank poking him excitedly each time Cassie brilliantly negotiated Orion over a fence.

  Okay, so Hank was right. Cassie was an outstanding equestrian. For the first forty-five minutes, she’d taken Orion through involved flat exercises, working on his balance and response. Hank had explained that Cassie’s idea was to refine Orion’s flat work, using that as a foundation for his success over fences.

  She rode smoothly adjusting Orion’s gait and form with a magician’s touch. Orion was moving, for all his size and power, as if his hooves were barely skimming the ring’s dirt surface. When Cassie began taking him over jumps, Hank and Caleb walked to the center of the ring, so that they could watch Orion’s take-offs from a closer vantage point.

  Caleb had seen his fair share of great riders, both at shows where he’d competed himself and the times he’d been on call as a vet. It didn’t take long for him to recognize that Cassie’s talent shone as brightly as anything he’d ever seen. Her riding style was classic, elegant. With perfect balance and perfect form. The way she moved with Orion reminded Caleb of an intricate ballet duo performed where strength, grace, and timing become art.

  Afterwards, as Cassie slowly walked Orion around the ring, letting the stallion warm down, Caleb stared thoughtfully at her. Her posture was erect and alert even though the workout was finished. She looked like she never allowed for sloppiness while on a horse’s back.

  His mind made up, Caleb made his way over to her and began to walk alongside. He figured she might be more forgiving while perched on top of his horse.

  Cassie eyed Caleb warily as he approached.

  She was still furious but some of its red-hot intensity had dissipated. She always felt such a high after a good training session (the pleasure center of her brain tingling with neuron-firings or whatever) so that she could even feel mellow and forgiving toward first-class jerks. She hoped he wasn’t going to start up again, because she was feeling pretty great just now.

  “I can see that my reservations about you were unnecessary, Cassie. You and Orion move like clockwork together.”

  “Thanks.” Cassie inclined her head coolly. She wasn’t simply about to forget Caleb’s earlier comments. “We’ve got a lot of work to do if we want to be ready to show him by late spring.”

  “We can talk with Hank about which shows he wants to enter Orion in,” Caleb offered, steering the conversation to safe, neutral ground.

  “I think we should look for as much exposure as possible without stressing him too much,” Cassie replied, following his lead. “He’s still like a new kid on the block, even with the shows he’s competed in.”

  “Sounds good. I want to keep him injury free.” Caleb broke off and ran his hand
through his hair.

  From her higher vantage point, she could see how silky and thick his hair was, his fingers lost in the dark locks. The color reminded her of rich coffee beans. His curls brushed the edge of his collar. He probably cuts his hair himself, Cassie thought, unwillingly comparing Caleb’s negligent style with her ex-fiancé Brad’s meticulously groomed appearance. Caleb’s hair begged to be touched, to have a woman’s fingers entangle themselves around those careless curls. The sound of his throat clearing broke into her thoughts. Quickly Cassie’s eyes darted away to fix on Orion’s ears.

  “Look, I’d like to apologize for the way I behaved.” From his stilted voice, it was abundantly clear to Cassie that Caleb was a man who hated apologizing. It was probably something he practiced as little as possible.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Cassie replied, equally stiffly. “People are always suggesting to me that I keep my career options open.” She paused and looked down her nose at him, a pretty easy feat considering that she was still astride Orion, Caleb noted sourly. “Of course, this is the first time stripping has been offered as a possible choice.”

  Caleb grinned, abandoning his air of repentance. “It could just be that you’re multitalented, Slim.”

  “Very funny ” Cassie snapped, her temper coming quickly to the boil once more. “Gee, you’re a regular comedian.” Eyes flashing, she continued. “Sorry to cut our conversation short, but I’ve got to get back to the barn. I want to do some massage techniques on Orion. Then I’ve got three other horses to ride. After that I’ve got to work with my mare as well as a few other things Hank mentioned.” Cassie decided that she didn’t give a fig if this guy was her boss. He was the most obnoxious person she’d had the misfortune to run into in a long time. No way was she going to play the polite, deferential employee role.