The Black Sheep and the Hidden Beauty (5 page)

“There just seems to be a lot of that with her. Stuff we don't know.”

Kate sighed, and Mac rubbed her shoulder as he tucked her closer to his side. “Don't worry. He'll figure this out without screwing anything up.” He kissed the top of her head. “I promise.” He looked at Rafe. “Don't screw it up.”

“I still don't understand why you're so concerned about her,” Kate grumbled at both of them. “I want to go on record as saying I really hate this.”

“I know,” Rafe said, not exactly loving it, either. “Did she mention how she heard about the job here?”

“Horse community grapevine. You'd be surprised how effective it is.”

“I can see racing circles keeping up with racing circles, and the same with show horses, but you're not really involved in either.”

“But we're sitting smack-dab in the middle of show-horse country, which her dad was linked to quite heavily, back in his day. She probably has all kinds of contacts because of her family background, and her vet friend is in the area, too. I didn't question her specifically. I mean, clearly she heard about it somehow, as she showed up and applied—why does it matter how she heard?” Kate tilted her head up and eyed Mac, who still looked as skeptical as Rafe felt. “I swear, you guys. You know, not everything or everyone is a ‘case file.' Elena told me this was just the right thing for her and Springer at the right time. She was also the right thing at the right time for me. She has every intention of resuming her career goals at some point. And, frankly, I have every intention of trying to get her to change her mind and stay. So unless you can give me a real concrete reason why I shouldn't, then I want this over and done with.” She eyed them both. “It's my business to run.”

“Understood,” Rafe said, looking at Mac, knowing he was probably thinking the same thing he was. That Kate was sharp, and great at her job, but she was human, and sometimes she let her soft heart get in the way. And, much as he'd like to let this whole thing go and never take a single riding lesson, he couldn't ignore the fact that his gut instincts were still clamoring.

“So what aren't you telling me?” Kate asked. “There has to be something more going on. How much am I going to hate it?”

“Ever heard of a racehorse named Geronimo?”

Kate looked nonplussed. “Geronimo?”

Mac nodded, still skimming the report. “Sure, he won two legs of the triple crown, then broke everyone's heart by missing out on taking the third by half a length. Definitely a crowd-pleaser. A damn shame what happened to him, just doesn't seem right that—” He broke off and looked up. “Oh, shit. Really?”

“Really.”

Kate looked up from her report. “Really what? Why oh shit?” She looked between the two of them. “What happened to Geronimo?”

“He's the famous racehorse that died in that fire,” Mac said, then went back to skimming the report again.

“He was retired, put to stud, and bought by a new owner,” Rafe filled in while they scanned the info. “Not much there yet on that part, but I was focused on Elena and just started digging on the farm itself. Should have gotten this the first day.”

“Gene Vondervan,” Kate read aloud, then gasped and looked up. “Owner of Charlotte Oaks racing stables. Elena worked for the stables where Geronimo died?”

“Where and when,” Rafe confirmed.

“But, wait a minute,” Kate cut in, “a whole lot of people work for Charlotte Oaks. Surely if there were any concerns, or if she was involved in any way, negligent in any way, there would have been consequences. At the very least, she wouldn't have gotten the reference she did.”

Rafe shrugged. “From what I overheard, it seemed like her vet thought her leaving might be connected. She didn't mention it when you hired her?”

“No,” Kate said. “She didn't.”

“The fire was when?” Mac said, still skimming the report. “Last summer, right? But she didn't leave until fall. Doesn't sound like a direct connection there.”

“Maybe.” Rafe honestly didn't know. Yet. “It just seems odd that she wouldn't mention it. Like she didn't mention her horse having potential medical issues. Geronimo's death has been out of the current news loop for some time, but in the big scope of things, it's still recent news.”

“In the race world, maybe,” Kate said.

“No,” Mac said, “it was a big story everywhere. He was a pretty special horse who had captured the hearts of a lot of people.”

“Then how did I miss it?”

Mac smiled and tugged her in for a fast, hard kiss. “Because you don't follow the news unless it's published in a medical journal.”

She pushed at him and started to argue, then stopped, looking a bit sheepish. “Okay, so you might have a point there. But she couldn't know that.” She looked to Rafe. “She probably just assumed I knew, that it was old news and not worth mentioning?” But even her tone conveyed her skepticism. “Even so, what does it matter?”

Rafe and Mac looked at each other and Kate made an impatient sound. “Would you two cut that out already? It's like you're sending silent smoke signals or something.” She looked pointedly at Rafe. “Was there anything else about this that I should be worried about? I mean…except as gossip or prurient interest?” She looked down at the report. “Did they ever decide how the fire started? I don't see anything here except that an investigation was launched by both local authorities and insurance investigators for both the farm and the horse. Sounds normal enough, in a situation like that.” She looked up. “Is it all wrapped up now?”

“I'm still digging. But no, not from what I can tell. Not entirely.”

“Anything odd in that?” she asked.

“Not specifically, no. Insurance cases can take a long time when the cause hasn't been nailed down beyond doubt.”

She looked like she wanted to argue further, but in the end, she just let out a deep sigh. “You're not going to stop digging, so I might as well not hold my breath. But I want to know everything you find out so I know when to call you two off.”

Mac lifted his hands. “I'm off. This is Rafe's baby. I have the Peterson case you were so hot for me to take.”

Kate glanced at Rafe, as if waiting for him to comment on her interference, but he said nothing. “Right,” she said at length. “Well, I need to get back to my job. I'll leave you two to yours.”

“Speaking of being hot for me,” Mac said, as she moved to leave. He snagged her arm and tugged her around, neatly, right into his arms.

She went willingly, with a teasing grin.

“I think you forgot something.” Mac's voice had taken on an entirely new note.

One that made Rafe wish he was standing anywhere but three feet away. “Get a room, you two.”

Kate went to pull away, but Mac held her more tightly. “Shh, don't mind him. Jealous, remember?” He planted a quick kiss on Kate's lips, that was immediately followed by a longer one that had Rafe looking anywhere but at the two of them.

Kate disentangled herself first. Rafe couldn't tell if the pink in her cheeks was from embarrassment, or desire. Probably a little of both. She shot him a sheepish smile as she waved and started down the flagstone path off the back of the patio. “Still officially hating this,” she called out.

“We know,” Rafe and Mac said at the same time.

When she was gone, Rafe turned to Mac. “You think I'm right to pursue this? We're agreed?”

Mac nodded. “Too many things are just a bit off. My radar is pinging, too, though I couldn't tell you what for exactly, but yeah, more information couldn't hurt. Just…keep Elena's attention on you. Make sure she doesn't connect any of this to Kate.”

“I know. I'm in the hot seat, got it.”

Mac grinned then. “Actually, more like a hot saddle.”

“Very funny. Now, if you want my opinion on the Peterson thing, then let's get to it,” Rafe said, trying to shift things back to business as usual. “I've got things to do.”

“Horses to ride. Women to…check up on.”

“Woman. And she's my riding instructor, and Kate's employee. End of story.” Rafe's gaze was briefly drawn down to the paddocks, where Elena was outside working with the abused horse, Bonder. All the camp horses were in, the students done for the day. All but one student, anyway. His first lesson was in a half an hour. Daylight was slowly fading toward twilight, and though the rings were lit, he'd rather his first time on horseback not be after dark.

Rafe caught Mac looking at him from his peripheral vision, and realizing he was staring, shifted the direction of his gaze away as casually as possible.

“Right,” Mac said knowingly. “End of story.”

E
lena ran her hand along Bonder's neck, then gave his shoulder a good pat. “You did good today, big guy. You almost make me think you're glad to be here.” She dug a few raisins out of the little box in her pocket and offered them to him on the flat of her palm.

He nibbled them off, grumbled a little bit, then backed further into his stall and swung his head away while he chewed.

She smiled. “Good night to you, too,” she murmured, then brushed her hands against the seat of her overalls before walking down the row of stalls and back out into the paddock. “One ornery male down, one to go.” She glanced up the hill toward the main house, but there was no sight of Rafe. Their lesson was to start in ten minutes. It had been a long day with a particularly heavy class schedule and lots of horses to maneuver around and keep happy for the kids. It was satisfying work—more than satisfying, she thought, as she replayed some of the kids' reactions today as they spent time around these magnificent beasts.

In the few months she'd worked for Kate, it had never ceased to move her, the way the animals brought out so much in children who were otherwise so closed off, mostly due to forces of nature and genetics well beyond their control and largely otherwise untreatable. Kate wasn't performing miracles here, in that she wasn't curing anything, but she was certainly enriching the lives of these kids, giving them windows of opportunity to express and enjoy themselves in ways that conventional therapy methods could not. Oftentimes, the look on a child's face, or better, on their parents' faces, made it clear how vitally important her work really was.

It was invigorating, but also exhausting. A whole lot of emotions were being expended into the air of Dalton Downs every single day, and it did zap a person, even if it was for the very best of reasons. Today had been one of those days. She'd debated even working with Bonder, not wanting to risk him picking up on her less-than-sharp reflexes, or worse, her tension. Tension that really had nothing to do with the day she'd put in, and everything to do with the man about to invade her world. But the day she'd put in made hiding those feelings a little tougher. And she needed all the stamina she could muster to make it through their lesson.

She'd finished a little earlier than anticipated when Tracey had offered to take on the last two horses so she could get out to see Springer before her lesson. Word had gotten out about Rafe's lessons, but no one had dared tease her about it. For one, they didn't know her well enough yet, and two, she was technically their boss. The barn help, anyway. The instructors were more her peer group, but she'd had little time to bond with any of them, and not much inclination. Better to stick to what she was here to do and make as few waves as possible, even friendly ones. Which was a shame. For the first time, she was surrounded by women, women she'd enjoy getting to know better. But when people thought they were your friend, they naturally wanted to stick their noses in your business. Something she couldn't risk at the moment. So she was cordial, pleasant, professional, but didn't invite more. It wasn't such a sacrifice. She'd been doing it all her life.

Still…there were times when the echoes of laughter and shared conversation beckoned to something inside her, a part of her she hadn't really ever nurtured, and it made her wonder what it would be like to be one of them.

She shut that mental path down. It was pointless and she wasn't the type to feel sorry for herself. Besides, she had new things to worry about. For all her caution, now she had someone not even pretending to be her friend wanting to stick his nose in her business. All she had to do was keep him so preoccupied with horseback riding that he had little or no time to ponder anything more than his rein grip and foot position in the stirrup. And nothing having to do with the person teaching him how to sit a horse right.

“I'm ready when you are.”

Elena whirled around and found Rafe standing just inside the barn door. Her pulse kicked up a notch, and not just because of his sudden appearance. Even dressed casually, he was rather riveting in safari-style khakis and a deep green polo shirt that set off his dark complexion and eyes. Then there were those broad shoulders and the centerfold-quality chest. She tried like hell not to let her gaze wander down to where it was tucked in at his perfectly tapered hips. And failed. Spectacularly.

He cleared his throat and, cheeks heating, she jerked her gaze to his. But not before wondering what those khakis might do for his rear view. “I—I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here.” Great—she was already stuttering and they hadn't even started yet. Having a few days to regroup and prepare for the impact he so effortlessly had on her hadn't helped in the least.

“I was out at Kate's office, so I came in from the other side.” He walked around, glanced out into the ring, then back in the stables.

Eyes on the goal,
she schooled herself,
attention on the class. Not the way those button-flap pockets show off his incredibly fine ass.

He turned abruptly back to her. “I know I don't know much about horses, but I'm assuming it usually helps to actually have one in order to learn to ride one.”

Caught staring twice in as many minutes, she felt the heat in her cheeks climb and wondered what it would take to get a grip where this man was concerned. Then he stepped closer and she realized his easy banter wasn't as easy for him as he was making it sound. Not if the taut lines bracketing both his mouth and his eyes were any indication. That, and the fact that it looked as if the hands he'd shoved into his pockets were balled into fists.

Her smile came more naturally then.
Just wait till you find out what class number one consists of
. Reclaiming a sorely needed piece of her fickle control, she walked past him without pausing, motioning for him to follow her farther into the building. “This way. I'll introduce you to your new partner.”

They walked past Bonder, who was still facing the rear corner of his stall, and on past a few of the other horses used for classes, before finally coming to a stop at the next-to-last stall. Still smiling, she turned and gestured toward the chest-high door with a flourish. “Mr. Santiago, meet Petunia. She's going to be your riding buddy for the duration. I just know you two are going to hit it off.”

Petunia was the oldest horse at Dalton Downs, but far from retirement. Well, kind of far. A year or two, anyway. She was the gentlest mount they had and would pretty much put up with anything. They used her with the frailer kids, as well as the ones with more unpredictable behaviors.

It wasn't that she thought Rafe needed such an easy mount; she was just, well, being a bit perverse. But he didn't have to know that. For all he knew, this was standard.

“Petunia? What kind of name is that for a horse?”

“I don't know—you'd have to take that up with Kate. From what I understand, Petunia belonged to her former college roommate, who was the one who got Kate interested in working with challenged kids. When Marti died, Kate inherited her.” It was a story everyone who'd spent any time with Petunia or Kate knew about. Except, apparently, Rafe. “She's one of the favorites here.”

He didn't do much more than glance at the horse. “Why is she still in the stall? Shouldn't she be saddled and ready? I know your time is valuable—”

“Oh, you won't be riding her today. First class is always meeting your horse, along with learning grooming, saddling, and the basic maintenance you'll be responsible for as part of your classes.”

“Is that really necessary? Surely the kids who come to class don't—”

“Those who can, cherish that part of their time. And believe me when I say, those who can't wish they could.”

He did have the grace to look properly abashed. “Point taken, and my apologies. It's just, as a fully functioning adult, I thought perhaps we could just move on to the actual riding part of the program. I don't plan on buying my own horse, so—”

“Did you just get in a car and drive it the first time you saw one?”

Rafe stared at her for a long second, but said nothing. Finally, he turned his attention to Petunia. Then he frowned and stepped closer. “Is she…
sleeping
?”

Elena glanced at Petunia, who was, indeed, dozing. Her head was drooping low, and one front fetlock was relaxed and resting against the other. “She's had a busy day, but trust me, she's always up for a new adventure.”

Rafe's expression was dubious at best, but he didn't comment.

“Today I'm going to teach you how to halter your horse, lead her from her stall, properly cross tie her, and put on the saddle. If all that goes well, I'll teach you how to mount up and we'll adjust the stirrups and girth strap so you'll know how to set them properly for your next class.” Most of which wasn't necessary, as the barn help would be more than happy to saddle up any mount she requested, especially for one of the Trinity three. Even if he hadn't been one of the Dalton Downs honchos, she was certain he'd have no problem getting any woman on the property to do pretty much whatever he wanted. But since the man said he wanted to learn to ride, the least he should do is learn to appreciate what he was riding.

“So, you're saying I have to saddle her every—” He stopped when Elena folded her arms. “Okay, okay.” He looked back at Petunia, clearly not thrilled with this whole endeavor, and Elena wondered again why he was really down here.

“So,” he said, looking from her to the horse. “Where do we begin?”

“First, you talk to her.”

“Talk to her,” Rafe repeated.

“Yep.” He hadn't minded her being spunky yesterday. She hoped that held true today. “Crazy as it sounds, most people who want to learn to ride these amazing animals, want to do so because they admire them, like them, or just plain want to be around them. This is usually a fun part of the lesson program.”

“Fun.”

She laughed and Petunia twitched her ears, lifted her head, and blinked at them. “Yes,” Elena said. “Fun. Is it that hard to believe horseback riding is fun? Or is fun a foreign concept to you altogether?”

“No, of course not.”

Which, from the look on his face, was blatantly untrue.

“Okay. When was the last time you had fun?” she asked.

“I have fun every day.”

“From what I can tell, you work every day.”

“Exactly. I love my work. It gives me great satisfaction. I enjoy it. Hence, fun.”

“That's not the same thing.”

He shrugged. “You define it your way, I define it mine.”

“So why are you down here? When you could be having
fun
working?” She reached out and stroked Petunia's blaze and nose. The mare bucked her head up a little, nickering in pleasure as she pushed against Elena's hand. Elena noted that Rafe had flinched when Petunia swung her head up, but held his ground. If anything, he'd looked as if he was going to step between her and the horse. Interesting reaction. And it warmed her a little. Unless he was just hard-wired instinctively to protect those he viewed as weaker than himself.

They'd see about that.

“Can I ask you something?” she asked.

He shifted his gaze to her. “Why ask permission now?”

She smiled at that. At least he was learning that
demure and retiring
wasn't exactly her style. Best he understand that early on. “Are you sure you're not doing this on some kind of dare from your partners?” It was the only explanation she'd come up with in the past few days. He didn't seem any more enthusiastic today than he had when he'd asked—demanded, really—that she give him lessons. “No offense intended,” she added quickly. “I know how guys can be. I've worked around them my whole life.”

“And how is that?”

“I worked with my father growing up—he trained show horses, then branched out into a field that also happened to be dominated by men. Not by choice, that part, it just happens to be the way the racing world is. I guess not many women take after the thundering thoroughbred types, preferring the show ring to the racetrack.”

“I meant, how is it that you think men act? But, regarding the thundering thing, women ride horses, too, right? Professionally, I mean. I see them in the Olympics and—”

“Steeplechase and show jumping is hardly the same thing.”

“I know, but it's still thundering, of sorts.”

“It is, but that field is male-dominant, too. I suppose that women like me, those who enjoy the thundering aspect, as you put it, would lean more toward those routes. They're more acceptable, for one, and available through established channels. There's also barrel racing and the whole western rodeo aspect of that type of racing as well.”

Rafe glanced at Petunia, then reached out and stroked the side of her neck. For someone who didn't seem particularly interested in getting up close and personal with his horse, she was pleased to see that his touch was confident, almost casual, as if he'd done it a thousand times before. Petunia leaned a bit closer to him.