“Are they your business partners? Are Stryker and Snap your do-or-die friends?”
He didn’t answer her as they walked into the barn. The scents she loved washed over her as a welcoming balm—fresh hay, oats, leather and horses. She walked quickly up to the first stall and a tall red sorrel mare strolled up, knowing Elena was bound to have a treat for her. She pulled a sugar cube from her pocket and chuckled as the mare’s lips moved along her flattened palm, finding the cube and licking it off her hand.
“So is that your trick to get them to like you?”
Phantom’s voice was close behind her, very close, and Elena froze. In that moment she was back in time a handful of years, the same exact place, but a different man standing behind her. Disaster had struck then, in the form of a ranch hand who had developed a strong desire for her. She hadn’t returned the sentiment and paid dearly for it.
A shiver ran down her spine, the memory of the pain so vivid. She didn’t turn around to see how close Phantom was but moved quickly to the next stall before facing him, her heart racing. She had thought herself over the trauma of the disaster years ago, but it still had the power to sneak up on her when she least expected it. You have to stop living in fear. The man who hurt you is gone. Pay attention to what is in front of you right now.
“What-what did you want to talk to me about out here?” She hated her voice for trembling slightly, revealing her anxiety.
He tilted his head and observed her, his gray eyes always measuring, appraising. “Have I done something wrong?”
“What? No! Well, other than deciding not to be my client anymore.” She flashed him a smile, pulling herself back together. “I’m just excited to see the horses again. I’ve missed them.”
“I think they’ve missed you. But I haven’t ruined them—yet.”
Her smile broadened. “I never said you would. It’s just a very different world to train and show quarter horses like these than your thoroughbred race horses.” She moved down to the next stall, making clicking sounds to get the attention of the horse inside. “So you wanted me to see that the horses are alright? Is that why you brought me out here?”
“And to pick your brain, remember? I need some guidance on horse shows.”
Elena nodded. “I suppose it all depends on what your goals are with the horses.” She glanced around the barn, trying to think of what she could say to convince him to see her logic and why she was the best person to show his horses. “Thank you for bringing me out here. It’s good to see them.”
“I think I may have made a hasty decision when we first met.”
Elena’s heart thumped hard in her chest. “Why do you say that?”
“Stryker filled me in a little on your experience working this ranch.”
“He and I barely talked. How did he know anything?”
Phantom walked closer to her. “He asked around when he met you out here. He and I have a lot in common. We both like our privacy.”
“I can see that,” she replied dryly and he stopped directly in front of her.
“I want my horses to be successful. To do that, I need help. From everything I’ve heard, you’re the best around. I’d like to ask you to take us on as your client again.”
Elena thought her heart was going to leap from her chest with joy. There were certain things that had to fall into place, though, in order for this to work. “I’ll need the same role I had previously, with the same autonomy when it comes to training and developing the seasonal horse show plans. We’ll still need to work together closely, since we’ll need to collaborate on big decisions regarding the program you want to implement, and I’ll need your approval on any show schedules, especially since I’ll be traveling with your horses. But I need you to trust and support my leadership ability.”
A look of surprise crossed his features. “They’re my horses. I’ll be the one functioning in a leadership capacity.”
Elena searched his face for several seconds. They had to work out an arrangement they’d both be comfortable with so he didn’t cut her loose again if their styles clashed. She shoved her hands in her pockets and drew a deep breath. Time to take a chance. “I have a proposition for you instead. You need my expertise in order to get the most out of your horses. I need you to understand that I know how to run an operation like this and what we can make happen if you bring me back as your trainer.”
He lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “I’m listening.”
“There’s a quarter horse show in Edinburg this weekend. I’m entering a client’s horse in the cutting and reining classes at the end. You’ll get a chance to see how I work, and I think it will show you just how much you need me. Plus, we’ll get some time together to figure out if coming back as your trainer is the best idea for me, too. Consider it a trial-run.” She chewed on the inside of her cheek as he watched her with a raised eyebrow. Would he agree? Normally she would have been ecstatic that he wanted her to take him back as a client. She couldn’t take any chances he was just having a knee-jerk reaction to discovering how different quarter horses were from what he grew up training.
“That almost sounds like a challenge.” He smiled at her again, and she felt the heat of a blush starting in her cheeks.
She shrugged. “I think it may show you a few things you didn’t know about the quarter horse industry.”
“You continue to surprise me, Elena. I tell you I want you to take me back as a client, and you respond with a challenge. Yes, I’ll go with you. I look forward to seeing everything you have to prove to me.”
“There are certain rules you’ll have to follow.” Elena’s heart pounded with excitement and a touch of nervousness. He seemed so incredibly close. She had to keep reminding herself that the man she feared was gone, and the one standing in front of her seemed to offer strength and protection instead of terror and pain.
She enjoyed the company of a strong man as much as any woman. It had taken her time to recover from the attack, but her passionate nature couldn’t be held in check for long. She didn’t allow one awful experience to sour her to the pleasure she could experience with a man. Her relationships didn’t last very long, though. Her busy schedule and desire to actively pursue her career didn’t support the traditional role the men she had dated wanted her to play.
“Rules too?”
“They’re very simple. Promise me that you’ll go into this with an open mind and that you’ll ask any questions you have, no matter how crazy they may seem.”
“That could prove dangerous,” he said softly, reaching out a hand towards her.
Unexpectedly, the fear she thought she conquered reared its ugly head and she flinched. She wanted to growl in frustration. She knew her stress made her hyper-sensitive to everything around her, which prompted her reaction. His smile slowly faded, his expression back to inscrutable. What was he thinking? “And if I agree to those rules, will you agree to mine?”
Elena chewed on her lower lip. What could his rules possibly be? “Within reason, of course.”
“Only one. You must promise to answer all my questions honestly.”
Elena gave him a relieved smile. “That will be easy enough. I’ll pick you up at seven Saturday morning. Be ready for a long day.”
His smile returned. “I look forward to it.”
Chapter 3
“Sherman is more than ready for this show, trust me.” Elena patted the horse on the neck as she dismounted. She had just finished running through a complex reining pattern, and Sherman had flown through the maneuvers effortlessly.
Jonas Franklin smiled at her. “There is no one I trust more, Elena. I just wish I could be there to watch you compete.”
She forced a smile to her face and swallowed back her unease. Jonas always hovered, and more often than not he invaded her personal space. Though he always seemed surprised when she tried to re-establish boundaries between
them, she was fairly certain he was intentionally getting too close for her comfort.
Jonas’s ranch was one of her regulars, one she had picked up not long after moving to Hebbronville. While the contract with the Bent Horseshoe Ranch had been good, she couldn’t survive with just one client. She had five that she had cultivated over the years, but if she could, she would drop Jonas in a heartbeat.
“What classes are you entering again?” Jonas asked, following her to the barn. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked and she had to repress her shiver of disgust. He was old enough to be her father, and yet he made no attempt to hide his interest in her. On more than one occasion she had turned down his request for a date, letting him know as gently as possible she didn’t think they had enough in common and she didn’t want to make things awkward between them as she continued to work with him. Obviously, he argued, but she held her ground.
“Cutting and reining. Those are the two classes I’ve been working on the most with Sherman.”
“Excellent. It will be nice to add some new trophies to the showcase.” Jonas took a few quick strides until he walked alongside her. “You haven’t seen the showcase I built for the trophies. You ought to come inside and take a look.”
Elena shook her head. “I appreciate the invite, Jonas, but I have a lot of work to get done to be ready for the show.” She stopped just outside of the barn and transitioned Sherman from a bridle to a halter and tied him up in the stanchion so she could begin bathing him. She turned her back on Jonas as she began to undo the cinch on the saddle.
His hands landed on her shoulders, lightly massaging. “You work too hard, Elena. Take a few minutes for a break with me.”
Elena swallowed the bile that rose in her throat and fought the fear that clawed down her spine. She couldn’t help but compare the situation to the one that had gone so horribly wrong a few years ago. The attack had started similarly, with the ranch hand lightly caressing her shoulders and arms as he tried to make a move on her. When she tried to put a stop to it, the ranch hand’s anger had exploded. She hadn’t ever witnessed Jonas angry, but she had no doubt he could easily hurt her if he wanted. She couldn’t stop the trembles that started in the pit of her stomach and worked their way out into her extremities.
She turned slowly and gently pushed his hands away from her shoulders, bracing herself for any negative reaction. “I appreciate your concern for my well-being, Jonas, but I don’t need a break. I’m fine. I have a lot to get done before it gets too late in the day. Some other time I’ll have to take you up on your offer to see the showcase.”
Jonas’s smile became tight for several moments before he stepped back from her and shrugged. “Suit yourself. You’re welcome at the house anytime, you know that. I’ll leave you to your work, and wish you the best of success at the show. If only I wasn’t so busy with my work, I would enjoy going with you.”
Elena said a silent prayer of thanks that he wasn’t available. She doubted she could handle spending a day with him. “I’ll bring you the winnings when I get back,” she said, forcing a cheerfulness into her voice that she didn’t feel.
“I look forward to it, Elena.” His eyes traveled over her from head to toe, a smile still on his face. Then he turned and took off towards the house, whistling loudly.
Elena turned back to face the horse and rested her forehead against the saddle, letting out a long, shaky breath. With trembling hands, she began to take the saddle off Sherman and forced her mind to the list of things she needed to get done to get ready for the show. One thought remained strong, though. As soon as she could, she would drop Jonas Franklin as a client.
* * *
The tiny Mexican restaurant in Falfurrias early Saturday morning was busy for a small town. Hauling a horse trailer behind them, the drive-thru hadn’t been an option, but fortunately things moved quickly inside. Elena found a spot to wait for their to-go order where she could keep an eye on the horse trailer, and Phantom leaned against the wall, watching her.
They hadn’t talked much on the drive so far, and he had enjoyed the opportunity to get to study her as he pretended to watch the country-side flying past them. He could tell driving a horse trailer was second-nature to her as she maneuvered with ease and skill. He knew she had been up for hours already, heading out to the owner’s ranch to pick up the horse, load the tack, and then drive out to the Bent Horseshoe Ranch to pick him up. Even so, she seemed to be full of energy, her bright smile greeting him at exactly zero-seven-hundred hours that morning.
Beautiful seemed too simple a word to describe her. He couldn’t remember the last time he had paused long enough to really appreciate a woman’s beauty. He had always prided himself on being mission-first. Women were nothing but a distraction-or so he had thought.
When he had first become a SEAL, he had enjoyed the attention of women in-between missions. After years of a living such a lifestyle, he had grown tired of the women who seemed more interested in claiming they had been with a SEAL than in actually getting to know him. He began to long for a woman who wanted to spend time with him for reasons other than great sex.
The cashier called them back to the front to grab their order. Elena cast a sideways glance at him with a smile that made him nearly stumble off the curb. Her smile took her beauty to another level.
“One of my favorite things about going to a horse show early in the morning is treating myself to good tacos. I’m addicted to the tacos from this little place whenever I’m outside of Hebbronville. There’s nothing better than that with a good cup of coffee.”
They climbed into the truck and she got them back out onto the highway. “Is that the way to get into your good graces? Bring you a good breakfast taco?” He watched the small smile lingering on her lips.
Elena laughed, a beautiful, soft sound that seemed to punch him in the gut. She was unlike any woman he had ever met before. Her confidence and determination continued to impress him, and he liked the way she was ready to fight for what she wanted. He struggled to understand her reaction to him from the other day, though. The way she had flinched away from him had taken him by surprise.
He had been reaching for a loose curl that hovered over her cheekbone, and she had jerked away from him so fast he’d thought she was going to turn and run. Her hair had looked so silky, falling in curls about her face, and he couldn’t resist the urge to touch the strand, to see if it really felt as soft as it had looked. Her reaction had told him so much more about her than he’d expected.
His hands curled into fists in his lap. Someone had hurt her in the past. The idea sickened him. He hated the thought of her flinching from him again.
“The fastest way to get into my good graces would be do as you promised and go into this horse show with an open mind. There’s going to be a lot of things you see that you’ll have questions about, and you promised you’d ask.” Her eyes were twinkling as she cast another sideways glance at him and he struggled to swallow his bite of a carne asada taco.
“Why are you so fixated on my horses? I thought you support other ranches around here as well.”
Elena gave a half-hearted shrug. “I do. None of them can match the quality of your horses, though. The previous owner of your ranch saw me at a State Quarter Horse Show competing with one of my friend’s horses. I placed Reserve Grand Champion, and he hired me based on that. The first competition he and I went to, we took home the blue ribbons in every class we entered.”
“You’re well known in the industry by now, I take it.”
A rueful smile touched her lips. “Not as much as I’d like to be. Daniel—the previous owner—started out with grand plans to take the horses all the way to a national level. Honestly, the more time went by, the more I could see just how overwhelmed he was by the amount of work the ranching business requires. He had gotten into the business with lofty dreams. Don’t get me wrong—he was making money. But he was all over t
he board.”
“I take it you never went to the national level then.”
She shook her head, her dark curls bouncing around her face. “No. He had far too much on his plate for such a lofty goal. I put together the schedule and paperwork and everything he would need to make it happen, but he couldn’t do it.”
“That explains why he sold the place,” Phantom said with a nod, putting the pieces together.
Elena nodded as well. “It broke his heart. But he had to. The good thing is that he walked away with a profit in his pocket. He went on to buy a smaller ranch out near Corpus, and I hear he’s doing really well for himself.”
“So you’d like to be better known in the industry. What does that mean to you?”
Her lovely dark-tanned cheeks turned a shade of pink as she gnawed on her lower lip. It was a nice, full lower lip, one that he imagined would feel amazing in a kiss. He tore his thoughts off her lips and focused on her eyes. In the bright morning sunlight the golden flecks shimmered, and he realized looking at her eyes was no safer than looking at her lips.
“I’ve had a dream ever since I was a little girl. I want to take horses to the National Championships. I want to be known far and wide as the best trainer possible for show horses.”
“Is Hebbronville really the best place to get known for such a thing?”
Elena shook her head. “No. But it was a place to get started. I’ve been able to compete in a lot of shows with your horses, and I’ve picked up a lot of business that way. I even have clients in Laredo and Corpus. I suppose I’ll have to move closer to them now. But I’ve fallen in love with Hebbronville. The people, the town…everything about it. So, for the moment, if I have to do a little bit of traveling, then that’s okay with me.”
Phantom was just beginning to get to know her, and she had already brought a certain amount of excitement and energy to his life he hadn’t felt in a long time. The idea of her moving away brought about a disappointment he didn’t want to examine too closely. He liked the thought of her being nearby.
A SEAL Never Quits Page 30
