by Rachel Angel
“That’s right. You’re going to be fine, boy,” Ryland added. His voice was so soft and gentle, making me want to reach out to him and hug him. She felt so terrible for him and wanted to alleviate the pain he was clearly feeling at the moment.
“We need to get the colt to stand up for a bit. It’ll help everything travel through him faster and is better for his organs too. He’s not going to want to do it, but it’s important. If we do it together it should be easier on the little guy.”
Ryland and Savannah lifted Street Smarts up and his legs were so wobbly, as if he was just taking his first steps. They held him there for a few minutes though and then let him lie back down. He whinnied in relief as he lay on his side.
“What’s his temperature?” Ryland asked.
“He’s at 103.5. That’s good. It’s lowered a few degrees in just over an hour’s time. Once we get him down to 101 he should be good. He’ll need to be checked on every hour.”
“Will he be safe to move, Savannah?”
“Yes, I suppose so. Why?”
“We’ll take him to the house for the night so I can personally keep an eye on him.”
I smiled. That was the sweetest thing she’d ever heard and it made her heart melt. “Will he fit in the Jeep?”
“We’ll make sure it works or else bring out a trailer to put him in.”
With that, Ryland got on his cell phone and called up Miss Baker, asking her to prepare the guest quarters on the first floor for the horse for the night. I would have given anything to see her expression at the most unusual request. She doubted it was very appreciative.
Ryland and I sat there, leaning against the wall and watching Street Smarts, who’d finally fell asleep. He’d stopped shaking and there was much relief that he seemed to be stabilized.
“You are very good at what you do and I am so thankful to you, Savannah,” Ryland commented.
“Thank you. That’s nice to say. I’d do pretty much anything, including jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge, to save a horse. It used to cause my parents their fair share of stress when I was little.”
“Well lucky for me they didn’t break your spirit to become a vet, huh? Without you, I couldn’t have made it through today,” Ryland said.
I looked at him and saw the stress in his eyes. Now that he knew the little colt would be okay he was thinking about the loss of Star, a horse he obviously loved greatly. I didn’t even think twice about it and I placed my hand on his knee, looking at how dirty his polished riding clothes were. I was dirty too, but I had jeans on, not a thousand dollar outfit.
“Are you going to get an autopsy on Star?” I asked softly.
“Do you think I should?”
She nodded yes. “It will be the best way to find out exactly what happened or at least get a clue.”
“How long do autopsies take?”
“Maybe a week,” she said.
“Do you recommend anyone?”
“Not here. However, let me make some calls.”
With that, she walked outside and called my father, who immediately had a name for me. She was back in with the telephone number and Ryland was on the telephone. It was clear that Ryland Roth got what he wanted because within ten minutes he had someone who was on their way out. It looked like Miss Baker would be taking another trip to the airstrip to pick someone up.
“We can load him up now and get back to the main house if you like,” she said.
“Thank you so much, Savannah,” Ryland said. He leaned in and hugged her closely and my arms wrapped around him, trying to give him comfort. She could feel his breath on my neck as he buried his head into my hair causing my entire body to come alive.
We parted ever so slightly and stared into each other’s eyes. We both had an expression that showed we were more interested in something more than merely a vet and client relationship. There was a spark there that stemmed from more than a mutual passion for horses. They were staring intensely at each other, wondering if they were going to kiss or separate from their embrace awkwardly.
John came around the corner, causing them to jump. He looked at us curiously and we both began to laugh.
“Just in time to help us load Street Smarts,” Ryland said.
“Is he going to the hospital?”
“No, he’s going to be spending some time in the house until he’s better,” Ryland replied. John’s eyes widened and she smiled again. “Oh, a man is going to be coming out to perform an autopsy on Star. Make sure he gets all the assistance he needs, okay?”
“Yes, Mr. Roth.”
Five minutes later, Ryland and Savannah headed back toward the main house. Ryland and she were silent, lost in their own thoughts. She knew hers were about Ryland, almost kissing her. What if he did? Would she pull away or let him? Was she ready for a new relationship? The only thing that brought her back to the present was the gentle whinnies of Street Smarts, who wasn’t very happy about the ride in the back of the Jeep.
Chapter 5
In the distance, you could see dark skies starting to form and shadows being cast out from the gloomy clouds. “It’s raining over there. It looks like it’s going to be a rough storm,” Ryland said, pointing to the sky.
“Do storms always come on that quickly?” Savannah asked.
“When you live on an island they do. You just never know which direction the winds are going to send those storm clouds from.”
“Is that a bad one?” A big flash of lightning bolted down, answering Savannah’s question for her.
“There’s no way you’re going to be able to fly out tonight. It wouldn’t be safe, Savannah.”
She looked over at him and thought she saw a pleased expression on his face. Spending a night alone in Ryland’s house with him made her instantly nervous. He was so sexy and tempting, tender and passionate about horses and better looking than she ever would have thought possible. So far, he was anything but the man she’d thought he might be. He made her think about going past the boundaries one should have with a client.
“Okay then. That should be fine. I’ll just let Taryn know so she doesn’t worry. I don’t have any extra clothes though.”
“My guest room is fully stocked with clothes. Don’t worry about it,” Ryland said.
Savanna smiled. She could only imagine what women he’d had at his house over the years that needed to take advantage of that “guest room” and those extra sets of clothes. It gave her a pang of jealousy that she knew was ridiculous. Did she seriously think he had never had another woman here before? A handsome and confident man like Ryland was sure to have no shortage of women going after him. The fact that she’d only had one man before was pretty rare.
The Jeep pulled up to the mansion and Ryland slowly came to a stop. Poor Street Smarts was starting to look a bit worse for the wear again, plus the impending bad weather had him edgy. The two quickly got him into the house and his makeshift suite. Ryland said he had to go and make sure everyone was secured for the storm on the island and he’d be right back.
Savannah tended to Street Smarts and made sure the poor little colt was as comfortable as possible. It would be a long night for the little guy because he was used to being around his mother and she was gone. Add a new location to that and things would be really challenging. Savannah’s heart ached for the colt and she thought that she’d maybe spend the night down there by him just to ensure that he’d be okay through everything. Plus, he wasn’t in the clear yet with his health and the mysterious illness that had taken his mother.
“Are you ready to see your room?” Miss Baker asked, making Savannah jump.
“Yes, thank you,” she said. “At first I thought I had to stay out in the stables, but…” The look on Miss Baker’s face was one of pure unhappiness at the situation, as if Savannah could help it that the storm had come in and she’d be spending the night on the island. She wondered if she and Ryland perhaps had a more intimate relationship than an employer/employee one. That would definitely make the presence
of someone else in the house undesirable if that was the case. Okay so Miss Baker wasn’t much for small talk or humor. “Joking, just joking. I’d love to see my room, thank you.”
Two minutes later, all spent in complete silence, Miss Baker opened a door and gestured for Savannah to enter. “You’ll find all you need in here.”
“Thank you,” Savannah replied, trying to hide her amusement at the tart disposition of Ryland’s secretary. She really didn’t like her. That was one thing that woman could definitely tell. Was there a reason to not like Savannah? No. It was what it was though.
Savannah walked around the room, looking at all the beautiful furnishings. It was absolutely lovely, finding a unique blend of island eloquence and rustic country. Whoever his decorator was, she or he was very talented.
She walked to a set of thick wooden French doors and swung them open, finding a gorgeous walk-in closet filled with glamorous clothes, shoes, and accessories of various sizes. One thing for certain was that they were all meant for super model bodies and women who always dressed to the nines. That was not Savannah. She wanted something comfortable to wear and walked over to another door to see if it was open. It was.
This room was masculine and she sensed Ryland’s presence in it with the decorative touches. It somehow seemed to reflect who he was: tough, sensitive, masculine, and structured. She walked over to some dresser drawers in the corner and ran her hand along the intricate ornate detail of its border and then opened up one of the drawers. Bingo! There were some boxers and t-shirts in there; definitely preferable to a stuffy dress for the stormy night. It must have been the gentleman’s guest room.
Happy with her comfortable clothing selection, Savannah made her way back into her room and jumped in the shower, enjoying the entire experience tremendously. The shower was like a mini spa, making her relax after such a strenuous day.
Twenty minutes later, towel wrapped around her mid-section, Savannah went out to the bedroom and tossed the towel off, and began to slip on the soft t-shirt, which happened to smell so good too.
There was a sound behind her and Savannah turned around and saw Ryland standing there, in the doorway, staring at her. She froze for a second, not sure what to do. Suddenly the awareness that she was still naked came across her and she began to hustle, trying to get the t-shirt over her head and pulled down. Then she realized that her butt was showing and she tried to slide the boxers on as quickly as possible. And Ryland remained standing there. Why was he doing that? Didn’t he have any sense of decorum or compassion for her situation?
“What?” Savannah finally asked, feeling flushed and so overheated that she wanted to jump into an ice bath.
Ryland didn’t answer. Instead, he sat there with a coy sexy smile on his face that melted Savannah’s insides, making her want to go kiss him and feel every bit of his sexy muscular body.
God, he’s hot, she thought. He’d obviously just gotten out of the shower too and his wet hair, combined with his tan skin contrasting the tight white t-shirt he had on made her quiver. She had never wanted something so instantly and so badly as she did at that moment. She looked down at his pants and saw his bulge sticking out. He wanted her too. She could tell and she wanted him to act on it, take her and do whatever the hell he wanted to with her. Nothing would be off limits with a sexy guy like that.
Eventually Ryland decided to talk, but it wasn’t the words – fuck me now – that Savannah had hoped for. “Um, you’re wearing my favorite t-shirt.”
Her fingers reached up just above her breasts and felt the soft fabric of the shirt. She was still blushing and softly said, “The storm made me want to curl up in some soft and comfortable clothes. I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t know that was your room. I thought it was a guest room. Sorry.”
Ryland smiled softly, his lips looking absolutely kissable. “Don’t be sorry. I was just thinking the same thing. It would be nice to finally relax in something comfortable. This has been a horrible day.” With those words, his smile faded slightly and Savannah longed to hug him tightly and run her fingers through his hair, down his back, and all over his body.
She knew what was on Ryland’s mind. “Street Smarts will be good. You’ll see,” she said, smiling softly. He nodded and put his hands on his hips loosely. Savannah wanted to go and wrap her arms around him and let him know that it would be okay.
Chapter 6
A large thunder boom resonated nearby and Savannah jumped. She didn’t know quite how it happened but it ended up that she was exactly where she longed to be just a second before – in Ryland’s arms.
“Wow…that was loud,” she said, not sure how to respond. She felt awkward, but she didn’t want to let go.
“Everything seems to echo on this island. I think it’s all the rocks and hills around the plains, not to mention the ocean,” Ryland offered. He didn’t move though.
Savannah looked up at him and could feel the tension in his body. Her hands slowly traveled up to his shoulders, feeling his strength underneath his t-shirt, and she began to massage them gently.
A small gasp escaped Ryland’s lips and she pressed in a bit more deeply, feeling his tension release from the aggressive touch of her fingertips. “I’m sorry for your loss. If there’s anything I can do…”
“…Just keep doing that,” he interrupted, letting another gasp escape. “I need this. I need you by me.” His voice was desperate, almost pleading and Savannah kept going, not wanting to lose the intense connection between them.
As she rubbed his shoulders she watched him closely. His eyes were closed and he looked so vulnerable, more like a frightened child than a confident man. It was such an intimate look and she felt like it was almost an invasion into his soul. She kept on going though, trying to express her emotions for the situation through her touch, hoping he’s sense that she was there for him; she’d do whatever she could to give him comfort.
Ryland’s strong hands reached out and wrapped around Savannah’s waist, lowering to her round firm ass. He pulled her in tightly until she was pressed against his crotch, feeling the intensity of his emotions for her at that moment.
Despite being clothed, it felt as if they were both naked and Savannah was completely aroused, just as Ryland was. She could feel emotions surging through her body, making her wet. She longed for him. She wanted to unwrap the package that held that glorious cock and put her lips around it, feeling him inside of her mouth and tasting his hot macho body. She didn’t want to stop until she knew that he’d released and she’d been the cause of it.
Neither undressing the other, the two explored and roamed each other’s bodies passionately, their lips not touching. Savannah could feel her energy building up inside and despite the cloth barrier between them, her body started to prepare for an explosion. It was something she couldn’t control and she didn’t want to.
Both of them kept going, neither wanting to stop or break the connection, each wanting the other to release in sexual bliss from their touch. It was so pure and intimate, yet very animalistic and raw. The contrast made it all the more alluring both physically and mentally.
Ryland’s hand reached up underneath Savannah’s t-shirt and he began to massage her breasts aggressively, pinching her nipples and nuzzling her neck at the same time. Her head swung back and she took it all in, feeling that she was about to explode from the combination of the hard cock pressed against her front, the hot searing lips on her neck, and the firm hand pinching her erect nipples.
“Oh…I’m….oh,” Savannah gasped. Her body shuttered from her release and she kept moving, wanting to strip every bit of clothing off of Ryland and make him explode too. Her hand slid into his pants and she could tell that he was close…so close.
Knock. Knock.
Barely able to get the words out, Ryland asked, “What is it?”
The door opened up and Miss Baker peered in. She took one look at the two of them and her face turned dour, showing disapproval and disgust at what she could obviously tell
had just happened. “Dinner,” she said curtly. Then she turned around and left.
Savannah was mortified at being caught in such an intimate act with Ryland and knowing that she’d just met him that day didn’t help matters. “I’m so sorry. I should have pulled away. I was…I just…This is so embarrassing and unprofessional.”
Ryland took a deep breath and looked at Savannah, tucking her hair behind one ear. “No, don’t apologize. I couldn’t help myself. You looked so sexy and I just wanted you, wanted to feel you. Don’t mind Mindy. She’s just jealous and always looking out for me.”
“Mindy?” Savannah asked. “Is that Miss Baker?”
“Yes. She’s a great secretary, but is prone to meddling in my private affairs, which she has no business doing.”
