by Leigh Hutton
‘Woo-hoo, Agony!’ Marcus reached up and gave her a hug. ‘That’s my girl!’ He pulled her by the torso, down to his level. ‘But you didn’t have to beat me, ya little minx! And you’d better stop smiling like that, or I’m gonna have to re-think your nickname…’
Ebony grinned, and removed Marcus’s hand from her waist. ‘You do that!’ Her face was straining from the force of her joy, something she hadn’t experienced since her great results and achievements with Gallant, and before Cecile’s death.
People flocked all around her, slapping her thigh, patting Johnny hard on the neck. Tears welled in her eyes — making her thankful she’d kept the mascara and eyeliner waterproof and minimal for today — as she thanked everyone, then directed Johnny, who was already prancing and trotting on the spot, in behind CeCe and her stunning chestnut mare, Charming, under the boom gate, and out into the ring to accept their ribbon. It was a moment of intense pride and accomplishment Ebony knew she would never forget.
It was always hard returning home, back into the grinding daily routine of early mornings to the barn for monotonous flat routines and lack-lustre course combinations in the indoor arena, after being away at one of the biggest and arguably the ritziest competitions on the planet. But this year, Ebony found coming home from Florida that little bit easier. She had Dallas to come back to.
After spending a few days getting the horses settled in, going again in the confined space of the indoor ring and fitted into their warmer blankets, Ebony decided she couldn’t wait any longer to see Dallas Cash. She helped Winnie to put Johnny away — he was the last to get flatted today, cleaned herself up in the groom’s bathroom, re-applied her makeup, changed into fresh jeans and her leather jacket and drove to Black Diamond, to Dallas’s farm.
It was late afternoon by the time she reached the Cash front gate, the sun slanting across the fields, brown with the first teases of spring. It was the second Sunday in April and any late snow had stayed away, melting to reveal the first shoots of green, leaving the ground thick and sloppy and ready to birth rich summer grasses, crops and wild flowers. Soon, the poplars would bud out their delicate green leaves, joining colour with the Spruce and evergreens. Alberta was spectacular in spring.
The gravel was wet and Ebony could hear roost coating the wheel wells of her car, turning the clean black to muddy brown. It was the only thing she disliked about country roads. Although, out here, the views would make up for the inconvenience of having to hose it down when she got back to Annika’s. Her body, her soul, seemed to soak up the prairie — Florida may have been glitzy, but the country was definitely where her heart was. The wide expanse of field, the huge sky, far from the hustle and bustle and enclosed development of Palm Beach.
She spotted Hook and Tinker Bell, with their long, shaggy winter coats and heads down, foraging for green shoots in the brown grass, off in the wide paddock to her left. A few black cows grazed close by. Her ride with Dallas had been the most amazing first date in history, she was sure.
Dallas’s clean truck was parked in front of the farmhouse. She pictured him washing it off when he got home from practice that afternoon. His truck was always tidy. She wondered if his bedroom was as clean.
She swung in and parked next to Dallas. There was a TV on inside the house, from the sounds of it, a hockey game. She knocked twice on the solid, white front door. When Dallas answered, she couldn’t help but throw her arms up around his neck, hug him, taking in his intoxicating, manly scent.
‘I’ve missed you,’ he said, holding her firmly against his warm chest.
Ebony pulled away, so she could stare in to his eyes, taking him all in. She stood up on the toes of her sneakers to kiss him, their lips meeting gently at first, then harder. Her fingers found the back of his neck, creeping up into his clean, soft hair, tugging lightly.
‘You need to come over more often,’ Dallas said, taking Ebony by the hand. ‘If that’s how you’re gonna greet me.’
Ebony smiled, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away from his face. Dallas’s grin made her just as elated as any winning round, something she never thought a man could make her feel.
‘Dad’s at work, won’t be home ’til late,’ Dallas said, leading her inside.
She blinked to adjust to the dim interior of the lounge room. When the shadow was replaced by light, she found herself studying the inside of Dallas’s house. It was a place she’d found her mind wandering too often, when she laid down, tired from a long day and ready for bed — curious about this gorgeous boy’s den.
It was pretty much as she’d pictured it, humble and cosy.
Magazines, hockey figurines, signed pucks and trophies occupied two long cabinets against the far wall. Posters, pictures, prints and signed jerseys took up most of the remaining wall space. All about their sport. She felt right at home.
‘It’s not much,’ Dallas said. ‘But it keeps Dad and me out of the cold.’
‘It’s a lovely home, Dallas.’ Ebony followed him into the open-planned living room and watched as he pushed a hockey stick, a stack of hockey magazines and what looked like a farming journal off of the sagging three-seater sofa, beside which was a mismatched reclining chair positioned directly in front of a gigantic flat screen TV, which had been switched off, and arranged them into a neat stack on the coffee table.
‘My room’s this way,’ Dallas said, taking her by the hand, past a retro, orange kitchen, and into a narrow hallway.
‘Dad calls this our ‘Hallway of Fame’.’ Dallas waved his hand, laughing. Ebony loved his easy, deep, sexy laugh. She longed to hear it more often. ‘He brought all of these up from the States when we moved.’ The walls were coated with framed pictures of Dallas, he and his dad, other guys she didn’t recognise. All mostly in skates and gear at various rinks, with trophies, teammates all smiling.
He’s so damn cute, Ebony thought, studying a picture of a young boy holding a huge cup that was nearly as tall as he was. The wide smile, dark hair and piercing, icy green eyes gave him away … Little Dallas. A smaller, softer version of his current self.
‘That’s my dad,’ Dallas said, pointing to a weathered- looking picture of a smiling boy skating fast in leather, long-bladed skates, a wooden hockey stick stretched out in front of him. ‘My grandfather used to flood a rink behind our old house for him to play on,’ Dallas said. ‘’Cos they couldn’t afford for him to join a team. He spent all his time helping on the farm, even before he started school. He was a great player.’
‘Wow,’ Ebony said, wrapping her arm around his waist. She couldn’t help but snuggle against him.
‘He flooded the same rink for me every winter, and we’ve done the same up here, too. I love having a skate at home.’
Dallas’s room was small, but cosy, with everything in order, from the neatly made queen-sized bed with its hockey-print duvet cover to the corner desk with lap top, hockey magazines and hats. He had a straight row of shoes in front of a closed closet door: a pair of mud-splattered Nike’s, some clean skate shoes and two pairs of brown, leather boat-shoes, the sort Ebony had seen cowboys wear. Not totally her style, but they sure looked hot on Dallas. But then, she was biased. Everything looked hot on Dallas.
Ebony sat down on his bed, falling back into the oversized blanket. She nearly disappeared into the thick, soft fabric. Dallas lay down next to her, laughing. ‘I was hoping to be able to find you,’ he said, ‘when I finally got you into my room!’
Ebony burst into laughter, and pulled Dallas down on top of her. He let his body down slowly, keeping his weight from crushing against her. His eyes were warm and contented, like she’d never seen them before; void from any of their steely distance, or anger.
Her heart was racing hard as he reached for a strand of her hair, brushing it back from her cheek. He kissed her gently on the lips, then on the forehead. She could feel his heart beating, slower and stronger than her own.
When Dallas’s phone beeped from the pocket of his jeans, they both jumped.
/> ‘Argh, ’ Dallas said, sitting up and pulling out his phone. ‘I know I’m gonna regret this … but I will be able to get you back in here, right?’
‘If you’re lucky.’ Ebony jabbed him playfully in the ribs. ‘Why?’
‘I’ve been wanting to take you somewhere, or, for you to take me, actually.’
‘I knew it!’ Ebony sat bolt upright and pushed him back into the bed. ‘You just want me for my car!’
‘Crap.’ Dallas grinned wickedly. ‘You caught me out. You can understand, though, can’t you?’
‘Of course I can, my car’s crazy hot.’
‘Not as hot as you, but, yeah, pretty damn hot.’ Dallas sat up and wrapped an arm around her. ‘Tonight, maybe, you can stay over?’
‘I’d love to stay with you, Dallas,’ Ebony said, then she took a deep breath, to dilute the intense happiness that was pulsing through her and threatening to turn her into a soppy mess. She never let herself give too much away, and she’d never felt like she was falling for a guy. But she trusted Dallas, and being around him seemed so right.
He pulled her up off the bed, and kissed her on the cheek. ‘Good. Let’s go for a drive.’
Ebony let Dallas have the driver’s seat.
‘This thing’s an animal!’ he said, after punching it a little too hard turning onto the highway to Black Diamond, the back end squealing on the bitumen. Surprisingly, he kept it under the speed limit all the way through the picturesque, historic oil town, down the highway, past Millarville. Ebony directed him to the gravel road and on to the front gate of her and Cecile’s old country estate.
Dallas screeched to a stop in front of the black, metal front gate. He let the car idle, the headlights casting two wide beams of yellow light down the paved driveway to the big, welcoming timber and rock home. The sun had retired for the evening, leaving a navy blue sky speckled with silver stars, the outline of the Rocky Mountains and the spruce forest all around were black, the lake a shimmering reflection of the sky above.
Dallas leaned his elbows on the steering wheel and let out a whistle. ‘I can see why you loved it here.’
‘Yeah …’ Ebony swallowed hard, and bit her bottom lip. The pull of this home was as strong as Monster coming up to a huge fence, it yanked her arms out of their sockets and took all of her strength to fight. Her time here was finished. It had died with Cecile.
‘Why are we here?’ She cringed at her snappy tone, and turned to look out the window.
‘I wanted to see if anyone had moved in,’ Dallas said, his eyes searching the distance. ‘It looks vacant to me.’
Ebony let her eyes creep to the windscreen. The pavement in front of the house was empty, the garage and barn were shut up, no lights on. The big, covered arena sat deserted and ghostly. She couldn’t see any horses in the paddocks between the house and the barn. There were no wheel marks on the driveway, just the smooth, black bitumen. Untouched.
Her heart leapt with hope, but she punched it back down. Hoping for something that wonderful would only lead to crazy pain.
‘Sorry,’ Dallas said. ‘We’ll go.’
‘It’s okay.’ But she had to set her jaw to keep from crying. She took a deep breath, and shook her head. She needed to pull herself together; wallowing would not do her any good. ‘I’m fine, really.’ She opened her eyes wide and turned to Dallas, forcing a smile.
His furrowed eyebrows and worried eyes told her that he’d called her bluff. Dallas leaned in close, resting a hand on her thigh. ‘I heard back from my teammate, Bryce. His dad’s Annika’s lawyer …’
‘Yep.’ Ebony nodded. ‘I remember you telling me on the phone.’
‘He’s doing an internship at his dad’s office. He’s managed to befriend one of the girls there and she’s agreed to help him get Annika’s files.’
Ebony nodded slowly, processing what this information meant. It seemed so long ago now, her conversations with Dallas about Cecile and the mystery of the inheritance. Could there really be something in it? She felt incredible gratitude for Dallas’s care and effort, even if she couldn’t let herself believe that anything would come of it.
‘We’ll have the Will in a few days,’ Dallas said. ‘And then you’ll know.’
‘Thank you.’ She leaned forward and let her lips linger in front of his, their foreheads resting against one another, and then she kissed him, long and hard.
Dallas pulled away, to look her in the eye. ‘We didn’t get much of a chance to talk while you were in Florida,’ he said, his face perfect and serious. He set a hand firmly, carefully, on the side of her face.
‘I’m sorry.’ She turned and kissed the palm of his hand. ‘I called you as often as I could.’
‘That’s cool,’ he said. ‘I needed some time to think about how I was going to say this, anyway …’
‘Should I be worried?’
Dallas smiled, and she was put at ease. ‘I don’t want to sound stupid, or anything, but, we are together, right?’ he asked.
‘I’d like to think we’re together.’ She leaned across the centre console, so their shoulders met.
‘Exclusively?’
‘Are you asking me to be your girlfriend, Dallas Cash?’
‘And if I was?’
‘I’d say, it would be my pleasure.’ She looked up at him, studying his face. His lips were so full and kissable, she just had to give them another try.
‘There’s no way in hell I’m going to let you shack up at some guy’s house!’
Ebony had to hold her phone away from her ear, to keep her eardrum from busting. ‘It isn’t like that, Annika!’ she said, sinking into the passenger seat with embarrassment. She lowered her tone, speaking sharply, ‘Dallas is my boyfriend …’ I love him. ‘And I’m an adult!’
‘Being of age doesn’t make you an adult, Ebony,’ Annika replied. ‘And I don’t care if this guy’s the prince of freaking Wales, you will stay here, under my …’ she stammered, then stopped talking, obviously lost for words.
Protection? Hardly. Control? Much more likely …
‘How can I expect you to care for my horses properly if you’re spending all of your time in some guy’s bed?’
Ebony took a long breath, to keep from screaming into the phone. She couldn’t believe she was having this conversation, with Dallas right next to her. She’d only called Annika to let her know she wouldn’t be back tonight, not to ask her permission. She wasn’t technically under the care of anyone, as she’d cleared foster care the day of her 18th birthday, and the only parent she’d ever felt responsible to was Cecile.
She straightened in her seat, her heart gaining RPM. Keep it cool, Ebony, she told herself. Dallas doesn’t need to meet Agony Scott Harris tonight. Or ever.
‘Annika …’ She was surprised to sound quite diplomatic. Dallas was smirking at her, and she admired his face in the light cast from the street lights, as they’d just entered the main street of Turner Valley; his perfect mouth, the sharp line of his jaw, high cheekbones, his gorgeous eyes. Ebony smiled at him. ‘Dallas is practically a professional hockey player, Annika, he’s at home as little as I am! I’m only staying over because it’s late and it’s closer to the barn than your house is.’
Dallas poked her in the leg, whispering, ‘tell her my dad will be home.’
‘Yep—’ She sniffled a giggle when he tickled her in the ribs. ‘And his dad’s home! Uh—’ She narrowed her eyes at Dallas in warning and pushed her body up against the door of the car to get away from his strong hands, forcing herself to focus on the woman on the other end of her line. ‘Do we really need to fight about this?’
‘We don’t,’ she said. There was the sound of a glass being set down, and then a man’s voice.
Mr. Prince.
‘Annika, are you even at your house?’
‘Where else would I be?’
‘Well …’
‘Look — I’m not having this conversation with you right now!’ Annika was silent for a moment, then there was the ru
ffling of fabric, and muffled laughter. ‘Just, get home!’
‘That’s not my home.’
‘I beg your pardon?’
Ebony regretted saying it, but it had just popped out, and now there was no going back. ‘The barn is more my home than your house is,’ she said.
‘But you do live here, do you not?’
‘Doesn’t make it my home.’
‘Well,’ Annika snapped. ‘By all means — you can leave whenever you want!’
Ebony knew by the acid in Annika’s voice that she’d gone too far, and she felt sick with regret for saying it, as she knew, if she was to go, it would be the last time she would ever see her horses. Annika would even find a way to take Monster from her, she was sure, and that was if Marcus intended to keep his word about letting her have him — she’d yet to see any official documents from him, or anything of that nature.
Dallas rested a hand on her thigh, and Ebony noticed that hers were shaking. Damn Annika, she thought, willing some sweetness into her tone. She wouldn’t be so desperate to escape to Dallas’s if it wasn’t so cold and loveless at Annika’s. Her soul was crying out for a home. ‘I’ll come home,’ she said, her top lip rising into a snarl.
‘Good,’ Annika said. ‘See you soon.’
Ebony was dropping the phone to press End, when she heard Annika screeching. ‘Yep?’ she said.
‘Hurry,’ Annika said. ‘I need to go out, and we’ve got some things to discuss first.’
Oh, shit.
Ebony dropped Dallas back at home and was relieved at his understanding. He kissed her gently on the cheek and promised to message her the address of his home rink, so she could come watch his big game on Tuesday. He wouldn’t have time to meet up until then, and neither would she, with all preparations shifting towards the first outdoor show at Spruce Meadows. Dallas said he hoped to have the Will by then, too, so they could go through it at dinner, after his game.
