Ride a Dark Horse

by Laura Moore

  When the pickup truck pulled into Five Oaks, Cassie futilely attempted to scramble out of the truck before Caleb could get to her side. For such a big man, he moves awfully fast, she reflected disgruntedly as he opened her door and helped her out. Taking her by the elbow they walked together to the steps of Melissa and Hank’s house.

  Caleb could sense Cassie’s eagerness to flee into the safety of the brightly lit house. Perversely, he slowed his steps.

  “I’ll give Mrs. Trapp a call and have her come in and give the house a thorough cleaning. She can make the beds up for you. I’m glad you’re going to take the house.” Was it her imagination, or could she really feel the heat of his body from where he stood? In contrast, the night air was bitingly cool at her back. Vivid memories assailed her—of his heat, of all the wonderful things Caleb could do with his hands and mouth. Unable to help herself, she swayed, like a reed in the wind, closer to his seductive warmth.

  That tiny infinitesimal movement was enough. His lips swept lightly over hers, once, twice, and then a third time, their weight as heavy as a butterfly’s wings. She rose on her tiptoes to meld her lips closer to his.

  At her instinctive response, Caleb groaned, wanting nothing more than to deepen the kiss. Reluctantly, he made himself remember where they were. She’d probably faint if Hank or Melissa were to come upon them now and Caleb didn’t want to risk it. Cassie was skittish enough already. Withdrawing his mouth from her lips, he stood, his forehead resting lightly against hers, breathing deep lungfuls of the cool evening air. His hands lifted, stroking her hair gently smoothing the curls against the side of her head. He allowed himself the pleasure of a final kiss, chastely pressed against her brow. “Good night, Cassie sweet. See you tomorrow.”

  Caleb turned and slipped off into the dark, leaving Cassie to stare after him with troubled eyes.

  The sky was still an unrelieved black when Cassie rolled out of bed the next morning. In a way she was grateful that she’d set her alarm clock for five. At least she didn’t have to continue her futile pretense at sleep. Her night had been tormented with images of Caleb—his teasing dark eyes, his firm lips, his strong, sensitive hands. No matter how much she tossed and turned, how determinedly she tried to block him from her mind, Caleb was there, mocking her, kissing her, delighting her. What mysterious power did he possess that he could invade her dreams, disrupt her thoughts?

  She tried to reassure herself with the thought that maybe now that she knew what kissing him was like, she’d be better equipped to resist him. Yeah, right, Cassie replied mockingly to herself. She’d like to see any woman resist Caleb Wells’s seduction. The man gave a whole new meaning to the term sex appeal.

  Cassie pulled on her running tights, a running bra, and an old sweatshirt. Brushing her hair in quick, impatient strokes, she pulled it back into a ponytail and, sneakers and socks in hand, made her way quietly downstairs to the kitchen.

  The linoleum felt cold against her bare feet as she moved around the kitchen, pouring herself a cup of coffee and a glass of water. Cassie never ran well if she ate too soon beforehand. But she couldn’t run a step if she didn’t have a bit of caffeine jolting her system awake. She sat staring through the window while the sky turned to a gunmetal grey a narrow wash of red and gold coloring the horizon. She loved this time of the day when she could watch the dawn unfold in peaceful solitude. She tried not to wonder whether Caleb Wells also enjoyed waking up for sunrises.

  Coffee finished, she pulled on her socks and running shoes, her movements quick and efficient. She wanted to get her run in, eat breakfast, and begin her training sessions as early as possible. That afternoon she had an appointment to meet with the principal of Sophie and Jamie’s school. In spite of Melissa’s reassurance that the principal, John Perkins, was a horse person, Cassie felt nervous about the meeting, anxious that Sophie and Jamie make a smooth transition into their new school and their new life. Was she uprooting them too much by moving down to Virginia? They were going to miss Alex so much. He was the closest thing to a father the twins had.

  She gave a mental shake, banishing her worries as she went out the front door and set out at an easy jog down the road. She’d make sure the twins were fine, Cassie thought determinedly. They were the most important thing in her life and she’d move heaven and earth to make them happy and secure.

  Cassie set the chronometer on her watch. She planned to run twenty-five minutes in one direction and then turn around and head back to the farm. She estimated that she’d get in a little over a five-mile run that way. Running was a key part of her training schedule, as was weightlifting. Cassie was convinced she rode better when she knew she was strong both physically and aerobically. She couldn’t understand riders who wanted their horses to be in top physical form, but from themselves demanded little, as if merely grabbing hold of the reins and hanging on, helpful as a sack of potatoes, was sufficient exercise. The best riders she knew were as diligent about their own fitness as they were about the training routines of their mounts.

  Whether consciously or not, Cassie headed out in the direction of Caleb’s house. True, she didn’t know that many routes yet and she’d remembered the drive yesterday as being picturesque, full of gently rolling hills and trees bordering the side of the road. She certainly wasn’t running down the road to his house at five-thirty in the morning because she was feeling like some lovesick fifteen-year-old with her first crush. She wasn’t even sure she liked him.

  Cassie ran on, her bent arms swinging rhythmically at her sides, her breathing deep and easy. There were a lot of hills, but none had really made her start to burn yet. Perhaps she’d try to pick up the pace on the way home. She glanced at her watch. Ten more minutes, then she’d do a U-turn and head back to the farm.

  The sky was lightening, with streaks of bright blue pushing back the darker grey overhead. It was promising to be beautiful, though the air was still quite chilly. Cassie thought wistfully how great it would be to ride in a T-shirt and feel the warm sun on her skin.

  Then she saw him.

  She recognized him immediately. How many men over six feet, who moved with the grace he did, would be running down this stretch of the road at this hour of the morning? Cassie could tell the moment he recognized her, too. His pace changed, eating up the ground between them. Propelling him forward, his long legs lengthened their stride as the distance between them closed. Cassie continued at her even pace, refusing to acknowledge his quickened pace by changing her stride. Let him show off if he wants to, he’ll probably be totally winded by the time he reaches me.

  He wasn’t winded.

  He was furious.

  He grabbed her arm and pulled her to a halt. “Don’t you have a lick of common sense? Where have you been living for the past twenty years? Shangri-la?”

  “Good morning to you, too! What in the world are you talking about? Actually, forget it. I’m not interested,” Cassie bit out, now angry herself at Caleb’s domineering tone. Impatiently, she shook off his arm and started running. Hoping he’d take himself and his bad mood away.

  Behind her, she heard him mutter a curse. A second later he fell into step alongside her. “Don’t you know it’s dangerous for a woman to run alone? This may seem like bucolic countryside but there are crimes around here. Rapes. You shouldn’t be out here alone this early in the morning.”

  “Excuse me, but I’ve lived in New York, I know how to be alert to danger.”

  “Does Hank know you’re out here?”

  “No,” she shot back tersely. She’d been having such a wonderful run until Caleb had come and made her feel like a reckless fool. She was used to her independence and hadn’t really thought about the possible dangers in running alone this early with no one aware of her whereabouts.

  “Jesus!”

  Cassie blocked out the other oaths that poured from his mouth. “Look,” she finally said, exasperated. “I’m sorry that I came out alone. Believe it or not, I’m not totally irresponsible. Back home, my brother A
lex used to run with me, but here I don’t have a partner. And I wasn’t about to knock on Hank and Melissa’s door at five-thirty in the morning to tell them I was going out. It might surprise you to learn that I have managed to reach the age of twenty-four without a baby-sitter. So, good-bye. See you later.” She picked up her pace, hoping he’d get the message that despite his concern, she preferred to run alone.

  He didn’t. Obtuse man.

  His long legs kept pace with hers, his feet hitting the asphalt in a steady rhythm as they jogged side by side. Cassie glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, annoyed that he didn’t find the pace uncomfortable. She’d been hoping to see him start to wheeze and lose his form, but he looked utterly relaxed, breathing easily, his arms loose at his sides.

  He was dressed in baggy grey sweatpants and a University of Pennsylvania sweatshirt. Perspiration had darkened the neck of his sweatshirt. Lines of sweat trickled down the column of his neck. She could imagine its taste, its saltiness on the tip of her tongue. She wished she weren’t thinking about what his stomach might look like if she were to run her hands against it. Sweaty and hard. Her pace increased a little more.

  “How much farther are you planning on going?” Caleb asked, trying to make a stab at normal conversation. He’d been repeatedly telling himself to calm down for the last five minutes. It certainly hadn’t been his intention to jump down Cassie’s throat, but when he’d seen her all alone, on an empty road, in the half-light of dawn, he’d lost it.

  He couldn’t figure out why Cassie was eliciting these bizarre and foreign responses from him. Sure, she was beautiful, sexy, and drove him nearly mad with desire, but that didn’t explain why he felt this need to be near her. Or to protect her. Hell, if he were honest, most of the women he’d slept with recently he couldn’t wait to say good-bye to. And he certainly wouldn’t have gone ballistic if he’d seen one of them running alone. Whatever the reason, he was sure this wasn’t a healthy condition. Cassie’s voice broke into his thoughts.

  “I was planning on going for another five minutes or so in this direction and then turning back and heading to the farm. It’s getting quite light now, so feel free to head on back. I wouldn’t want to tire you out,” she added cattily.

  He laughed. “Oh, don’t worry about me, Slim. I’ll just huff and puff along with you if that’s all right. Wouldn’t want to get a tire around my middle. How often do you run?”

  “I try to run three or four times a week. I do light weight lifting on the other days with a set of free weights I have.”

  “As one of your employers, I can’t tell you how pleased I am that you keep yourself in such good shape.” The grin on his face was both devilish and admiring. And those crinkles at the corners of his eyes when he smiled were far too appealing.

  “Thanks. I try to keep the bosses happy ” Cassie replied lightly, his smile erasing their confrontation like the sun dispelling the clouds from the sky. Perhaps running with Caleb Wells wasn’t really so unpleasant after all. After you got used to it.

  They ran on in a strangely companionable silence, turning around when Cassie indicated she was ready. On the way back, Cassie was sure Caleb would leave her at the foot of his driveway, but he surprised her by continuing on, seeing her to Five Oaks’s drive.

  “There, now I’m back safe and sound. Thanks for keeping me company.” Cassie was walking around in small circles, shaking her legs out to keep the muscles loose.

  “My pleasure. When are you going again?”

  “Tomorrow. Why?” Cassie inclined her head up to look at him.

  “It would make me feel a whole lot better if I knew where and when you were running. Just in case.”

  He couldn’t be serious. Cassie was about to protest until she saw the look on his face.

  Caleb continued. “If you want, I can try to join you some mornings, depending on my schedule. Think of it as a way of keeping me in shape.”

  A bubble of hysterical laughter rose inside her at the idea of Caleb Wells needing to keep in shape. She didn’t even want to contemplate what his body might look like improved. It was already ruining her peace of mind.

  “I’ll think about it. See you.” Cassie turned, intending to jog slowly back to the house. She’d started a few steps when suddenly she felt herself grabbed by the middle and swept around in an arc, her legs skimming over the ground like a doll twirled in the air by a little child. Caleb turned her effortlessly in his arms and set her down in front of him.

  “Don’t go yet, Slim.” Caleb’s voice was suddenly husky. “I haven’t had a chance to say good morning yet.”

  Still breathless with surprise, Caleb’s mouth swept down and captured hers. He tasted hot, salty, and sweet, from exercise and toothpaste. Irresistibly delicious. Cassie returned his kiss, matching his intensity and need with her own. Her fingers raked through his damp hair, holding him close as her tongue entwined feverishly with his.

  He was ready to burst, his blood pounding in his veins. Cassie felt like heaven in his arms. He wanted, was dying to bury himself deep within her. Why, he asked himself in frustration, did he keep grabbing her in such inconvenient places? First a bathroom and now the middle of a frigging road. He was sure he had more finesse than to make love to Cassie on a gravel driveway. Maybe there was a tree he could prop her up against. Damn it!

  The blast of a horn as an amused trucker passed them had Caleb and Cassie breaking apart, guilty as teenagers caught necking in public. Moments later when Caleb could breathe without feeling as if he’d just sprinted the last mile, he shrugged his shoulders, a smile tugging at his lips.

  “Guess our secret is out. It’ll probably make the headlines in the local paper.”

  Cassie looked at him aghast. Was he kidding or did this place really operate like an overgrown grapevine? She wanted time to settle in with the kids and get to know people on her own without having her name romantically linked with the local vet and partner of Five Oaks. She wanted to be Cassie Miller mother of Jamie and Sophie, trainer at Five Oaks, not Caleb Wells’s new girlfriend, one in a string of many, no doubt.

  Caleb’s smile slowly evaporated as he read Cassie’s expression. Right. So she didn’t mind a little private necking, but heaven forbid she should have to own up publicly to her desire.

  “Sorry the idea offends you so much.” His pride hurt, he turned away and bent down to adjust his laces. Cassie stood awkwardly staring down at the dark head of curls, not knowing how to explain her feelings, not knowing if she should try. He didn’t give her the chance.

  “Look, I’ll see you later. I’ve got to shower and head over to the hospital to see some patients. Would you mind waiting to ride Orion until about eleven? I’d like to watch your session.” Caleb’s tone was overly polite, a stranger’s his head still lowered.

  Within the space of a few seconds, he’d succeeded in erecting a wall between them that Cassie didn’t know if she should try to breach.

  “That’s fine,” she replied equally stiffly, her formality matching his. “I’ll work with the three-year-olds, first. I just have to be finished by early afternoon. I’ve got an appointment with the head of the elementary school, John Perkins.”

  “Fine. I’ll take a look at Hot Lips’s tendon before you go off. So long.” Straightening, Caleb barely glanced in Cassie’s direction as he turned away, his long legs carrying him off, fast and effortlessly. Confused and uncertain, Cassie stood, staring at his retreating figure.

  How was it possible that the arrogant Caleb Wells could be so hurt over such a minor blow? Should she care? She was still trying to sort out the reason for her overwhelming attraction to him. There were his obvious good looks. But then she’d been around lots of handsome men before. The horse world was chock full of them. And she’d never lost her head so completely. Certainly never been tempted to kiss them as if the world were going to end. True, the majority of the men she’d met had been conceited and shallow bores. Caleb might be arrogant, but he didn’t seem conceited. No, he was ch
arming, clever and arrogant. And too seductive by half.

  And he was her boss, which was proving far too complicated, no matter what Caleb might say to convince her otherwise. If she were smart, she’d steer a wide berth around Dr. Caleb Wells.

  8

  H ank and Melissa were at the breakfast table when Cassie walked in. Glancing up from his paper, Hank took in her sweaty face and running gear, inquiring mildly before returning his attention to the morning paper, “Have a good run?”

  So much for Hank’s concern over rapists and molesters, thought Cassie dryly.

  “Lovely in an odd sort of way. I ended up running with Caleb for part of it.” She paused for effect. “He seemed a mite concerned for my safety. Are there many escaped convicts on the loose that I should know about?”

  Hank laughed, folding the newspaper in half. Melissa merely smiled. Cassie moved about the kitchen, fixing herself toast, cereal, juice, and coffee. When at last she sat down beside them, Hank explained. “Funny thing about Caleb, he’s quite the gentleman. You know always holding doors for women, getting up when a lady enters the room. That sort of thing. Doesn’t surprise me that he decided he needed to protect you from any bad guys lurking about at six o’clock in the morning. Mark and Susan drilled his manners into him pretty well.” Hank took a slow sip from his coffee cup. “All that was probably wasted on Pamela.” Melissa nodded, but remained silent.

  Cassie swallowed the bait whole. Unable to resist, she pretended to be raptly absorbed in the morning ritual of slicing her banana and pouring milk over her cereal as she casually inquired, “What was she like? I gather the marriage didn’t last long?”

  Melissa and Hank exchanged a smile over Cassie’s bent head.

  “What was she like? Well, beautiful enough to make a man’s head rotate a full three hundred and sixty degrees just to get a better look. But hard. After a while you tended to notice that even more than her looks. How would you describe her, honey?”