“Huh, that’s a good suggestion, but are you sure you can manage without me? It’ll go faster if I’m there.”
“We’re stronger than we look, Scott,” Todd said soberly.
“Apparently,” Scott chuckled. “Sorry, I guess I underestimated you.”
“No problem, I mean, we couldn’t bench press what you can, but we’re not girls.”
“Keep your voice down. Do you want a female riot on your hands!”
‘That might be kinda fun,” Todd joked, his eyes lighting up, “anyway, we’ll unload, grab a quick coffee and a donut, then come on back down.”
“Thanks, Todd. Just leave it all in the shed behind the house. I finished fixing the roof and the flooring in that one. You’ll see, it’s obvious.”
“Got it. Okay, and do you need both the van and the pickup for what’s left at your house?”
“I’m not sure, maybe just the pickup, but bring both just in case.”
“Okay, see you in a bit.”
Todd marched away, and grateful for the efficiency of the boys and the change in plan, Scott carried the box of files to his SUV. Climbing behind the steering wheel, he watched the panel van and the pickup drive slowly down the driveway, then started heading out himself, and as he drove the short distance to his house, his doubts returned.
He knew he was falling for Cathy, and falling hard, and it was clear Cathy felt the same, but if she had any attraction to Renaldo, a man who would be welcomed with open arms by her family, and could offer her so much, did he have a right to stand in the way? In the long run, would it be better for him to grant Marianne her wish and let her go? If he truly cared about her future and her happiness, was fighting for her fair, or was it selfish? Then again, maybe her parents would come around after a while. Her father had seemed like a good guy, and Scott suspected David Coleman would be more concerned with his daughter’s happiness than anything else.
“But that’s another question,” he muttered, “Cathy’s happiness. She’s used to another kinda life. I don’t mind goin’ to the country club, I kinda like it, but I don’t see myself in a mansion anytime soon, and buildin’ my new business is gonna take a lotta time and work.”
He’d reached his house, and with a worried frown he rolled to a stop at the curb, leaving the driveway clear so Benny could back in his pickup for loading. Opening the gate, heavy in thought, his eyes were on the ground as he strode forward, but as he lifted his gaze to his front door, his heart leapt into his throat, and he came to an abrupt stop.
There was a white envelope taped next to the lock. He knew immediately who it was from, and swallowing hard, he took a deep breath and hurried forward. As he climbed the few steps on to the porch he saw his name scrawled across the front, and the words, Personal and Confidential, were printed in bold block letters. Ripping it off the door, he tore it open, unfolded the piece of paper, and as he’d read the few words he felt a chill move through his body.
I know you’re still seeing her. You have until Wednesday.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
After a delicious lunch on an outdoor terrace at one of the nicer restaurants just outside the city center, Cathy directed Renaldo through the main streets, pointing out various points of interest, then had him head back into the less populated areas to show him a few of the high-end hunter/jumper show barns. As they rolled past a facility called, Daisy Chain Farms, he pulled the car to a stop. The expansive grass jumping field was viewable from the road, and there were several riders putting their horses through their paces.
“I’d like to watch this, do you mind?”
“No, of course not,” Cathy replied.
“Do you know these people?” he asked as they stepped from the car and headed to the fence.
“Yes, I do. I was here for a couple of years with Moon Doggie. You didn’t meet him. You should when we go back.”
“I’d like to, but tell me, why did you leave?”
“I was going through a rebellious stage,” she said with grin. “I was fifteen.”
“Ah, but your rebellious stage never ended,” he quipped, grinning back.
“I plead the fifth!”
“It’s why you stopped showing,” he continued. “You didn’t like someone telling you what to do, and now you just enjoy your mare, and do what you want. There’s no stress. Life with your horse is easy and fun now, but you do miss winning.”
“Are you some kind of warlock?” she asked, staring at him in shock.
“I sometimes wonder that myself,” he replied, looking back at her with an unwavering gaze. “Horses aren’t the only creatures I can read. I look at someone and know things. I don’t reveal it often, only to those I know I can trust, and you, Cathy Coleman, are trustworthy.”
“Uh, thanks,” she said quietly, feeling his sincerity, but also feeling unnerved by him. “You’re a very unusual man.”
“I know,” he mumbled, then turned his attention back to the jumping field. “These people, I already can see they treat their animals like cars. Strictly utilitarian, but that’s common, horses are a business, and at the top of the food chain there are large amounts of money to be made. Everyone wants to get there.”
“How were you able stay in it if you feel that way? Surely it must have bothered you.”
“It did. It does, but my horses loved it, they wanted to compete, but my story is complicated. There were people, a country, depending on me, and being in the sport helped me help the animals. I used my success to educate, and I was able to change some things.”
“You’re a walking oxymoron,” she declared. “I’m sorry, but you are.”
“I know that too,” he said solemnly. “Take me somewhere else, somewhere high that has a view.”
“That’s easy, but it’s about thirty minutes away.”
“Good, I like to drive.”
Back at Scott’s house, all but one of the precious antiques had been carefully loaded into Benny’s pickup truck, the remaining piece placed in the back of Scott’s SUV. While both boys climbed into the truck and headed off, Scott moved through the empty home, checking cupboards and closets, making sure he was leaving nothing behind. Finally satisfied he locked up the house, leaving a key for the cleaning crew under a potted plant near the front gate.
Driving away he felt a wave of sentiment. The home had been good to him, and he’d enjoyed many happy times there, hosting parties for the barn, having his buddies over for football, all the normal things a single cowboy would do, and he’d also enjoyed a few wicked encounters in one of the back bedrooms. He’d installed a perfectly innocent looking pull-up bar in the bathroom doorway, upon which a few willing young ladies had enjoyed his special brand of attention.
Turning the corner at the end of the block, he left the memories behind and turned his thoughts to the toxic note he’d found on his door. It rekindled his doubts about his pursuit of the beautiful girl who was in the process of stealing his heart. She would be over later that night. Would he have answers by then? Would his mind have cleared? He doubted it, but on the plus side, he had until Wednesday. Two days! Two days to come up with some kind of solution.
At her home on the knoll overlooking the lake, Marianne Coleman was sitting in her office perusing the seating plan for an important dinner party she was hosting the coming weekend. It was in honor of the Crystal Valley Equestrian Park, and it would be where David would make the official announcement to the town’s elite. She had to make sure friends were seated next to friends. There was plenty of enmity in the high-end social circle, and she didn’t want any petty squabbles disrupting her table. Seeing Renaldo’s name, she broke into a smile, quite sure he would be Catherine’s escort, and that the two of them would have struck up at least a pleasant friendship by then.
“I know I’m putting pressure on you, Scott Sampson, but it has to be done,” she mumbled. “There’s no way I’ll allow my daughter to get caught up in a romance with someone like you.”
“They say it’s the first
sign of madness.”
Startled by her husband’s voice, she darted up her eyes.
“Sorry?”
“Talking to yourself, it’s the first sign of madness. Did I hear you mention Scott Sampson’s name? Are you planning on inviting him to the dinner?”
“What? Of course not. Really, David, why would I invite someone like that to my dinner?”
“Someone like what?”
“You know, unkempt.”
“I hardly think Scott Sampson would show up at a dinner party unkempt. You saw him working at his barn. Did you think he’d be in a business suit?”
“Enough of this, I have to finish,” she said hastily. “There’s an art to seating, and it takes focus.”
“I know that, my dear, and you are well-known as the hostess with the mostest.”
“Please, David, that is such a hackneyed cliché.”
“I’ve said it many times before, and I’ll say it again. You’re a terrible snob,” he declared, then walking over to her, he kissed her on the cheek. “I honestly don’t know why I love you so much.”
“Yes, you do,” she said smiling up at him. “You love me so much because I put up with you.”
“One of these days…” he muttered, shaking his head.
“One of these days, what?”
“I have no idea, but one of these days…”
“I’ll only be a few more minutes. Did you interrupt me for any particular reason?”
“I did. I want to try that new Italian place tonight. Frank was telling me about it when we played golf this morning. They have gourmet pizza.”
“Pizza?”
“Yes, Marianne, pizza, but it’s gourmet, so it should be right up your alley. How about it?”
“Yes, all right, it will be fun to go somewhere new, but I’m not promising to eat pizza. You know how I feel about picking up hot food with my fingers.”
“You can always use a knife and fork,” he laughed, “but you should try it, just once. Maybe if I ply you with enough wine I’ll get you to loosen up a bit.”
“I’m loose enough, thank you very much.”
“Then prove it, eat a slice of pizza the way it should be eaten.”
“Fine! Now leave me alone and let me finish this,” she said impatiently.
Kissing her lightly, he stared into her eyes and felt his heart swell. He adored his wife. Inside her snooty exterior she had a heart of gold, and she worked tirelessly for the charities with which she was involved.
“Dinner, tonight, it’s a date,” he winked.
“Yes, it’s a date,” she said softly.
“There’s the girl I know and love,” he smiled. “Don’t take too long. I’d like to relax in front of the talking box with my wife for a bit.”
“I promise, I won’t.”
As she watched him walk away, she felt the familiar tingle down her spine. Even after all their years together, he was still the sexiest man she’d ever met, and he still made her toes curl.
The Rolls Royce drove slowly off the road and on to the expansive flat pad. Known as Crystal Valley Point, it offered a panoramic view of the entire valley floor and the mountains beyond. Renaldo stared for a moment, then looked across at Cathy and smiled.
“This is magnificent. Thank you for bringing me here.”
“There’s a plaque over there that tells you the about the history of the valley. In the old west, this is where the Indians would sit and watch for the wagon trains.”
“I can see why,” he murmured. “It’s remarkable.”
“The students from the university come up here and dig, and they almost always find chips of arrowheads and bits and pieces of relics.”
“The stories these hills could tell,” he mumbled.
“We’re lucky today, there’s no wind. We can get out. It gets howling up here.”
“I’ll just bet it does,” he nodded.
Unfastening his seat belt, he climbed from the car, stretched his arms above his head, and began to amble forward. Cathy followed suit, and standing together against the safety rail, they stared out at the endless vista.
“I haven’t been up here in ages,” she said quietly. “I’d forgotten how amazing it is. I’m glad you asked to go somewhere with a view. Is it something you like to do often? Find lookout points?”
“It is. Places like this put things in perspective. They remind us how insignificant we are, and yet, at the same time, how important our lives are. Do you understand what I mean?”
“You’re right,” she said slowly. “I do feel both those things.”
“It’s easy to get caught up in our petty problems and arguments, but being in a place like this reminds us to focus on what’s important.”
“Renaldo, who are you? What are you? I’m sorry, but I don’t understand. One side of you is…forgive me for saying this, all about appearances and being important, almost calculating, and the other side is insightful, and amazingly sensitive, and warm and soft. I don’t get it.”
“This is why you’re trustworthy,” he said, smiling down at her, “because you see the truth. So does your father. Your mother, not so much. She’s always thinking.”
“She is,” Cathy said thoughtfully. “I’ve never seen her that way, but you’re right. She over-analyzes everything.”
“But you don’t. You just see things for what they are. It’s why you should be with the barn manager. I can understand why your mother would want you with someone different, but you’ll be happy with him. He loves you very much. Why are you keeping things a secret?”
“Holy crap,” she muttered. “Was it that obvious, or was it is your, thingie…whatever it is you do, that told you about us?”
“The moment you saw him walk out of the barn, your entire being lit up,” Renaldo said, a faraway look in his eye. “I’ve seen that before.”
“You have?”
“He didn’t like you going out with me one bit,” Renaldo said abruptly, his voice suddenly changing. “He wasn’t jealous, he just didn’t want to share you. There’s a difference.”
“Please don’t tell my mother.”
“Of course I won’t, I wouldn’t do that to either of you, and you don’t have to suffer through dinner with me,” he said warmly. “I’m sure you’d much rather be with your cowboy.”
“My mother won’t like that,” Cathy mumbled, “and she’ll blame me.”
“No, she won’t. I’ll make sure of that.”
“By the way, Scott isn’t just the barn manager, he owns that facility, and another property, an incredible property, one you’d fall in love with. He’s developing it as a sales and training barn.”
Renaldo frowned, then looked back at the view.
“I missed that,” he mumbled. “I knew there was more to him, but I missed that.”
“Please will you explain why you’re two people? You are, you’re two people, and it’s starting to make me a bit crazy.”
“I’ll do my best,” he replied, turning back to look at her. “The world in which I live cares about my car, my clothes, my taste in wine, all those sorts of things. It’s what drives business, relationships, power, and money. All of this,” he declared, waving his arm in an expansive gesture to include his car and his clothes, “it’s all a uniform. Horses live in my soul. They don’t care if my breeches cost ten dollars or two-hundred dollars, they care about what they feel from me. What I have with them means nothing in my other world. Would I like to live a quiet simple life on a farm somewhere, surrounded by nature and animals? Of course, but this is not a choice I have. Many people depend on me, and I must be what they expect, I must do what I do to provide for them, to support them in many ways, not just financial.”
“What about love? Why haven’t you married?”
“You mean, love with a woman? I have learned to separate sex and love. The woman who will bear my children must be like me. She must have the social graces, the monied appearance, all of that. She will not just be a mother to my childr
en, she will be playing a role, just as I do. I will care for her, of course, but my life-partner, my wife to be, romantic love will not enter into it, unless by accident.”
Cathy stared at him for a minute, then shook her head.
“That is the biggest bunch of horse manure I’ve ever heard,” she exclaimed. “Not all of it, but most of it, and I think it’s just a excuse because you’re scared.”
“What? What are you saying?” he frowned. “Scared of what?”
“Scared of having your heart broken. My God, Renaldo, are you out of your mind? Think about what you just said. The reason you love horses so much is because they’re safe. Horses, dogs, animals, they love you unconditionally. That’s why you can be open with them, why you can show them your heart. Loving humans, that’s a whole other thing, humans can hurt you, really hurt you, so you’ve concocted this fairy tale about why you have to be so removed and superficial. It’s so you won’t have to take that chance. You’re nothing but a well-dressed coward who has the money to drive a nice car.”
A heavy, awkward silence suddenly descended, and Cathy felt her cheeks burn hot. His face was white, and he was glaring daggers at her, then he abruptly turned and walked away, and as her eyes followed him, panic began to set in.
Shit, me and my big mouth. What have I done? Shit. Shit. Shit.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Renaldo turned through the gates of the barn to drop Cathy at her car. It was dusk, there wasn’t a soul around, and it seemed to underscore the energy between them. He’d accepted her apology for her outburst, but they’d barely spoken during the drive back, and as he pulled to a stop next to her BMW, she was determined to clear the air before she left.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Looking back at her, he prayed she wasn’t about to launch into another diatribe. Hearing it once had been difficult enough. He didn’t need a repeat performance.
“What’s on your mind?”
“I don’t want to leave things like they are, all weird,” she began. “You’ll be here a lot, working with my dad, and I-“
Her Forbidden Cowboy (Cowboys After Dark Book 12) Page 13
