Alexandra’s face turned red with anger. “Fuck you, Skyler Reese.”
Skyler raised her drink in salute. “I believe you already did,” she muttered as Alexandra stormed off. Showing her empty glass to the bartender, she said, “How about another of these? A double this time.”
If he’d heard their exchange, he showed no reaction. “Yes, ma’am. Coming right up.”
Skyler leaned against the bar and scanned the crowd, searching for one woman only.
“So, you ride, you train, you dance. Is there anything you can’t do?” The silky voice sent a tingle through Skyler. Jessica’s black hair, usually kept in French braid, fell loose around her shoulders. She wore snug black jeans and a cobalt silk shirt that complemented her iridescent eyes.
“Hey there.” Skyler let her eyes linger on the tempting curves she was not allowed to touch. “Kate puts on quite a shindig, doesn’t she? You having a good time?”
“Better every minute.” Jessica gulped down the last of her drink and signaled the bartender for another. “I saw you dancing with Clint out there. You’re pretty good.”
“Thanks. I’d ask you to dance, but some of this crowd wouldn’t appreciate it and I promised Kate I would be on my best behavior.”
“Oh, that exchange with Alexandra was your best behavior?”
Skyler sighed. Why did Jessica always seem to be around to witness her at her worst?
“Maybe you should slow down on the alcohol a little,” Jessica suggested.
“Don’t worry, I always throw up before I get drunk enough to embarrass myself.”
“Now that sounds attractive.”
They laughed together at Skyler’s sarcasm, but Jessica’s irritation was tangible. Skyler was trying to come up with a smooth compliment when Kate came over and made an excuse to draw Jessica away. Skyler saw straight through the move. Whenever they were at a social event, she always made sure Jessica wasn’t left alone with her for more than a few minutes. Skyler didn’t know whether to feel insulted or flattered that Kate couldn’t trust Jessica to resist her. Was she that irresistible?
She glanced down as a hand slipped into hers and Charlie looked up at her in tears. “What’s wrong, buddy?” she asked
Charlie fought back a sniffle. “Scott punched me.” Gingerly touching his nose, he choked out, “I’m okay.”
There was a tiny amount of blood, but Skyler suspected his tears were from shock and humiliation more than pain. “I know I’d be bawling if I got hit in the nose like that. How about if we go get some ice for it?”
She led him into the kitchen and wrapped an ice pack from the freezer in a dishtowel. She held it to his nose until it stopped bleeding then sat him on her lap and stroked his tear-stained cheek. Charlie leaned his head against her shoulder and let out a long sigh. “Jessica danced with me before. She sure is pretty, isn’t she?”
Skyler chuckled deep in her chest. “She sure is, Charlie.”
*
Skyler squinted in the sun as she watched Jessica take Rampage over the show jumps a couple of days after the fund-raiser. The big horse flew easily over the course, and Jessica’s eyes shone when she pulled him up next to Skyler.
“He’s really on today,” she said, catching her breath.
“How’s the knee?” Skyler asked.
“It’s doing good. I’ve never felt better.” It had been tough, earlier, to inject the knee herself for the first time, but she’d managed to do it without passing out and the results were well worth the trouble.
“He sure looks warmed up enough. Since your knee has improved so much, maybe you can take him on the cross-country course today. What do you think?”
“Definitely.”
Skyler grinned at the excitement on Jessica’s face. She reached over and squeezed her knee, partly as a show of support and partly to make sure Jessica wasn’t covering real pain. Not a twitch. Skyler was amazed. That knee really had taken a sudden turn for the better. The physical therapy was obviously paying dividends.
“Let me saddle up so I can trail you and see how you guys do together,” she said. “You know, if your knee keeps mending this way, you’ll be in good shape for the trials.”
“Well, that’s the plan,” Jessica said brightly.
Skyler saddled Con Air and they walked the horses toward the course. “Just take it slow. Don’t let him get away from you. He really likes to fly and I don’t want either of you injured.”
She gave Jessica and Rampage the go ahead, and held Con Air back for a minute to give them a decent lead.
Jessica hunkered down on the big bay and relaxed. The two blazed over the jumps. Skyler had to push Con Air a little to keep up. It looked like it would be a perfect run until they approached the downhill water jump. Skyler saw Jessica’s head lift and her body tense. Suddenly, she yanked on the reins as they approached the jump and the stallion skidded into rather than launching over the jump. The impact nearly unseated Jessica, but since she’d initiated the balk, she was prepared and managed to maintain her seat.
Skyler couldn’t stop Con Air without crashing into Rampage, so they sailed past to clear the jump. She wheeled around and came charging back. “Good God, Jess. Are you all right?” Skyler jumped down from Con Air and ran to Jessica’s side.
Jessica’s face was white and she was shaking so hard her teeth chattered. “I fro—froze up,” she choked out. Tears began to slide down her pale cheeks.
Rampage fretted and pawed the ground, irritated by the sudden stop. Skyler pulled Jessica off him and hugged her in a protective embrace.
Sobs choked Jessica’s words as she fought for control. “What if he fell when he hit the water on the other side? I couldn’t go through the whole hospital ordeal if I got hurt again. I only have to smell rubbing alcohol and I launch into an anxiety attack.” She clutched Skyler’s shirt in her fists and buried her face against the strong chest.
Skyler rubbed the tense muscles of Jessica’s back. “Hey, that’s understandable,” she said softly. “This is the first time you’ve been on a course since the accident?”
Jessica’s shoulders shook with silent sobs. The tears flowed hard for a few minutes before she finally regained her voice. “I just keep seeing Racer lying there with the bone sticking out of his leg. I can hear him screaming. I can hear me screaming.”
“It’s okay,” Skyler soothed her. “It takes time to get over a really bad experience like that. You should have told me it was your first time since the accident. We should have talked about this before we hit the course.”
Jessica sniffled against Skyler’s chest, her voice childlike. “I didn’t want you to think I was a sissy.”
“Honey, you are no sissy. Look at me,” Skyler commanded. “We can fix this. Nothing is going to stop us.”
Jessica wrapped her in a fierce hug and they stood there for several long moments while Skyler stroked her back. She didn’t want to move, but they both seemed suddenly aware that they were standing with their arms around each other. Skyler’s heart beat wildly against Jessica’s ear and she felt a hot blush flood her cheeks. But it was quickly forgotten when she noticed dark spots of blood on the dusty ground. Where was the blood coming from? “Look,” she pointed.
Skyler stepped back and checked her over frantically, demanding, “Are you hurt?
“No.” Jessica stared down at the blood, then her eyes flew to Rampage.
At the same time as Skyler, she saw the long, thin splinter protruding from beneath the skin of his chest.
“Let’s get him in the barn and call the vet,” Skyler said grimly.
The moment they’d shared was quickly forgotten.
Chapter Eight
By the time Dr. Victoria Greyson arrived at Creek Barn, Kate had joined Skyler and Jessica at Rampage’s stall. The tall veterinarian smiled at the worried group. Her dark blond hair was cut much like Skyler’s, but while Skyler’s eyes were a soft brown, this woman’s were an unusually dark forest green. She gave Skyler a quick wink a
nd reached to shake Kate’s hand as her eyes lingered over Jessica.
“Jessica, this is Dr. Greyson,” Kate said.
“That’s Tory to my friends, Jessica. So, please, call me Tory. I’ve heard your name from Kate so many times.”
Kate hadn’t told Tory how stunning her young charge was. She’d said their Olympic hopes were pinned on this horse, but one look at the attractive rider ratcheted Tory’s concern for the horse’s injury even higher. The opportunity to be Jessica’s white knight was too good to pass up. She studied the stallion. “So what’s up with this guy?”
Jessica slid the stall door back. “He crashed into a jump and he has a splinter stuck in his chest. Oh, wait. You might want to keep one eye on him because he has a biting problem when he’s around strangers.”
“That’s easy enough to fix with a little tranquilizer if needed.” Tory eyed the horse’s chest. “Hold his head to the side. Hmm. This actually looks fairly superficial because it went in sideways, but this is a really large splinter. Nearly six inches long. The best thing to do is to make an incision along the skin to remove it rather than pulling it out. I don’t want to risk leaving some small pieces that could cause infection.”
Tory worked extensively with performance horses, so she knew the next question would be from Skyler, about his workouts. Anticipating her, she said, “It will take a bit of stitching to close but since it will be a shallow incision, he should be able to resume dressage and gallops in just a few days. The skin will have had time to begin mending by then. I wouldn’t jump him for a week.”
Jessica was quiet, her eyes filled with worry. Tory smiled at her. “Hey, don’t look so serious. He’ll be fine. And…you’ve got the best vet in these four counties at your service.” With her most dazzling smile, she asked, “How about coming out to my truck with me? You can help me carry back some of the stuff I’ll need to take care of this.”
Skyler rubbed her neck and frowned, her eyes following Tory and Jessica as they exited the barn. She wanted to be sure they were out of earshot before she told Kate what had happened. “Jess froze,” she said.
“Damn.” Kate looked worried.
“They came to the downhill water jump. She was almost able to stop him, but he still ran into the fence a bit.” Skyler paused, knowing what Jessica’s loss of confidence might mean for the future. “I don’t think his injury is serious. I’m more concerned about Jess freezing. It could have been much worse.”
“I’m wondering if she’s not trying to do the impossible,” Kate said. “She has to ice that knee down every night. I know it’s hurting her. I had a talk with her physical therapist. He couldn’t tell me anything specific that would violate Jess’s privacy, but I could tell he’s worried, too.”
Skyler was surprised. “That’s funny. The last few days, she doesn’t appear to be in that much pain during our training sessions. I was under the impression the leg was getting much better.”
Kate scratched her head. “Hell, I don’t know. Jessica has always been a very private person, but she’s really closed down since the accident. Maybe she needs some professional help.”
Their conversation was cut short when Jessica and Tory returned. As Tory injected a numbing agent in the skin around the splinter, Jessica asked, “Is that the same thing they use on humans?”
“It’s similar,” Tory said. “Carbocaine lasts a bit longer than the lidocaine they use on people. Vets use it because you can’t exactly lay an animal down on a table and have easy access to the wound. So, it sometimes takes longer to stitch them up.”
Skyler frowned. Jessica seemed really interested in what Tory was explaining.She didn’t want to think about why Jessica’s attention to Tory pissed her off. Turning to Kate, she said, “Well, it doesn’t take four people to take out a splinter.”
The two women working on Rampage didn’t seem to hear her. She stalked off toward the feed room, leaving Kate squinting quizzically at the vet and rider. It certainly looked like Tory and Jessica were hitting it off.
“Maybe I’ll get Tory to stay for dinner,” Kate said when she arrived in the doorway of the feed room a few seconds later. “A new friend could get Jessica to open up some.”
*
Over dinner, Jessica found the attractive vet a wonderful conversationalist. The subject matter, of course, was centered on horses. With Kate and Charlie rounding out the group, the conversation was lively and the time went quickly. When the time came for Charlie to get off to bed he was reluctant to leave and shuffled toward the stairs only after a stern look from Kate. Pausing at the bottom of the stairway, he announced, “Hey, you know what? When I grow up, I’m going to be a vet, too.”
The women laughed as he sprinted up the stairs.
“He’s really cute,” Tory said.
“Yeah, well, he wanted to be a trainer like Skyler until Jess arrived,” Kate said. “Then he wanted to be a rider. So tonight’s revelation doesn’t surprise me.” She sighed. “I would adopt him in a skinny minute, but he has an uncle coming to get him in about two weeks.”
They cleared the dishes and Tory picked up her jacket. “I’d better be heading home. My own animals haven’t been fed and I’ve got a few hours of paperwork waiting on me.” She turned to Jessica. “Walk me out?”
“Sure.” Jessica led the way. They paused on the porch and leaned against the railing.
“Kate says you haven’t been out at all since you got here,” Tory said.
“I guess I have been training pretty hard,” Jessica admitted. “Tonight, though, was great. I think it was the first time I’ve forgotten about my leg and training for even a few hours.”
“I have a problem myself putting work aside and just having fun. So, I thought maybe we could go to a movie or dinner sometime. I can always use another friend.”
“That sounds good.”
“Great. How about Friday night? I’ve been dying to try out that new Mexican restaurant in town.”
Jessica smiled. “I’d like that.”
“I’ll have to call you to let you know what time. I never know how my schedule is working out until the last minute…what with emergencies and stuff.”
“I can imagine.” Jessica looked into Tory’s beautiful eyes. “See you on Friday.”
As the veterinarian’s truck headed down the drive, her thoughts turned to Rampage. The anesthetic she’d injected into her knee that afternoon had long since worn off, but she needed to check on him before she turned in. She found her cane and hobbled wearily down the drive to the Creek Barn.
*
The stallion was lying down when she peeked into the stall, but got to his feet when she slid the stall door back. Her throbbing leg, the long line of stitches across the stallion’s chest, and the memory of freezing at the water jump suddenly weighed heavily and her eyes began to fill with hot tears.
“Hey, I thought I heard someone down here.” Skyler’s low, rich voice was the last straw. Jessica leaned against Rampage’s shoulder and choked back a sob.
Skyler’s face was tense with concern as she slipped into the stall. “Jess, hey, what’s the matter? Rampage is going to be fine.”
She drew Jessica into a firm embrace and held her close. Something deep inside rejoiced that it was still her shoulder Jessica preferred to cry on. The young rider’s body fit perfectly against her own, and after a while, the sobs turned to sniffles. Skyler pulled a bandana from the pocket of her jeans and dabbed at Jessica’s face.
Jessica took the cloth from her and blew her nose into it. “You must think I’m a real crybaby.” She inspected Skyler’s front. “I got your shirt wet…again.”
“It’s okay,” Skyler said softly. “And I don’t think you’re a crybaby.”
“I guess everything just closed in on me.” Jessica snuggled into Skyler’s strong embrace once more.
God, she felt good. Stroking the dark, silky head, Skyler repeated, “It’s okay. Everything’s going to be fine.”
With her damp cheek pressed
against Skyler’s chest, Jessica realized the trainer was wearing nothing under her T-shirt. Her heart began pulsing harder as she felt the nipple underneath the thin material harden against her cheek. She tilted her head back. After only a split second of hesitation, she touched Skyler’s cheek and looked into her eyes. They were soft with affection and yearning, and Skyler’s breath was warm on her face. Their lips parted and barely brushed. It started as a soft thank-you kiss, but Jessica knew she had to have more. More of Skyler. More of the heat that tingled in her groin. More of the warmth that infused her soul and made her feel safe.
Skyler stiffened when the hand on the back of her neck beckoned her down again, then she closed her eyes and gently complied. She opened to the tentative tongue that requested entrance. Their tongues slowly danced together, feeling and tasting. Skyler shut out the alarms that were going off in her head and instead listened to this dark-haired, blue-eyed siren whose call was becoming too powerful to resist. Jessica’s warm body melded to hers, and Skyler fell headlong into the abyss she’d been dancing around for months.
When Jessica pulled away at last, her smile was soft. “Thank you,” she whispered, caressing Skyler’s cheek again. Without another word, she turned and limped away to the house.
Dazed, Skyler put her fingers to her lips and stared at Rampage. Her mind raced. Did they just do that? Did she just let her do that? She couldn’t stop the blazing grin that grew as her heart began to slow.
The big horse snorted at her.
“Hey, don’t be so jealous.” Skyler chuckled. “All I got were her lips. You get to feel those beautiful legs wrapped around you every day. Want to trade?”
*
When Jessica went looking for Skyler, she found Con Air’s stall empty. Since Rampage had a few days off, she’d been helping Skyler with the youngsters under her charge. Jessica found she really liked working with the kids. Charlie was just starting to take small jumps, while Jamie was showing real promise on the short cross-country course. Scott, who preferred Western riding, was working on reining patterns, the Western version of dressage.
Bareback Page 8
