by Cat Johnson
“I’m home at my mama’s place and I think I’ve got something that’s right up your alley, oh god of the computer world.”
“Lay it on me, brother.” Matt’s excitement radiated through the cell phone.
“I need everything you can find out about a new employee my brother hired, but I gotta warn you, I don’t have much.”
“That’s okay. I love a good challenge. Give me what you’ve got.”
Jack fed Matt what information he could and texted him the photo he’d snapped of Nicki while she’d been busy with Bucky. Cell phones with built-in cameras came in handy at times like this.
“How long do you think it’ll take?” Jack asked.
He could hear clicking as Matt typed on his ever-present computer keyboard. “Well, I can tell you right now you’re right about her name. There’s no Nicki Camp. It’s fake. I don’t know how long. The photo should help, and the fact that you’re pretty sure she’s originally from the northeast. I’ll get back to you when I have something.”
“Great. Thanks, Matt. I really appreciate this.”
“Thank you. You might have saved me from going insane during my mental-health leave.”
Jack laughed. He and Matt said goodbye and hung up.
He knew his teammate well. If there was something to be found on this girl, Matt would find it, no matter how deep he had to dig.
With that thought in mind, Jack headed inside the house to feel out his older brother about his opinion regarding Nicki. A pretty young thing like her would be real tempting to a man recovering from what Jimmy had gone through. Jack really hoped he was wrong about her as he knocked on Jimmy’s open bedroom door.
“So, little brother, you’ve got the hots for Nicki?”
Jack stopped dead in the doorway and stared at Jimmy. “What?”
From his position on the bed, Jimmy grinned. He waved his cell phone at Jack. “Jared just called me from the barn.”
“Great.” Jack rolled his eyes. “I’m glad to see you two are putting modern technology to such good use. I guess you’re too busy gossiping like a couple of old washwomen, so I’ll leave.”
Turning toward the hall, Jack pretended he was going to leave.
“Don’t you dare go.” Jack paused in the doorway until Jimmy said, “I’m sorry. I’m just bored and you and Nicki together would put a little excitement in my sad life.”
He pivoted back with an exaggerated sigh. “Oh, a’ight.”
Coming back into the room Jack flopped backward into the upholstered chair next to the bed. Jimmy lay on top of the covers with a book open in his lap. His left foot was propped up on a pillow. That was the ankle that had been broken by the bastard terrorists while they’d had Jimmy in captivity.
The memory of that twisted Jack’s gut. He glanced at Jimmy’s face and the fading bruises there angered him all over again. “How much longer did the doc say he wants you laid up like this?”
“No idea. It has something to do with my spleen.” Jimmy shook his head. “The broken bones, I can handle. The bruises, who cares? But this internal stuff . . . there’s nothing I can do about that but just wait it out, I guess.”
Jack nodded and decided to bring the subject back around to Nicki, but on his terms this time. “While you’re waiting it out, aren’t you a little tempted by Nicki yourself?”
Jimmy’s room overlooked the barns. He’d have a great view right here from his bed of Nicki’s jean-clad ass sauntering around all day long as she did her chores.
Jimmy shrugged. “I guess I haven’t been feeling all that romantic lately. It’s gonna take a bit of time before I’m back in the saddle again. Besides, she’s a bit on the young side for me.”
Being cooped up while on his medical leave obviously hadn’t done Jimmy’s mental health any good. Jack was going to have to speak with the doc himself, privately, and see just how bad Jimmy really was.
Maybe it would be all right to take him out for a drive or something. A change of scenery might do him good as long as it couldn’t do any damage to him, physically.
What the hell did a spleen do anyway? Jack didn’t know, but damaged spleen or not, Jimmy had managed to get himself into the kitchen for pie today.
Mama’s pie was strong motivation, no matter what the consequences. Hopefully that little trip hadn’t done him any harm.
“Jack, if you’re holding back because of me, don’t.” Jimmy interrupted Jack’s thoughts on pie and mysterious organs. “Go for it. I give you my blessing with Nicki.”
“That’s what Jared said.” Jack held in a sigh.
He knew his brothers well enough to realize he’d have both of them hell-bent on fixing him up with a girl he was only pretending to like so he could secretly investigate her. And he’d only been home a few hours.
The next few weeks should be mighty interesting.
CHAPTER 6
Nicki spent two days trying to avoid Jack. The man seemed to be everywhere.
Not that he wasn’t adorable, because he was, and sexy. Hell, he practically melted her every time he came up, actually snuck up, behind her with a hey, darlin’.
The problem was his constant questions.
The other two Gordon brothers had been easy to lie to. They took her and her story at face value, never pushing for more.
Not Jack. He must have made a thousand subtle inquiries, all purred out in that sexy southern drawl of his.
Maybe being on the run had made her paranoid. Maybe Jack was only interested in learning more about her because he liked her.
That would have been welcome attention at any other time in her life, but not now. Now secrecy was the only thing keeping her safe.
Bad timing, that’s what this was. If they had met at any other time, in any other situation, she would have flirted her butt off with him.
Flirting. Maybe that was still a good idea.
If she could blind him with her sex appeal, maybe he’d stop prying into her past. She glanced down at her mucking boots, sunken ankle-high in mud and manure, and laughed at that ridiculous idea.
Sex appeal. Yeah, right.
She dragged the heavy hose behind her and refilled the water tub in one of the far paddocks where the stallions were turned out. She doubted Jack would follow her all the way out here and she could use a few minutes away from his prodding.
“Hey, Nicki.”
Hearing the male voice suddenly close behind her made her jump. Turning, she breathed in relief to see it was a Gordon brother, but not Jack. “Jared. Hey.”
“So, now that I’ve got you alone, what do you think of my brother?”
Jeez. Could she never get away from Jack, even when he wasn’t there? She decided to play coy. “You know I like Jimmy.”
Jared grinned. “You’re a smart one, Nick, and you know very well I wasn’t talking about Jimmy. What do you think of our Jack?”
“I think he’s not going to be around here long enough for me to think anything about him. That’s what I think.” She hoped that would end this line of questioning.
She’d thought she was safe with Jared. Who knew he was a matchmaker? And was the question Jared’s idea to begin with?
What if Jack had put Jared up to this because he really did have a thing for her?
If Jack wasn’t suspicious, just interested, she didn’t know what to do because the facts remained the same. She was in hiding. Making romantic connections, opening up to anyone about her past, getting tied down to one place and one person, was not an option. Even if she did wish it were.
Jared continued to watch her as she devoted more than the necessary attention to filling the tub.
She finally couldn’t take it any longer. “Was there something else, Jared, besides your interest in my opinion of your brothers?”
He smiled broader and shook his head. “Nah. That was pretty much it. Oh, and Bucky’s abscess broke through. He’s up and standing in the stall again.”
Thank goodness he was back to talking about work. This
she could handle. “That’s great. I’ll turn him out into the paddock when I’m done here.”
“Do that later. The new mare I bought is in heat and ready to be bred. I’m fixin’ to bring the lucky stud over to her.” Jared hooked a thumb in the direction of the paddock containing the stud in question. “Since this mare’s an unknown, I wouldn’t mind an extra hand around in case she’s a kicker.”
Nicki raised a brow. “So you are here for something besides bothering me?”
He grinned while slipping open the gate. “Yup, but bothering you is so much fun I decided to do that too.”
Jared hooked the lead rope she hadn’t noticed him holding to a beautiful black Arabian’s halter and led him out of the paddock. Nicki secured the gate behind them, then ran to shut off the water to the hose.
When she caught up with him and the stallion, Jared glanced sideways at her. “So, you like Jimmy more than Jack then.”
She couldn’t help but laugh at his persistence. “Whose side are you on, anyway? Jack’s or Jimmy’s?”
“I’m on my own side. I figure if I can marry you off to one of my two brothers, you’ll never quit on me and I won’t have to pay you anymore.”
Nicki laughed again. She didn’t have plans to marry anyone at the moment, but she did like it here. She only hoped she could stick around for a while.
CHAPTER 7
Jack had been helping out in the barns since his arrival home for two reasons. First, he truly did miss being around the horses when he was away. Second, and most important, it was where Nicki usually could be found.
Matt was taking longer to find information on her than Jack had expected. While waiting for Matt’s call—and boy, did he wish Matt would hurry the hell up and call—Jack had figured he could do a little digging himself.
He’d have to be more careful though. He’d noticed Nicki was starting to avoid him. He was pushing too hard.
Maybe he’d lost his touch when it came to flirting. Usually women fell at his feet. Well, all women except for Carly. She hadn’t, but that had been a special situation.
Sighing, Jack was about to start feeling sorry for himself again when he spotted Nicki and Jared walking across the field with the stud horse Jared had been going on and on about for days.
Jack’s heart kicked into high gear at the sight of Nicki. Damn, she looked good in those jeans. It was a darn shame she was most likely hiding something.
“Hey, darlin’,” he greeted her when they were close enough.
Jack noticed Jared smirk at him as he continued into the paddock with the stallion. When Nicki went to follow him in, Jack stepped forward and stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Stay out here where it’s safe. There’s plenty of men in there already. Jared doesn’t need you too.”
She didn’t seem to like that one bit. Her brow furrowed as she shook his hand off her arm. “He asked me to help.”
Inside the paddock, Jared handed the stallion off to two farm hands. “Jack’s right, Nicki. Stay there for now and I’ll call you if I need you.”
She screwed up her pretty mouth in a pout and leaned against the rail, leaving a good few feet between herself and Jack. He closed that distance fast enough and leaned next to her. She pretended not to notice, but she did. He saw her body tense even as she pretended he wasn’t there.
As a second lead rope was hooked to the antsy stallion’s halter, she watched, wide-eyed. Two men held him now as the horse, who knew something was up, started to rear.
The mare was still locked up in the barn, but it was very obvious the stud horse could smell her from out here. He was, understandably, becoming more spirited, not to mention visibly excited.
Was she blushing as she stared at the impressive stud? As much as she knew about horses, it seemed she wasn’t all that versed in the breeding process.
Jack asked, “You ever see a mare bred before?”
She didn’t look at him, but shook her head. “We always used frozen transported sperm and artificial insemination on our mares. We never had to deal with the stallion.”
He had to contain his excitement. She’d just spilled a whole lot of clues he could give Matt. She must have worked on a breeding farm, and a pretty big one too, if she knew about artificial insemination and transported sperm.
“And who’s we, darlin’? What farm was this?”
She glanced at him then looked away just as fast, shaking her head. “It was a tiny farm. I’m sure you’ve never heard of it.”
“What’s the name? Maybe I have.”
“It was so tiny, it didn’t have a name. Just an old farmer with a few mares, that’s all.” She dismissed his question with a wave of a hand that was meant, he supposed, to look casual.
Another lie. At ten thousand bucks a pop minimum, there was no way some old farmer on a little no name farm was using artificial insemination to breed his mares.
He didn’t have time to pursue this latest fallacy, since just then Jared brought the mare out on a lead, but kept her on the other side of the fence. He walked her past the stallion who was doing what he could to get to her in spite of the two farmhands holding him and the fence separating them.
Nicki had definitely not been lying when she said she’d never seen breeding done the old-fashioned way. Her eyes widened at the sight.
“What Jared is doing is kind of introducing the mare to the stallion. That’s also how you can tell if she’s really in season. It’s called teasing. If she is in heat and is going to accept him, she’ll show for him.” Jack narrated the amorous equine action for Nicki. As if on cue, the mare sashayed her butt in front of the stallion and lifted her tail, holding it to one side. He watched Nicki blush darker as he continued, “Just like that.”
Jared brought the mare into the paddock.
“He’s going to keep a hold on her so he can pull her away if necessary. Since he’s never bred her before, he’s not sure she won’t kick at the stallion instead of stand for him. But he’s already pulled off her rear shoes just in case. If she kicks, she won’t do as much damage.” Jack glanced down at Nicki. “She could also strike out forward, toward the person holding her on the lead rope, so Jared has to watch out for himself too. That’s why neither of us wanted you in there until you’re used to the procedure.”
She glanced up at him and then quickly toward the action in the paddock. It was starting to really heat up. He watched Nicki’s eyes drop to the ground as the stallion mounted the mare and began thrusting.
It was over quick enough, but Nicki looked like she was ready to crawl into a hole by the time it was done. Jack had been watching horses being bred for as long as he could remember and never thought twice about it.
Meanwhile, Nicki reacted as if she were watching the filming of a porno movie.
The two men brought the stallion back out to the far paddock, Jared led the mare to her stall and it was all over.
Nicki mumbled something about having to get Bucky and left Jack to consider all he’d learned and wonder. She was a strange mix of city girl and horsewoman . . . and where the hell was Matt with his answers about her past?
Jack pulled out his cell and dialed. Maybe if he kept pestering Matt, he’d get working a little harder on this.
Matt answered the phone after the first ring. “I was just picking up the phone to call you. I’ve got her.” Jack’s heart pounded faster as Matt said,
“Niccolina Campolini. Born in Brooklyn, New York to Nicholas Campolini, who trains racehorses on Long Island.”
Jack let out a long, slow whistle. “Wow.”
Little old farmer, his ass. He’d heard of the Campolinis. They trained at Belmont racetrack and had a few champions come out of their stables.
“And get this,” Matt continued. “It seems someone filed a missing persons report on her about a month back. A classmate of Niccolina’s called the police after she missed her final exam for an equine vet class she was taking at night school. When the police questioned her father, he told them she was fine. H
e said she was away on some family emergency, so they dropped it.”
“So what’s really going on? Why is she here mucking stalls and using a fake name?” Jack’s stomach clenched as a sick thought struck him. “Do you think her father was messing around with her and she had to run?”
“I don’t know, Jack. But from what you’ve said about her not answering any questions, it seems she doesn’t want to be found.”
“That rotten, cowardly, son of a—”
“Jack, I recognize that tone of voice. Do not even think of going to New York and dealing out justice yourself. First of all, you don’t know that her father did anything wrong. Second, this Campolini has got mob ties. That might not mean much to a southern boy like you, but take it from a New Yorker. You don’t want to mess with those guys.”
When Jack didn’t answer, Matt said, “Jack. I want you to promise me you won’t do anything.”
“Sure. No problem. Thanks for the info, Matt.”
“Why am I not convinced?” Matt sounded skeptical.
“Because you’re a suspicious bastard?” Jack asked.
Matt laughed. “No, because I know you. Let me make you a deal. You don’t do anything on your own without talking to me first. If you’re going to do something stupid, you might need backup.”
Jack smiled. “You really are bored.”
“No. Well, yes, but I’m more interested in preventing you from starting a war with the mob.”
“A’ight, I promise. That good enough?” It wouldn’t hurt to humor Matt for now. Jack could decide if he was going to proceed on his own or if he really did need backup later.
“It’ll have to do. I’m checking in with you every day and I think I’ll be calling you on your mama’s house phone from now on. Make sure you’re actually where you say you are.”
Matt, his friend and teammate, didn’t trust him? Even if he was planning on going off on his own to handle this thing, Jack still frowned at that thought. “You don’t have my mama’s house phone number.”
“Jack, really, you insult me. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Say hi to Jimmy for me.” Then the line went dead.
