He wanted to get into his truck and go to her, but that would be impulsive. The old Carson didn’t do things that were impulsive or reckless.
After a moment’s hesitation, Carson picked up the truck keys and headed out the door. Snatching the baseball on his way past, he shoved it in his pocket.
The chaos queen had introduced chaos into his ordered life. And what was worse, he liked it.
* * * *
Sam wrote down one more item on her list of things to do tomorrow then checked off the things she’d finished earlier that day.
She walked into her kitchen and washed the small pile of dishes in the sink. Next she took the magazines scattered around the room and placed them in a semi-neat piled on the coffee table. Only then did it occur to her. Sam eyes widened as she stared around the room in wonder.
Her place was tidy. It wasn’t Carson-tidy, but it was Sam-tidy. You could see the kitchen counter and the tabletop. Books were stacked on bookshelves rather than piles on the floor. Her clothes were put away, either hanging in a closet or stuffed in drawers, rather than strewn about the bedroom.
Incredible. When had that happened? And the lists? When had she started actually not only making lists but also using them?
What did it all mean? Too much, she feared.
She jumped when the door opened.
Burke walked in without knocking. So much for organization, she’d forgotten to lock the door and turn on the alarm system.
Her old friend gazed around the room in shock.
“You haven’t been in here for a while, have you?”
“What happened?”
Sam shrugged.
“It’s Carson.” Burke put his hands on his hips and stared at the tidy little apartment in disgust. “When are you going to learn?”
“Learn what?”
“That guy isn’t right for you.”
“You don’t need to tell me that. We’re as different as an Arabian and a draft horse.”
Burke shrugged, helped himself to a glass of wine, and stopped to admire that it was actually in a bottle, not a box. He sat down on the old couch and propped his feet on the coffee table.
“Make yourself at home.”
“I always do.”
“I can’t believe you don’t have a date. It’s Friday night.”
“I’m in between men. The last one bored me.”
“In other words, he didn’t have a big enough bankroll.”
“You’ve got that right.” Burke leveled a knowing look at her. “Neither does Carson.”
“His financial status is none of my business.”
“It should be, if you were smart. Just because he’s a Reynolds, don’t assume he’s wealthy. The man’s business is in major debt.”
“I don’t care about that.”
“Sure you do. You have Olympic aspirations. The Reynolds’ family holdings aren’t looking much better. They’re going through some tough times. So don’t think you have a chance there.”
“I’m sure his father is shrewd enough to pull them from the brink of disaster.”
“Are the boys shrewd enough to keep it there?”
“Carson is,” Sam countered too quickly.
“He’ll never settle down with someone like you, Sam.” Burke spoke gently as if to soften the blow. It didn’t soften it. She knew the truth in her heart, but it didn’t make it hurt any less.
“I know.” Sobs bubbled in her throat, and she savagely fought them back. She would not cry.
“Assuming Hans is named head trainer, what are your plans?”
Sam shrugged. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.” Something prevented her from confiding in her best friend about the deal with Hans. Burke had been weird lately, and Sam just didn’t want to talk to him about, well, about things. “You seem concerned.”
“Of course, I am. I’m your friend. He’s using you to get his horse sold, while he gets a little on the side. You’re reading too much into it.”
“Your concern is past its due date. Carson and I are through as far as a relationship. We’re strictly business.”
“Well, that’s good. I’m relieved. I’d hate to see you hurt.”
Sam studied her friend and wondered if that was the real reason he was here or what was really going on. She didn’t buy the concerned friend act. Burke was good. He’d fooled countless men over the years, and he’d fooled Sam. This time something didn’t ring true.
Another knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Sam felt relief. She opened the door expecting to see Juan on one of his midnight surveillance runs, checking on her. He still spent his nights in an empty stall. She considered it unnecessary since there hadn’t been an incident in a while, but she’d heard rumors of other barns having issues.
Sam opened the door to a very sexy, disheveled Carson. Burke raised one eyebrow and rose to his feet.
“Carson. What brings you here in the middle of the night?”
“I wanted to make sure everything was fine.”
Frowning, Burke slid past him in the doorway and fired one last shot. “Don’t be a fool, Sam.”
Carson watched him leave, then shut the door and locked it.
“Carson, what are you doing here?”
“I’m not sure. I just needed to see that you were okay.”
“You drove all the way from the city to find out? A phone works just as well.”
Carson grabbed a can of beer out of the fridge and flopped onto the couch. “You have a bottle of wine in the refrigerator.” His gaze swept the room in incredulous amazement. “What happened to this place?”
“Burke said the same thing. Nothing. It always looks like this. You’ve just caught me at some bad times in the past.”
“Bullshit.” He snorted and leveled a direct gaze at her, sobering quickly. “I wanted you to stay last night.”
“We’ve been over this ground. Our personal relationship is over. You ended it yourself.”
“Maybe I want to start it again.”
“Maybe I don’t.” Sam sat in a chair a safe distance from him, if there was such a thing as a safe distance.
“Sam, I miss you.”
Her heart caught in her throat. She forced herself to breathe. “There’s no reason to start something that’s going nowhere.”
Carson moved closer. “I want another chance.”
“For what?”
“To show you I can be good in bed.”
“You idiot. You are good in bed. Fantastic. I just said that to Burke to get him off my back. He doesn’t approve of our relationship.”
“So now you’re admitting we have a relationship?”
“We have nothing. We had a fling, and we have a business partnership until that horse is sold.”
“What then?”
“Then we go our separate ways.”
“What if you get the job at Cedrona?”
“I won’t.” If he only knew the truth.
“Now there’s the power of positive thinking. You did great at your last show. So did your students.”
“Car, please don’t make this any tougher.”
“You can take the assistant job.” His Caribbean blue eyes were drawing her into their warm depths.
“You know I can’t. You can’t afford to pay me enough. I need to be able to pay back my debt and get the evil stepmother off my back.”
“What did Burke want?”
“To warn me away from you.”
“I’m a regular playboy. I should be watched.”
“Carson, he’s just doing what any friend would do. I know what you’re thinking. Burke wouldn’t purposely damage horses in order to make money.”
“He’s not getting any younger. I haven’t seen him with any viable prospect lately. Maybe he’s getting desperate for money.”
“He finally paid his board bill in cash. That’s a hefty chunk of money.”
“Three weeks late.”
“He must have sold a horse.”
“When did you find that out? You didn’t say anything about this last night.”
“Brad gave me the information this afternoon.” Carson handed it to her and watched as she scanned the papers.
“I just can’t accept this. I’ve known Burke for years. He was one of my mother’s best friends. He’s been in my life as long as I can remember. If you’re insinuating that he had something to do with the fire and all the incidents lately, you’re wrong.”
“What if I’m not?”
* * * *
He’d upset her, but he didn’t see an alternative. Her uncertain, vulnerable expression was his undoing.
Carson stood and crossed the room to where she was standing. He needed to protect her, to touch her. His male ego needed to know that he could turn her on. His heart needed to know that she cared.
“Sam.” He placed his hands on her shoulders. She turned to him.
“Carson.” Her lioness eyes were clouded with confusion.
God, he loved it when she said his name like that, her voice all husky and full of need. She looked at him like he was her hero, and he really wanted to be that guy. Had any woman ever looked at him like that? Not Marcia, she’d been too busy competing with him or molding him into her own creation.
Her tousled caramel hair looked sexy as hell. He wanted to bury his fingers in it and feel it brush across his naked body.
Damn. Hell. Shit. Fuck. He was done for and hard as a rock. He pulled her into his arms, and she came willingly. Burying his face in that wild mane of hair, he held her tight. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Her lips caressed his cheek. He moaned, the deep guttural moan of his primitive ancestors. Carson the tight ass was conspicuously absent. He had to have this woman even if this sharp razor of need cut him so deeply that he never recovered.
“Car, I...” He felt her breath in his ear.
“You need me as much as I need you. Say it.”
“I need you.”
With a growl, he picked her up and carried her to an unusually clean bedroom; even the bed was made, but it wouldn’t be for long. He’d be sure to destroy that one detail.
He threw her on the bed, and she bounced, laughing the whole time while her eyes burned with the same lust he was certain burned in his. “What is it about you?” he muttered.
“What is it about you?” She opened her arms to him as he settled beside her.
“Take that off.”
She complied, sitting up to whip the t-shirt over her head and onto the floor. He unzipped her jeans and pulled them off, then stood to remove his jeans, t-shirt, and underwear. He took his time just drinking in the sight of her naked body.
“You are so beautiful.”
“So are you, pretty boy, even with those non-decorative muscles.” She stared at one muscle in particular.
Carson grinned and fell across her body. His mouth hungrily found hers while his hands massaged her breasts. She wriggled underneath him as her tongue and mouth drove him wild.
He pulled off her underwear and plunged deep within her. She rose to meet him, her fingernails raking his back, her long legs wrapped around his waist as her heels dug into his naked butt. They rocked with a rhythm that took them higher and higher until they stood on the brink of heaven or hell.
Carson was treading on dangerous ground near an ocean cliff with a three hundred foot dropoff. One step closer, and he’d never recover from the fall. Flipping caution the bird, he walked to the edge and dived off into the wild, swirling waters below.
Chapter 36—The Past is but a Memory
Sam stirred to the soft sounds of snoring. Carson snored? She’d never heard him snore before. Holy noise control, Batman, the guy was human.
He was safer when he wasn’t, because the cold, precise, anal Carson was much easier to dislike. She turned and studied him in the sunlight that filtered through the bedroom window. Dislike was the furthest thing from her mind and her heart.
She was undeniably, head-over-her-cowboy-boot-heels in love with him. The real question was did he know or suspect her true feelings? She hoped not because nothing good would come of that. She was bound to leave this place, and he was bound to stay.
His father wanted him back in the family fold, and Cedrona appeared to be a trial by fire. Carson would succeed somehow. The man was relentless when he wanted something. He would lead Reynolds Corporation into the next era, and he’d do it well. She had no doubt about that.
A pang of regret sliced through her. She wouldn’t get to see the dreams they built come into being. She’d be gone within the month, either slaving for her stepmother or working on some faraway farm.
She was tired of fighting. Why not enjoy one more month of pleasure in the arms of this man? She’d deal with the consequences and the heartbreak later. And there would be heartbreak—lots of it—but she’d live and so would he.
Carson stirred and opened his eyes, squinting in the early morning light. “Are you leering at me?” His mouth turned up in a sleepy grin.
Sam allowed herself the pleasure of running her eyes up and down his body, naked except for the sheets wrapped around his legs and thighs. He was one gorgeous man.
Carson returned the favor, his gaze going from sleepy to sizzling in a split second. He pulled her to him, and she had her way with him, even though he thought the situation was reversed.
* * * *
Sam’s face broke into a big smile. Lola and Teddi had both won their classes on second-rate borrowed horses, beating Hans’ students on their expensive, talented warmbloods. Bridget was steaming, blaming the judges, and threatening to lodge a complaint.
Gabbie won every class with flawless performances and impressive scores. They qualified easily for Regionals. Sam kept waiting for the bomb to drop, but so far the mare hadn’t put a hoof wrong.
And Carson, well, they just didn’t talk about the future. They lived in the present. She didn’t want to think about what would happen after Regionals. She’d made a deal with the devil in the form of an exacting German pain in the ass. She intended to keep it, win or lose. The agreement gave her an out she wouldn’t normally have had. In a way she was glad that it removed her choices. She would leave. That was a given. Where she would go was the question burning in her soul.
She didn’t dare confide in anyone. Carson would never forgive her if he found out what she’d done. It would be better for all involved if he thought she left because she wanted to leave. That way he wouldn’t try to keep her there or void the verbal agreement she’d made.
And he wouldn’t look for her.
* * * *
Carson looked up from the stack of paperwork littering his desk.
“Burke. What can I do for you?” Burke strutted into the room, better dressed than Carson had ever been, and that was pretty well dressed.
“My client is prepared to make an offer for Gabriella.”
Carson sat up. “Really?”
“A very generous offer.” Burke preened like a peacock.
“How generous.”
Burke waited several seconds for dramatic effect. “A half million.”
“For a horse?”
“Assuming she passes the vet check.”
“Holy cow.” Carson raked his fingers through his hair. His stomach nose-dived to his feet. He should be thrilled. It was all coming together. Heck, just this morning his mother had called. She’d convinced Kate Malone to give them another chance. He was meeting with her in a few days.
“They want her by next week.”
“But she’ll miss Regionals.”
“So what, she’s as good as sold.”
“I can’t do that to
Sam.”
Burke heaved a dramatic sigh. “You don’t have a choice. You won’t get another exceptional offer like this for that mare. They’re paying too much but don’t seem to care.”
“They’ll have to wait.”
“They won’t wait. The trainer is leaving for Germany within a few weeks with some horses. He wants her among them.”
He’d probably be named the idiot of the year, but he couldn’t do it, not to Sam. He couldn’t ruin her chances of winning the Cedrona job. She was so close.
“Sorry, no deal. Not until after Regionals.”
Burke’s jaw dropped. For a brief moment, fury flashed in his eyes. “Carson, you won’t get half of what they’re offering from anyone else. Sam’s proven herself. She doesn’t need Regionals. Between her and Hans, they’ve worked miracles with that mare in a few short months. Everyone’s talking about it.”
He couldn’t tell Burke about the competition that was his father’s brainchild, so he just shrugged. “They can wait, or they can find another horse.”
“I worked damn hard to get this deal through.” Burke propped his hands on his hips.
“Sorry. This isn’t about you.” Burke’d been salivating over a possible ten percent commission. “You’ll have to find a different buyer—after Regionals. And Burke, if you breathe one word of this to Sam, I’ll find another sales agent for this horse and make sure my sister buys her horses elsewhere, too.”
Burke’s expression turned murderous, and this time he didn’t try to conceal it. “I’m a professional. All transactions are confidential between the parties involved.” Carson had just made an enemy. Gabbie was one thing, but his sister bought horses more often than his mother went on a shopping spree. “I’m not taking no for an answer. You have twenty-four hours to reconsider.”
“Time won’t change my mind.”
“Think about it.” Burke stomped off.
* * * *
Carson opened the ranch house door to find his father standing on the front porch. Dad never visited him at home, only in the office or on a job site, never at home.
“Dad.”
The Gift Horse Page 29
