‘What if I’m not wearing jocks?’
Kelli paused, the image flashing into her mind at his words enough to leave her breathless. Get a hold of yourself, Kel. He’s just a man. A forbidden man, at that.
Once she was breathing normally again she flicked her gaze towards him. ‘Seriously?’
‘Nah, just kidding,’ he grinned widely.
‘Well, no excuses then. You had better start unbuttoning that shirt, ‘cos I’m almost ready.’
‘I hate to break this to you, but I’m not taking my shirt off.’
‘What? Why not?’ Kelli reached for the tape measure secured in the case. ‘Oh, dear, are you shy? You do know I’ve seen it all before… a number of times, actually.’
‘I’m not shy,’ he denied instantly.
‘Ah, so you need help then. You should have said,’ Kelli teased, putting down the tape measure and crayon and moving towards him. Surprised at how brazen she was feeling, she reached towards the top button, only to have his hands clamp down on top of hers.
‘I’m sorry, Kel, but you only get to do that if you’re actually going to do that,’ he waggled his eyebrows. ‘No free look-sees today.’
‘But then how am I going to finish your set-up without stripping you down?’
‘Well, I figure if it’s just the ECG and leg leads that need to go on under my clothes, I can fix myself up at home. I should be able to do the face one’s as well; that way I don’t have to look like a complete Frankenstein when I walk out of here.’
‘But our patients have to do it, so why shouldn’t you know what the experience is like?’
‘They don’t have to work here tomorrow. I do.’
‘But that’s no fun,’ Kelli sighed, dropping her hands from his collar, and moving back towards the device.
‘If you want fun, you can always come back to my place.’
‘When you’re going to have all this gunk in your hair? I don’t think so.’
‘Ah well, we could always skip the sleep study, and jump straight to the—’
‘Don’t even think about skipping this test. You know how important it is to have your sleep apnoea diagnosed and treated.’
‘So you’re allowed to force me to face up to a potential problem I don’t want to, but I’m not allowed to do the same to you?’
‘Please don’t start on about that again. It’s completely different. This is a matter of your physical health.’
‘I disagree, but I did promise not to say anything, so I won’t. Now, are you going to start setting me up, or what?’
Kelli’s mouth dropped open in surprise. ‘So you’re going to let me?’
‘Would you ever stop nagging if I didn’t?’
Kelli tapped her finger against her lips in a faux thoughtful pose. ‘Hmm, well, no, probably not.’
‘Exactly. But you owe me for this,’ Travis said, a calculating tone to his voice as Kelli scooted around behind him and started measuring up his head.
‘Whatever,’ Kelli muttered, concentrating on pushing through his hair and marking her O1 site. ‘Wait…I think we need to set some boundaries here before I go any further. What do you have in mind as payback?’ If he was going to insist she see a counsellor, she was out of here.
‘Nothing too scary. I was hoping you could give me a hand with the horses on Saturday, that’s all. I was planning to head out there in the morning.’
‘Really?’ Kelli all but squealed her delight. ‘Why didn’t you say earlier? That’s no problem at all.’
‘They’re beautiful,’ Kelli breathed, as she jumped down from the SUV and raced towards the fence line, where the three horses were penned in. They were in one of many seemingly endless yellow-green paddocks nestled in the shadow of Tamborine Mountain, but the glorious view failed to draw Kelli’s attention from the chestnut mare nudging her head through the fence.
‘Are you going to stand there all day or are you coming through?’ Travis teased as he slipped between the gaps in the barbed wire fence. Kelli didn’t need to be told twice, making quick work of the distance between her and the gorgeous filly.
To be fair, all three horses were beautiful, ranging in shades of brown and caramel and black, but there was something about this one in particular that spoke to Kelli.
Hesitantly at first, but with growing confidence, she ran her hand over her flank, caressing the sable coat. She could feel Travis’ eyes on her, but she ignored them, indulging in the childhood memories the distinctly horsey smell evoked in her.
‘Her name is Lila,’ Travis told her as he moved closer, handing her a brush as he greeted the horse. ‘She was Ashlee’s.’
‘I can’t believe she didn’t take her with her when she moved.’
‘As I said the other week, she’s not a horse person. I kind of knew that when I bought them, but I thought maybe, if it was something we did as a family, it might grow on her.’
‘And it didn’t work?’ she asked, but she could tell by the twist of his mouth it hadn’t. Kelli focused on the horse, running the brush down the mare’s side, and giving Travis the leeway to speak without being watched.
‘If anything, it was the final nail in the coffin. Another example of how I “didn’t know her”. But Sean loved riding, so I’d bring him out here most weekends. Ashlee tried for maybe a week. But then I guess she figured it was the perfect time for her to meet up with good ole Dr Thomas. That’s how I found out about them, at least.’
‘Wait, do you mean the cardiologist at St Mary’s?’
‘Well, yeah. I thought you knew. A couple of weeks ago, you said you’d heard the rumours…’
‘I’d heard you had a problem with the cardiology team. I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t want to pry.’
‘Well, a problem with the cardio team is one way of putting it, I guess.’ He concentrated on smoothing down the horse’s coat as he spoke. ‘Ashlee was one of the echo techs, and her and Thomas had been having a rampant affair for months. Everyone knew but me, apparently. I only found out when I came home early from horse riding to find them in bed together. My bed.’
‘Oh, Travis, that’s terrible. I don’t know how you can still live there, with everything the way it is.’
‘I bought a new bed,’ he assured her quickly, his focus still on the horse.
‘Still…’
Travis shot her a calm look before turning back to the horse. ‘I’m just thankful it wasn’t worse,’ he shrugged.
‘How could it have been worse?’ Kelli was amazed he was so Zen about it.
‘At least Sean wasn’t with me that day. I’d dropped him off at a friend’s on the way out, and just stopped by to feed the horses rather than ride them.’
‘That’s… one thing, I guess. I still can’t believe you let her move away with him, after everything that happened.’
‘It was hard, but she kind of got the raw deal with it. After we split, Thomas dumped her like a hot potato. A little afraid of commitment, that guy. Her work became untenable. And it wasn’t all her fault. There were problems between us long before she started seeing Thomas.’
‘Yes, but still, you lost your son.’
Kelli stopped brushing Lila, focusing her attention on Travis as she waited for an answer. But the silence stretched on, and when he finally did speak, it wasn’t an answer to her question.
‘Are you up for a ride?’ he asked instead, his sharp blue eyes throwing down the challenge across the horses’ backs.
Kelli thought about pushing the issue, but it was clear he’d locked the door to his past. ‘Was there ever any doubt? That’s why I’m here,’ Kelli twisted her head until she met Lila’s liquid brown eyes, exaggeratedly spinning a finger around her ear to indicate Travis was crazy to think she might not ride. Until she realised how crazy she must look, making crazy signals at a horse! The deep rumble of Travis’ laughter was somewhat of a giveaway.
‘Are you done?’ he asked between spurts of laughter.
‘Yes, I’m done,’ Kelli
told him, though the words came out rather muffled as she had her head buried in Lila’s coat.
‘Are you sure? Because it’s been pretty dry out here lately, maybe you could do a rain dance or something. I mean, what’s the difference between talking to a horse and talking to the clouds?’
‘Oh harty-ha-ha. I’m done. Okay?’ Kelli finally pulled herself away from Lila and turned a pouty face towards Travis. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked up into his smiling face, the warmth seeping from him wrapping around her, almost cocooning her. Her lips tugged up of their own volition as she found herself unable to break the gaze. He seemed to be trapped too, a victim of this connection, as much as she was. That is, until one of the horses started nudging his head against Travis, almost clawing for his attention.
Travis broke the connection, giving his head a little shake, as though to clear away some cobwebs—or confusion—and quietly scratched beneath the horse’s head.
‘Excellent. I’ll go bring the car round then. That way we won’t have to traipse everything over here,’ he said, keeping his gaze focused on the horse.
‘Do you want a hand?’
‘No. I’m good, you… ah… you just enjoy,’ he shrugged and took off at a jog across the paddock. Kelli watched him for a moment before turning back to the horse.
‘You’re beautiful, Lila,’ Kelli spoke to the horse, running her hands up over the head and scratching between her ears as the horse nudged her shoulder. ‘And so is your owner. If I don’t watch myself, I think I could be in for a world of trouble.’ The horse nickered in response, as though she agreed, or maybe it was just an encouragement for Kelli to continue brushing her. Letting out a little laugh, Kelli went with the latter.
Within a few moments, Travis had returned, parking the SUV in the thick grass. He popped open the back door and pulled out blankets and saddles, stirrups and reins. ‘I think you’ve made a friend,’ Travis told her, laughing lightly as he dumped the gear on the ground behind her before returning to the vehicle for the second lot of equipment.
Keen for the ride, Kelli picked up the saddle pad, fitting it so it sat half on the withers and half on the back.
‘I’ll just be a couple minutes here, and then I can fix Lila up for you,’ he threw over his shoulder as he started to brush his horse down.
‘That’s okay. I’d like to have a go at setting her up, see how much I remember, and then maybe get you to check it over.’
‘Sure,’ Travis nodded, swatting a fly away from his face as he moved to the other side of the horse. ‘That’s a good girl, Boom,’ Travis murmured, close to the horse.
‘Did you call her Boom?’ Kelli piped up, her ears pricking in disbelief.
‘That’s her name,’ Travis shrugged.
‘Seriously? You called your horse Boom?’
‘It was Sean’s pick,’ Travis told her as he finished brushing the horse down and reached for his own saddle pad.
‘Of course it was.’ Kelli wondered if his son appreciated how much his father loved him.
Brushing the thought aside, Kelli focused on the task at hand. She picked up the thick leather saddle and settled it over the pad. She followed this with both the girth and the bridle. She was securing the bit inside Lila’s mouth when Travis came over. He joined his hand with hers, pushing the bit in until it was in place. After a quick check of the saddle, cinching the girth a little tighter, he then helped her lift the harness over Lila’s head.
‘That’s nice work, for an amateur,’ he grinned down at her, a hand resting on the saddle.
‘Gee, thanks,’ Kelli answered, though she was secretly pleased with the praise. It had been almost twenty years since she’d saddled a horse.
‘Do you want a lift up?’ he asked, standing next to the saddle.
‘You don’t have a step?’
‘I don’t really need one,’ he answered, his grin widening as she hesitated.
‘Just don’t touch my butt,’ she told him, stepping towards him.
‘Don’t tempt me,’ he taunted, grinning lasciviously at her as he squatted down and held his criss-crossed hands out towards her.
She leant forward, braced her hands on his shoulders and placed her foot on his makeshift step, her eyes locking with his.
Electricity shot up through her palms from where they rested on his shoulders, burning through the thin fabric of his polo shirt. She breathed deeply, trying to take control of her runaway hormones, only to be enveloped by his scent, a mix of aftershave, and muskiness, with a hint of sweat. It overrode the horsey air, surrounding her in a world of Travis. With great effort of will, she didn’t bury her head into his neck, as much as her body screamed for her to do just that.
His eyes dropped to her lips, his pupils dilating with need, and she felt her insides melt, dissolving into a liquid mess of her own desire. She moved closer, her mouth drawn to his with a will of its own. Wanting, needing to feel the firm press of his lips against hers again. His breath shortened in to short sharp puffs that matched hers. She could feel the beat of his pulse beneath her hands, pumping through him as fast as hers was.
‘I...’ He started to say, his gaze moving from her lips to her eyes, cloudy with desire. She moved infinitesimally closer, her body leaning into him, her breasts brushing against the press of his arm. Sparks of desire shot through her and she couldn’t think. She couldn’t do anything but feel him; immerse herself in the touch of him beneath her.
Travis blinked, cutting the connection between them. When his eyes flashed open again there was a shield up; a filter of some kind. ‘Ready?’ he asked, straightening his arms, his head moving back. ‘We need to get moving now if we’re going to make it back before lunch.’
No, was what she wanted to say. ‘Yes,’ is how she answered, trying desperately to focus as he pushed up from his squat. Somehow, through the chaotic swirl of her emotions and hormones, she managed to focus enough on what she was doing to swing her leg over the mare, sliding her foot into the stirrup. She put her weight on that one side as she lifted out of Travis’ arms, and slid her foot into the remaining stirrup. Up and away from him, she settled into the saddle, though she’d much rather be settling over Travis.
Once they were no longer touching, Kelli’s hormones settled, the red fog of desire dissipating from her mind and reality set in.
Damn and blast!
Gritting her teeth together, Kelli cursed herself. If Travis hadn’t pulled away, if he hadn’t mustered up the restraint to pull back from her, they’d be rolling around in the paddock right now.
Where was her willpower? She had forbidden herself from indulging in that sort of pleasure, and yet at the slightest provocation she was ready to climb all over him.
Was she really that weak-willed?
Travis handed her a riding helmet and she took it without looking at him. She strapped it to her head, pulling it a little too tight, but it felt good, secure. She shifted in the saddle and leaned forward, running her hands through Lila’s mane, using the mountains of horse hair as a cover as she fought to regain her equilibrium.
‘You okay?’
His words penetrated through the cloud. Kelli breathed deeply, focusing on the smell of horse and grass and summer, using it to drown out the memory of him.
‘Fine,’ she answered, pulling herself to a sitting position, the reigns resting loosely in her hands. ‘You?’ she asked, aiming for a nonchalant tone. If he could pretend to be unmoved by what had just happened between them, so could she.
‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ His eyes searched hers a moment longer, but she wasn’t sure what he was looking for. He was blowing so hot and cold today she could barely keep up. He finally dropped his gaze and shifted Boom around until he was facing the mountain.
Kelli took the opportunity to walk Lila in a large circle, testing herself as much as the horse. She needn’t have been concerned though. The necessary skills came flying back from the banks of her memory, and within moments it felt like only a couple of months—rath
er than decades—since she last rode.
‘I thought we might head this way and follow the track down there,’ Travis informed her, pointing towards the horizon. ‘It leads to the base of the mountain, and there are a couple of tracks through the forest we can take, if you’re up for it. The horses haven’t been far off the property for at least a year, but Sean and I used to go down there pretty regularly for a time.’
‘Of course I’m up for it,’ Kelli prodded her knees into Lila to start her off, and without waiting for Travis, she took off in the direction he indicated.
‘Of course,’ she thought she heard him mutter with a strange sort of laugh before she was too far away to hear anything. As the horse picked up her pace, Kelli turned her focus to the feel of the animal beneath her. At the faster pace, the rhythmic rocking, the wobbling from one side to another took a little getting used to but before long Kelli had found her rhythm. She could hear hoof beats close behind her and knew Travis was nearby, but she kept her focus on Lila.
It took her back to the golden moments of her childhood. She remembered riding Bessie like this, the wind streaking past, the feeling of being at one with the horse. She remembered her Dad sitting behind her, riding with her, smiling proudly. She remembered Jimmy, so sure he could do better, trying to jump over a log when it was his turn, not seeing the branch above his head. He’d fallen off and broken his arm that time. But it hadn’t stopped him trying again once the cast was off. He just kept an eye out for over-hanging branches after that. She smiled at the memory, but it was bittersweet because the hollow place inside her began to ache as the memories flashed through her mind.
Damn, she missed her brother!
They reached the end of the property, and Travis took the lead, guiding her through a narrow pass and up into the trees. Time passed quickly as they pushed through the forest, sticking to the well-worn tracks, and Kelli found herself lost in the past. She’d forgotten how much she enjoyed this, enjoyed being at one with an animal. She’d slipped so easily back into the saddle today, almost like she’d never left it.
She was almost happy today, riding with Travis. Letting him back into her life had been the right thing to do. It made her wonder if she’d been wrong to deny herself a life just because Jimmy didn’t have one anymore. Maybe-
A Heart Worth Mending Page 14
