by Renée Dahlia
Allira shoved him on the arm, ‘Yeah, the next month is going to be so exciting.’
‘Excuse me.’ A quiet voice came from behind him, and he turned around to see a tiny slim woman in tight pants and muddy ankle boots standing on the driveway at the bottom of the steps. Perhaps she only seemed smaller because he was standing at the top of the three front steps to Allira’s tiny townhouse and she was on the driveway below him. Allira pushed him to the side, stepping out of the doorway, and waved enthusiastically at the small person.
‘Hey, Rachel, come in. This is Jacob, he’s my big brother.’
‘Hi.’ She had a streak of mud across her cheek, with fingerprints in it, as if casually wiped away, and a big patch of mud on one shoulder. She turned slightly as Allira stood at the top of the stairs, and Jacob could see the mud extended all the way down across her very tidy arse and slim legs, an adult woman’s heart-shaped arse encased in tight pants. He dragged his gaze away from her body, and tamped down the flush of lust rising inside, to focus deliberately on her face. Somehow the mud made her brown eyes look sharper, a shade lighter than his own, and her gaze pierced his.
‘Are you okay? You look like you’ve been rolling in the dirt,’ he asked. Some of her dark brown hair had escaped her tight ponytail, leaving tendrils clinging to her face. Hat hair, although she didn’t have a hat in her hands. She snorted, and he realised his gaze had dropped down to her hands and forearms, past delicious breasts. He repressed a cough, lifting his head to peer at her mobile lips, stretched into an unexpected smile.
‘Yeah, you could say that. Or you could say that I hit the dirt at speed.’
Allira rushed down the stairs, ‘Are you sure you’re alright?’
‘I’m fine. This is normal.’
‘It’s normal to come home from work covered in mud?’ Allira asked, as she stretched out her hands towards Rachel.
‘I often finish training covered in mud.’ Jacob wasn’t sure why he said that, but something in Rachel’s eyes, a defiance to Allira’s overt care, made him want to demonstrate empathy with her.
She raised one eyebrow. ‘Training? Oh, shit, you are THAT Jacob.’
Allira laughed. ‘Tranquil Waters’ big AFL star. How could you forget?’
‘I guess I didn’t really think about it.’ Rachel’s face flushed red under the smear of dirt down her cheek. Jacob could see freckles on her nose, her blush making them more apparent.
‘See. That’s what you get for going away for school. No one remembers you.’ Allira joked. He shook his head.
‘Sisters!’
‘I know what you mean.’ Rachel’s smile grew.
‘How is your sister?’ Allira asked.
‘Serena is fine. She lives out at the farm, and rides for Shannon who trains from there.’
Jacob suddenly placed Rachel—that was the problem with leaving town at year seven and only going home for the holidays. He’d lost touch with most of the locals, and now they saw him as a big star, not a local.
‘John and Shannon are your brothers? And you and your sister are twins, yeah?’ he asked.
‘You remember,’ Rachel said, and he thought he could hear amazement in her voice.
‘I was in the year in between them in primary school.’
‘We know.’ Allira and Rachel spoke in unison, and he took a step back with his hands held up before him. A pause hung in the air until Allira rescued him.
‘Tell me what happened, Rachel. Are you sure you’re alright? I mean after last night and everything? Do you need a shower?’ Allira’s rapid questions made Jacob want to know what happened last night, and since when did Allira have a housemate?
‘I’m fine. It’s only dirt. I came off at trackwork this morning. It’s no big deal.’ Rachel’s smile disappeared and Jacob noted she didn’t answer Allira’s question about last night. Now he really wanted to know what had happened.
‘What you mean? Did you fall off a horse? Where does it hurt?’ Allira leaped into doctor mode and started examining Rachel, who tensed up as Allira’s hands tested her shoulders, following the dirt streak and illuminating Rachel’s petite body. He bunched his fists at his side, to stop the urge to trace Rachel’s body, just like Allira was, but with less empathy and more passion. Desire hit him hard, making him want to stagger backwards. Now, with the finals nearly here, was not the time to get distracted by a gorgeous woman, who was the housemate of his sister. He unclenched his jaw, surely he’d had enough practice at shrugging off a bit of lust for this to fade now.
‘I’m fine. It’s just dirt. Really.’ She lifted Allira’s hands off her body.
‘Really. What happened?’ Allira folded her arms.
‘It’s a bit dumb, actually. One of my regular horses, Justa Lad, is racing on Wednesday, and the trainer wanted him to have a tightener this morning.’
‘On Sunday?’
‘We don’t usually work the horses on Sunday, unless they are racing during the week. Normally, they have a quiet day, just a walk and a rest.’ Rachel rubbed her shoulder, not the muddy one. ‘Anyway, Justa Lad is one of those old geldings who gets a bit toey when he’s fit, and he threw me as we trotted out to the main track. I hung on to him, so there was no harm done.’ She smiled slowly, and Jacob swallowed as her eyes warmed.
‘No harm. You came off a horse, and there’s no harm done.’ Allira sounded like her eyebrows would be stretching up to her hairline. Jacob knew his sister well enough to know the expression to match that tone.
‘Yeah. Like I said, I’m fine, I swung back on straight away, and he galloped really nicely. He’s going to go a lovely race on Wednesday.’ Rachel’s face lit up with enthusiasm, and a strange warmth filled Jacob’s chest. He wanted to inspire that expression with his hands on her skin. He shook his head, physically needing to shake the lustful thoughts out of his head, as Allira waved her arms and turned towards him.
‘Can you believe this?’
‘What?’ He found the interchange highly amusing. Not many people bested his sister, maybe the expansion of his chest was merely due to that, not lust. He swallowed back an ironic laugh as he tried to lie to himself.
‘She …’ Allira pointed at Rachel who grinned, ‘she fell off a horse this morning, and it’s okay because … I don’t even know why it’s okay.’
‘It’s fine, because falling off horses is part of the job. I’m only dirty not injured, and it’s okay because it wasn’t at speed, and I held onto the reins, and Justa Lad didn’t go for an unscheduled gallop around the track and hurt himself.’
‘If falling off is part of the job, then living with a doctor is probably a sensible plan.’ Jacob meant to tease his sister with his comment, and when she glared at him, he grinned. Rachel’s face instantly shut down as if he’d said something wrong, only her flared nostrils gave him any indication that she had strong feelings.
‘It’s only temporary. I wouldn’t take advantage of anyone like that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to have a shower and get rid of some of this dirt.’ Rachel walked up the steps and reached down beside him to pull off her boots. Bent in half, she only came up to the top of his thigh, and her filthy t-shirt stretched over her back. Strong muscles ran down either side of her spine, and her shoulders and arms were miniature versions of his with defined muscles. He told himself the sudden rush of admiration for her was for her athleticism, and he was glad when she placed her boots neatly beside the front door and stood up. Being a foot shorter than him, her head didn’t quite reach his shoulder, but that didn’t stop her pushing past him to step through the door. His whole arm buzzed at the simple touch, and he stared after her, unable to look away from her lithe form, and the way her tight riding pants encased her athletic feminine arse, as she disappeared inside.
‘Jacob.’ Allira’s voice seemed to come from far away, and he dragged his gaze away from where Rachel and her tidy arse had been.
‘Yeah?’
‘Leave her alone. She’s had a rough time lately.’
He held up his hands. ‘Me? I don’t know what you mean.’ He knew what she meant, and a flash of heat rose on his cheeks.
‘Jacob. You looked at her as if you are hungry and she’s a fresh loaf of bread.’
He shook his head once, not wanting to agree even though it was true. His stomach rumbled at the mention of food and Allira chuckled.
‘You are right about one thing. I’m hungry. It’s lunchtime. Come on, it’s my shout. Let’s grab a birthday meal.’ He used the distraction on purpose, glad to change the subject away from Allira’s pert new housemate.
‘You can’t distract me with promises of food. I’m not an infinite stomach like you are.’ Allira tilted her head at him, considering him while she teased him about the amount of food he ate.
He shrugged. ‘I’m an athlete. I have to keep up my energy levels.’
‘You are going to have to watch that. Once you retire and stop training, you’ll pack on the weight.’
‘And you can’t stop being a doctor, can you?’ He rubbed his stomach. He’d seen other athletes struggle to alter their habits once they retired. He reckoned he had at least three more years in his body, barring severe injury, until the build-up of niggling issues caused by age and too many big hits forced his hand. In many respects, he was fortunate to have a post-playing career all mapped out. His HSC scores had been good enough to get him into a local university to study law, and while he’d had to put those plans on hiatus due to the demands of the game, he liked knowing his plans were waiting for him. Another benefit of being a big-name AFL player was the university’s willingness to accommodate his study needs, allowing him to complete his first year part time. They even paid him to put his name and face on their advertising, and he got to knock off a paper every off-season without impacting his footy.
‘Come inside. I’ll just grab a couple of things before we duck out.’ Allira wandered back inside, and he followed her. Her townhouse had the lounge at the front, and kitchen out the back. Two bedrooms and a bathroom were upstairs. Jacob cursed his knowledge of her house as he stepped into the lounge. The sound of the shower floated down the stairs, and his mind filled with the image of Rachel standing under a stream of hot water, using those ripped arms to soap herself. Her small stature meant he imagined the water hitting her from far above and splashing off in all directions. He wanted to drink the water that flowed over her breasts, dripping off her nipples. He swallowed. Lusting after Allira’s housemate wasn’t wise. Allira bounced up the stairs, and he leaned towards the staircase to hear her side of an exchange with Rachel. Something about take your time, there is a key on the kitchen bench, and eat whatever you want. Allira had spent her childhood taking in hurt animals and fixing them up, a natural nurturer from then, and as she came back downstairs with a small bag slung over her shoulder, he couldn’t stop himself.
‘You’ve got a big heart, Allira, but is she really trustworthy?’ Jacob clenched his teeth as the perfect solution left his mouth before he could stop it. ‘We can call for delivery if you want.’ If the truth be told, he wanted to spend more time here, getting to know Rachel.
Allira shook her head, ‘Nah, Rachel is cool. I might not have seen her for … wow, eight years, but at school, she was always honest. She’s only here for a few days while she sorts out her next step.’
‘If you are sure?’
‘Stop being an over-protective big brother. You know her family, they’ve always been above board. They took the time to make us feel welcome as kids. Giving her a place to stay is the least I can do.’
Jacob nodded. ‘When you put it like that.’ He wanted to ask what had happened to Rachel, every fibre in his body humming with curiosity, but he waited, knowing Allira would be more likely to give up the information if he didn’t push for it. A smugness filled his chest as he didn’t have to wait very long.
‘She broke up with her partner last night at the pub.’
‘In public?’
‘Yeah, it’s a shit move. Her partner cheated on her in front of her, fuck knows how long it was going on for.’ Allira swore, and Jacob’s eyebrows shot upwards.
‘Must be if it inspires that kind of language.’
Allira laughed and waggled her head. ‘Yip, not cool at all, but also not your business. Come on. Let’s go and eat before that stomach of yours makes any more noise.’ She paced to the front door. Jacob glanced up the stairs once more before he followed her outside to his car. He pressed the button to unlock it and opened the driver’s door.
‘Every time I see this car, it makes me laugh.’ Allira clipped her seatbelt in and tucked her bag by her feet in the passenger seat.
‘Why?’
‘It’s not the same as the cars your team mates drive.’
‘No, but it’s practical, fuel efficient, and has a high safety rating.’
Allira’s laugh filled the car. ‘Yeah, I bet that line gets all the girls.’
‘You know why I drive a bland station wagon. It’s cheap, it has room in the back for training gear, and I’d rather use my money for something useful.’ Annoyed heat rose up his spine at his sister’s comments. ‘Besides, I don’t need to flash my money around to get laid.’ AFL groupies came to all the team parties, and every player had the pick of the hottest wannabe wives and girlfriends. In his first couple of seasons, he’d taken advantage of all that was on offer, but time had taught him caution.
‘Shit, bro. I don’t want to know about that, but if you ever need STI testing, please come to me.’
‘Allira! Damn it, you don’t need to go all doctor on me. I’m careful, I always use a condom, plus the team doctors test us constantly for everything. I’m clean.’
She patted him on the thigh, ‘It’s fine, darling big brother. I’m only teasing.’ Her tone, especially the sassy way she called him darling, made that perfectly clear.
‘I know.’ He grinned and twisted around the back his standard grey car out of her driveway onto the road. ‘How long is Rachel going to stay at your place?’ He didn’t want to know, except that he did. He wanted to know everything about her, the taste of her mouth, the feel of her hips under his palms, the way she laughed off her fall and potential injury and what drove her to get back up again.
‘She’s had a bad shock, not that you can tell, but most of that is bravado, I think. She can stay as long as she wants, I have enough room. And it might be nice to have someone to chat to in the evenings.’
Jacob straightened up, his fists tightening on the steering wheel. He wanted to punch the fucker who cheated on her in public. What an asshole he must be. No one deserved that crap. He drove along the road towards the city, glad for the reason to keep his eyes on the road.
‘You can always ring me.’
‘I know. Thanks for being a solid big brother for me. But I meant it’d be nice to have another woman to chat about stuff with.’
‘I thought you had loads of friends.’
Allira sighed. ‘Of course I do, but my mates from uni are as busy as me, and our shifts never seem to line up. There are a few others, from around the place, cousins, and so on. Well, you know life gets in the way sometimes. I hate having to schedule catch ups into my life. I hate schedules.’
Jacob chuckled, ‘True fact!’
‘Yeah, just because your own life is pre-determined. Anyway, I reckon having Rachel about in the evenings might be nice for a while.’
Jacob grinned. ‘I like the qualifier. For a while. She’s going to drive you crazy.’
‘Hey, just because I like things in the right order, doesn’t mean I can’t live with someone else.’
He decided not to comment, except for raising one eyebrow ever so slightly, and kept his gaze firmly on the road.
Chapter 3
Rachel ate her piece of baked fish with a side salad as she watched replays of Saturday’s races online. She’d watched her win on Static Alarm at least twenty times, but she also spent time analysing her other rides during the day. Protein, salad, low fat, low ca
rbs, no alcohol. One of the ex-jockeys who’d taught the apprentices had famously once said that on retirement, he planned to become a short, fat man, and as Rachel watched Allira eat the salad but with her piece of fish, crumbed and shallow fried, with a baked potato covered in melted cheese, she knew exactly what he’d meant. Rachel tried not to look envious as Allira sliced into the spud. At least she hadn’t put sour cream on top.
‘You eat like a—’
‘—jockey.’ Rachel finished Allira’s sentence. ‘We are cheap to feed.’
‘I didn’t mean that.’ A frown flashed over Allira’s face. ‘I only meant, well …’
‘It’s fine. I chose this job, although sometimes I think it chose me. I’m a natural lightweight, which means I have a greater choice of horses to ride.’
‘What do you mean? I know pretty much nothing about horse racing.’
Rachel laid down her fork. ‘Every horse in every race is given a weight to carry by the handicapper. The weight is made up of the jockey and the saddle, and most races it’s between 52 kg and 58 kg. The horses actually carry more weight than that, because our back protectors and helmets don’t get counted in the official weight. Because I can walk 51 kg consistently, I can ride any horse in any race. Some of the senior jockeys struggle to get under 55 kg, so they have less choices.’
‘Wow. That’s tiny.’
Rachel shrugged. She couldn’t help that she’d thrown to her mama’s side of the family, genetics gave her the biggest advantage with her tiny frame.
‘I’ve spent my life around horses and jockeys, so it seems kind of normal to me. The thing that most people don’t understand is that the horse weighs well over 550 kg, and they can easily carry twenty per cent of their weight, so to carry a jockey who weighs less than ten per cent at top speed isn’t much of an imposition.’
‘That’s a huge difference. How do you make them do anything?’
‘We don’t.’ Rachel grinned. ‘That’s the beauty of it. Riding a horse is a partnership, I ask the question, and they decide if they are going to answer.’ She laughed, shaking her head.
