by J. P. Oliver
“That, uh, doesn’t bother you?”
“I believe in love. I also believe people can’t control who they love. It just is. The moment I saw Quinn, I knew he was the man for me. I saw that same look in your eye when you brought Reece to dinner. I don’t think you even realized it yet.”
“No.”
“Have you and Reece talked about it?”
I stared off along the lane. We’d talked about how I wouldn’t admit we had a relationship. I shook my head.
“Were you worried about my husband’s reaction?”
“Frankly? Yes.”
She shrugged. “I’ll be honest. It’s taken Quinn a while to get past outdated social norms and the stereotypes of his younger days, but Whitt, there’s something he values far more than how you choose to live your personal life…and that’s feeling that you are a man of integrity.”
I sucked in a deep breath and blew it out. “I’m guessing that not being open about my feelings for Reece puts that in question.”
She tilted her head to look at me. “You have insisted rather often that you have a great professional relationship.”
We continued walking, and I realized we were going in the direction of Sherry Rowland’s farm. “If I talk to him, can I fix this?”
“I will not put words in my husband’s mouth. But you do need to have that conversation.”
That wasn’t exactly encouraging. I halted us right at the point where we could see the weathervane on the roof of Sherry’s barn, just barely poking above the trees.
“I have to go back to Sherry for a minute and admit I’m confused. From what you say, it seems she’s gone out of her way to undermine me—personally and professionally. Do you have any idea why?”
“Come now, brilliant banking boy, start putting things together. She didn’t rejoin the hunt. She sold both her hunters. She’s had people appraising paintings. What does that tell you?”
“It appears to point to money problems of some kind.”
“Investments gone wrong. Have you had any deals in the last few years that went bad?”
I thought back. My business was a risky one. While it was true, I could gain a fortune on the right deal, it was also a fact that I had lost money on occasion. “The biggest disaster recently for me would have been Chancellor Software. We were close to closing it when the news broke, they had stolen proprietary data used to create their energy management platform. Overnight, their stock went to nothing.”
“Exactly. Sherry’s husband had invested heavily in that company. He tried to talk Quinn into it too, but he resisted.”
“I got a lot of bad press in some quarters because it was my research that uncovered the theft.” I narrowed my eyes on my neighbor’s property. “She blames me for her money situation?”
“You got it.”
The realization that the neighbor who had appeared to be such a good friend had actually been setting me up the entire time hurt. “She was one of my only friends.”
Mary squeezed my arm and turned us back toward my house. “She was never your friend, Whitt. So now you know. Sherry was feeding you lies.”
“But Jordy Edgerton—”
“Is a complete ass. He would have loved Reece to be more than his trainer, but Reece was never interested. Honestly, Whitt, to be so brilliant with money, you have a lot to learn about romance.”
“I feel like an idiot.”
“Well you don’t look like one. You’re drop-dead gorgeous and a true gentleman. Anyone—male or female—would be lucky to have you.”
I sighed as we reached her car. “I hope Reece will feel that way.”
She patted my arm again before releasing me. “Clear the air with Quinn, maybe your neighbor as well, and can I give you a suggestion about Reece?”
“Any help is deeply appreciated.”
“You hurt him. I don’t even need to know what transpired. But I can tell you that the way he looked at you, he wouldn’t have cut and run unless he needed somewhere to lick his wounds. However, you choose to make it up…it better be big. You need to pull out all the stops.”
With a light laugh and a wink, she got behind the wheel of her car and was disappearing down my drive while I stared off into space.
I had a lot to do.
23
Whitt
I had made arrangements to meet Maitland at the country club for lunch the following day. I had used the time since talking to Mary to think. Before I laid myself on the line for Maitland, I needed to be sure of my feelings and what I wanted.
It didn’t take a lot of imagination to recall the panic and the pain that had landed me in the emergency room. Nor did I have to strain to recall how isolated I had felt then. I felt that way now as I drove myself to the club. The difference between then and now was my awareness of my loneliness. Before it had been a vague feeling buried in the back of my thoughts. Now it was an ache that accompanied everything I did.
Reece had touched every aspect of my life. Not having him in my home, my bed, the very air I breathed wasn’t an option. But before I took care of that, I had to take care of the dishonesty I had allowed to contaminate how I lived.
I tossed the keys to the valet before going inside. Quinn was standing near the stone fireplace in the large lobby. For once, there was no smile of greeting. I wondered how much Mary had shared with him, but then dismissed the idea. She would leave this to me. Had she intended to tell Quinn, the conversation she and I shared on my farm would never have taken place.
This was my chance to claim my life openly and honestly.
I stuck out my hand. “Quinn. Thanks for agreeing to meet me on short notice.”
“Whitt. I have to admit, your call causes me some concern.”
“That’s not my intention. I know we’ve set a date for next week to sign off on this deal, but before that happens, I wanted to clear the air about a few things.”
“Why don’t we go to our table? I had them put us in the corner, but lunch is usually slow anyway when it’s not the weekend.”
Once the waiter had taken our orders, I folded my hands in front of me on the table. “I haven’t been completely honest with you.”
Quinn’s eyes narrowed a bit, and I got a good taste of what it might be like to sit across the table from him as an adversary.
“I know you value that, which is why I wanted to meet with you today. Before we go any further, I want to reassure you that everything I’ve given you and told you about this deal with the recycling company is completely above board.”
“Yet you’re admitting you’ve been dishonest about something else, which casts doubt on the deal as well.”
I acknowledged that with a slight inclination of my head. It suddenly dawned on me that Quinn Maitland’s reaction to my news mattered a hell of a lot more to me than how my family had reacted when I came out to them. I suppose it was because of the deep respect in which I held Mary and him.
“There’s a lot about me that I have tried to keep private, even more so when it came to doing business with you. Your reputation as a very conservative businessman had preceded you. I took that to heart. To begin with it really hadn’t mattered. I spent all my time working and had no personal life to speak of.”
I took a sip from the water glass in front of me. “That changed. It changed when I hired Reece Wilder.”
I had Quinn’s full attention. He shifted slightly in his chair, somehow looking even larger and more imposing than he already was. For a moment, doubt assailed me. Quinn Maitland was the epitome of that old-fashioned man’s man. What the hell was I doing?
“Son,” he said quietly, “are you trying to tell me you’re gay?”
“I’m trying to tell you I’m in love with Reece, and by trying to hide that from everyone, but especially you, I may have lost him.”
Quinn leaned back, a frown on his face. “I’m disappointed in you.” As though he felt the indignation I was getting ready to unleash at his narrow-mindedness, he held up a hand a
nd shook his head. “Not because you’re gay. I gave up thinking a long time ago that was a choice anyone made. No, I’m disappointed because you weren’t honest with me. It’s a hot button. I’ve walked away from the table more than once because I felt the trust had been broken. That’s what I feel now.”
“I don’t want you to walk away from the table, but I do need you to know that in the next day or so, my name and face are likely to be all over the gossip columns.”
Quinn chuckled. “My company and I can weather being tied to the gossip rags.” He leaned forward, his gaze keen. “What I want to know from you is why we should still do business together when you didn’t feel you could be honest with me.”
“It’s a good deal. Not just for you but for the recycling company too. Your corporation can guide their growth. In addition to preserving the jobs of the people who work there, this is a positive positioning for you and your company.” I began warming to my topic. “But it’s more than public relations. You’ll be conserving resources, expanding your revenue streams, and opening other potential markets. Quinn, you might choose to never do business with me again but do this deal.”
The silence stretched between us. A bead of sweat trickled down the center of my back as the seconds ticked by. At the point I was about to break and speak first, Quinn smiled. “I’ll do the deal. Our arrangements to finalize the paperwork can stand as they are.”
I sagged with relief.
“But now it’s my turn.” Okay, so maybe my relief was a bit premature. I met his gaze, waiting for what would come next.
“My Mary thinks I don’t pay attention to a damn thing.”
Okay, that was kind of out of left field. Quinn leaned forward.
“She’s not the only one with her ear to the ground around here. You got two problems right now, but at least I’m not one of them anymore.”
“Okay. I’m guessing you’re going to help me with both of them?”
He laughed. “Damn straight. First off, you need to talk to that neighbor of yours and get her out of your business. She’s been talking out of both sides of her mouth. Stirring rumors about this deal, your love life, and whatever other kinds of trouble she could make. She’s got an ax to grind, and you were it.”
The waiter set our food in front of us. We ate in silence for a couple of minutes before Quinn continued. “Truth is her dead husband was an idiot who listened to bad advice. She’s not much better, but once she found out you were her new neighbor, I’m sure it was a whole lot easier to blame you than get her finances in order. I’ll give you one guess where that crappy investment advice her husband got came from.”
“Jordan Edgerton?”
“Bingo. He was smart enough to get out before everything hit the press. Stinks if you ask me. Anyway, you need to set her straight.”
“I intend to.”
“The other problem is Reece. Hurting someone is bad enough, but when we hurt the people we love, it magnifies that pain.” He leveled his keen gaze on me. “I know that firsthand, nearly lost the best thing that ever happened to me. Don’t you make that mistake. If you have to lick that boy’s boots, then you do it.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” I admitted. “He’s got the Maysburg show happening tomorrow, so I’m not sure how I’m going to make that work.”
Quinn laughed. “Call Steffy. Grovel enough and she might even help you.”
We finished the meal talking about the upcoming hunt. From being in the depth of despair last night, a small flicker of hope now burned inside me. Maybe I could get Reece back, but one thing I knew for sure—if I didn’t make the attempt, I would never have a chance with him at all.
As if the fates were aligning themselves, when I turned up my driveway, I saw Sherry walking over from her farm. The pleasure at seeing my neighbor was a thing of the past. Rather than go all the way to the house, I swung the car into one of the spaces next to the barn. Better to have this out now.
“Hey, Whitt,” Sherry greeted me with the same smile she had for the past year.
“Sherry. I was getting ready to call you. We need to talk.”
“About what?” Her gaze was innocent, but it no longer fooled me.
“About why you’ve been trying to sabotage my business deal, why you have sabotaged my relationship with Reece, and exactly why you think I shouldn’t share your spitefulness with the entire world.”
She crossed her arms. “From the moment I heard who’d bought this place, I’ve looked for ways to screw you over, but you rarely socialized or conducted any business with people locally. It was in the last few months that you started handing me plenty of ammunition.”
“Well, you’re not getting anywhere with Maitland. He’s onto you, and he and I cleared the air today. I can partially understand your anger at me. After all, I was the one who uncovered the problems at Chancellor, but your anger really should be directed at the man who failed to suggest your husband get his money out in time.”
“Jordy told him. He wouldn’t listen.”
I waved that away. “Whatever. Two things I can’t forgive. You tried to ruin Reece Wilder’s reputation and got Edgerton in on it. That’s low.”
Her expression was mutinous. “What’s the second?”
“You actually risked the safety of the horse you’d owned for years when you half blinded us with the reflection from your phone.”
“Did Reece tell you that? He’s such a liar. That was an accident.”
“Pardon me if I doubt that.” I took a step closer to her. “I don’t want you to be in any doubt, though, about where we stand. First, you need to find yourself a better investment counselor. I can recommend some people who’ll do a better job of handling your money than Jordy Edgerton did, but after that our friendship—if I can even call it that—is over. Keep your skinny ass off my property.”
“Just a little bitchy, aren’t you?”
“Not bitchy. Pissed as any man would be. Leave, Sherry. Don’t come back.”
I crossed my arms, waiting as she turned around and hurried back to her place. When she was finally gone, I heard a low voice behind me drawl, “Good job, Mr. Dailey, and good riddance.”
I turned, sagging a bit. “Thanks, Ricky. I may be busy for the next twenty-four hours, but I need you to make sure Bondage and Trixie both get exercise. I’m hoping they’ll both be hunting on Sunday.”
“With you and Reece?”
“If I can make it happen.”
Ricky clapped me on the back. “Good luck. You two are hot as hell together.”
I arched a brow. “Something you need to tell me, Ricky?”
“I ain’t gay. Doesn’t mean I don’t know chemistry when I see it.”
I shook my head. “Whatever you do, don’t quit. I don’t think I’d ever find a stable-hand to take your place.”
24
Reece
If I were Cinderella, this would be the day of the big ball. Everything I had been working toward had its showcase today in the main jumper ring of the Maysburg Autumn Classic Horse Show. One problem. I had discovered in the last couple of days that success mattered most when you had someone with whom to share it.
Without Whitt to bounce my hopes off of, it hardly seemed worth the effort. Steffy was going to be my cheering section, but stupid as it might be, I wanted someone to be there I could impress. Steffy would expect me to be successful. Whitt would have been delighted.
As I stared at the dormered ceiling of the guest room I was using in Steffy’s rambling farmhouse, I gave myself a pep talk. I was ready for this. More importantly, Satin was ready, so even if I wasn’t feeling it, I couldn’t deny my mare the chance to show she was top notch. I owed it to her for her willingness and her heart.
As I walked to the stables, coffee mug in hand, I saw the lights were already on. That certainly wouldn’t be unusual. Steffy had a number of clients and boarders who were planning on showing, but I thought most of them had moved to the stabling at the showgrounds last night. The
hunter classes always seemed to start a little earlier in the morning, especially the children and amateur divisions.
I’d been able to sleep in a little longer because the jumper classes, especially the stakes classes, would come later in the morning and into the evening.
I took a big swig of coffee that wasn’t nearly as good as what Mrs. Knowles had made every morning at Whitt’s house, then nearly choked on it when I stepped inside the barn.
Satin was already in cross ties, her coat gleaming. Crouched at her front feet attempting to put hind leg shipping boots on her front legs was a lean, dark-haired man I would recognize anywhere. My heart pounded, and my throat nearly closed as I managed to choke, “You’re doing that wrong.”
He turned his head over his shoulder, one dark lock falling across his brow and an exasperated gleam in his gray eyes. “This goes on her back leg, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.” I set my coffee on a nearby ledge, my hands trembling, and crouched next to him with a foreleg boot. “Here. Let me show you.”
God, I had missed that mixture of citrus and spice in his cologne. I wrapped the boot around her leg, soaking up Whitt’s body heat. He wrapped the other leg and we both moved to her hind legs. As I worked, I noticed that she was groomed and the open stall behind where Whitt squatted had already been cleaned.
I finished, but stayed where I was, watching him fasten the remaining straps. When he stood, so did I, Satin’s warm, muscular body separating us.
“Why are you here, Whitt?” I finally asked, too afraid to even think about what it might mean. Maybe the only reason he had come was to see if I was still going hunting with him.
In the utilitarian glare of the overhead fluorescent lights, I watched his clear gray eyes fill with moisture, making my heart clench.
