A SEAL Always Wins

by Holly Castillo

  Elena grinned at him. “So you do need me after all.” Yes! I’m going to get him back as a client!

  He gazed at her intently, then slowly nodded his head. “I could use some help.”

  She ran a hand through her thick, curly hair and fought back the cheer threatening to burst from her. She wanted to see the horses she loved so much. She had come to miss them greatly in the two weeks since he had dismissed her.

  Did he really want her help, or was he simply on a mission for Anya and decided to take advantage of her expertise at the same time? The hope inside faded slightly, but she clung to it tightly. She wasn’t going to give up on pursuing even the smallest crack in his shell.

  “You know, my prices are generally pretty steep.” She grinned, teasing him once again. “But, if you’re throwing in a free lunch, I might be able to help you a little.”

  “Good. Anya’s missed you since she’s been out at the ranch.”

  “I’ve missed her too. Since she closed the veterinary clinic temporarily, things haven’t been the same.”

  “She’ll be back soon. She’s itching to get back to work.”

  “I know it may not seem like a long time to you, but for the two of us to go a couple of weeks without seeing each other seems like an eternity.” Elena studied the ground as they walked toward their trucks.

  “Good. Then it’s settled. You’ll join us for lunch?”

  She looked over at him and gave her brightest smile. “Wouldn’t miss it.” Elena was on a mission. She was going to win back her client.

  Chapter 2

  The drive out to Bent Horseshoe Ranch was scenic, though bumpy. The road had suffered from the late-spring rains, and county maintenance had yet to repair it. Phantom watched Elena’s truck bobbing along behind his and smiled to himself. So far, his plan seemed to be working.

  Watching her ride the horse earlier had been like watching a choreographed dance routine. He realized more than ever how critical she would be to his success with the horses and furthering his work out in the field as Stryker had mentioned.

  He knew she had a real passion for his quarter horses and had put her heart and soul into developing them into well-trained competitors. He could tell she still held some resentment toward him for cutting ties with her, and he couldn’t say he blamed her.

  He admitted to himself he had made the decision to dismiss her too hastily. Having grown up and spent most of his life working and training horses, he found asking for help a hard pill to swallow. It was the right thing to do, though. He had watched a few quarter-horse show videos online and realized he was in over his head.

  They arrived at the ranch house close to one in the afternoon, with the Texas heat in full force. The humidity made it feel ten degrees hotter. Phantom parked quickly and headed over to Elena’s truck, surprising her at her door. She looked up at him with a smile, and saw flecks of gold and tan in her brown eyes. There was something about the way her smile lit up her face that made him want to see it as often as possible.

  They had barely stepped onto the small covered patio when the large wooden door to the home flew open and Anya rushed out, grinning from ear to ear. “You found her! Phantom, you’re the best!”

  Elena brushed past him, and he caught her unique scent of Texas wildflowers. He had noticed it when he first met her, and it had lingered in his memory. Phantom watched her embrace Anya as if it had been years since they had seen each other instead of just a couple of weeks. “You know, those first couple of days when I didn’t hear from you, you had me worried sick!” Elena scolded Anya. “I had to hear from the gossipmongers in town that your place had a break-in, and you know how my imagination gets carried away.”

  “I know, I know. I’m sorry. I should have called you as soon as it happened. I was so rattled, I didn’t know up from down. If it hadn’t been for Stryker, I probably would have fallen to pieces.”

  Elena shook her head. “I should have known you’d be with him. The way you’ve been mooning over him the last two months, I’m not surprised.”

  “I have not been ‘mooning’ over him.” Anya shook her head back at Elena. “Who even says such things anymore? I swear, you and Phantom should compare notes. You both are old souls.”

  Elena looked up at Phantom, her eyes assessing him. “Is that what you are? An old soul?”

  “So I’ve been told. Anya has been educating me. I did tell you I’m old-fashioned.”

  Anya laughed. “Yes, you are. Sometimes that can be a good thing, though.”

  “And other times?” Elena asked, an eyebrow raised.

  “Other times can bore you to tears.”

  Phantom rolled his eyes and headed toward the front door. “Let’s get out of this heat and see if Snap is working his magic in the kitchen.”

  He held the door open as the two women walked past him, lost in conversation. He watched Elena and plotted his next steps to get her out to the barn and back with the horses she loved.

  * * *

  “You’re going to live here?” Elena wasn’t sure she had heard right. Anya wasn’t making any sense.

  “Yes. I can’t wait for you to meet the rest of the guys. They’re such an amazing group. But Stryker… He owns my heart. I can’t imagine life without him. I’m in love, Elena.”

  “You’re joking with me, right? Love? I thought we agreed we’d be certified bachelorettes the rest of our lives. You’re changing the rules on me.”

  “I’m just living with him, El. We’re not making any wedding plans…” Anya’s voice trailed off.

  “…Yet. You practically said it. It’s on the tip of your tongue! No way—Anya, has he asked you?” Elena stared at Anya, holding her breath.

  “No, not exactly.” Anya smiled slyly.

  “Either he has or he hasn’t,” Elena insisted. She sipped her coffee, the delicious brew warming her from the inside out.

  “He’s hinted the question isn’t far away.”

  Elena nearly choked on her coffee. “Okay, now I know you’re messing with me. Anya! You’ve known him for two months! How can you possibly consider marriage? I mean, moving in with the guy alone is a huge step.”

  Anya shrugged and smiled. “If I were in your seat right now, I’d say the same thing.” She leaned forward in her chair and grasped Elena’s hands in hers. “I don’t know how to explain it. Somehow when it’s right, you just know. He’s the one, El.”

  Elena stared at Anya for a moment of stunned silence. “Okay, who are you, and what have you done with my best friend?”

  Anya laughed just as Isaiah “Snap” Flores arrived with a tray of bite-sized sandwiches: turkey and cheese, ham and cheese, and cucumber salad. On top of that, he had made a dreamy creamy tomato bisque soup. Elena tasted the bisque, and her eyes nearly rolled back in her head. “Snap, where did you learn to cook like this?”

  Snap beamed proudly. Of the men she’d met so far, he appeared to be the youngest. There had to be others around, given the interesting nicknames Anya had been using, but so far she’d seen only Phantom and Snap. Apparently the rest were out working on the ranch. Snap disappeared back into the kitchen, giving her and Anya their privacy.

  The sound of boots on the hardwood floor drew their attention, and Anya’s eyes lit up as Stryker came striding into the room. At first he had eyes only for Anya, but Elena saw his gaze flick over to her briefly. He leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to Anya’s lips and she leaned up into the touch, her hand resting on his chest for a moment.

  “Stryker, I want you to meet my best friend, Elena Garcia.” Anya gestured toward Elena, and she smiled brightly. So this was the man who had claimed her best friend’s heart. Elena had interacted with him months ago when he and his friends first bought the ranch and began remodeling the outdated ranch house into the beautiful home it had become. Their conversations had been limited to her work with the horses.r />
  Elena stood and extended her hand. He smiled at her. “I seem to remember you lurking around when we were remodeling this place.”

  “‘Lurking’ isn’t the term I would use,” she replied with a smile. “I was working quite hard.”

  “That was around the time you won the Grand Champion trophy in Corpus, wasn’t it?”

  Phantom’s voice came out of nowhere, gentle, and could that be with appreciation? He hadn’t made any noise to alert her he had come into the room. She turned and found him leaning against the dining room wall. How long had he been there?

  “Yes, it was,” she said, watching his face for a reaction. If she wanted him back as a client, she needed him to fully understand how good she was with his horses. Knowing that he had seen the trophies she had won was a step in the right direction.

  He watched her for a long moment, finally breaking eye contact to glance over at Anya and Stryker, who seemed to be in their own world. “When you have a moment,” he said, returning his gaze to her, “I’d like to take you out to the barn. It won’t take very long.”

  Had he finally decided he needed her on the ranch after all? Was she about to get her client back? Elena’s heart pounded with hope. She glanced over at Anya, but she seemed fixated on Stryker. “I’m going to step out to the barn for just a bit,” she said, though she doubted Anya heard her. Spying the sugar cubes still on the table for their coffee, she grabbed a few and stuffed them in her pockets as she stood.

  She smiled to herself. Anya had fallen in love, something she’d never thought would happen. From the looks of it, she was beyond happy, which made Elena happy. She only wanted the best for her friend, and if Stryker brought that look of joy to Anya’s face, Elena would support her no matter how crazy it seemed.

  Elena looked up to find Phantom watching her intently, measuring every expression on her face. Nerves kicked into high gear in the pit of her stomach. Hope could be a dangerous thing. He turned and led her out of the house and toward the barn.

  “You seem to be very close to Anya.”

  Was he trying to have a conversation with her? The day had been full of surprises already, and he seemed to be the lead instigator of most of them. She crossed her fingers that the surprises continued to be positive ones. “We’ve been best friends since we met in college. We’ve been through a lot together.”

  “I can understand that bond.”

  “Do you have a best friend?” she asked, then realized how lame that must sound. “I mean… Well, surely you must have a best friend. What I meant was—”

  He glanced sideways at her and flashed her a smile—a real smile—and it took her breath away. The warmth in that smile turned his tanned skin a deep, molten bronze. The short haircut couldn’t hide the slight wave in his hair, which made his face look less severe and intense. His dark-gray eyes—a color she’d never seen before—lit up and softened, the steel becoming magnetic and drawing her in. The corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled, adding an extra layer of humanity she had thought he lacked. The man made of stone suddenly seemed more approachable than she would have imagined.

  “What are you saying? You think I can’t make friends? I know we didn’t get off on the best foot, but do I strike you as that unpleasant?”

  “No! I mean, of course not. Just because you don’t like me or, um, didn’t need me…um…” Hell, she was making a total mess of the conversation. She became annoyed with herself—and with him. He had put her in the predicament to begin with.

  “I never said I didn’t like you.”

  “You didn’t have to,” she replied, then nearly bit her own tongue. If her goal had been to win him back as a client, she was doing an exceptional job of mucking it up.

  “I have a handful of friends I consider my brothers,” he said, returning to the original topic. “I would die for them if I had to.” His smile had vanished, and his serious demeanor had returned.

  “Are they your business partners? Are Stryker and Snap your do-or-die friends?”

  He didn’t answer her as they walked into the barn. The scents she loved washed over her as a welcoming balm—fresh hay, oats, leather, and horses. She walked quickly up to the first stall and a tall, red sorrel mare strolled up, knowing Elena was bound to have a treat for her. She pulled a sugar cube from her pocket and chuckled as the mare’s lips moved along her flattened palm, finding the cube and licking it off her hand.

  “So is that your trick to get them to like you?”

  Phantom’s voice was close behind her, very close, and Elena froze. In that moment she was back in time a handful of years, in the same exact place, but with a different man standing behind her. Disaster had struck, in the form of a ranch hand who had developed a strong desire for her. She hadn’t returned the sentiment and had paid dearly for that.

  A shiver ran down her spine, the memory of the pain so vivid. She didn’t turn around to see how close Phantom was but moved quickly to the next stall before facing him, her heart racing. She had thought herself over the trauma of the disaster years ago, but it still had the power to sneak up on her when she least expected it. You have to stop living in fear. The man who hurt you is gone. Pay attention to what is in front of you right now.

  “Wh-what did you want to talk to me about out here?” She hated her voice for trembling slightly, revealing her anxiety.

  He tilted his head and observed her, his gray eyes always measuring, appraising. “Have I done something wrong?”

  “What? No! Well, other than deciding not to be my client anymore.” She flashed him a smile, pulling herself back together. “I’m just excited to see the horses again. I’ve missed them.”

  “I think they’ve missed you. But I haven’t ruined them—yet.”

  Her smile broadened. “I never said you would. It’s just a very different world to train and show quarter horses like these rather than your thoroughbred racehorses.” She moved down to the next stall, making clicking sounds to get the attention of the horse inside. “So you wanted me to see that the horses are all right? Is that why you brought me out here?”

  “And to pick your brain, remember? I need some guidance on horse shows.”

  Elena nodded. “I suppose it all depends on what your goals are with the horses.” She glanced around the barn, trying to think of what she could say to convince him to see her logic and why she was the best person to show his horses. “Thank you for bringing me out here. It’s good to see them.”

  “I think I may have made a hasty decision when we first met.”

  Elena’s heart thumped hard in her chest. “Why do you say that?”

  “Stryker filled me in a little on your experience working this ranch.”

  “He and I barely talked. How did he know anything?”

  Phantom walked closer to her. “He asked around when he met you out here. He and I have a lot in common. We both like our privacy.”

  “I can see that,” she replied dryly, and he stopped directly in front of her.

  “I want my horses to be successful. To do that, I need help. From everything I’ve heard, you’re the best around. I’d like to ask you to take us on as your client again.”

  Elena thought her heart was going to leap from her chest with joy. Certain things had to fall into place, though, in order for this to work. “I’ll need the same role I had previously, with the same autonomy when it comes to training and developing the seasonal horse-show plans. We’ll still need to work together closely, since we’ll need to collaborate on big decisions regarding the program you want to implement, and I’ll need your approval on any show schedules, especially since I’ll be traveling with your horses. But I need you to trust and support my leadership ability.”

  A look of surprise crossed his features. “They’re my horses. I’ll be the one functioning in a leadership capacity.”

  Elena searched his face for several se
conds. They had to work out an arrangement they’d both be comfortable with so he didn’t cut her loose again if their styles clashed. She shoved her hands in her pockets and drew a deep breath. Time to take a chance. “I have a proposition for you instead. You need my expertise in order to get the most out of your horses. I need you to understand that I know how to run an operation like this and what we can make happen if you bring me back as your trainer.”

  He lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “I’m listening.”

  “There’s a quarter-horse show in Edinburg this weekend. I’m entering a client’s horse in the cutting and reining classes at the end. You’ll get a chance to see how I work, and I think it will show you just how much you need me. Plus, we’ll get some time together to figure out if coming back as your trainer is the best idea for me too. Consider it a trial run.”

  She chewed on the inside of her cheek as he watched her with a raised eyebrow. Would he agree? Normally she would have been ecstatic that he wanted her to take him back as a client. She couldn’t take any chances he was just having a knee-jerk reaction to discovering how different quarter horses were from what he’d grown up training.

  “That almost sounds like a challenge.” He smiled at her again, and she felt the heat of a blush starting in her cheeks.

  She shrugged. “I think it may show you a few things you didn’t know about the quarter-horse industry.”

  “You continue to surprise me, Elena. I tell you I want you to take me back as a client, and you respond with a challenge. Yes, I’ll go with you. I look forward to seeing everything you have to prove to me.”

  “There are certain rules you’ll have to follow.” Elena’s heart pounded with excitement and a touch of nervousness. He seemed so incredibly close. She had to keep reminding herself that the man she feared was gone, and the one standing in front of her seemed to offer strength and protection instead of terror and pain.

  She enjoyed the company of a strong man as much as any woman. It had taken her time to recover from the attack, but her passionate nature couldn’t be held in check for long. She hadn’t allowed the one awful experience to sour her to the pleasure she could experience with a man. Her relationships didn’t last very long, though. Her busy schedule and desire to actively pursue her career didn’t support the traditional role the men she had dated wanted her to play.