Don't Dare a Diamond (Must Love Diamonds Book 5) Page 7

  Only now he had her good and annoyed with him, and she didn’t bother to hide it as they made their way out to the arena for their morning training session.

  He hoped their talk last night helped breakthrough the mental barrier she had over that one vertical jump, and watched carefully for any signs of distress as she and Diamond Fire warmed up.

  Everything seemed okay, until he walked her through the new course he’d set up earlier that morning. Accusation and anxiety filled her silence when her glare told him she recognized he’d replicated the course from the day of their wreck back in December.

  Ignoring that, he signaled for her to run it through. As they started, he could see horse and rider were equally edgy, only he wasn’t so sure if Fire was picking up her anxiety, or remembering the fall himself. When they approached the final turn, the gelding took the bit and blew right past the vertical. Raine brought him back under control at the far side of the arena. She twirled him around in a few tight, fast circles, her displeasure with her mount abundantly clear.

  Fire was breathing fast when she urged him into a canter once around the arena, then turned him back onto the course. Reyes fisted his hands at the obvious discourse between the two. They were fighting each other instead of working together as a team. Raine didn’t trust herself, and Fire was losing his trust in her. Anything else today would do more damage than good.

  “That’s enough,” he called out before they reached the final turn. He had to figure out a new tactic before their bond was permanently broken. “We’re done for now.”

  She reined up in surprise, her long braid flipping over her shoulder as her head whipped toward him. “What?”

  “Take the rest of the day off,” he said.

  “I don’t understand.”

  He waved his arm toward the guest house. “Go workout, swim, relax, whatever you want to do. But you’re done riding for today.”

  When he headed back to the barn, she cantered Fire past and whirled him around to block Reyes’ path. “Why?”

  “Because I said so. We do this my way, remember?”

  She glared at him for a long moment, her hazel eyes flashing fire.

  “How can I forget?” She backed her horse three quick paces before spinning him toward the barn. “Apparently everything is your way.”

  Yeah, and sometimes his way sucked.

  The thing was, when it came to the everything she referred to, not sleeping with her wasn’t only about respecting his boss and friend. He’d realized half-way through the night that was really nothing more than a lucky excuse he was holding onto for self-preservation.

  He’d felt a pull toward her from the first moment he’d set eyes on her years ago, and each time they met, it only grew stronger. Casual hook-ups had never appealed to him, and if he let himself get too close to her, what the hell was he going to do when she went home to Texas?

  Because there was no question she would be going home in three weeks.

  He went into the office to finish filing the paperwork for Morning Glory, all the while hyper-aware of the sound of Raine’s movements out by the stalls. When it had been quiet for at least fifteen minutes, he figured she’d left and gone back to the guest house.

  With nothing else to keep himself busy, he broke down and called Jessica Wills over at Retired Racers. A bump of his elbow knocked over his bottled water just as she answered. He hit the speaker phone button and scrambled for some napkins.

  “Good morning, Reyes,” the older woman greeted as he wiped up his mess. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you guys until Estefan was back.”

  They hadn’t brought in any more horses for training the past few weeks in anticipation of being shorthanded while his dad was gone. It was supposed to afford Reyes his own semi-vacation. Problem was, he had no desire for extra time on his hands today, or the next three weeks. While he did have the unexpected last minute addition of training Raine and Fire to fill some time, she was the exact reason he was desperate for the distraction of a much busier schedule.

  “Morning Glory just left with the Hamiltons,” he told Jessica. “I’m going to need something challenging to work with over here or I’ll be bored out of my mind.”

  “Tell me why a nice guy like you doesn’t have a girlfriend to keep him busy?”

  “Horses like me better than women do.”

  “Quit yanking my chain, Rey,” she admonished with a laugh. “We both know that’s not true. You know, my cousin’s daughter is still single. I’m happy to give you her number.”

  He made a face at the phone but forced a smile into his voice. “I appreciate the thought, Jess, but I’ll be sticking with horses for now. Please tell me you can help me out on that front.”

  “Well, you know I’ve always got horses for ya’ll. There’s two here in particular I’ve been holding for you if you want to pop on over.”

  “Perfect. I’ll bring the trailer.”

  Reyes hung up and tossed the soggy napkins in the garbage. Then he swiped his keys off the desk on his way out the door to hook up the horse trailer. His pulse jolted at the sight of Raine leaning against the wall outside the office door, and he jerked to a stop with a muttered curse.

  “Fire and I aren’t challenging enough for you?” she accused.

  Realizing she heard everything from the speaker phone, he shot back, “You hang around just to eavesdrop?”

  Guilt flickered before she pushed away from the wall. “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Well, that’s a switch.” He angled past her to head outside to his Jeep.

  “Are you really that mad about what happened last night?” she asked from right behind him. “Because if that’s the problem here this morning, I’ll apologize. Again.”

  “I’m not mad at you.”

  “You’re sure acting like it over one little kiss.”

  Geezus, that had been so much more than a little kiss. He opened his door, then thought better of it and slammed it shut again to face her. “I live in Colorado. You live in Texas.”

  “And?”

  “I don’t screw around just to screw around. Never have, never will.”

  “Neither do I.” Her gaze met his for a moment, then faltered. She stuffed her hands in her front pockets and turned to lean her butt against the front tire fender while hunching her shoulders. Her gaze met his, then bounced away to look out over the mountains to the west. “So, I guess I do owe you another apology. I was scared. I am scared—about a lot of things. I was using you as a distraction to keep from facing some hard questions, and I’m sorry.”

  He should be offended by that, shouldn’t he? No one liked to be used. He definitely should not be thinking about offering himself up as a willing distraction whenever she needed one. Hopefully often.

  For the next three weeks, anyway.

  He gave himself a hard mental shake and reached for his door once more. “Don’t worry about it. Apology accepted.”

  As he opened the door, she straightened from the side of his Jeep. “Are you going to get more rescue horses?”

  Despite her already knowing that answer, he gave a curt, “Yeah.”

  “Can I come with you?”

  “No.”

  “Please?”

  Halfway onto the driver’s seat, he paused with a frown. The less time they spent together the better. “Don’t you have a three hour workout to get done?”

  She gave him an innocent little smile. “My trainer gave me the rest of the day off.”

  Idiot.

  “Then go shopping or something,” he said impatiently. “Meet your friends for lunch.”

  “That’s totally sexist. Besides, I hate shopping, and all my friends are in Texas, remember?”

  Damn it all anyway. He scrambled to come up with a good suggestion. Anything to keep from being closed up in a vehicle with her for an extended period of time. As if the overwhelming attraction wasn’t bad enough, she wasn’t quite the spoiled little rich girl he’d imagined, and he liked the woman h
e was getting to know. “Go visit your cousins then.”

  “They’re all working. Besides, I want to see where you get the horses from and learn more about the whole process.”

  And he didn’t want to bond with her over the rescue horses.

  “Come on, Reyes,” she pleaded, looking up at him through her lashes. “If you’re bored, imagine how I feel, all by myself, all this way from home.”

  That last bit was laying it on a bit thick. She knew it. He knew it. And yet there he was, feeling the corner of his mouth tug upward before he could force it back into a forbidding line.

  Raine’s eyes lit up, and she hurried around to the passenger side of his Jeep.

  Sonofabitch. “I did not say yes.”

  Undeterred by his stern voice, she flashed him a saucy grin as she opened the door. “Yes you did. But I promise, I’ll keep my hands to myself.”

  “That’s not what I’m worried about.”

  She muttered what sounded like, “Maybe you should be,” under her breath, but the slamming of the door drowned out the words, and he wasn’t stupid enough to ask her to repeat them. He was already in enough trouble.

  10

  Raine snuck a glance at Reyes’ solemn profile as he made the turn out of the estate’s gated driveway. He’d been grumpy all morning. His attitude had annoyed her at first, but while brushing Fire after their disastrous training session, her rational brain had finally managed to remind her he’d broken things off last night because he was a good guy. An honorable guy.

  So, she switched her mood and found a little teasing had coaxed a peek at his reluctant humor. Very reluctant, and a very short peek. But still.

  “I don’t screw around.”

  She respected the hell out of that. Too many men in her circle at home and on the jumping circuit were only about screwing around. The guys at home were spoiled, rich playboys who used their money and status to get women into bed. Many on the circuit were mostly looking for a good time in the moment, because the time span between events made relationships difficult. On the flip side, others cheated on wives or girlfriends, because sometimes they were away from home for weeks at a time.

  Either way, she’d learned early on it wasn’t how she wanted to live her life. Last night with Reyes—acting first on the siren call of their sizzling attraction—had been a first for her, and after realizing how her actions had come across, it was a last, too.

  She couldn’t shake how his voice sounded when he’d told her he needed this job. Because of what had happened to him. And she got to thinking that even though she was still insanely attracted to him, maybe they could be friends. A guy with his depth of integrity was someone she’d like to have as a friend. Plus, she had a feeling he could use one who understood he’d gone through some crappy shit, because she sure did.

  Maybe he had one already. Heck, maybe he had a whole bunch already from the Army, but a person could never have enough friends, could they?

  “Do horses really like you better than women?” she asked to break the silence.

  He shot her a sideways glance before giving a slight shake of his head. “I distinctly recall your palm smacking my cheek only seconds after you telling me you didn’t like me.”

  “I didn’t know you yet,” she said with an unapologetic shrug. “Besides, you dared me.”

  “Don’t dare a Diamond,” he mocked lightly. “I should’ve dared you to stay back at the estate.”

  “Why? Are you afraid if you spend time with me you’ll like me?”

  That got her another sharp glance from him, but he didn’t answer as he rested his wrist over the top of the steering wheel and watched the road.

  “I dare you to answer,” she taunted. “Truthfully.”

  “I’m not a Diamond.”

  “So you don’t take dares?”

  His lips curved into a smile. “I’m not ten years old anymore.”

  “My brothers still dare each other, and they’re all older than me—and you’re avoiding the question.”

  He shrugged.

  She was trying to come up with something clever when his low voice reached across the cab.

  “I already like you, Raine. That’s the problem.”

  After a quick glance, she watched the passing scenery. “Does it have to be a problem? Because I like you, too, so why can’t we at least be friends?”

  “I don’t usually want to kiss my friends. Do you?”

  “No, but there’s a first time for everything.” She hoped the smile she shot his way did not reveal the nerves churning in her stomach. “We could give it a shot.”

  “Easier said than done.”

  “Come on. How hard can it be?”

  The moment the question left her mouth, heat flashed through her from head to toe. He’d been very hard when she was plastered against his body in the pool. In the split second her gaze met his, she was certain he was remembering the exact same thing. She still wanted to kiss him plus a whole lot more.

  She bit her lip and turned her flaming face to the window. “Maybe you should just tell me about where we’re going and the horse rescue.”

  After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat and told her all about Retired Racers, Jessica Wills, and the operation she’d been running for nearly ten years. Raine ignored a little spike of jealousy when she thought of the woman’s offer of her cousin’s daughter’s phone number. He’d turned her down anyway, so there was nothing to be jealous of, right?

  Right.

  It turned out “pop on over” ended up being almost a forty minute drive before Reyes turned onto a pine tree-lined drive bordered by pastures with white fences, and more than two dozen grazing horses dotting the green land.

  He parked in front of a huge hunter green stable with five roof dormers on each side, and white trim all around. By the time they got out of the Jeep, a tall, slim blond woman in a yellow T-shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots exited the open doors and approached with a wide smile. Reyes had said Jessica was in her mid-fifties, but Raine wouldn’t have guessed her to be a day over forty.

  The woman gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before the two turned to her, and he made introductions.

  Raine shook her hand as the woman eyed her with open curiosity. “Reyes told me all about Retired Racers on the way here. This place is very impressive.”

  “Thanks.” Jessica twisted at the waist, her gaze sweeping toward the barn and back. “This is what my ex-husband gets for being a no-good, cheating sonofabitch.”

  Raine couldn’t stop a high eyebrow arch, and the blond laughed.

  “Jess has no filter,” Reyes warned with a smile. “You get used to it.”

  “Too bad Thomas didn’t.” Jessica turned for the barn. “Oh well. His loss.”

  “Clearly,” Raine murmured with a grin. She liked her—filter be damned.

  On their way inside, the woman waved her hand in the general direction of the two of them. “What’s going on here?” Her gaze settled on Reyes. “Is this English filly why you won’t let me fix you up?”

  English filly? Raine nearly choked on a surprised laugh, though she assumed her dark gray breeches and black riding boots had sparked the silly description.

  “Raine and I are…friends.”

  Jessica laughed with clear disbelief. “Right. And I’m the bloody queen of England.” Before either of them could reply, the blond stopped in front of a stall where a tall, black thoroughbred had its head extended over the door, curious brown eyes watching the three of them. “Anyway, this lady here is Willow Moonlight, and next to her is Saving Grace.”

  Raine grinned at the names. She absolutely loved the creativity involved in naming horses—especially thoroughbred race horses. Moving over to the bay mare’s stall, she rubbed her forehead while Jessica went over what she knew of each horse’s history.

  Each had been with her for nearly two months to rest and de-stress after varying success at the track. Willow had been over-trained after her winning streak waned, and
Saving Grace had needed a low-impact environment to recover from a gastric ulcer. Both situations were something Raine had heard of in her field as well, though careful monitoring ensured her horses never reached a level where drastic intervention was required.

  Jessica explained sometimes a horse needed to just be a horse instead of a high-performance athlete. Eat grass, doze in the sunshine, run through a green pasture. Some could go back, while most ‘retired’ to a new life, transitioning into lower-stress careers.

  Listening to her and Reyes discuss possible paths for each thoroughbred gave Raine a new level of appreciation for his skill and knowledge. It was obvious he earned respect from everyone he worked with. Uncle Mark and Aunt Janine. The Hamiltons. Jessica.

  Recognizing the depth of their confidence in him, she realized she’d been holding back during their training sessions. She hadn’t trusted that he knew enough to truly be of any help to her and Fire. How could he when he had no experience with riders, and she hadn’t actually witnessed proof of his results with horses?

  But last night proved his instincts were dead on. In the dead of night, she accepted the fact she needed to face her fear of that one stupid jump. Things hadn’t gone so well that morning, but it was time for her to confront what had happened head on, not forget it.

  And if she was going to make forward progress, she needed to fully trust Reyes to do what was best for her and her horse. Because he’d also proved last night, and today, he had her best interests at heart—not his own.

  11

  Reyes put the last of the horses out to pasture Saturday morning, and then found a western saddle similar to his to fit Diamond Fire. Taz was all ready to go, and he was tightening Fire’s cinch when Raine arrived for her training session a few minutes later.

  His pulse gave the usual excited skip as he swept his gaze over her standard uniform of T-shirt, breeches, boots, and braid. Then again, there was nothing standard about her ass in those breeches. They were killing him every single day—though, far be it for him to complain.