Jockeying for You (5 page)

How Ryder had had this effect on him, and so quickly, he had no idea. Normally, he was the one who kept a safe emotional distance from women. Especially after his engagement to Betsy had tanked faster than a ruptured water tower. The pain to his heart, and his wallet, was taking a hell of a long time to heal. Nothing was worse than being used.

Horses were a surer bet than women. Less emotional baggage. And they listened and did what you told them. Except, of course, Handsome Dancer. But with any luck, even this wild horse could be tamed. And thrive.

Sometimes, though, luck passed him by. A year ago, Jake had bought a filly named Sky Bound, the horse Betsy had wanted. Only to then have her dump him when he became financially overstretched from the expense. He had never wanted that loser horse in the first place. Investments made with the heart and not the head were dangerous risks.
I should have stuck to my gut. I’d be a lot richer.

Focusing on Handsome’s success, as well as Jake’s overall success, was critical. Because the last time he wooed a woman he made a terrible bet. Business was the better move. The risks were quantifiable and calculable. The downside—being bored to tears from the dryness of it all—was easily fixed by watching the races. The thrill of a big win, with all the prestige that went with it, easily provided sufficient highs to make life worth living.

He could only hope his gut with Handsome Dancer was equally correct. Handsome had to win. Jake might be a chump when it came to females and fillies, but not when it came to colts and stallions. Which was why he was so focused on getting the right trainer. Even if it meant cashing in a few favors to get an extra stall for Ryder. His efforts were all meant for a big-payoff.

Whether the pay-off was strictly financial with her, however, he was no longer sure. Ryder had striking beauty. There was more to her, however, than being blessed physically. Her petite frame belied her strong nature. It took great guts to be a jockey, and even more guts to have attempted the field as a woman. Being a trainer was challenging, too. For a soft-spoken lady with an equally large soft spot for animals, she was certainly nobody’s pushover. A far cry from the debutant types he’d been dating. Like, Betsy. The largest challenge Betsy had ever taken on was
him
. Which, in retrospect, made them both losers.

Ryder waved to him from a distance, and he dropped his unconscious grimace. She was talking to a tall young man who was hot walking a beautiful bay. After a minute, he managed to catch her eye again. With a friendly wave, she came over. Her blond bob was in a short ponytail, loose strands flying in every direction from the warm breeze. The leggings pushed into her leather boots hugged every curve in an enticing way. A sleeveless flowery top fluttered, happily giving brief glimpses of her tight midriff. Her face seemed bronzer than the day before and infinitely more relaxed. Her countenance only made her more attractive. Blue eyes shone like the sky with strong afternoon sun.

“Hi,” he said, grateful to have pushed out the words. “That horse is beautiful.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “But who needs beauty when you’ve got handsomeness?” She placed her hand on his horse’s nose.

The animal greeted her with an answering whinny.

“I can’t wait to work with you.”

“Guess he feels the same way.” As if the horse understood English, Handsome Dancer brushed his big, broad head against Ryder’s shoulders. “Maybe you two should get a room.”

She gave an unrestrained laugh. “I told you, he’s a lover not a fighter.” After a moment, she sobered. “Really, there is no telling how he’ll react to me once we start training him. If he’s loath to be ridden as you say, I’ll still have a challenge on my hands. Today I’m just going to let him get settled. Tomorrow we’ll get him started, but slowly. I’ll need time to figure out what makes him tick. Give me two weeks with him. Then you can stop by, and we can chat about any progress. Fair enough?”

“Of course,” he answered, though not being able to see her for two weeks wasn’t really fair at all. “Good luck with Handsome Dancer.”

“Thanks,” she answered, already distracted by the horse.

He gave her one last glance before leaving. He saw her hand wrap around Handsome’s big head in a way that made him feel a pang of jealousy he didn’t understand.

Chapter 4

It had only been two days since Jake saw Ryder at Belmont’s stables. At this point, he was already feeling antsy. He was doing his best not to get in touch with her.

Should he call her?
No.
If he did he would be a crazy, control freak owner. Or worse, a school kid with a crush. Which would be totally unfair because he was neither. Right?

He muttered a few colorful phrases he hoped the bartender didn’t hear. Country clubs had rules on etiquette, even in their bar. He chewed silently on his thoughts while waiting for Steven, his brother-in-law, to return from the bathroom.

What was it about Ryder that drew him in? Was it the way she treated Handsome Dancer? Her kindness to his horse, and all the horses in her care, went beyond mere professionalism. It bordered on motherly.

Not that motherly was the way he saw her. Not after he’d seen her in that sundress. She’d radiated that day, a siren. Maybe she was a witch.

Could be. Even a hardened, tough-minded male like Handsome Dancer had easily fallen under her power of persuasion. No fight. No lag time. Nada. Just
poof
and then right
under her spell. Her immense magic taking immediate effect.

No, Ryder wasn’t a horse whisperer. She was an all-living-things whisperer. Even if she wasn’t a witch, there was no denying he was bewitched.
Damn, Jake. Shake it off. Women are bad news.

“Hey lover boy, you dreaming about your new trainer? You’ve been talking about her all night.”

Jake spun around in his chair at the bar of the country club to see Steven mock him with a falsetto voice and fluttering eyelashes. And then Steven clasped his arms together in a girly kind of way.

Then, as if that mockery was not enough, his bald, middle-aged, slightly paunchy brother-in-law crooned, “Ohhh, Jakey, you’re so handsome. You know you want to kiss me.”

Good thing I know he’s kidding around. And married to my sister.
She wouldn’t be happy if I punched him out.
Dina didn’t believe her husband would ever dole out this kind of crap. No wonder. Steven pretended to be the innocent around his wife. It was an act easy to believe. Most people would never guess from Steven’s buttoned-up conservative appearance he was a giant jokester.

Oh well, if I can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
“Yeah Steven, I’m dreaming all right. And now you’re in my dream with me. Forget about my new trainer. You can be my lover instead.” He pursed his lips together in an exaggerated pretend kiss.

Steven faked gagging. “You can love family, but you can’t
loooove
family.”

“Love you? I want to kill you,” Jake ground out.

“Awww. Why is Jakey so moody? Girl troubles?”

Jake glanced at Steven’s fifth beer with distain. “You can’t possibly be drunk from beer, can you? Real men get drunk on scotch.”

“Let’s find out,” Steven shouted, dangerously loud for the country club bar. “Hey, bartender, two scotch whiskies over here, please!”

“Steven, lower your voice, will you? You don’t want the club to kick us out. And Dina will kill you if she hears you’re acting up. She never lets you out of the house as it is. Keep it up, and she’ll hire a guard to make sure it never happens again.” He escorted Steven to a table further away from the bar, off in a corner. They each took a seat.

A moment later, the bartender set their drinks down with a courteous nod.

“What’s up with you, Steven? Is Dina making you crazy? I love my sister but I know she can be . . . particular in how she handles things.”

“Yeah.
Particular
. She wants another baby. I don’t want a fourth child. Having three boys is more than enough.”

Jake didn’t know whether to laugh or grimace at the news. “Uh, maybe your sex lives is something I ought to stay out of . . .”

“It’s not only about the sex, Jake. It’s how she acts. Dina wants to treat me like a stud. Like one of your horses. Shoved into a breeding barn with a filly in heat and forced to hav
e a go at it.”

Jake tried to loosen the tie and top button of his collar. “Yeah, Steven, I’m not sure I should be hearing all this . . .”

“Okay. Fine. Let’s focus on you. Tell me about the hot fox you’ve got a thing for. Don’t lie, because I’ve known you for fifteen years now, so I’ll know if you do.”

Jake sputtered. “All right. You’ve got me. Maybe I do have a
thing,
as you put it, for the trainer I recently hired. She’s . . .” His voice trailed off as he played with the small wet napkin under his glass.
I’m going to sound like an idiot.
“She’s nice. That’s all.”

He watched Steven put down the shot of whiskey and release a howl of drunken laughter. “
Nice
? You mean her body’s nice, don’t you?”

Jake’s punching arm got twitchy again. “Stop pretending you’re an ass, will you? You treat Dina great. I know you respect women.”

“Yeah, okay, I do.” Steven hung his head low. “You’re killing my image. Killing it!” he yelled at the top of his lungs.

Jake winced as the bartender shot them a stern look.

“Whoa, bro,” Jake admonished. “You’ve got to keep it down.”

Steven’s voice began to quiver. “I love my wife.”

“I know you do. But keep it down, will you?”

“How ’bout you?” Steven asked in a dramatic whisper. “You want a wife?”

Jake raked a hand roughly through his hair. “You know you’re slurring your words, right?”

“Noth I’mph not!”

“Yes, you are. I’ll be driving you home for sure.”

“Ansther my question. Do you wanna wifey or what?”

“Are you offering one?” Jake answered dryly.

“No.” Somehow Steven managed a smile through his alcoholic haze.

Jake smiled back. Steven was a nut but he was funny, and family. “Yeah, man. I want to get married.” Jake shut up at the sudden tug of his heart. “I thought I had the real thing with Betsy. It’d be nice to have more than business partners to talk to. A life partner, you know? I see what you and Dina have, and I think it’s pretty great.”

Steven’s face lit up. “You need a girlfriend.” Then his face turned into a scowl. “Dina’s been hounding me to set you up. She has one of my cousins in mind.”

“Forget it. Nothin’ doin’.” Jake called over the bartender. “Can I get another whiskey double?” As soon as the drink was placed in front of him he drained the glass. Seconds later, he waved to the bartender again and ordered one more.
Guess we’ll both be taking a cab home.

“Another beer, here!” Steven shouted at the top of his lungs.

Jake grimaced. The amount of the tip he’d have to leave the poor beleaguered bartender would be staggering.

When they finished their drinks they picked up their conversation. “Anyway, you’re right about not wanting to be fixed up,” Steven slurred. “My cousin Maude is a real troll.”

Jake couldn’t help it, he laughed. “Not nice, Steven.”

“All right, that was too harsh. Maude looks like an anteater. Really long nose and very round body.”

“
That
was nice?”

“To anteaters? Probably not. How about bagpipes then? Bagpipes have long skinny protrusions with a great big baggy gut. Just like Maude.”

“Wow, Steven. You make a great pitch for dating her. If your successful real estate business ever fails you can always start a dating website. Call it
bagpipebellychicks.com
. I’m sure you’ll gets lots of hits.”

Steven leaned forward over the tiny table, his eyes wide. “Do you really think so, Jakey?”

“Nope. Not even a hard-up Scotsman would log on.”

“Damn. Dina wanted me to earn more money. She’s thinking of having an extension built onto our house.”

Jake frowned. “It’s already got six bedrooms. How much bigger does she need?”

“She doesn’t. But you know how it is, always keeping up with the Joneses. Maryellen Butler and Lydia Knightly are building additions so now Dina feels she needs to do this, too. And you know how your father is, always wanting us to showcase a lifestyle suitable for the—” Steven made air quotes. “—rich and famous.” He gave a loud belch and then continued, his voice shaky. “But I don’t wanna pay for it. The real estate market has been dicey.” Steven then twisted his body around to the bar and called over for another beer.

The bartender gave them a stern look. “I already let the concierge know you guys either need to be picked up by somebody or have a car service called,” the elderly gentleman said. The tone wasn’t rude but it left no opportunity for rebuttal.

“We figured. It’s not a problem,” Jake answered, now free to slur his words, too. Seconds later, their drinks appeared.

Steven picked his glass up with apparent delight and took a sip. “Dina told me your dad wants you to date, too.”

“Are you still blathering on about my love life?”

“You mean your
lack
of love life.”

Jake exhaled a hard breath of air that sounded like a hiss. “You’re worse than either of them.”

“Nope. They’re way worse.”

“Worse on multiple levels. My dad wants me to date only who he wants me to date. Society types. How do you think I got hooked up with Betsy?”

“Oh. That would explain it.”

“You didn’t like her either.”

Steven took another swig. “Not a bit.”

Jake laughed. “I wish I could say the same. To this day I’m amazed I actually fell for someone like her.”

“Fell for her, huh?” Steven started to sing “Timber” in a falsetto voice that would insult both Pitbull and Kesha.

Jake gave him a flat stare. “Lucky for you I’ll attribute all this to the alcohol.”

Steven sucked down a third of the glass in one gulp. Another audible burp followed. “Sorry. But’s not my fault I’m drunk.
You
got me drunk,” he pretended to accuse.

“Yeah, right. I think you got
me
drunk.”

“No way, bro.” Steven’s phone rang. “’scuse me. It’s the wifey. I’d better take her call, if I know what’s good for me.” He muttered under his breath, “She’s almost as scary as your father.”

“Duh. No shit, Sherlock.” Jake nodded until a feeling of vertigo hit him. “Double shit.”
Definitely had too much to drink.
Five minutes later, Steven was still talking on the phone. Well, more like listening, since his mouth was closed, his head hung in shame. Whatever bashing Dina was dolling out, Steven was taking it. It was amazing the amount of crap a guy would take if he loved a woman.

Jake glanced at his own smart phone, which lay on the little table, silent. It would be nice if his phone rang with a woman on the other end. Double bonus points if the woman was not ranting. Or his sister. Or his ranting sister. He shuddered.

Unconsciously his fingers glided over the phone’s icons as if trying to find out on their own who to contact. Until the bartender distracted him, putting some pretzels and chips down in front of him. When Jake thanked him, and the bartender had left, he heard his phone miraculously ringing.
What the . . . ?

“Hello?” said a feminine voice he could not forget.

Shit.

“Hello, Jake? Are you there? I think you just called me. Are you worried about Handsome Dancer?”

His skin twitched from wincing. “Sorry, Ryder. I didn’t mean to call you. My mistake.”

Melodious laughter rang through the air. “You butt-dialed me? At eleven o’clock at night? Good to know you’re still active at this hour.
I
was fast asleep. I wake up early to take care of horses, you know. Like yours, for instance.”

Thank God she sounds amused.

“Jake, you are there, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Yes, I’m here.” He gulped loudly then winced again, hoping his phone didn’t transmit the sound.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. A little drunk is all.”

“Where are you? Are you by yourself? Do you need a ride?”

“No. The country club already arranged car service for us.” He heard nothing. Silence. “Ryder? Are you still there?”

“Yes, of course.” Her voice sounded tighter now. “I hope you and your date get home safe.”

“Date?” His voice sounded impassioned now, even to his own ears. “Who said anything about a date?”

“You said
us
. So I thought, well, never mind. As long as you’ve got someone to watch out for you I won’t have to worry.”

But I don’t have someone to watch out for me. That’s
why
I worry.

“Good night, Jake. Take care.”

“Wait!”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I said—I said
wait
. I’m sorry I dialed you by accident. But I’m not sorry we’re talking.”

An exasperated exhale came through the phone line. “Go back to the person you’re with, Jake Carter. And sober up.”

“You can tell I’m really drunk, huh?”

“I’d have to be deaf to not figure it out. Go back to the person you’re with and go home.”

He paused. Maybe because she knew he was drunk he could get away with his next words. “I’d rather talk to you. Have you bring me home. I like you, Ryder Hannon. I like you a lot.”

She laughed. “You had more to drink than I thought. Are you sure your country club is calling car service for you?”

“I may be drunk but I’m also honest. I think you’re hot.” His head was swimming. He hoped to God he wouldn’t regret this in the morning.

“Okay, Romeo. I’ll be nice and forget all about this little drunk dialing escapade. Have a good ni—”

“I’m serious, Ryder. It’s not the alcohol talking. I’m attracted to you. You’re so kind. To everybody, not just animals. It’s like you have magical charms and everything falls under your spell.
I’m
under your spell.”

“Jake—”

“I’m serious! I think you’re amazing. Beautiful inside and out.”

She was quiet. His heart beat fast and heavily. “Say something, Ryder. Anything. We can always deny later this phone call ever happened. No matter what, I still want you training Handsome Dancer.”