STUDS AND STILETTOS (Romantic Mystery) (17 page)

“She wasn’t in the picture.”

Judging by the hardening of his voice, he wasn’t speaking literally. It was also clear he intended to rise. His entire body had tensed along with the mention of his mother. But she didn’t want him to go, and it wasn’t just because his body was a cocoon of warmth.

She gave an exaggerated shiver and just as she hoped, his arms tightened. It was probably an instinctive reaction—he was too chivalrous to let any woman freeze—but she was glad the apartment didn’t have any blankets. She would have been happy to lie in his arms all day and share stories. Perhaps more. And the way he was staring at her mouth, it was obvious he was increasingly aware of her as a woman.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said.

Her chest kicked with delight. He
was
going to kiss her. The signs were unmistakable. His voice had thickened, his eyes darkening as he studied her face.

“Yes?” She tilted her head another inch. If he didn’t care she looked a little rough, she wouldn’t either. Jenna had always said she shouldn’t worry so much about her appearance.

“There’s a background bus coming tomorrow,” he said. “I think it’s time for you to catch a ride back to Louisville.”

Her head jerked against the back of the sofa. For an achy moment, her mouth was too dry to speak. “But who will look after Barney and Ted?” she finally managed.

“Lizzie will. Thoroughbreds aren’t pet ponies,” he went on, his voice oddly gruff. “They can kick and buck. You can’t safely handle them, not with those welts on your hands. And we don’t want you to end up with a hoof in the head.”

A lump blocked her throat, making it difficult to hide her confusion. She’d been competent enough to lead Bruno…when they needed someone for their precious movie. She’d even bit her tongue around Lizzie, only snapping back a couple times. Yet despite working both ends of the day, she still wasn’t good enough. Couldn’t make enough money to give her sister a measly weekend away. Chalk up another failure.

She wanted to ask about the race-consulting job but feared her voice would crack. Besides, she refused to beg. “Whatever,” she said, faking a nonchalant shrug.

He cupped her chin, tilting her head so he could see her face. “A friend of mine is involved in a Louisville movie about university hazing. He needs more background performers. It might last six weeks. I’ll give you his number.”

She blinked, struggling to control the odd pricking behind her eyes. It was brutally apparent she couldn’t accomplish anything on her own. But she didn’t want another handout. Especially from him.

“Thanks, but no need.” She pulled away and jackknifed to a sitting position. “My agent is probably on that anyway.”

He immediately rose, leaving a blast of frigid air where his body had been. It was damn cold, but she could feel his scrutiny and was determined to hide her shivers. Once he left, she’d go downstairs. It was always warmer in the barn and the horses, at least, would be glad to see her.

“I’ll bring back some cream for your hands,” he said. “And when Lizzie returns tonight, you can give her your banking information. We’ll get you paid up before you go.”

“Great,” she said. At least Lizzie wouldn’t be around her last day.

“You better keep my jacket. Don’t you have any warmer clothes?”

The faint criticism in his voice stung. “Of course, I do.” She thrust his jacket at him. “Take it. I’m already hot.”

He ignored the jacket, reached down and felt her forehead with the back of his hand. “You feel warm.” He frowned. “Better bundle up. It’s chilly in the morning.”

He walked toward the door but called over his shoulder. “Don’t turn the chestnut out. I don’t want you handling either horse alone. I’ll come by later or send someone to help.”

The door clicked and he was gone. She stared at the jacket in her hands, still warm from their bodies, then slowly slipped it on. Now she wasn’t even trusted to lead Ted and he loved his grassy paddock. But at least she wouldn’t be feeding breakfast in a thin T-shirt and for that she was grateful. Lizzie wouldn’t be around either. Yes, she should be happy. There were loads of pluses.

She rubbed her nose, trying to be optimistic but her energy seemed to have vanished with Dan. Hopefully he wouldn’t catch her cold. It wouldn’t be much fun for him, working long hours on a movie set and feeling this sick.

She stumbled to her feet and trudged down the narrow staircase, chilled despite the jacket. As usual, the barn was damp and she glanced wistfully at the wash stall. But the thought of stripping in the crisp air made her cringe. Beside, the floor didn’t drain properly and the last thing she wanted was to leave a flooded aisle. Lizzie would be downright gleeful if Emily made any mistakes.

Barney and Ted nickered impatiently, tracking her movements as she tossed hay in the plastic bin and then hosed the contents thoroughly with water. It probably wasn’t necessary to wet Ted’s hay since only Barney had reacted to the dust, but it was best to be cautious.

The barn still felt dusty too, despite that she had wet the floor last night, trying to reduce hay particles in the air. There didn’t seem to be much else to do, although it might be worth a call to Jenna. Peanut always coughed in the spring. Fresh air and green grass helped him. However, Barney had to be confined because of his injury, and she was no longer allowed to lead Ted.

She reached up to pat Barney. He nudged her arm, hungry and impatient, obviously wondering why his breakfast was delayed. However, Wally had always insisted on soaking hay for twenty minutes, and she wasn’t going to remove it from the tub a second earlier. One of the advantages of working at an equine wellness center, even as a tour guide, was that she’d absorbed a variety of knowledge.

Just not enough to satisfy Dan.

She blew out a mournful sigh. At least she’d managed to stretch the background employment into a few extra days. But now she had to leave, return to her boring apartment and hunt for another job. Or crawl back to Three Brooks and endure the condescending comments from old co-workers. A wave of self-pity swept her.

She gave an impatient shake of her head and pulled out her phone. It was pointless to worry too far ahead. The least she could do was take good care of Barney for her remaining day. She pressed Jenna’s number, wincing at the low battery warning. Tomorrow though, she’d be back in her apartment and able to use her charger. The thought didn’t give much comfort.

“Hi, movie star.” Jenna’s teasing voice instantly lifted her spirits.

“It’s just a background part,” Emily said quickly. “It was fun though. I held the horse playing Reckless. He was rearing and everything.”

“Do you say anything?”

“Well, no. It’s background.” Emily hated how her voice turned defensive. “But I’m looking after a couple of horses too. I almost like that job more. One of them does tricks, like grabbing things from your hand. That’s actually why I’m calling. We had some bad hay yesterday and he started wheezing. I’m wetting his feed but the air in the barn still feels dusty.”

“Get him outside,” Jenna said. “Twenty-four seven.”

“I can’t. He’s on stall rest, tendon. He’ll run around in the paddock.”

“Then make sure his windows are open, that the bedding isn’t dusty and wet his hay. If that doesn’t help, start with a bronchodilator and then some Dex. The best thing though would be to find a way to keep him outside.”

Jenna sounded faintly disapproving and Emily wanted to explain that it was impossible to keep the horse outside. Besides she was only looking after him for another day; she’d been fired that very morning.

But when she glanced over her shoulder, Barney watched with liquid brown eyes, totally trusting her to deliver his breakfast. And take good care of him. “Okay, thanks,” Emily said. “I’ll figure something out. How are your exams going?”

“Wrote a tough one yesterday. Wally is coming by for pizza later, and then it’s back to studying. I’m finished tomorrow night.”

“Is Burke still away?”

“Yes.” Jenna’s voice turned tight.

“That’s good,” Emily said, hoping to cheer her up. “Now you’ll have more time to study. You and Burke would be doing other stuff if he were around.”

“Probably.” But Jenna’s laugh sounded brittle. “I offered to fly out after my exams, but he said not to bother.”

“Which makes total sense if he’s coming home soon,” Emily said. She wanted to ask if she should wet Barney’s grain in addition to the hay, but it sounded like Jenna had her own problems. “You know Burke works incredibly long hours while he’s away,” she added. “So he can spend more time with you at Three Brooks.”

“But he sounded almost secretive. So unlike him.”

Emily paced a circle in the aisle. Burke dealt in black and white, and rarely was secretive. However, Jenna was clearly cranked from studying. And with Burke away, it seemed more important than ever to give her sister a carefree weekend.

“Just hang in there,” Emily said. “Worry about your exams first. The other stuff will fall into place.”

“Sounds like you’re throwing my words back at me, little sis.” But Jenna chuckled, sounding more like her old self. “And I’m glad you found something you like. You were right about sticking with acting. How much longer does this job last? Another month?”

Emily winced. “I guess movie employment is always a scramble.”

“What’s that mean?” Jenna’s voice sharpened. “By the way, you sound funny. Do you have a cold?”

“A little.” Emily rubbed her forehead, then tugged the zipper of Dan’s jacket higher. At least she wasn’t sneezing. And she was no longer famished, even though she couldn’t remember her last meal.

“You need to get rid of that cold,” Jenna said. “They probably don’t want sick people around a movie set.”

“No, they definitely don’t.” Emily gave a wry smile, remembering the director’s irritation when she sneezed. Dan though, had been sweet.

Not too sweet though. Her smile faded. After all, he’d just fired her.

“No problem,” Monty said. “Construction is finished here so you’re welcome to the wood from the scrap pile.” He tossed three moldy bales from the back of a pickup then walked to the cab. “What are you building?”

“Just making a temporary paddock so Barney can get outside.” Emily scanned the stack of wood. “I only need a few rails.”

“Take as many as you want. All this wood is trash.” He pulled open his truck door. “I’m going into Louisville, but I can help you later.”

Emily politely declined, waiting until he drove away. Monty was already extremely busy. All the wranglers were. Besides, Jenna was correct. Barney shouldn’t be left in the barn any longer than necessary. And Emily certainly wasn’t going to twiddle her thumbs waiting for help.

There was an empty lane between two of the end paddocks. With the addition of a few poles, Barney could have the perfect turnout. And now that she’d found some properly sized rails, the air quality problem would be solved.

She balanced a rail on each shoulder and began the trek back to the barn. The poles weren’t heavy but they were certainly awkward. Twice she dropped them on her toes. Eventually she gave up trying to move them in pairs and dragged them back, one at a time. It slowed her progress but forty-five minutes later, she had six rails piled in the narrow aisle between the paddocks.

She returned to the barn and gathered a fistful of baler twine. “You boys can both go out in a minute,” she called to the horses. She and Jenna had often used baler twine for repairs. The stuff was free, plentiful and tough.

Twenty minutes later, she had a safe turnout, not much bigger than Barney’s stall. She wiped her clammy brow, studying the pen in satisfaction. Now Barney could be outside in the fresh air but restricted enough that he wouldn’t run around and foolishly hurt his tendon.

She quickly rewrapped his legs, eager to take him outside and watch his reaction. He followed her out the door, stepping carefully over the poles and into the turnout, then waited like a gentleman while she tied up the rails.

“There you are.” She unsnapped his lead line.

He immediately dropped to his knees and rolled luxuriously. She watched with a twinge of fear, praying he wouldn’t scramble up and buck. Or worse, try to jump out.

But he rose, shook himself like a dog, and began searching for patches of green grass, totally accepting of his new pen.

She hurried back into the barn, haltered Ted and led him into the adjoining paddock. Ted nickered to Barney, relieved to see his buddy, and immediately began grazing on the other side of the fence. They both looked happy to be outside, and it was certainly healthier.

She’d feed them noon hay in an hour, and at some point the stalls would have to be mucked out. Now though, she was exhausted. Her arms ached, and her eyes and nose itched. At least the day had warmed. The sun beat down, heating her shoulders and for the first time since Dan left, she wasn’t cold.

She leaned against the fence post, reluctant to leave Barney unsupervised. However, he was a polite and obliging fellow and seemed to understand he was supposed to remain in his odd enclosure. Maybe later, when she had more energy, they could practice the grab trick.

She sank down on the grass and rested her back against the wooden post. A bee buzzed around her hand. She watched it cautiously but it was only exploring, and the familiar drone made her feel at home. It was extremely peaceful. The groom who had been assigned this apartment certainly had a sweet deal.

Last week she wouldn’t have considered groom’s work ‘sweet,’ but helping with the horses was far more inspiring than standing around for hours, only to be berated for sneezing. Here, she was her own boss. She definitely appreciated Dan’s management style. It was way more motivating than the usual threats and lectures.

She tilted further against the fence, enjoying the sound of the munching horses. Probably she should text Jenna. Let her know Barney was outside and thank her for the advice. She also needed to figure out how to make some money when she returned to her apartment.

But for now, the sun was shining, the horses’ contentment was contagious and there really wasn’t any other place she’d rather be.