Winning Ways (5 page)

Eve stuck her head through the tack room door.

"When you're finished there, come up to the office. I need to talk to you."

Kurt nodded, then turned his attention back to a set of tangled reins. Yes, Ma'am! He clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to bark a retort that would get him into trouble.

I wonder what she wants now. He shook his head. Eve was a difficult woman to work for. Hell, any woman is difficult to work for. They throw their weight around, acting like men should agree with them just because they're females.

Kurt's attitude had gotten him into trouble before, but he'd come by it naturally. His father had immigrated to America as a young man to seek his fortune, bringing a timid new bride with him. Kurt and his three sisters had grown up under their father's ruthless thumb, as the elder DeVallio had struggled to keep his neighborhood grocery store alive in an era of flourishing supermarkets and greater customer mobility. The deep cultural influences of Kurt's old-country upbringing were firmly ingrained and, while some of his opinions reflected his father's, modern times had tempered them somewhat.

Papa DeVallio had believed that women belonged at home, bearing the children and caring for the men - period. Kurt's overbearing sisters had given him a small insight into what made women tick, but not enough to keep him out of trouble. He still firmly resisted being bossed around by any female.

Eve was hanging up the phone when Kurt came into the office. She glanced up and pointed to a chair by the desk.

"We need to talk about the next few shows."

Kurt bristled, but sat down. He didn't appreciate being told how to manage his show schedule. He'd been showing horses for a long time. Very successfully...until New Mexico.

He composed himself. "What's up?"

His boss's expression was one of guarded excitement.

"I have a buyer for Ebony. Billy Benton has made an offer..." She paused for effect. "A hundred-and-seventy-five thousand."

Kurt whistled. "Holy Moley!"

Eve's tone sobered. "But there's a catch. The offer only stands if the horse wins the regional championship in San Francisco."

Kurt's eyes narrowed into slits. "So? The horse is national material. What's the problem?"

"You have to win. I need this deal, Kurt. Billy wants to show Ebony at the Nationals himself. I don't have to tell you, a national championship and a major sale would put my breeding program on the map." She looked directly into his eyes, her tone menacing. "I want to be on the map, and it's your responsibility to see that it happens. You owe me."

Rage billowed inside Kurt's head. These damned rich owners! They think they can buy their wins, get what they want just by snapping their fingers. His gut instinct about the young stallion told him that the horse could win any competition he entered. Kurt just didn't like being told that he had to do it.

Further infuriated by the prospect of turning over a "made horse" so that someone else could have the glory, Kurt felt like a prisoner. Worse, Eve was right...he did owe her. She'd hired him when no one else would take a chance. Sadness speared his heart. It hadn't always been thus. There'd been a time when he'd been at the top, been in control, a time when.... By habit, he forced himself away from that line of thought.

Before he had time to say something he'd regret, Eve's voice broke in.

"If you can pull this off, I'll double your commission on the sale."

Eve was talking about a lot of money. Enough money to round out a savings account sitting idly in New Mexico. Money he could earn by simply doing what he loved most.

He stood up, drenching her with his most dazzling smile.

"Consider it done."

Not-so-distant thunder grumbled through the quiet afternoon, and the atmosphere in the barn became expectantly still. Liz set the manure rake aside, and moved to the window. An ominous sky pressed down on the landscape, and strong gusts whipped a row of graceful cedars into a frenzied dance. As Nature played out its awe-inspiring scene, Liz suddenly had the feeling she wasn't alone. Holding her breath, she turned slowly, and moved silently toward the stall door.

Directly across the aisle, Kurt lounged against the wall, his eyes twinkling, a dimple punctuating one corner of his smile. Liz's heart banged against her ribs, a flood of anger spurring the crazy rhythm as she stormed out of the stall, and up to within a foot of his tall frame.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing, sneaking in here?"

He grinned and shrugged away from the wall.

"You look gorgeous when you're mad." He reached out, laying his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I started to say something, but you seemed so deep in thought, and you looked so pretty in there, shoveling that stuff...well, I just stood here and enjoyed the scenery."

She stared at the man she'd been trying not to think about for the past three weeks. Her pulse slowed a little, but her knees felt weak. The warmth of his fingers seeped through her shirt, and she suddenly imagined how they would feel on her bare skin. Slipping from beneath his touch, she stepped back.

"What are you doing here?"

"I brought your mare over. Didn't Eve call you?"

"Oh. Maybe she did. I've been out here most of the day."

Her tension quickly faded, but she needed a minute to regroup. Without a word, she moved down the aisle to the wash rack. Kurt's voice followed close behind her.

"Are you excited about your new mares?"

She rinsed her hands, and reached past him for a towel. "Oh, yes! I can hardly believe - "

Her breast touched his arm, sending electric shocks through her body. Embarrassed, she jumped back, chancing a quick look at his face. The fire smoldering in his dark eyes sent a river of warmth crawling between her thighs and confusion fluttering through her head.

His voice was husky. "I'd better go get that mare before the sky opens up."

A second later, she exhaled and leaned her back against the wall, closing her eyes and willing her pounding heart to quiet. Outside, a trailer ramp clanged heavily into the gravel, followed by the sharp tap-dance of hooves. Rousing herself from the delicious cloud that enveloped her, she crossed the aisle to join Kurt and the gray mare. He handed her the lead rope, then gazed around appreciatively. "This is a nice little barn. Just right for a one-person enterprise."

"Yes, it's perfect. I need a streamlined operation when I'm busy with the clinic." Hah! Right now, I could have forty stalls and still have time to take care of them. "Would you like a tour?"

His expression added subtle meaning to his response.

"Yeah. I'd like to see what else Legacy Arabians has to offer."

His cunning smile sent shivers of excitement across her shoulders. His effect on her body was as disconcerting as his hold on her thoughts.

As they walked the aisle, she watched his reaction to each horse. Proud of her small herd, she delighted in showing off her horses to a professional trainer. A loud crack of thunder echoed through the barn, and lightning flashed its eerie light across the open door, just as Kurt stopped in front of Karma's stall.

"Whoa! Who's this? Did you show him at Sacramento?"

"Yes, indeed. He won the yearling stallion championship." She grinned mischievously. "You're telling me you don't remember?"

A strange flicker moved across his features, then disappeared. He turned back to the stall, and leaned on the edge of the Dutch door. Karma immediately came over, and Kurt murmured something under his breath. The colt listened intently, his ears pricked forward, his eyes bright with interest.

Liz couldn't hide her surprise. "I'm impressed. He usually stays in the farthest corner of his stall and has to be trapped before I can get a halter on him. It's one of his little-boy games."

A few minutes later, Kurt moved away from the stall, trying to keep his expression neutral.

"He's an outstanding colt. What are your plans for him?"

His casual tone belied his churning thoughts. The horse could give Ebony a run for the money. My money, dammit! He hadn't shown Ebony at Sacramento, so he hadn't paid attention to that class - a poor move on his part. He didn't like surprises.

 He listened politely while Liz told him of her plans to use Karma as the herd sire when he matured. As she talked about her national show goals, a knot grew in his stomach. This is not good news.

He switched off the negative thoughts and smiled. "So, was that the full barn tour?"

She was openly pleased by his interest. "Well, I do have a unique feeding system, one of the main reasons I bought this place." She nodded her head toward the far end of the barn. "C'mon, I'll show you."

The ingenuity of the barn builder showed in the carefully planned and well-organized feed room. Built-in grain bins with tight-fitting, hinged lids were situated against two walls.

Liz lifted a cover, and pointed inside. "Each one is lined with tin to keep rodents out." She pointed toward the baseboards. "The builder even put a metal liner around the bottom of the walls. Pretty neat, huh?"

Kurt watched her mouth as she talked. His recent erotic thoughts lurked just beneath his consciousness, and the earlier accidental touch of her breast had stirred them up again. It required tremendous will power to keep himself from hauling her into his arms. Even in work-stained barn clothes, she was attractive. Her full lips were pink without the benefit of lipstick, and her blue eyes sparkled as she showed off the special features of the room. Another strong stir ran through his gut and, as she turned away, his gaze drifted to the front of her shirt. A second later, she turned back to say something, and he caught a tiny glimpse of pale skin above white lace, sending him over the edge. The woman has no idea how sexy she is.

Her foot rested on the bottom tread of a steep staircase that rose through a dark hole in the ceiling.

"The best part is up here."

As he followed her into the dim hayloft, he couldn't tear his attention from her tight butt. His breath quickened and his jeans strained against his arousal.

 Liz pointed to the evenly spaced trap doors in the floor. "There's a hatch over every stall. Takes me five minutes to throw hay into twelve stalls."

She searched his face to see what he thought of the innovation. The desire in his eyes sent a jolt through her stomach, and her head suddenly swam with the erotic daydreams she'd enjoyed in that very hayloft, in the pile of straw directly behind her. She stared into Kurt's eyes as he moved toward her. Anticipating what might happen next, her breath stilled. Lightning flared again through the window, sharpening every angle of his strong face and accentuating the electricity crackling between them.

In one swift move, he wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close. She closed her eyes, feeling his heat, inhaling his unique scent. In all her fantasies, she'd fallen short of how wonderful he actually felt. She slipped her arms around his back, her fingers traveling over the firm muscles beneath his shirt. She tipped her head back and shivered as his bristly moustache brushed against her skin and his lips caressed her neck. His arms vised her body, forcing her belly against his hardness.

His urgency jolted her from the euphoric state. My God! What am I thinking? She wrenched free, and stepped back. Her face burned and her breath came in short gasps.

Kurt lifted her hand to his mouth, and caressed her fingers with soft kisses that threatened to invade her resolve. A bold smile sharpened his handsome features.

"Come on, Liz. I know you're attracted to me. Don't play games."

Mortified, and feeling vulnerable, she snatched her hand back. Outside, the storm unleashed its fury, and the hammering rain and her clattering pulse accompanied her brusque words.

"In your dreams! You don't know anything about me. But I can tell you this. Mixing business with "games," as you put it, doesn't work, and I won't jeopardize my business of caring for Eve's horses."

His expression showed that his boss hadn't mentioned it. An instant later, his cocksure manner returned, and a sneer colored his words.

"We'll see about that."

His boots thumped as he stormed across the loft and disappeared down the stairs.

Liz trembled with anger, but her skin still hummed from his touch. She closed her eyes and summoned Kurt's face, wanting to relive the sensation of his breath against her neck, the feel of his body. She'd desperately wanted to step back into his arms and let go, wanted to sink into the fragrant straw and abandon herself to her fantasies.

She opened her eyes and shook off the visions. If she ever took that step, there'd be no one to blame but herself if she got burned. Can't happen. My whole existence depends on proving myself and keeping my career on track. I can't risk my future for a roll in the hay. She laughed out loud at the pun, and her spirits lifted a little as she descended to the main part of the barn. The thunderclouds had moved on, and the late afternoon sun slanted through the dripping trees that lined the front pasture. Kurt's face wormed its way into her mind's eye again. I have to stop this. I can't afford to think about a relationship with him, no matter how sexy he is.

Contented animal sounds drifted from the stalls, a reminder of her beautiful horses. Pushing away thoughts of Kurt, she gazed around her small kingdom. This is the only love affair I need.

Kurt pulled the truck up in front of his quarters at Aliqua, and killed the engine. He stared thoughtfully across the pale green fields dappled with late afternoon sunlight. Crap! This is not going well. That colt of hers is really good. I'm gonna have to work my butt off to beat him.

Liz's image danced into his thoughts. Desire still simmered in his belly, even though her revelation had ticked him off royally. That's all I need...a hands-off policy on a woman who'll be hanging around here all the time. His irritation grew. Eve had no business leaving him in the dark about any aspect of the barn. Changing vets on a whim? Just like a woman - they all stick together. He slid out of the truck, and slammed the door. Well, these two aren't going to get in my way.

Liz listened to the steady drone of the dial tone. The call couldn't be put off any longer. Doc mustn't hear about her plans from someone else.

She flinched a little at his polite tone.

"Well, hello, Elizabeth. What can I do for you?"

"Hi, Doc. I just wanted to check in, see if anything's going on that I need to know about."

"Things are pretty quiet, now that calving and foaling season is over. It was pretty hectic there for awhile."

Her courage faded. "Yeah." Not that I had any part in the frenzy.

"Well, anything else? The wife just called me to dinner."

She hesitated, tempted to put the conversation off until later. It wouldn't be any easier. Swallowing hard, she plunged in.

"I've met with two farm owners, and they'll probably use my - er, our services. I just wanted to let you know, in case they called the office."

The old vet's gravelly voice brightened. "Really? Who'd you meet?"

"Marilyn Cook and Eve Aliqua."

"Hah! You can have Marilyn. What a pain in the neck she is! Eve Aliqua's been a client for years, but I haven't seen her horses in a long time."

Liz's brain numbed - maybe her plan wouldn't work.

The old man's tone became friendlier. "Well, good for you. You'll probably get along better with the women-folk in these parts than I do. In fact, if you want to go through the files, you could pick out a few more, and just make 'em your own."

Relief bloomed. "That's a great idea. I'll come by tomorrow."

Doc's voice softened a little. "You know, Elizabeth, I feel bad that the ranchers around here aren't more receptive to you...I guess I can't blame 'em, though. Their animals are their livelihood, and they just don't want to take any chances on a newcomer. Maybe once you get going, get a reputation in these parts, things'll change."

Later that week, Eve called.

"I've decided to wean Fair Lady's foal a little early. You can pick the mare up in two weeks. How does that sound?"

Liz made some quick calculations, not liking the results. In two weeks, the foal would be less than three months old.

"Sure, Eve, that's fine with me. Mind if I ask why you're weaning her so early?"

"Kurt wants to show her in the weanling class at Stockton next month. Are you going to that show?"

"No, I'm going to the show in Tahoe. I couldn't manage both."

Liz frowned. Weaning a foal early to take it to a show wasn't good animal management. Mares naturally weaned their foals at about six months. Occasionally, for convenience, breeders made the separation at four months, but Eve's reason wasn't sound. Fair Lady would be a nervous wreck when Liz picked her up.

I'm glad I don't have to deal with that poor little baby, crying for her mother and crashing around her lonely stall. I guess when breeders are only interested in money, they do things the way they want to, regardless of what's best for the horses.

On Saturday morning, the telephone chimed, and Liz fumbled for it, her fingers not fully awake or functional.

Kurt's soft voice came through the receiver like a caress.

"Good morning. Did I wake you?"

She squinted at the large six on the digital clock and groaned.

"Ah, yes, matter of fact." Fully awake now, she felt her heart thudding beneath her silky nightgown. She rolled onto her back, then snuggled under the quilt, cradling the phone against her neck. "It's all right. I'm usually up by now."

"I wondered if you'd like to go out for dinner tonight. There's a little rib joint here in El Dorado. The atmosphere's kind of down homey, but the food's great."

She didn't answer, torn between wanting to be with him again, and worrying that she'd get sidetracked from her goals if she let him into her life for even an instant.

"Liz? You there? It's no big deal. We've sort of been at loggerheads, and I thought maybe we could spend some time together, so you can see that I don't bite."

An intriguing image of him, taking little bites out of her, sent a shiver of delight across her shoulders.

"What time?"

After hanging up, she slid farther down into her bed, thinking about an evening alone with the intriguing cowboy. I can handle this...I really can.