The quick rise and fall of her chest gave everything away. She didn't need a mirror to know that her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were wide. As his gaze moved across her face, he leaned nearer. At such close range she couldn't hide the way he affected her. She needed to get away from the rush of longing that had been ignited within her, but the glimmer of uncertainty she saw in the depths of his eyes kept her still. She never would've expected to find anything but total confidence in his gaze. The contrast of her expectations with what she saw shocked her and she couldn't look away, but she couldn't stand the intensity of their silence “Guess it isn't a good idea, trying to teach your boss how to ride...” She chuckled nervously, “Guess this'll go into my evaluation..."
She waited, held motionless by an emotion she couldn't define, as he studied her. He parted his lips, to kiss her, and still she waited, ready.... But he didn't lower his head. Instead he straightened and loosened his grip. Although no breeze blew, a chill surged through Louise and she shivered from it's cooling touch.
His eyebrows dropped and he frowned. As if he realized he was giving away some piece of himself, he abruptly lowered his hands and stepped back. He reached for the reins of his horse and stumbled to the animal's side. A little more gracefully than the first time, he swung into the saddle and stared down at her.
A sturdy barrier of silence hung in the air. Its wall was so solid it blocked any connection they might have shared. Whatever she'd seen, or thought she saw, in his gaze was gone along with any tenderness that might've lingered with it.
His voice was as impassive as his face. “Let's go."
She regretted, taking advantage of the fact that he didn't know how to ride but couldn't get the words I'm sorry out. Even if she could, she was pretty sure he didn't want to hear them. Louise un-looped the reins and mounted. She pressed her horse along, but kept it at a walk.
Each hoof fall of the horse behind her echoed in the small cloud-darkened forest that filled the center of the island. The fog of tension swelled as they moved along the narrow trail. After awhile they came to a paved road. Louise prodded her horse onto it, then stopped and waited for Trent. Soon, his horse appeared. He nodded at her, but said nothing.
After Louise checked her trail map and made note of their location, she tucked it into her hip pocket. “The airport is north of us. There're some more trails up that way and I think one of them runs along the bluff.” She offered a hesitant smile. “The view should be fantastic."
A glimmer of a smile creased Trent's mouth. “Sounds good, but at this pace we'll be gone so long, Pete will send out a search party."
Not sure if he was ready to laugh about his fall yet, Louise asked, “How're you feeling?"
"My pride is still a little bruised."
"Your fall is mostly my fault. I shouldn't have taken off before you were ready."
"No, you were just doing what comes...” He paused and grinned, obviously not holding what would have been an understandable grudge. “Naturally."
Tension eased out of her shoulders. “Let's not start all that again."
"Later, then."
She laughed in spite of her confusion. He was different away from the stable and whatever memories haunted him there. “For now, let's have a review."
Louise repeated all her instructions, except the part about the hips. He'd heard that bit. When she asked him to stand in the saddle to check the length of his stirrups she noticed something wasn't right. She dismounted and asked him to do the same.
"You like watching me make a fool of myself?” he asked as he swung down.
Louise ignored his comment and reached for the cinch and tugged on it to confirm what she suspected. “It's too loose.” She pulled the strap away from the horse's belly to show him. “It should be snug enough to hold the saddle in place.” With two quick movements she tightened it and checked it again. “That's better."
Trent stepped up alongside Louise. He reached for the saddle and pulled on it the way she had. “Thanks, coach."
Louise shifted, putting some much-needed distance between them. “No thanks necessary,” she said as she swung onto her horse. “Would it help to heal your wounded pride if you knew that loose girth could have caused your fall?"
"I'd been wondering about that.” Trent avoided her gaze and brushed a hand casually through his hair. Was he hiding concern? Silently, he mounted his horse and got settled.
If he'd been a rider out on a rented horse and that had happened ... insurance, lawyers ... Something like that could mean the end of Hawk's that was for sure. To avoid losing everything, he'd probably have to sell. He wouldn't back out his agreement, would he?
She had to keep him from even considering it. “I'll talk with Pete as soon as we get back. We'll make sure it doesn't happen again."
Louise glanced at the trail ahead then back to Trent. “Ready to move on?"
He nodded, and nudged his horse with his legs to follow her head again. Although his gaze was fixed on the road ahead, he didn't seem to be watching where they were going. Louise was having a hard time putting Pete's oversight out of her mind and it seemed that Trent was worried about it, too.
Not that she could blame him.
"You don't have confidence in me?” he asked, surprising her out of her concerns. “I promise I listened to everything you said."
It took a couple seconds for Louise to figure out he was talking about his newfound riding ability. “Keep squeezing until he canters,” she reminded him “It'll be worth the effort. Trust me."
Glad to have the loose cinch matter closed for the moment, she turned to the trail and urged her horse into a slow canter. As the leaves flashed by she listened to the hoof beats of Trent's horse. When she was sure his mount was moving along at a canter, she savored the sensation of speed as they ran through the woods.
Now it seemed that rather than detracting from the trees around them, the cloudy sky enhanced their beauty. The dark background showed off the bright greens of the early summer foliage. A few birds called from their nests high in the treetops.
Louise glanced back at Trent. He nodded and smiled. Maybe he'd turned into a natural cowboy in a matter of minutes. She clucked to her horse and they pressed on a bit faster.
TRENT'S STOMACH HAD been growling long before they passed through Hawk's gate. Although they'd ridden for hours, Louise was still fresh and energetic. Except for the stray pieces of hair framing her face, she looked as dazzling as when they'd started out.
The ride had been great, but even though he didn't admit it to his tour guide, weariness had settled in a while ago. He wanted a hot meal and had a suspicion he needed a hot shower as well.
Pete came out to greet them and when the wiry man reached for the reins with his left hand Trent spotted a bandage wrapped around his other wrist.
Trent swung his right leg across the horse and slid down. He hit the ground with a jolt and when he tried to walk, his legs wobbled ridiculously beneath him. He glanced at Louise to see if her limbs were also suffering. If they were, she wasn't showing it. She was leading her horse to the wide trough by the side of the barn. Louise was staring at Pete's bandage while the animal drank.
"Pete, what happened?” Trent asked as he led his own mount to the trough
"I'm not real sure,” he replied over his shoulder. “I had the doc check me over. He said to take it easy for a couple days. It's strain or sprain or something like that."
Once the horse started drinking, Pete turned around. “Don't you worry though, I'll get my work done. I took some aspirins so it won't bother me none."
Louise stepped around to stand next to Pete. “You're not sure how it happened?"
Pete shook his head. “No, Ma'am."
Trent watched for a reaction from Louise, but nothing showed on her face.
"When did it start hurting?” she asked.
Pete's gaze darted between them. “Late last night, Miss Hart.” He nodded again in the same exaggerated fashion. “Don't you worry. Like I told Mr. Parker, I'll be fine. I'll get all my work done."
Louise flashed the nervous man a reassuring smile. “I'm sure you will Pete.” She glanced at Trent. “We just want to be sure you're okay. That's all."
Pete's old face twisted to one side. “Thanks for that."
Louise smiled at him again. “Tell you what, Pete. Why don't you let Trent and me take care of these horses? We'll close up for the night."
"You sure about that?” he asked, looking doubtfully at Trent.
Trying to forget about his wobbly legs and empty stomach, Trent nodded. “Sure. I have to learn this stuff anyway."
Louise's face brightened as if he'd just told her she'd won the lottery. Maybe she was reading this small gesture of interest as something more than it was. She probably hoped he was beginning to actually enjoy the place.
Pete said thanks then started to move away but stopped and turned back around. “A man came by looking for you, Trent. Nobody I've ever seen around."
The developer who'd contacted him about buying the stable? “Did he leave a message?"
"Nope. He said he'd come by tomorrow.” With that, he shuffled off toward his apartment.
"What do you think about his wrist?” Trent asked, once the old man was out of earshot.
She shrugged. “It would explain why the cinch wasn't tight enough,” she said without confidence.
Trent's stomach clenched and growled again. “Let's get these horses put away, so we can eat. My treat, if I get to pick the restaurant."
Louise gestured to her jeans sprinkled with horsehair. “I'm hardly dressed for dinner."
"We'll go somewhere casual."
She smirked.
"I'm sure these people have seen horse hair before."
The pretty sound of her laughter drifted around the yard. “I suppose you're right about that."
"It's a date then?"
"No. It's dinner.” She spun away from him and led her horse around to the side of the barn.
Yes. Of course.
He copied her movements when she unhooked the cinch and laid the saddle upright against the barn. He took a halter—as she did—from a hook on the side of the building. Replacing the bridle with it proved to be tricky, but he managed. After they led the animals to the small fenced-in area behind the barn, they put the saddles and bridles away in a storage area she called the tack room.
Once they were back outside, Louise paused by the pen to watch the animals. She turned to him after the horses trotted further away. “They need to walk out that long ride. After dinner we can come back and put them in for the night."
Right then he would've agreed to anything to get them closer to hot food. “Fine. We'll lock up when we get back."
Trent eyed the horses as they moved around the pen. The slant of the early evening sun made their coats glow.
Louise slid over next him. “Beautiful sight, aren't they?"
Her face was flushed the same pink color it had been after he'd kissed her so thoroughly the other night. Strands of her windblown hair caressed her neck. “Yes, very beautiful,” he answered, not thinking about the horses at all.
LOUISE FLIPPED OVER her plastic-coated menu for the third time. She studied the cover that featured a pen and ink drawing of a horse drawn taxi. The restaurant was predictably named The Carriage House.
Having an appetite wasn't the problem. She'd worked through lunch and after that ride, she was starving. The man across the table provided part of the distraction that kept her from making up her mind about what to order. It seemed that they were pretending that almost-kiss never happened. The other part was that loose cinch. His fall could've been much worse.
"Nothing looks good?” Trent asked.
"Everything sounds great.” She dropped the menu onto the table. “I can't decide."
"Are you so amazed by my trail riding skills that you can't think?” Trent leaned forward and smiled. “Or do you have a thing about ordering from menus?"
One side of her mouth curved up. “Whatever."
The waitress sauntered over. Trent took Louise's menu and handed it with his to the redhead tapping a pencil on a green pad. “Two burgers with fries.” Then he glanced at Louise. “Okay?"
She nodded.
After the waitress walked off, Trent faced her. “Tell me your plans for the stable. What're you going to tackle first?"
Talking with Pete.
No, she wanted to stay away from that topic. She'd do better to stay positive and keep Trent from reconsidering the agreement. She made a mental note to look into hiring another person to take some of the workload off of Pete, then said, “I've made a list of repairs that need doing right away. For one thing, the main doors don't close up tight. Besides being unsafe, the night wind blows right in. I understand the horses aren't kept on the island over the winter, but still it needs to be taken care of."
Trent looked out the window. “I wouldn't know what happens here over the winter."
The slight edge in his voice made Louise curious. Maybe he needed to talk. “Did your dad tell you much about the stable?"
"No, he didn't tell me anything."
Louise lowered her voice. “Maybe it was a sudden decision to buy Hawk's."
"I wouldn't know about that either."
That unmistakable strain in his voice. It meant something. “You didn't know about the stable? Didn't he tell you anything about it?"
"I didn't even know about it until my father's lawyer told me I'd inherited it."
That was really odd, but she didn't say anything. Trent obviously had a very different relationship with his parents than she had with hers.
"My father and I weren't very close,” he said.
She remembered the first time she saw him and how his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. “What about your mother?"
"She died in a car accident when I was little."
The words
I'm sorry
stuck in Louise's throat. They would only be a feeble attempt to be polite and sound trite in comparison to all that he'd missed out on.
Thankfully, the waitress came by and provided a distraction by placing two huge glasses of ice water on the table. Louise picked hers up and downed almost half of it.