Break In Two (4 page)

Back in her cabin, Claire changed into jeans and a light pink
v-neck tee. She began unpacking and putting her clothes in the closet and dresser drawers. It would be a tight fit to get all of her things in, especially her shoes. In the end, she decided to store most of them in her suitcases under her bed, knowing she would only have use for a handful of pairs here.

She laid out her make-up and other toiletries on the counter in the bathroom, and put framed pictures of her sister and Ted as well as her parents on the book shelf in the living room. She took a cream coloured plush blanket and some coral throw pillows out of a bag and arranging them on the couch. It felt nice to have her own space. Everything at the house in Seattle had been Tony's and he didn't want her to “make the place too girlie”. She decided she would find some fresh cut flowers to keep in a vase in the living room as often as she could.

There were several books already on the shelf and she quickly looked over them - mostly romance novels and mysteries as well as couple of travel guides. She wondered if they were left by the last cook.

Feeling satisfied with her work, she decided to go for a little walk before lunch. She wandered over toward the stables. She could see a man in a cowboy hat working with a horse. As she got nearer, she realized it was Cole. He was training a rather beautiful and very skittish horse. Cole was trying to lead her around the arena with a rope but the horse was having none of it. She reared up and whinnied loudly at him, trying to intimidate him. Cole stood his ground and spoke quietly to her. He continued to stand holding the rope with his body to the side, instead of facing her directly. His demeanour was calm and reassuring, he spoke softly and gently, and he kept all his moves slow and deliberate. The horse eventually started to give in and move in step with him as he guided her around in large circles. He walked her around, and soon managed to reach up and touch the side of her face. The horse stopped resisting and stared at him calmly. Claire watched as he reached in his pocket for apple slices that he held up to her. She nuzzled his face a bit, fully surrendering to him.
Lucky horse
, she thought
, I'd eat apple slices out of his hand too if he offered them.

Cole knew just what to say and how to move his body to calm the horse. Claire could tell that he would know just how to make her relax into his arms. He looked up from his work with the horse and saw her watching him. He touched his hat at her and continued to lead the horse around for another minute before returning her to the stables.

Claire didn't notice Trey walking up behind her. He startled her when he spoke up, "Cole's one of the best horse trainers around. Some people up the road asked him to pick up that horse yesterday because none of them could get near her. They've been trying for weeks. He got this far in one morning."

"Wow. That's pretty impressive," Claire replied.

"You like horses, Claire?"

"Love 'em. My grandparents had horses when I was growing up."

Just as Cole walked up, Trey asked, "Well, maybe you can come for a ride with us later? A few of us are heading down to the river after lunch to see if it's shallow enough to cross with the cattle. You could join us if you aren't too busy."

"That sounds wonderful, but I should really help with supper. I haven't lifted a finger since I got here."

Cole smiled, "Well that's just because you didn't work here until a couple of hours ago. You should come along. Alicia's got supper all planned out already - it's just steak and potatoes, so I doubt she'll mind if you come along. It’ll give you a feel for the area, which is actually important when you're talking to customers."

"Okay! Thanks!" Claire beamed, "You know, I should ask Alicia first though. I hate the idea of skipping out on her."

"Sure thing. Let’s head down and have some lunch."

*              *              *

"No problem! Of course you should go!" Alicia replied, giving her a wide smile. "I have the steaks marinating, the baked potatoes are wrapped already and I just need to cut up the mushrooms and make a salad. I'm actually going to go for a swim this afternoon to relax for a while."

"Thanks so much Alicia! I haven't been on a horse in years - I am SO excited," Claire's face shone with happiness.

Cole watched her as she ate her tuna sandwich and fries with gusto. He loved how enthusiastic she was about going riding. He thought of how different she was from Gabriela, the woman he had at one time hoped to marry. Gabriela hated riding and certainly would not dig into a plate of fries with anything close to gusto.

Cole’s eyes followed Claire as she got up to clear her dishes and take them into the kitchen.

"Hey little bro, you seem lost in thought over there," Ben said with a smirk towards Alicia.

She lifted a knowing eyebrow at him, "Uh-oh, I've seen that look before!"

Cole broke from his trance with more than a little embarrassment, "What? Come on. I'm just thinking about that new filly I was training this morning. She's coming along nicely."

Ben broke into laughter, "I think there might be another nice filly you want to work with even more."

"Shut up," Cole said trying to hide his grin as he got up and took his dishes to the kitchen.

It was a perfect afternoon for a ride, there was not a cloud in the sky and though it was warm, there was a slight breeze to keep them cool. Cole saddled up a chestnut brown horse for Claire.

"This is Nellie, she's pretty calm, so she's a good choice if you haven't been on a horse in a while."

He led Nellie out to the yard, along with his horse, Dudley, a large horse with a sleek black coat. The two obediently followed him out into the sun. The others joining them on the ride were already heading out of the yard, leaving Cole and Claire last.

Claire felt butterflies in her stomach as she walked over to Nellie. She stopped in front of the large beast and stroked her face, speaking quietly, "I'm Claire; is it okay if I get a ride? It's been a long time since I've done this, but I'll do my best to remember how."

Nellie nuzzled her nose up to Claire's cheek. Claire gave a little laugh and patted her on her long neck. Cole stood behind her as she prepared to get on. She put one foot in the stirrup and tried to swing her leg over. She had underestimated how tall Nellie was and didn't lift herself high enough, causing her to slip back toward the ground. Cole caught her by the waist and helped her gently down.

She smiled sheepishly, "These are my skinny jeans, I should have worn yoga pants so I could stretch."

Cole gave her a little chuckle and said, "You'll be just fine. Nellie's tall. I'll help you on."

She lifted her foot back into the stirrup again and this time as she tried to hoist herself up, Cole gave her a little boost using both hands on her bottom. "Oh my!" she exclaimed as she swung her leg on. Her heart jumped a little at the feeling of those strong hands on her ass.

Cole mounted Dudley with ease and turned to Claire, "You ready?"

"Yeah, now that I'm up here, I should be okay."

"Giddy-up" Cole said to Dudley and they started moving forward at a slow pace at first. Once they were out of the gates of the yard, the horses started trotting quickly.

Claire relaxed into the saddle, feeling happier than she had in a long time. The sun on her face and the beautiful beast carrying her out toward the mountains was pure bliss.

Cole rode beside Claire, matching her pace to keep an eye on how she was doing. "You're a natural!" he said.

"This is one of my favourite things to do in the whole world!" she answered, giving Cole a huge smile.

They rode along for over an hour, a few minutes behind the rest of the group. Cole told Claire about the area they were riding in and what the cattle drives were like. She asked a lot of questions and seemed genuinely interested in learning about ranch life. He had always wanted a woman that would like to ride with him just like this. He was struck by how beautiful she was moving up and down in the saddle. A piece of her hair blew forward onto her face and he watched as she carefully tucked it behind her ear as she spoke to him. He felt a longing to kiss her stirring inside him.

When they reached the river, the other guys were standing by the bank, skipping stones. Their horses were drinking from the edge. The river looked shallow near the shoreline, but was wide and moved quickly. The clear water moved over the rocks, making a calming sound. Cole climbed off Dudley and walked over to help Claire slide down off Nellie. He held her waist with both hands and looked right into her eyes as he lowered her down.

"Thanks," Claire's voice came out almost as a whisper. He leaned his face towards her and her heart pounded as it looked as though he was about to kiss her.

Suddenly Trey called back to them, "Cole! What did you pack us to drink? We're all thirsty as hell over here!"

"Water!" Cole called back without taking his eyes off her.

Claire cleared her throat, "Here, let me help you before there's a mutiny."

Once everyone had their drinks, Claire walked along the riverbank taking in the view and the smell of the fresh mountain air. She sat on a fallen log and took her boots and socks off. Rolling up her jeans, she slowly walked over the rocks to the river's shallow edge and dipped her toes in.

Cole gazed at her as she put her feet in the water. He loved that she wanted to wade her feet in and be part of the natural setting. She was like a young girl who hadn't lost her sense of wonder.

The icy cold water felt refreshing to Claire after the hot ride. She walked in up to her ankles and allowed the water to rush over her feet, feeling relaxed. She could see something shining under a rock and bent down to try to reach it. It was just a touch too far and as she stretched forward, her feet slipped on the wet rocks, and she lost her balance, landing in the river with a loud splash. She screamed as the cold water hit her chest and face, soaking her front from head to toe. She quickly hopped up out of the water, hoping no one noticed.

"Shit that's cold!" she exclaimed under her breath.

When she turned around, all the men were staring at her. Dustin started a slow clap, and pretty soon they all joined in, some of them whooping. Claire tried to pull her t-shirt away from her breasts, realizing all of a sudden how see through it had become now that it was wet. Her lacy lavender coloured bra was very visible now.

"Shit," she muttered again.

Cole strode over quickly trying to hide the grin on his face, "All right you idiots, calm down. Haven't you ever seen a lady fall in the water before?"

He walked up to her and reached out his hand to pull her out of the river. Her feet slipped again and he grabbed her just as she was about to land on her ass in the water.

"Whoa! I gotcha," he said as he picked her up and lifted her back over to the log to sit down.

"Those rocks are more slippery than they look," she managed to say, with her face flush with embarrassment.

"That they are," he looked down at her shirt as he sat next to her on the log, "You know, if you want me to see your underwear, you could just have me over and lay them out on the table for me to have a look."

She laughed out loud, surprised by his joke. "I'll keep that in mind," she replied, then paused to look down at her soaking clothes. "Thanks for rescuing me there. You have quick reflexes. You could join Cirque de Soleil and be the amazing reflex man or something..."

"Well, now that's a great idea if this whole ranch thing doesn't work out," he replied as he started unbuttoning his shirt. He took it off, revealing his white t-shirt underneath. "Here. I don't think my jeans would fit, but at least you can throw this on to keep you from flashing the whole team on the way home. It would take forever if all the guys start riding backwards so they can stare at you."

Claire scoffed, "I don't think this view would be that distracting for anyone, but I will take you up on that offer if you don’t mind."

Cole stared at her with a confused look on his face, "Claire, there isn't a man on the planet that wouldn't be riveted by the sight of you in a wet t-shirt."

Claire blushed, "You are too kind. Wrong, but kind. Maybe you should make an appointment with your optometrist soon."

Cole put his hand up to her chin and gently turned her face to his, "That guy really did a number on you if you don't know how completely stunning you are."

Claire's head jerked back, surprised that he would allude to Antonio. "Thank you for the shirt. I'm going to go change behind that shrub over there."

Cole watched as she got up and walked away, carrying his shirt beside her. He sighed, wishing he could take back his words. He clearly had crossed the line with what she was comfortable talking about.

Claire hid behind the shrub and took off her wet shirt.
What the hell does he know about it anyway?
she thought, feeling very exposed
. I don't even know if he's married and here he is thinking he can play shrink.

When Claire walked back to put on her socks and boots, Cole was gone, riding his horse across the river to test the depth. She stared at him as he eased Dudley across the current, fearless and confident in the saddle. Her anger melted away as she remembered the feeling of his hand on her chin and as she breathed in his scent on his shirt. She realized she was just scared to fall for another man, to believe his sweet words only to be hurt again. She couldn't handle it right now and it wasn't going to do her any good to get involved with her boss only to end up out of a job and a home again. She sighed resolving to keep things professional from here on out.

There was a distance between Cole and Claire on the ride back that was obvious to both of them. They barely spoke two words to each other, keeping up with the group the entire time. She listened quietly, suddenly feeling out of place again, as they all chatted about sports and the upcoming cattle drive

They arrived back late for supper. When they reached the stables, Claire managed to slide off Nellie on her own, feeling both pride and regret for not having his hands on her waist again. Dustin took the reins from her to lead Nellie back to the barn. "Thanks for the ride Nellie, sorry about being so wet."

Claire hurried off to her cabin to get changed before dinner. At least she could help Alicia clean up.

After supper, Alicia and Claire worked together washing down the tables and scrubbing the pots and pans. "You seem quiet tonight Claire. Was the ride all right this afternoon?"

"Oh yeah, sorry, Alicia. I think I'm just tired. The ride was very nice, even with the dip in the river. I had forgotten how much I loved being on a horse."

Alicia smiled at her, "Yeah, I love it too. Such a sense of freedom."

"Exactly!" Claire smiled back, happy to connect with someone about that feeling.

"Everything else okay, Claire? How do you think you'll like it here so far?"

"So far I love everything about it. I just hope I don't mess things up and end up having to leave."

Alicia gave her a confused look, "I can't see that happening. You seem to fit right in around here."

"Well, I hope you're right. I just really want this to work out."

Alicia smiled, "I do too, you are the nicest person to work here that I can remember. It is also really great to have another woman my own age to talk to as well."

"Thanks Alicia, you've made me feel so at home here." Claire gave Alicia's hand a little squeeze.