Shiver (6 page)

Chapter 9

O
ur minute Christmas break was amazing, but it wasn’t long before Steph and I were on the plane home, laden with an extra suitcase full of new clothes and our favorite Texas snacks. The day after Christmas, we’d been at the airport since six in the morning. We’d be back in Virginia and ready to work by noon.

I texted Ethan after we landed.

Me: Back on homeland. Be to barn in an hour

Ethan: Hope you had a great Xmas. Barn is quiet. Charlie is in the tack room. Enjoy the rest of your day. See you tomorrow.

I was a little surprised I didn’t have to work but texted back my thanks. I was soon grateful because by the time we got our luggage, got our car, and drove to pick up Charlie, who was ecstatic to see me, I was done. Time spent with my family was always fun, but it wasn’t ever a vacation. It was typically an exhausting whirlwind.

I was at the barn at seven sharp the next morning though, refreshed and ready to go. I was dressed in my navy fitted breeches and a new fitted white jacket, still in flip-flops. The white of the jacket my mom got me for Christmas might not have been a practical color for a barn, but it was tailored and stylish and warm. I didn’t go out much, so if I wanted to look nice on occasion, it had to be done at the barn.

The weather was ass cold compared to Texas, and I was dreading getting out of my warm truck. As I pulled up, a huge semitruck was waiting next to the loading dock with its running lights on. Other than the truck, I seemed to be the first one there, so I parked and tugged on my gross beanie cap, walking up to the semi with Charlie on my heels as its driver-side door opened. A dirty, boot-clad foot that was attached to a jean-clad leg dropped down onto the running board. None of that was terribly unusual, except the boot was a little larger, the jeans a little longer on a leaner set of legs. Let’s just say I was intrigued.

“Morning!” I called out as I continued to stride toward the truck. “Can I help you?”

A much younger man than I would have assumed dropped down and towered above me. His head was close shaven, and he had a ball cap on. His hair looked to be a lighter brown than Ethan’s, but their build was the same. His face was scruffy, and his striking blue eyes were tired-looking but also twinkling.

“Well, good morning to you.” He greeted me cheerfully, voice full of Southern charm. “I’m Lawrence from Brooks Thoroughbred Farm in Kentucky. Have a handful of two-year-olds for y’all to turn into racehorses.”

I shook Lawrence’s hand but was a little confused because I had thought we weren’t receiving any horses until the first of January and hadn’t heard anything different.

“Umm, right. I’m Lissa, Ethan’s assistant trainer.” It was fun to say that. “I’m just back from Christmas, and I haven’t actually talked to him yet. I was under the impression the horses weren’t coming until January, so I’m not really sure where he wants to put them.” God, I felt like an idiot now. I had no idea what was going on, and I was starting to get agitated at Ethan for even putting me in this position. “I’m sure you’re ready to get going, but let me just check in at the barn and then we’ll get them off the rig.”

“Oh, honey, don’t you worry. I spoke with Ethan yesterday, and we made the plan to get them here early. This way I can spend some time before New Year’s making sure everything’s settled before I need to head back home. But I made better time than I thought on the drive. Ethan was going to meet me by eight. I’ve been here since six though, and I was more than happy to nap.” He ran his eyes down and back up me quickly. “And I couldn’t have asked for a better wake-up call.”

I chuckled and rolled my eyes. “Wow. Okay. It’s a little too early in my day for that. Let me call Ethan and get all this organized. How’s that? Plus I’ll make coffee.”

I felt better now that I wasn’t completely out of the loop, but my fingers almost started smoking from the speed I was texting as I stomped into the tack room.

10 horses sitting in a trailer. Get your ass down here.

I got no response, but I made a pot of coffee and walked around the fields to survey the best place to put the youngsters. I decided on the two largest fields closest to the barn so we could separate the colts and the fillies and still keep an eye on them as they settled into their new home. Still in my flip-flops, my feet growing colder, I carefully moved the horses currently residing in those fields into stalls, then headed back out to Lawrence with a cup of coffee in hand.

“All right,” I called out as I approached. “I think we’re all settled. I can help lead them to the field one by one, or we can drive in there and just off-load them.”

He took the coffee gratefully and cautiously sipped, then sighed. “Good Lord, that’s welcome. Let me finish this, then I’ll pull around and drop them off in the field. It’ll take a fraction of the time, and then we can head to breakfast.” His eyes were still twinkling.

“Well, um…” I said.

Just then, I felt a presence behind me and heard, “Morning! While I hate to interrupt your plans, Lissa and I have an incredibly busy morning ahead of us, so breakfast is out. Nice to see you, Lawrence,” Ethan said, reaching out a hand to shake. “Let’s get these guys off the semi to let them stretch out, and we can work on the paperwork while Lissa gets on with her day and puts some shoes on.” He looked pointedly at my feet.

Before anyone could say a word, he abruptly strode down the driveway, gesturing for Lawrence to follow with his rig. After a pause, Lawrence gave me a smirk and passed me back his coffee. “Well, Lissa. Seems you have a busy day ahead of you. Since breakfast is clearly off the table, how about dinner tonight?”

“Yeah, I could do that.” I smiled back. Lawrence was cute and seemed funny. Two traits I enjoyed. I didn’t feel that rush of attraction I did when I was with Ethan, but that feeling hadn’t really worked out for me so far. I might as well try something new.

“Great. Let me give you my number, and you text me when you finish up for the day. Maybe you can show me all the hot spots in town.”

“Yeah, there aren’t any actual hot spots anywhere close to here. But I can probably get you to a decent burger unless you’re a vegetarian or something?”

“Honey, do I look like a vegetarian to you?” He laughed.

I cocked my head. “I don’t typically associate with non–meat eaters, so I don’t actually know what one looks like.”

“My kinda girl.” He nodded in approval.

We exchanged numbers and he hopped back into his truck to drive the horses to their fields while I headed back into the barn to start riding my sets. Since the arena was the opposite direction of the field where the babies were, I only saw Ethan and Lawrence from a distance while José helped me work through my long list of horses. Of course, I couldn’t help but watch from afar. One, it was a field full of beautiful young Thoroughbreds. That would be an incredible sight for anyone. But watching those two men walking around discussing them… well, it was worth watching. Alas, I could only creep so much if I was going to finish in time to go to dinner, so I made a concerted effort to avert my eyes and get my shit done.

Before I knew it, Lawrence’s truck was unhooked from the trailer and I watched it drive out of the driveway. Well, at least I could concentrate a little better.

I resumed my flatwork on the gelding I was riding, cantering quietly around the arena in the brisk air. The footfalls sounded in a rhythmical three-beat pattern while the horse’s breath huffed softly. I used my legs to move him side to side, bending and stretching him through the movements. We moved down into a trot and then the walk when I lengthened my reins and patted him on the neck. It was only then that I realized Ethan was leaning against the gate, watching me.

“He looks good. You’ve done well with him,” he said.

I hopped off and loosened the girth, running up my stirrups. “How was your Christmas?” I asked before turning around.

“It was fine.”

“Fine?”

“Yeah. Fine.” He tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans, head down. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Yeah, what was that?”

He let out a long breath and looked up at me with only his eyes. He had a gray beanie cap pulled low over his forehead and his navy jacket was zipped up high on his neck. The start of a five-o’clock shadow peppered his jaw. So much of him was covered up, but what I could see was… still just so hot.

“I hardly know. Watching you with him. It didn’t sit right with me.”

“You don’t have a say in that, Ethan,” I said. “In case you don’t remember, you can’t give me any sort of relationship. So anything we had, or might have had, is a moot point. I don’t plan on sitting around and being celibate just because we had sex one night.”

He winced a little at that, and part of me felt bad. But the other part of me was frustrated. I knew it was more than just sex for me, but his rejection still stung, and I would protect myself by pretending it was nothing more than fun. Shoot, we’d been successfully ignoring the whole situation for weeks. Why did we need to dredge it all up?

“Look, you couldn’t have gone out with him this morning anyway. We had work to do. Plus he’s a client, and it would be extremely unprofessional for you to get involved with him.”

I held up a hand, starting to seethe. “Okay, I was completely aware of your first point. And I would have handled it all on my own. Second, he doesn’t even live here. How involved are we supposed to get? And”—my voice started to rise—“I’m not sure we need to compare professionalism here!”

At that Ethan strode forward, moving into my space and forcing me into the horse’s shoulder as I stepped back. “We can compare professionalism because this is my barn and my business, and I won’t allow drama in here so you can fuck some Kentucky redneck while you work for me.”

My jaw dropped in astonishment. “Well, I’m certain I can find another arrangement! Maybe I’ll talk to Lawrence about a new gig in Kentucky. You know, when we’re having dinner tonight.” I started to shove past Ethan to lead the gelding back to the barn, but my elbow was grabbed and I was jerked around to collide with Ethan’s chest. Before I could push back, his hands gripped my hips roughly, pulling my body flush against his, and I melted. I fucking melted, and I hated that I did. Ethan’s head bent down to mine, but I stared over his shoulder, refusing to give. His lips grazed my cheek and my ear before resting on my forehead. I squeezed my eyes shut, breathing heavily.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m out of line. I know that. But… fuck! I can’t stand the thought of you with him. With anyone.”

His possessive words gave me the strength to push him away. “I don’t know what you want, Ethan. You want me to just wait around to protect your ego? I’m sorry, but I don’t work that way. I don’t play games, and I don’t fuck around. What you see is what you get. I have no problems maintaining a professional relationship. Ever. But I’m twenty years old. I like to go out. I might want to date! There is nothing wrong with that, and you’re going to have to deal.”

I brushed past him, shaking my head, my horse following behind. Fucking men.

The rest of the day passed quickly, mainly because I stomped around still seething, and Ethan wisely said very little to me. I finished my last ride and tidied up the barn, wiping down tack and wrapping it up like a woman possessed. I just wanted to get out of there. As I swung open the door to walk to my truck, I bumped straight into the solid chest of my current nemesis. Ethan’s hands came up to cup my shoulders, and after just a tiny, traitorous second, I pulled away.

“Yeah, so. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I walked around him before he had a chance to say anything, whistling to Charlie it was time to head home and get ready for my… date.

I pulled into the parking lot of the Tavern at seven thirty that night. I’d meant it when I said that our options were limited. It was pretty much the only place to go that was casual and within a five-mile radius. Fortunately for me, not so much for the small-town gossip train, the parking lot was relatively empty. I’d like to say that I got all dressed up for my date, but it was cold and I lived in bumfuck. So I was wearing my typical jeans, boots, and a cute black V-neck sweater. I did, however, fix my hair and makeup.

I walked in the back way to the pub, which allowed me to locate Lawrence and look like less of a dork. I saw him sitting at a small round table in the back corner, sipping on a beer and people-watching. He looked very at ease sitting by himself. I thought that was a good trait. He was also wearing jeans, boots, and a sweater, but I could see the collar and cuffs of a white button-down shirt poking out. He looked… sexy. At some other time, say a few months ago, I’d have been drooling.

He stood as I approached the table, smiling and giving me the slightly awkward half-hug, half-cheek-kiss thing. He pulled out my chair for me to sit; a total Southern gentleman. The waitress came up and brought me my glass of wine without my even asking.

“Thanks, Tina.” I grinned at her, settling into my seat.

“No problem.” She winked. “Let me know when you guys are ready to order.”

“Well.” Lawrence slid his menu across the table. “I heard this is the place to get a burger. Sound good to you?” He raised a brow questioningly.

“Yeah, it’s basically the only thing to eat here.” I shrugged.

“Hey, I’m standing right here.” Tina put a hand on her bony hip. I grinned at her, knowing she was joking because she only worked here to make extra money to support her riding habit and wouldn’t eat anything but the burger either. She’d lived in town most of her life, doing odd jobs and foxhunting her horses. She was somewhere in her forties, and you could tell that life hadn’t always been kind. Still, she was cheerful and funny, and I admired her for that.