Shiver (8 page)

“Yes!” she called back. “You need arm candy!”

“I do not. Besides, he heads home before the party anyway.”

“Actually, I’ve decided to stay on a bit longer,” he said from right behind me.

I yelped a little in surprise. “Geez you move quietly for such a big dude.”

He shot me a wide, sexy smile. “Come on now, honey. You won’t bruise my ego and turn me down, will you? It’s not like you have any other prospects anyway.”

My jaw dropped and I shoved at his chest. “How do you know?”

“Because I just told him!” Steph called from the living room.

I slumped against the counter and shook my head, laughing. “You are so embarrassing.”

“You can’t wear that knockout dress you got without the proper accessories!” she said, defending herself.

“I’m more than happy to be that accessory.” Lawrence grinned.

“You want to go and spend more time with Steph, don’t you?” I asked him quietly.

He waggled his brows at me. “Listen, someone made it clear that sex is off the table. You’re not allowed to get jealous if I move on to the next prospect.”

“That is, perhaps, the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”

He shrugged. “I am a charmer.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him for a minute. “Okay, you can come. You’re gonna need to get a tux quick. I want my accessory looking spiffy.”

“Easy. My mom will overnight mine.”

“Of course she will.” I rolled my eyes.

“It’ll be fun. Stop being such a hard-ass. I’m a great date.”

“Remember, you’re nothing but man candy.” I poked at his chest. “And you’re not allowed to leave me with Paul to go off with Steph either! That’s not how this works.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He nodded.

We shook hands and I went to finish clearing dishes. I was tired and kind of ready for this impromptu dinner party to be over, fun as it’d been. So within minutes, I pretty much shoved everyone out the door, knowing I’d be seeing Lawrence at the barn the next day and that it was impossible to offend Steph. And I was pretty sure Paul wasn’t going to be around long enough for me to have to take into consideration. But I was definitely looking forward to seeing how things with Steph and Lawrence played out.

New Year’s ought to be pretty interesting.

Chapter 11

I
rolled into the barn early the next morning, ready to get the first sets out of the way in preparation for lying across the babies later. I fixed a pot of coffee and perused my list, plotting out my timing. Ethan walked in, looking crisp and clean and delicious. He was wearing his tan cargo pants and a dark gray jacket, his boots and half chaps already on.

He nodded in greeting as I handed over a cup of coffee.

“Why don’t you wear breeches?” I asked over our first sips.

His eyes glanced to me over his cup. “I hate ball huggers. The only men’s breeches out there right now are ball huggers.”

“Hm.”

“What does that mean?”

“Oh, nothing. I’m just wondering if you’re concerned for your sexuality. Do you not feel man enough for stretchy pants?”

He cleared his throat and set his coffee down on a tack trunk. His head cocked to the side, he leaned back, crossing his feet, spurs clanking. “Are you honestly questioning my manhood at seven in the morning?”

“Nooo. I’m questioning your view on it. Plus I think better in the morning.”

“For the record, no one is man enough for stretchy pants. Furthermore, I’m scared of how your thoughts might develop later in the day. Would you like to see me wear spandex?”

“No. I actually wouldn’t. Stretchy pants don’t look good on most women, let alone dudes. I was just curious.”

He nodded with a thoughtful look on his face. “Sometimes you fascinate me.”

“Like in a good way?”

He just shrugged and walked out. I’m pretty sure that meant good.

The hours passed quickly as I rode set after set. Before long, I was standing in front of the first racehorse stall, helmet in hand. The plan for the day was for me to lie on my stomach across the saddle of each horse while Ethan walked them in a circle. It was going to be terribly uncomfortable for my poor sternum, but it was a necessary first step because it allowed for a quick getaway and was less surprising for the horse. I first walked into the stall myself and began the saddling process while Ethan stood outside and waited. I was cinching the girth gently when I heard Lawrence walk up.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” he said cheerfully, clapping Ethan on the shoulder. I could already tell he was planning to enjoy the interactions of the day. “Lissa, thank you so much for dinner last night. It was so nice to enjoy a home-cooked meal.”

Yeah, he was laying it on thick. I continued concentrating on the horse for a moment before turning and smiling sweetly. “You’re welcome. It was nice to have the company.”

Ethan’s eyes were ping-ponging between the two of us, his jaw working back and forth in agitation. “Yeah, well, we have a lot to get through in the next couple of hours. Let’s get to it.” He stepped into the stall and placed a proprietary hand on the small of my back. Even through the layers of my jacket, my whole body tensed and shivered, making me lose my breath.

“Cold?” he asked with a cocky smirk.

I shook my head mutely and moved away to finish readying the horse. I made Ethan stay close to me as I moved the colt in circles around us, both directions. Then I passed the reins to him as I walked around, jumping up and down and moving the saddle around to prepare the horse for my weight and movement.

“Okay. On three I’m going to lie across the saddle. You turn the horse each direction, and if they’re good, I’ll go ahead and swing my leg over next time. Okay?”

“Sounds fine.”

I gathered the reins in my left hand, placing my right at the front of the saddle. I bent my left leg at the knee, and Ethan placed a hand on my ankle. His face was pressed at my hip as he reached to my leg. I had a lot of thoughts running through my head right then that, for safety purposes, I needed to shelve.

“On three: one, two, three.” I bounced on my right toes, and Ethan easily supported my left ankle, boosting me up and over the horse’s back. I wriggled a little to find a semi-comfortable position before reaching up and giving the baby a pat on the neck.

“Okay.” I nodded to Ethan, letting him know I was ready to walk around. He turned the colt in a circle both directions while I continued talking to the horse and patting him all over, swinging my legs around to get him used to the feel and the sight of movement all around him. I jumped down and moved to his right side and repeated the exercise. He behaved perfectly, so I took his tack off and gave him a scratch behind the ears and left him to relax.

As we exited the stall, Lawrence was smiling, having been silent during the process.

“That looked easy.”

“Yeah, he’s going to be great. Most of these guys are so used to being handled, of course, that the actual getting-on process is pretty easy. That’s thanks to your farm. But by the end of the month, we’ll have them walk, trot, canter around the whole property. They’ll be the best broke racehorses out there.” I smiled confidently.

“I like that idea. Maybe when their racing careers are over, they’ll have a future.”

“That’s what we’d like to see happen,” Ethan offered, thawing a bit from his previous display of unfounded jealousy. Business always brought him around. “I’ve rehabilitated a lot of off-the-track horses, and most of the time, they come barely broke. It’s no wonder they can’t find a new home.”

The three of us moved to the next stall, and then the next, continuing to repeat the steps with quiet but comfortable conversation. Most of the horses were unfazed. A few hunched up their backs and scooted forward or tried to look behind them at me waving around, but nothing out of the ordinary or worrisome. It was a series of successful sessions. However, my body was once again wrecked.

We walked into the tack room, both men waiting for me to pass through the door first. I went into the office and lay on the floor, propping my feet up on the wall. And I let out a long sigh of relief as my back returned to a normal shape.

I looked up to see Ethan and Lawrence staring down at me with bemused expressions on their faces.

“Is this normal for her?” Lawrence asked.

“It’s hard to say much about ‘her’ and ‘normal’ in the same sentence,” Ethan answered.

“You know, ‘her’ is lying right here. And I’d like to see you two do what I just did and come out unscathed.” I looked up at the ceiling and closed my eyes. “It’s nice to see you’ve found the common bond of making fun of me though. It really eases the mood.”

As if he’d just realized that he and Lawrence were getting along, Ethan rather abruptly checked his watch and left, saying something about errands. That left Lawrence grinning at me.

“That went well, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, the horses are easy.”

“No, not that. Ethan. I think he’ll come around and confess his undying love any day now.”

I snorted. “Oh. If that’s what you’re up to, you’re wasting your time. He’s made it abundantly clear that there’s no chance of a relationship. It’s fine.”

“Fine?” He cocked his head to the side.

“Yes! Geez. What is it with you guys? I said it was fine. You know, you two are more alike than you probably want to know.”

“Fine is never fine. I have sisters. They taught me that from an early age.”

“Well, Ethan doesn’t have any sisters, nor does he have any relationships with girls beyond the superficial. There’s no reason he should question my fine.”

“I don’t know about that. He seems to have a pretty good relationship with you. You’re a girl.”

I sighed. “Thanks for noticing. He doesn’t, though.”

That earned me a scoff. “You know that’s not true. I saw him cop a feel at least six times today.”

“You did not!” I laughed.

“I did. You must just be used to it. And I have to say, the man has some balls to be doing that, considering he thinks you and I are dating.”

“He just can’t help but be a bit of an asshole. However, he has no right to any part of me. I just let it go.”

“Really?” he asked sarcastically.

“Yep. Shut up.”

He reached down and grabbed my arm, pulling me upright. “Come on, sugar britches. You gotta do this whole thing again tomorrow, and we have a party to look forward to in a couple more days. I can’t have you crippled. I’m taking you to dinner and taking you home to bed.”

Right at that moment, Ethan walked back into the tack room with a stricken look on his face, glaring at Lawrence’s hand on mine. “Hey, sorry. I just forgot my wallet. I’ll leave you guys to it. Lissa, please lock up the office behind you.” Flustered, he turned to go.

I started to speak, wanting to clarify what he must have heard.

But Lawrence threw his arm around my shoulders and interrupted. “Have a good night, man. We’ll see you tomorrow!”

And Ethan let the door slam on his way out.

I shoved Lawrence away. “You ass. That wasn’t nice.”

“Oh, just trust me. He needs to live with you being unavailable for a while so he knows how life feels without you.”

“He’s never had me!”

He just raised a knowing brow and gestured for me to lead the way out.

Chapter 12

I
t was late afternoon on New Year’s Eve. Steph and I were at my house, drinking champagne and getting ready. I’d spent the past couple of days continuing the routine of riding all morning and working with the babies in the afternoon. Lawrence had been there each time, and Ethan alternated between being surly and friendly. Fact was, no one could stay in a bad mood around Lawrence, but every time Ethan caught himself lightening up, it immediately pissed him off. But the horses were going well, and I was able to sit on them normally and ride them around the stall myself. The following week we would start taking them out with a pony horse. But I have to say I was beyond ready for a fun, dressy evening and a day off tomorrow.

My hair was setting in curlers, waiting to be pinned up, while I lined my eyes and swept mascara on, doing my best to play up what I considered to be my best feature. The dark green of my dress managed to bring out the bright green of my almond-shaped eyes, and I kept the rest of my makeup light and natural.

I’d always been envious of Steph’s curly hair that she could wear any which way. Even a ponytail looked good. For that night, though, she left her hair loose and also kept her makeup toned down. Her dress was stunning on her and really didn’t need anything else to adorn it.

“I’m going to hang downstairs while you finish your hair so I can sit before I have to put any shoes on. Paul’s gonna be here in twenty minutes, so hurry and finish!”

“Okay, mom,” I answered, rolling my eyes. “I promise not to be late. Have you figured out what this fund-raiser is for, anyway?”

“Oh, yeah. It’s the annual Humane Society benefit. They switched to New Year’s this year to create a bigger event, I guess. Hopefully I can talk some of the old folks into donating to therapeutic riding instead. Help horses and humans, you know?”

“It’s a thought.”

She gave a thumbs-up and headed down the stairs. I quickly took my hair out of the rollers and flipped my head upside down to spray it with hairspray, then straightened and looked in the mirror, twisting my hair this way and that to see which way the curls fell. In a few minutes, I had an artfully messy updo that I was pretty proud of. Saved going to a salon, anyway. I grabbed my champagne glass and my shoes, which I carried downstairs to procrastinate actually putting them on until the last second.

Lawrence walked in as I reached the bottom step, looking sexy and suave in his classic tux, with a dangerous edge added by his shaved head.

“Whoa,” I said, unashamedly ogling him top to bottom. “You look hot.”

He did the same to me, and I turned in a little spin to show off my dress.

“Back atcha. You sure I can’t take that off you later?” He grinned.

“I’m sure right now. But who knows, maybe if you get me really drunk, I’ll let you sneak a peek at midnight.” I winked.

Steph walked around the corner from the kitchen, carrying a bottle of champagne and an extra glass. “Holy man meat!” she exclaimed when she saw Lawrence.

“Yeah, I feel a little like a piece of meat right now. Are you two going to do this to me all night?”

“Probably,” she answered, deadpan. “Well?”

“Well what?”

She rolled her eyes. “Are you not gonna tell me how incredible my dress is?”

He flashed his most charming smile. “I can’t tell you anything about your dress because I can’t see past how stunning you are all on your own, sweetheart.”

She whistled. “Okay, that was good. Bubbles?” She poured him a glass and passed it over.

I’d been watching their exchange in complete enjoyment. I was falling in love with the idea of those two together. But first, he had to be my date for the night. I walked up and threaded my arm through his. “Hey, you have your own date tonight. So until you get bored with Paul, leave this one to me so I can pretend.”

“Where is Paul, anyway?”

“I actually hear a car pulling up right now. Let’s all just meet him out there and get moving,” Steph said as she drained her champagne and grabbed her coat.

Lawrence and I shrugged and did the same. I balanced on his arm to strap my heels on and walked on my toes across the grass and gravel of my front yard, trying to aerate as little as possible.

“You really do look gorgeous,” he said sweetly to me. “What do you have on under that thing?” He ruined it.

I chuckled and raised my eyebrows. “Actually, nothing.”

He started coughing loudly, drawing the attention of Steph and Paul.

“What? It’s just not the type of dress you can wear anything under. There’d be lines!”

“You do realize I’m an actual man, right? Like, I’m not your gay best friend.”

“Oh! I wish you were my gay best friend. That would be so much fun.” I pouted dramatically, patting his chest.

“Come on, honey. Let’s go dancing and I’ll show you how much of a man I am.”

“See, that’s exactly the type of thing a gay best friend would do.”

He hung back and swatted me on the ass. “You. Get in the car.” He pointed to what I belatedly realized was a waiting limo.

“Ouch!” I laughed as I hopped forward, greeting Paul with an exuberant kiss on the cheek that I was aware made him a touch uncomfortable and thanking him for the driver idea and the party. We settled into our seats and the car drove off. Paul was reserved but nice on the drive, not adding much to our conversations. Lawrence asked Steph all about her job with therapeutic riding and what she had done in school.

Finally Paul leaned over to me. “Does that bother you?” He gestured to Steph and Lawrence who were deep in conversation.

“No. Why should it?”

“Well, he’s your date, right?”

“Yeah, but we aren’t dating. Plus, even if we were, he can talk to whomever he likes.” I shrugged. “Does it bother you?”

“Not really. I think Steph is great, but I think it’s obvious to everyone that there’s nothing serious between us. We don’t have a whole lot to talk about. I’m happy to have a date to this thing though since I barely know anyone there.”

I looked at him, a little surprised, and smiled. “Huh, now I kind of like you.”

He laughed. “You mean you didn’t like me before?”

“Well, you were okay, but definitely not for Steph. I couldn’t figure it out. And she’s been a little cagey on the subject.”

“We’re having fun. Yes, I can have fun,” he said to my wide-eyed look. “I need my firm to see me making an effort in the community. That’s hard when I don’t have any connections to it, or interest in rural… anything. No offense.”

“None taken. Not really.”

“Anyway, Steph can do what she likes with anyone she likes. We have a pretty good understanding.”

“Interesting. I’m wondering why she didn’t tell me any of this.”

“She didn’t think you’d understand or approve. But I disagreed. You’re clearly open-minded, what with carrying on an affair with your boss and dating a client at the same time.”

I stared slack-jawed for a minute before bursting into laughter at Paul’s smirking. “Wow. I never really thought of it that way, but you do have a point. I sound terrible!”

“Not terrible.” He laughed. “It’s normal out here, right?”

“Yeah, well, it’s all relative.”