just a few months ago. There was a bidding war for him but I was determined.”
As the horses approached, sniffing in her hand to see what she had for them, Rachel couldn’t stop her eyes from rolling at his comment. “Of course you won. Don’t you always?”
“I prefer to win. Don’t you?” He leaned against the stall, watching her as she smiled at the horses as they nuzzled her palm licking up the last of the sugar crystals.
“Oh, I would love to win all the time. But that doesn’t happen.”
“What have you lost recently?” she asked, not believing he’d ever lost at anything in his life.
His smile grew slightly and he shrugged one shoulder. “Nothing recently.”
She raised one eyebrow at him as she said, “Have you ever lost something?”
He laughed softly and moved closer, running his hand down the black mare’s neck. “Sure I’ve lost. I don’t keep track of those issues though. I move on and figure out how to overcome that challenge.” He hesitated for a moment, then said, “Come riding with me tomorrow?”
Immediately she shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Why not? You used to love to ride. And I used to love watching you ride. I haven’t seen you on a horse in years.”
She blushed and shook her head again. “I ride,” she countered.
“Just not when I’m around. Why is that?”
She shrugged, feeling as if he were closing in on her. “I guess our schedules just haven’t been in sync lately.”
“Or you’ve purposely been avoiding me.”
She bit her lower lip nervously and took a step backwards. “Why would I do that?” She shook her head. “No, it’s really just been a crazy period in my life.”
“Then come with me. Show me that you can ride like you used to.”
“I can’t.”
“You can’t ride like you used to or you can’t ride at all?”
“I can ride!” she gasped, rising to the challenge he was tossing out there at her.
“Good. Then we’ll ride tomorrow morning.”
She blinked and shook her head slightly. “What? No, I didn’t mean that I could….”
“It’s settled, Rachel. You can even ride this guy here.”
What had just happened? “I didn’t agree to ride with you!” she gasped.
He moved in even closer. “Sure you did. I know that you’re afraid to be alone with me for some reason. But it will be fine tomorrow. I’ll be the perfect gentleman.”
She laughed and shook her head. “I’ve seen you in action, Rais. You’re never the perfect gentleman.”
He put his hands on her hips as he moved even closer. “Were you spying on me as a kid?” he asked softly, his eyes looking at her lips.
She pressed back against the wall, her breathing ragged and heavy. “No!”
“Then how do you know I wasn’t a gentleman?”
“I wasn’t spying. I was around doing my chores or my homework and you just happened to be around with your….” She halted, not exactly sure what to call the parade of brunettes that had come through his life.
“Lady friends?” he put in for lack of a better word.
“Yes. Lots of them.” She tried to keep the jealously out of her voice, but even she heard the angry tone come out. “And I really don’t want to be one of them.” She put her hands on his chest and pushed, but he didn’t move, not even an inch.
“What if you’re not one in a crowd?” he suggested.
“I’m not.”
He looked at her beautiful features and had to agree with her. “No. You’re definitely not part of the crowd, Rachel.”
“Please let me go,” she begged, looking to the right so she didn’t have to look at him. She was shaking everywhere and his touch was strong and firm, even better than she’d dreamed about. Rachel wanted so much to be kissed by this man, to know what all the other women had experienced. But she wouldn’t be able to endure it when he moved on to the next woman. She had enough trouble coming out here to visit her father. If she had memories of his kiss to deal with, those visits would be even worse.
Rais hesitated. She sounded sincere but everything inside him was telling him to move forward, to test those lips and find out if she really was as soft as she looked. His body was already hard and aching, wanting to pull her against him, to make love to this woman so thoroughly that she wouldn’t remember any of the men in her past.
“I have to go,” she gasped and slipped out of his arms, relieved