The Tycoon's Tender Triumph Page 0,31

to see her like this. They would know instantly what had happened. Especially Jessy. That woman had been dropping hints that Chloe and Sam should get together. Little did she know…Chloe thought.

On impulse, Chloe swung by her dad’s pickup truck and grabbed her camera bag, thinking that maybe taking pictures would be a good outlet for these strange feelings she was working through.

Nutmeg! What she needed was a long, hard run and Nutmeg was just the guy to help her do it. She rushed across the yard and down the pathway to the stables, ignoring the heavy bag hitting her leg with each step and feeling oddly as if Sam were watching her from one of the windows. That didn’t make sense though because his office was on the front of the house and the stables were in the back. Besides, he was too busy to watch her walk anywhere. The man had been helping her out, ignoring his own phone calls so he could get her through the details of her business plan.

Hurrying down the pathway, she entered the stable through a side door, unwilling to risk running into anyone at this time. She found Nutmeg in his stall and patted his nose, moving on to the others and giving them attention as well. She wanted to run with all of them, but right at the moment, she needed to ride as fast as possible.

Saddling him up was quick since he obviously was ready to run as well. He was very cooperative, even nuzzling her when she moved in front of him. With the blanket and saddle in place, she led the stallion out of the stable and through the gate, then climbed up onto a fence and threw her leg over the horse. Within moments, they were flying over the ground, leaving the problems of the last hour behind her.

It took more than an hour before Nutmeg was worn out enough. They rode over hills and across the flat plains, Chloe careful to not take on any unknown pathways that might have holes that would hurt the horse. Nutmeg was wonderful and exactly what she needed to get her mind off of the way Sam had made her feel. She loved this horse and the sense of freedom he gave her as they rode together. When it was time to return to the stable, she wasn’t ready, wanting to hide for a lot longer. The possibility of running into Sam was too embarrassing.

The horse had to take priority though. He was worn out and needed some water. It was also too cold outside to let him start shivering because of the sweat from his run.

She cooled Nutmeg down, walking him around the yards and along the fence line, then gave him a long rub down before patting him back into his stall. He was grateful for the ride and happy when she gave him a huge bucket of oats. The other horses were all ready for her attention as well and she took Ginger out next. She wasn’t as fast, but she was strong and more than willing. Since Nutmeg had taken all the fight out, riding Ginger was just enjoyable. She laughed as Ginger pranced through the winter grasses, galloping through the hilltops. Where Nutmeg was speed, Ginger was all bounce and prancing. Goodness she was a beauty!

Cinnamon was next but by that point, Chloe wasn’t sure she could take her out for a long ride. They still went down one of the paths but at a much more sedate speed than the previous two rides. She felt bad for Salt and Pepper, both of whom had been peering over the edge of their stalls, ready for their ride. She’d take them out for a long ride tomorrow, and bring extra apples for all of them.

Cinnamon was perfect for taking pictures though. She led the horse through some of her favorite pathways and, with the dimming lights, she was able to capture several startling pictures of the sun shining through the winter bare trees.

At least she hoped she had been able to capture the scene. She didn’t have a printer that would allow her to print them out so she could have instant review, but she’d had pretty good success with her digital camera in the past. She also had several pictures she’d taken on weekends while in New York that she hadn’t had time to review so this memory card might be filled with some good