Just Home for the Holidays - Deborah Cooke Page 0,53

for other people.

They finished the routine and Duchess posed in the middle of the arena, holding one foot up for the duration of the last note. Hunter hooted and patted her neck, and they rode a triumphant circle around the ring.

“He always had the gift,” Reg’s dad said from behind Chloe with pride. “No one could touch those two when they competed. And he could coax a horse to do anything, it seemed.”

“That horse,” Reg said.

His father grinned. “Especially that horse. It’s love. Plain and simple.”

And Chloe knew what had broken Hunter’s heart.

Duchess came to a halt in front of Chloe and she rubbed the mare’s nose. “You were amazing,” she said to Hunter. “I can’t believe you gave this up.”

“Neither can I,” he admitted, then grinned with obvious relief. “I might have to hire on here to get some riding time again.”

“You come out here whenever you want,” Reg’s dad said, shaking Hunter’s hand. “It does my heart good to see the two of you together again.”

“Thank you,” Hunter said, his eyes alight. “I will.” He turned to Chloe. “When should we head back? I don’t want you to miss your flight.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “If Reg could take me to the train station, I’ll just head out and clear security early. You stay here and ride.” She smiled at him when he would have objected. “Duchess has missed you. I’ll put the video in a drop box and send you the link.” She reached up and took his hand. “Thanks for letting me be here,” she said and he bent down, giving her another of those bone-melting kisses.

“Thank you, Chloe,” he said, searching her gaze.

It took everything in Chloe to turn and walk away, but she knew Hunter wasn’t going to offer her any more than he already had. And in a way, it was more than enough. She felt like she was starting the new year with a new perspective.

In another way, it wasn’t nearly enough. She was in love but she was going home alone, and in her heart, Chloe wished it could be otherwise.

Even though she’d been the one to put rule thirteen on the list and Hunter had warned her about it.

By the time Chloe got home to her shared apartment, she was ready to make some changes. She’d watched the video of Hunter and Duchess a dozen times on the flight and it still gave her chills. She began to research apartments, looking for one she could manage on her own. She was going to enjoy each day more than she had so far, and spend time doing more than working. She’d still save her money for a rainy day, but she’d also spend some on enjoying the moment.

She uploaded the video and sent the link to Hunter. His reply was short and sweet, just “thanks”. She supposed that told her everything. Without new input, she and Hunter slid off Meesha’s shipping board as new hotter prospects took their place.

Technically, Chloe was still on vacation, but she went into the club on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve to review the payroll. She was in the office when she heard a familiar voice and thought she had to be wrong.

“It needs a dance club, though,” a guy said and he sounded just like Hunter. “I mean, the fitness club is awesome, but I really think the dance club is what takes F5F to the next level.”

Chloe got up from her desk, barely daring to believe. She went to the door and looked out. Sure enough, Hunter was standing in the reception area of the club, his gaze fixed on the door to the office. His eyes lit at the sight of her and Chloe’s heart skipped a beat.

He was talking to Kyle, who didn’t notice that anything had changed. “You know whose idea it was for the New York club,” he said. “You don’t have to sell me on doing it again.”

“You have space,” Hunter said. “If you bought the lot that’s for sale next door, you could add onto the building...”

“I know. It was designed that way,” Kyle said. “The issue is that I don’t have anyone to manage it. I need a real enthusiast to make it work, and I’m stretched too thin.” He frowned slightly, realizing that Hunter was looking past him, then turned to see Chloe in the office door. She was aware of Kyle’s glance but couldn’t look away from Hunter. There was a hunger in