Leaping Hearts(25)

The rest of the jumping hadn’t gone much better than the first round and the afternoon had been a blur of wild leaping and hard landings. As she lamented the session, she decided there was nothing like reality to get in the way of a fantasy. It looked as if a good round in the training ring was what she should be shooting for, to hell with winning a championship.

A.J. sensed Devlin’s approach.

“You did good work today,” he said, standing in the stable’s doorway.

She turned, not bothering to hide her disappointment, and found some relief. Beyond his wide shoulders, the sun was settling over undulating green hills. Its liquid gold light spilled across the grass and drifted into the stable’s interior like honey. She could smell the sweet perfume of fresh hay and hear the reassuring grinding of Sabbath’s teeth. But more than all that, there was a tenderness in Devlin’s eyes that went further to replenish her spirit than any words he could have offered.

As she faced him, Devlin knew he was looking at someone whose energy was spent. There was a pall of fragility hanging from her, as if she were on the verge of shattering. Not that he blamed her. He knew only a handful of riders who would have been up to the task of tackling that black beast’s headstrong ways all afternoon.

He was totally impressed. She’d muscled Sabbath around those jumps countless times, reeling the stallion in before each fence, pulling him through the corners, fighting to make sure his strides were right. It’d been exhausting just to watch but she’d kept at it. Every time Devlin had commanded her to run through that course, she’d done it, over and over, without a word of complaint. To say he’d been surprised at her grit was an understatement. Spoiled little rich girls didn’t behave like that. Hell, a lot of professional riders wouldn’t have put up with the demands he’d laid on her or the bad behavior of that stallion.

But then, she’d really awed him. Without asking for help, even though she looked ready to pass out from exhaustion, she’d carefully tended to the stallion’s needs as meticulously as if she’d spent a lazy afternoon puttering around the barn. Her time in the ring had been about determination but her behavior outside of it was character.

“I think it’s time to call it a day,” he said, hanging the clipboard back on its nail.

“Let me just check on the tack.”

“I’ll take care of that,” he said. “You need to head home.”

“It’ll just take me a—”

“Go home and get some rest.” He watched as she tried to hide a yawn with the back of her hand. “What time can you be here tomorrow?”

A.J. grimaced.

“What?” he said. “Don’t tell me you want to sleep in here with him. Haven’t you had enough for one day?”

“Actually…”

“You can be sure he’ll be fine here. You want one of those baby monitors?”

“I want your couch.” Her words came out in a rush. “Mind if I bed down in your living room again tonight?”

Devlin looked surprised. “Are you that tired?”

“No.”

He frowned. “Your father’s mansion is big enough to house a small liberal arts college. He suddenly decided to offer classes or is this more fallout from the split with your family?”

“Space is not the problem.”

“This isn’t just for one night, is it?”

“No.”

Devlin’s eyes grew remote and she could see his mind working.

“I can pay you,” she offered.

He rolled his eyes. “Not that again. Like I said, money’s not a big enticement to me.”

“I wouldn’t want to take advantage of your hospitality. I know it’s an imposition.”

“It’s not you I’m worried about,” he said under his breath. He wasn’t sure he could share a bathroom with someone who made him feel like she did.

This woman moves in, he thought, and he’d be lucky if he didn’t grind his teeth to stumps with sexual frustration. He’d be sucking meals through a straw and mumbling incoherently inside of a week.

Abruptly, Devlin pictured her coming out of his tub, skin flushed from hot water, mist swirling around her like an incantation of ecstasy. He tried to derail the fantasy and failed. With a harsh movement, he stuffed his hands in his pockets to be sure he kept them to himself.

If she stayed here, it would make training easier, an inner voice said. Less commute time for her, more time with the horse.

An argument ensued in his head between his professional responsibilities and his base instincts, a pair of dueling mental banjos that drove him nuts.

Finally, he decided. “If you want to trade in a feather bed for an old couch, it’s okay with me.”

A.J. sagged with relief. “Thanks. I know you don’t have to do this.”

“Right now, I’m thinking of it more as a public service. You don’t look like you should be operating heavy machinery and that includes flashy red convertibles.”

They walked out to the car to get her luggage, both fully aware of the position they were now in. They were two people linked by a powerful attraction they were committed not to give in to. Who were going to cohabitate for two months. Right before one of them faced the most grueling event in the equestrian world.