Leaping Hearts(35)

Gradually, the stallion had learned to tolerate Chester and Devlin but he was A.J.’s horse. Or, more accurately, he’d decided she was his person. This meant, when it came to his many idiosyncrasies, A.J. had to be the one on deck or things went bad fast. The stallion was especially finicky about his feet and only A.J. was allowed to pick out his hooves. Chester had tried once and Sabbath revolted so violently, he yanked one of the crossties out of the wall. And when it came to getting shod, if A.J. wasn’t standing by his head, the blacksmith refused to get within two yards of the stallion with a horseshoe. No one blamed the man. Left to his own devices, Sabbath had tried to make lunch out of the man’s overalls, starting with the back pockets.

When it came to real feed, the kind he was supposed to nibble on, the stallion had a funny quirk. He hated being alone when he ate. If A.J. wasn’t around, the oats or hay went untouched. Only when she was leaning against the stall door, looking over him and talking quietly, would Sabbath dip his muzzle down and start chewing.

Between his phobias, bizarre habits and the way he behaved in the ring, it was easy to see why Sabbath had been passed from owner to owner. If it weren’t for his obvious and overwhelming affection for her, A.J. thought they all would have lost patience with him by the end of the first week.

She finished untangling her hair and put the brush back in her toiletries bag. Then she slipped on a pair of thick socks to keep her toes warm and picked up her small bag. She was on the way downstairs, running through the checklist of things to do in the morning before they left for the show, when she heard cursing. Curious, she followed the expletives into Devlin’s study. He was crouching in the corner of the room, frustrated.

He looked up as he heard her approach. Their eyes met in the dim light, and the flash of attraction, which always flared whenever they were together, made her feel warm inside.

“Sorry for the colorful language.” His voice was deep and low.

“Highly descriptive as well as educational.” She tried to smile nonchalantly. “I didn’t know you could do that to a filing cabinet.”

She leaned against the doorjamb, keeping her distance. They hadn’t been alone since the night of the kiss up in his bedroom, by silent agreement. He’d taken to conveniently disappearing whenever she had to use the bath and she pretended to be asleep every morning when he came downstairs to start breakfast. Chester was with them the rest of the time.

She hadn’t found the forced distance helpful. Since reality wasn’t offering a release to her sexual tension, her fantasies were picking up the slack. Instead of growing more dim, the memory of their kisses haunted her, taking on mythic proportions.

Which is what happens, she thought, when you spend so much time staring at the wall at night. Perspective is the first thing to go. Followed closely by good humor.

“Anything I can help with?” she asked.

“My filing system’s failed me.”

A.J. glanced around the room. Papers were everywhere. Covering the floor, stacked on top of filing cabinets, crowded in piles. It was a jungle.

“I don’t know that I’d call it filing. More like stationery landscaping.”

“I find things easier if it’s all laid out,” he said, crouching down over another stack. “Usually.”

“What are you after?”

“Receipts from a feed company. You ready for tomorrow?”

“I wouldn’t say ready. More like resigned. Reminds me of when I got my wisdom teeth removed. One way or another, it’ll be over tomorrow night.”

Feeling restless, because of the event in the morning and because she was finally alone with him, she fingered the bottom of her T-shirt, pulling apart the frayed hem and creating a hole. The shirt was at least ten years old and she was wearing it for good luck. On the front, there was the name of the local high school football team as well as a big lion’s head. On the back it read, DON’T MESS WITH THE CATS.

Coming up empty from another excavation, Devlin got to his feet, shaking out his stiff leg. “You two have come a long way since that first day. You’ve got longer to go but it’s not like you’re standing still.”

“What are we going to do if there’s water in the ring tomorrow?”

They’d been so busy working on the basics, the water jump had remained unfilled. It was one more source of anxiety. Neither of them wanted her to take the stallion over one in competition for the first time.

“If there’s water, you’re going to take your best shot and hope he holds, but I’m betting you won’t have to worry about it. This is a regional competition. There’ll be some good riders there but it’s not a huge event. They’re not going to get too fancy.”

“I know you’re right but my mind just keeps spinning.” Her hands sped up their work.

“Stop picking at that shirt before there’s nothing left of it,” he said darkly. Not that shredding the damn thing isn’t totally appealing, Devlin added to himself.

Her hands stilled. “I’m a little keyed up.”

Looking at the hole she’d created, Devlin felt the power of his lust for her. Staying away from A.J. for two weeks had been hell and the virtues of self-restraint were losing their ability to fortify his willpower. The last thing he needed was to be talking to her and imagining what she’d look like with her breasts bare to his eyes.