Leaping Hearts(43)

“I sure did,” the one said. “Even took a few steps back when they came around that last corner. I thought they were bound for the parking lot.”

“Can you believe she left Sutherland’s for that kind of trouble?”

“I don’t think the horse is the only reason.” The voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “McCloud’s no dummy. He may be out of the horse business but he knows a good-looking filly when he sees one. That leg of his is rusty but I’ll bet the rest of him is in working order, if you know what I mean.”

A.J. paled.

“Well, at least she’s out of commission. The woman’s no threat on the circuit as long as she’s on the back of that bad-tempered show-off.”

“Bulls for her. She’d shown some promise.”

As the two left the tent, A.J. stood in stunned disbelief, feeling like she’d had cold water poured over her. She’d felt capable of standing up to curious looks and handling the vague idea that people were talking about her. She’d even resolved to ignore Marceau’s nasty commentary on the basis of his unpleasant disposition. But hearing firsthand such insinuations, from run-of-the-mill competitors, was different.

Walking through the crowd back to the trailer, she couldn’t imagine being in a worse state of mind. She’d set an impossible goal, on a ridiculous timeline, and any progress she’d made could have been measured in inches, not feet. Her name was the favorite bone of the gossip hounds and her own horse was treating her like the enemy in the ring.

To top it all off, she thought she might be falling in love with her trainer.

How could things be worse?

Then she saw Peter and her father standing nose to nose with Devlin. She looked up at the sky in exasperation.

“That was a rhetorical question,” she said out loud. “I wasn’t really looking for a demonstration.”





7


THE THREE men were a tight knot of tension. Devlin, standing head and shoulders above the other two, was grim. Garrett wore the expression of someone in gastric distress. Peter looked offended and irate.

And people think a coven of witches is a sign of trouble, A.J. thought.

As she passed Chester and the stallion, who were standing at the back of the trailer, she raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

“Don’t look at us,” Chester said. “For once, Sabbath’s been behaving in public and I was born in Switzerland.”

She rolled her eyes.

“You’re clearly taking advantage of her,” Peter said in a loud voice.

“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Devlin retorted. “I’m her trainer, not her lover.”

“Just how stupid do you think I am?”

A.J. interjected, “If you’re wasting time speculating on that, you’re not too bright.”

Her stepbrother wheeled around and she got a full view of the outfit. It was a tailored black suit with a yellow tie and shirt. He looked like a cartoon character, drawn in colors too bold for real life.

“You and McCloud are ruining our reputation,” Peter pronounced. “I won’t stand for it.”

“And how exactly are we doing that?”

“A newspaper reporter just came up to your father and me and demanded to know how long you two have been together.”

“So? He’s been my trainer for almost three weeks.”

“We’re not talking about jumping horses, A.J. He says he has an intimate picture of you two.”

“What!”

“You heard me.”

“Wait a minute.” A.J. was shaking her head. “I don’t understand—”

Garrett asked, “Are you really living with him?”

She turned and met her father’s distressed eyes. “Yes, and sleeping on his couch. It’s easier for me to train that way and Devlin has been more than accommodating.”

“I bet he has,” Peter said.

“Don’t be so insulting,” she bit out.

“I think you should come home immediately,” her father said. “It’s better for everyone that way.”

“Somehow I doubt that.”

Peter snorted. “And you think staying with this guy is a better option? It’s hardly becoming to be involved with your trainer.”

“We are not involved! And I don’t know anything about a picture.”

“Well, then I guess all of us can be surprised at what’s going to be in the paper tomorrow morning.”

Her father cut through their heated volley. “Please keep your voices down.”

“But he doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”

“And you don’t know what you’re doing,” Peter countered.

Garrett’s eyes implored her. “Darling, I want you to come home.”

“And what am I going to do with my stallion?”

“If you come back, Sabbath will be welcome at the stables.”

“No, he won’t,” Peter cut in. “When I said I’d never allow that beast on Sutherland soil, I meant it. If she insists on keeping that animal, the least she can do is behave respectfully and stop shacking up with this limping has-been.”

A.J. gasped and watched as Devlin, who had been silent, closed the distance between himself and Peter. Her stepbrother’s response was priceless. He looked like someone who’d stepped into the path of an avalanche.