LITMIR.BIZ

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she didn’t like how easily she could conjure up that mental picture of him standing on his porch when she’d gone to collect her truck, looking all rumpled and sexy. Or the way she’d found herself leaning across the table toward him when they went to lunch. Oh, yeah, she was attracted. Like a magnet. She knew nothing about the guy, had been recently burned in the worst way, yet her primal instincts were saying, “Oh, yes. We must have some of this.”

      Not. Going. To. Happen.

      Of course it wasn’t. She hadn’t seen Gabe in a week. He’d made a duty call after the standpipe incident and after that, nothing. For all she knew, Gina, who’d made no secret about finding him supersexy, was having her way with him and he’d never given her another thought... No, she would know that, because Gina wasn’t quiet about her conquests. But that didn’t change the fact that he was keeping his distance and that was exactly the way she wanted things.

      She glanced over her shoulder at the Staley house before pulling open the door. Off the radar. That was where she wanted to be.

      * * *

      “SHE’S A REAL nice little horse,” the older man leaning against the fence said as they watched the dark brown mare with the white legs trot around the round pen. “What exactly are you looking for?”

      Gabe shot him a look and the man said, “A trail horse? Arena horse? Cutting? Roping?”

      “Ah. Well, to tell you the truth, I’m looking for a horse with no bad habits and I figure if I get one that hasn’t been used and have it trained, then I might just get that.”

      The old guy smiled broadly. “You’re on the right track there.” He gestured to the round pen, where a woman with golden-brown hair that fell almost to her waist was putting a horse through its paces. She looked a lot like Dani, only smaller, her hair a shade darker. “Marti is one of the best trainers in the area. If she wasn’t, then she wouldn’t work here...even if she is my daughter.”

      Gabe gave a polite nod, watching as the daughter stopped the horse, then walked over to pet its neck and slip a halter onto its head. “We have a partnership,” Paul said, bringing Gabe’s attention back to him. “I raise horses, Marti trains. She brings in outside horses, but she also trains my youngsters for their new owners. Gets them off to a good start, like you were talking about.”

      Gabe gave a tight smile and turned his attention back to the mare. He liked her looks. She was quiet and trusting and when he’d scratched her ears, she’d bobbed her head appreciatively. A far cry from the nervous, anxious, skittish and just plain mean horses he’d looked at over the past few days. He knew next to nothing about buying a horse, but even to his unpracticed eye, this mare looked well put together and the price was right because, as the man had explained, the cost of hay had tripled recently due to severe drought, so horses were going cheap.

      The bottom falling out of the horse market put a damper on his resale plans, since Serena made it clear that she was not accepting a gift horse, but he’d figure out how to get the mare a good home later—even if it was at a loss. Right now the connection with Dani was more important than money lost or gained.

      “She’s been started under saddle, but she’s still green. What’s your riding level?”

      “I haven’t ridden in a while. I want to get back into it while I’m here,” Gabe said without hesitation.

      “With a young horse? That’s a wreck waiting to happen.”

      A soft laugh came from behind them. “Not necessarily.”

      Gabe turned to see Paul’s daughter standing behind them. “Hi. I’m Marti,” she said, running an eye over Gabe as if he was himself a piece of horseflesh. “You look athletic.”

      Gabe shrugged. “I run and bike. Swim a little.”

      “Triathlete,” she said with a smile. “You have balance then. And stamina.” He almost smiled at the way she said stamina. “Tell you what,” she said, crossing her arms. “You buy Molly from Paul, I’ll train her and throw in a couple weeks of riding lessons. We’ll start you on a finished horse, then shift you over to Molly once I’m confident she’s ready.”

      Damn, damn, damn. Gabe forced a smile. “Very generous of you.”

      “It’s one way of building repeat clientele.”

      Gabe looked over at Paul. “Tell you what—give me a day to think about it. I have another horse to look at later today, then I’ll call and let you know.”

      Paul pushed off from the fence where he was leaning. “All right. I’ll hold her until tomorrow for you. After that...” He shrugged.

      “I understand. Thanks.” Gabe started for his car and Marti fell in step. “My offer stands even if you don’t buy Molly. I have a few open slots in my schedule and I’d be happy to work with both you and your new horse.”

      Gabe stopped at the car. “I appreciate the offer. Thank you.”

      “Anytime.” She patted the top of his car, then stepped back as he got inside. Gabe drove away thinking it was too bad he couldn’t take her up on her offer. He had a feeling that Marti could teach a guy a lot.

      * * *

      “I’M FULL UP.” Dani felt a ridiculous pang of regret as she said the words, but facts were facts. “Eight horses, eight hours in the workday.” She smiled a little. “Not counting all the other things I have to do.”

      “I understand.” Gabe spoke matter-of-factly, but she’d caught the flash of disappointment in his expression. Well, one thing was for certain—if Kyle had indeed stopped by to “check him out,” Gabe didn’t hold a grudge. “I can give you the names of other trainers in the area.”

      “I’d appreciate that.”

      “What kind of horse did you buy?”

      “A dark brown horse.”

      “Breed?”

      “Quarter horse?”

      “Gender?”

      “Female.”

      “What do you know about horses, Gabe?”

      “Not a lot.” He smiled disarmingly. “I want to learn.”

      “Do you ride?”

      “I don’t have a lot of experience, but I have ridden.”

      She studied him askance for a moment. “Do you plan on learning to ride better?”

      “That’s the next step.”

      She couldn’t help smiling. “Do you have a checklist?”

      “A mental one.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I can’t help the checklist. It’s the way I’m wired. And I like horses, but never got a chance to learn to ride well. It’s not easy for a guy my age to get back into it.” He smiled a little. “Since we have a small amount of history, I thought of you.”

      Something about the way he said the last words made Dani very aware of, well, him. His effect on her, which wasn’t the effect she was looking for right now. “If I had one less horse...”

      “Again, Dani. Not a problem.”

      “Do you want me to get you those names?”

      “I already have one. Marti? She offered to train the horse and give me lessons at the same time.”

      “You’ve met?”

      “At the place I bought the mare.”

      Dani forced a smile, said nothing. Gabe smiled back and she realized he was truly disappointed. It was all she could do not to say, “Sure. Another horse. Why not?” But she couldn’t. She was too busy.

      It wasn’t until he’d driven away and the rooster tail of dust had settled that she admitted

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