The Riding Master Read online

  He broke away, breathing heavily against her cheek. “Christ, you feel good.”

  Rayne struggled to stay upright. “Ah, you don’t feel so bad yourself.” She tried to back out of his arms but was blocked by the kitchen counter.

  Trent ran his finger along the outline of her jaw. “You’re adorable.” He took her hand and led her from the kitchen.

  Her heart thudded as he walked into the living room. When he spied the hallway that led to her bedroom, Rayne trembled once more. Trent must have sensed her fear, because instead of leading her to the bedroom, he guided her toward the front door.

  In her entryway, he let go of her hand. “I’d better get out of here before I do something…stupid.” He took a breath while contemplating her eyes. “I’ll be busy with a job in Dallas all week, but I will see you next Saturday at the stables. Saturday night you can come over to my house, and I’ll cook you dinner.”

  Rayne nodded in agreement.

  “Do you like Italian?”

  She nodded again.

  He wrapped an arm about her waist. “Get some sleep.”

  When he kissed her again, Rayne felt that overwhelming yearning rising up once more. But before she could respond, Trent withdrew, putting his hand on her fancy brass doorknob.

  “Good night, Rayne.” He gave her one last smile, stepped outside, and then quietly shut her door.

  Rayne stood in her beige and white entryway and touched her fingers to her lips. “Damn.”

  Still reliving his kiss, she went about the house, locking doors and turning out the lights. By the time she entered her bedroom, Rayne was fretting about their next meeting. When she saw him again, how should she act, what would she say?

  “Stop acting like a sixteen-year-old girl,” she loudly chided, making a brown, furry face look up at her from the bed. Frank was lying sprawled out over her gray and white comforter on her queen-sized brass bed.

  “What do you think I should do? See him again, or nip this in the bud now?”

  Frank plopped his head back down on the bed and closed his eyes.

  “Yeah, I feel the same way.”

  Walking into her bathroom, Rayne determined that it would be in her best interest to call the whole thing off with Trent before it interfered with her life at the stables. She could not afford to have her students, along with Selene, whispering behind her back. And when the relationship ended—Rayne was thoroughly convinced that it would—she would be left embarrassed and insecure at the one place she had considered a sanctuary.

  “Next weekend, I’ll talk to him.” She stood before her beige vanity, plotting her strategy. “I’ll very calmly explain that we can’t be more than friends. It isn’t professional. It isn’t wise, and it certainly isn’t healthy, at least not for me.”

  But you know you want to see him again. That kiss….

  Rayne shook off the notion. “No, this is for the best. I’m better off without a man.” And then her body slouched against the beige countertop. “Damn it, who am I kidding? That was the best kiss ever.”

  ***

  The next morning, Rayne rose from her bed feeling more confident that she could push Trent Newbury away. Sure it had been a great kiss, but she was convinced that it was just a kiss and not the basis for a relationship.

  “He’s just not worth the bother,” she told her reflection in the mirror as she applied her makeup for work.

  In the kitchen, she was enjoying a few moments with her morning cup of coffee as Frank ate his breakfast when a jazzy ringtone blared from the entranceway. She hurried to her purse on the table by the front door and retrieved her cell phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Did you sleep well?”

  Rayne came to a standstill in her entryway when she heard that seductive voice. “Trent? How did you get my number?”

  “From Rebecca. I always keep the phone numbers of all my instructors on file.”

  “Oh, ah…I…,” she stumbled. “Yes, I did sleep well. How did you sleep?”

  “I didn’t,” he sighed into the phone. “I kept thinking about you.”

  Shaking her head, she shot back, “Please, you expect me to buy that line?”

  “You’re cranky in the morning.” His exuberant chuckle rolled around inside the hollows of her heart. “Admit it. You spent the night thinking about me.”

  She walked back to her kitchen. “You would love to hear me say that, wouldn’t you?”

  “You think about me, Rayne, but you’ll never admit it to me. I have at least learned that much about you.”

  “Yeah, well, there’s a lot you don’t know about me, Trent.”

  “Yes, but I am willing to dedicate hours of study, going over every detail of you.”

  “That sounds dangerous,” she admitted with a twinge of alarm in her voice.

  “Having doubts about us already?”

  Swiping her coffee from the kitchen countertop, she grumbled, “One kiss hardly makes an ‘us.’”

  “Hell of a kiss though.”

  Rayne racked her mind looking for a cute comeback, but came up blank.

  “I’ll take your silence to mean I was right about the kiss,” Trent smugly returned. “Don’t be so fast to look for excuses to get rid of me, Rayne. You haven’t tried my spaghetti sauce yet.”

  She stared into her black coffee as her reservations about Trent intensified. “I think this is a mistake. We have to work together at the stables and there might be a lot—”

  “I had a hunch that you would be talking yourself out of seeing me again. That’s why I called.”

  “Well, now you know how I really feel about this…situation.”

  “That’s not what your kiss told me last night.”

  Rayne’s grip tightened on her iPhone when she thought of his kiss.

  “You have a good day, Rayne. I’ll call again.” He hung up before she could get in a smart reply.

  “Damn it!” She tossed her cell phone to the kitchen counter. “Just when I had put him out of my mind, he calls and it starts all over again.”

  Fed up, she dumped her mug of lukewarm coffee in the sink, grabbed her cell phone and dark blue backpack from the kitchen counter, then trudged to the back door.

  The best way to get her mind off the man was by spending a long day at work. Being buried beneath a pile of pending blood samples and running a flurry of tests was the best medicine she knew to forget about that goddamned kiss.

  ***

  The square gray office building of Reynolds Medicine Group was home to four internal medicine physicians and two nurse practitioners who cared for patients with a host of conditions.

  Rayne parked her gunmetal gray Toyota Highlander in her usual spot by the corner of the lot, next to a wide oak tree that provided enough shade to keep her car cool beneath the hot Texas sun. Glancing down the street to the sprawling Medical Center of Lewisville, Rayne was glad she had stayed out of the hospital setting when she returned to work after her divorce. It was hectic enough being pulled in every direction in a busy clinic, but the demands of a big hospital would have been too stressful for her. She liked being the only lab technician for Reynolds Medicine Group; in fact, she preferred working alone. For Rayne, people were difficult; horses were easy.

  While rushing toward the glass entrance with her backpack slung over her shoulder, Rayne found it odd how she could recall the name of every horse she had ever ridden for Rebecca, but could not remember any of the individuals she had worked side-by-side with at Greer Laboratories.

  “Hey, Rayne.” A heavyset secretary whose name always eluded Rayne waved from the front desk as she hurried through the pastel blue reception area.

  Walking past the double doors that led to the patient exam rooms, Rayne made her way to the end of a narrow white corridor. The last door on the right had a large red sign with Employees Only in bold red letters. She eased the door open and stepped inside.

  “There she is, right on time as usual,” an attractive blonde greeted from a r
ound table in the middle of the employee break room. She was wearing white scrubs with pink teddy bears embossed on her top. Her wavy blonde hair was mashed into a messy ponytail, and her delicate, almost childlike features were scrunched into a condescending scowl. In her hands was a paperback book with a bare-chested man on the cover holding a scantily clad woman in his arms.

  “Hey, Lindsey. Which one is that?” Rayne went to a short refrigerator set into a wall of white cabinets.

  “Bound By Love.” Lindsey held up the book. “Sex and a whole lot more by my favorite author, Monique Delome.”

  “You and your romance books.” Rayne’s eyes scanned a wall covered with mandatory employee posters from OSHA touting the benefits of washing hands, proper techniques for the disposal of blood products, and a few other regulations that everyone usually ignored.

  “Hey, don’t knock romance books.” Lindsey flourished the book in her hand. “The only sex I get is in these books.” She flipped the book down on the faux wood table. “See what ten years of marriage has driven me to?”

  Rayne placed her backpack on the white Formica countertop next to the refrigerator and unzipped the top. “You’re lucky to have Casey. He’s a great guy.”

  “I know.” Lindsey picked up the mug of coffee on the table before her. “But I would be happy to rent him out to you for a nominal fee.”

  Rayne chuckled and placed her brown bag lunch inside the refrigerator. She then went to a desktop computer in the corner and typed in her employee ID code.

  “What did you do this weekend?” Lindsey inquired. “No, wait. Let me guess. You rode that horse of yours.”

  After Rayne finished clocking in, she turned back to the waiflike blonde with the alluring blue eyes. “I also taught my lessons.”

  “Wow.” Lindsey plunked her coffee mug down on the table. “Rayne, I love you to death, you know that, but you have got to start having some fun.”

  Rayne stepped over to the coffeemaker set up on a silver cart next to the computer. “I have fun. I ride.”

  “You know what I’m talking about. The kind of fun you have with a member of the opposite sex of our species.”

  Rayne snatched up white mug from the cart. “What is it with everyone wanting to set me up? First, Rebecca at the barn wanted to hook me up with the new riding master, and now you—”

  “What new riding master?” Lindsey interrupted.

  Rayne filled her mug with coffee. “His name is Trent Newbury, and Rebecca hired him to oversee all the instructors at the stables.”

  “Cute?”

  Rayne glowered at her friend. “Obnoxious.”

  Lindsey sat back in her green plastic chair, dissecting Rayne’s expression. “You like this guy. You wouldn’t have noticed if he was obnoxious or even a serial killer if you weren’t interested.”

  Rayne glanced down at her black coffee. “Actually, we had dinner last night. That’s how I know he’s obnoxious.”

  Lindsey jumped from her chair. “You had dinner with him?” She went to Rayne’s side and nudged her back to the table. “Sit.” She pulled out a green chair for her. “I want details.”

  “There are no details to tell.” Rayne sat down and put her coffee on the table. “We went to dinner at this sushi place. He wanted to order eel, can you believe that? So we had this—”

  “Rayne, I could care less about what you ate. What happened on the date? Did he kiss you, or was there more to it than that? Please tell me there was more to it.”

  “Lindsey, you’ve been reading way too many romance novels. It was nothing like what you’re implying. This was a dinner to talk about…the stables, you know, business.” A warm flush cascaded through Rayne as she remember Trent’s kiss.

  “Bullshit!” Lindsey pointed at Rayne’s face. “You’re red, and you only get red when you’re really embarrassed about something. And knowing you, the only thing that would get you that way is sex. So spill it. What happened?”

  Rayne fingered the rim of her mug, wanting desperately to keep what happened with Trent private, but then again also needing a friend to help sort out her tangle of emotions.

  “Lindsey, how much…I mean, have you ever…?” She struggled to find the right words.

  Lindsey waited patiently with her arms folded over her chest, tapping her white tennis shoe on the dull gray linoleum floor.

  “Aw, hell…he kissed me,” Rayne finally blurted out. “There, satisfied?”

  Lindsey tossed up her hand. “That’s it?”

  Rayne raised her coffee. “Trust me, it was enough.”

  Lindsey was quiet for several agonizing seconds. Rayne was about to explode with curiosity when she finally spoke up.

  “What kind of kiss?”

  “Kind of kiss?” Rayne lowered her mug, not comprehending the question. “It was a kiss, Lindsey.”

  “There are all kinds of kisses, Rayne. Friendly, passionate, family kisses, and then there are—”

  “It was passionate, all right?” Rayne flopped back in her seat

  One side of Lindsey’s tiny pink mouth rose ever so slightly. “That good, huh?”

  Rayne slowly nodded her head. “I’ve never been kissed like that. Even after eight years of marriage, I—”

  “Foster Greer was a selfish old man more interested in having a trophy wife than keeping you happy,” Lindsey cut in.

  “But I don’t think Trent can make me happy, either, Lindsey. He’s technically my boss at the stables.”

  “Stop,” Lindsey cried out, raising her hand. “You’re making excuses like you always do when you’re afraid.”

  “I’m not afraid,” Rayne balked.

  Lindsey looked her friend over, sporting a dubious frown. “Rayne, by the expression on your face, you’re terrified that this guy could be someone special.”

  “He’s not special. He’s just like all the rest,” Rayne protested with a smirk.

  “What did his kiss tell you?” Lindsey had a seat next to her at the table. “You can tell a lot about a man from a kiss; his intentions, his desires, and his sincerity. If he really wants you—and I’m not talking about sex—if he wants all of you, you can tell by his kiss. That’s how I knew my Casey was the one for me.”

  Rayne mulled over her words. “His kiss was…it really took me by surprise. It was so…intense.” Rayne shook her head. “Everything about the guy is intense.”

  Lindsey sat back in her chair, grinning. “Then you need to pursue this.”

  “I think that is a mistake.”

  “So what? Hell of a fun way to make a mistake if you ask me.” Retrieving her book, Lindsey shrugged. “Besides, there are no mistakes in dating. Every man you’re with teaches you more about what you want and don’t want in a guy.”

  “I’d hoped I was done with dating after I married Foster.”

  “Get to know the man, Rayne.” Lindsey closed her book, tucking it under her arm. “You’re too pretty and too smart to be alone.” She stood from her chair and collected her coffee mug. “Time for me to get out there and tackle Dr. Moffet’s bad breath.”

  “Didn’t you buy him a jar of breath mints?” Rayne wrapped her hands about her white mug.

  “I did.” Lindsey left her mug in the sink. “But instead of using them, he gave them to the secretaries in reception.”

  “Why not just tell him he has bad breath?”

  “You know how old man Moffett is…I have to be careful so I keep my job.” Lindsey went to the break room entrance. “I’ll never find another nursing job that pays as well as this one.” She opened the door. “Keep me posted on the guy from your barn. You know how much I love a juicy romance.” She winked at Rayne and then darted into the hall.

  Rayne took two quick sips of her coffee, eager to feel the rush of caffeine. As the warm liquid eased down her throat, she recalled Trent’s conversation over the phone with her earlier that morning. Perhaps Lindsey was right; she needed to give the assertive man a chance. She peered into her black coffee and the same old trepi
dation about the opposite sex returned to her gut. She had never been an avid dater before her husband, and after the pain of her divorce, her dating nerves were shot. But now another opportunity for happiness was before her, and Rayne only prayed she could muster the courage to put the past behind her and try again with the charismatic riding master.

  Chapter 5

  A warm evening breeze greeted Rayne as she stepped from her garage and progressed across the short stone-covered path to her back door. The blue jeans she had changed into after work reeked of Bob. Her black riding boots were dusty, and her frizzy blonde hair was matted down by the riding helmet she had worn while working Bob over some fences.

  As she fumbled with the lock on her back door, her cell phone ringtone sounded. Quickly opening the door, she rummaged through the work clothes in her backpack for her phone. While punching the alarm code into her keypad just inside her back door, Frank came trotting up to her. Barking with exuberance at her return, she was trying to calm him down when she answered the call from an unknown number.

  “Hello?”

  “Where are you?” a smooth voice demanded.

  She sighed as she heard his velvety tone. “Hi, Trent.” She turned to Frank. “Hush up.”

  “Was that my friend, Frank, barking?”

  “Yeah, he gets excited when I get home.” She patted Frank’s head.

  “You’re just getting home from work? It’s almost seven, Rayne.”

  “I went to the stables after work to exercise Bob. Why are you calling me?” She shut her back door.

  “I just wanted to make sure you got home safely.”

  “I’m fine.” She set the deadbolt on her door. “Just like I was fine coming home late from the stables before I met you.”

  “But that was before I met that overgrown floor mop that you have for protection.”

  She stepped around Frank and into her kitchen. “I also have an alarm system to back up the floor mop.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel any better, Rayne.”

  She heaved her backpack onto the beige granite breakfast bar. “Well, it’s the best I can do.”