Beauty and the Brit (27 page)

“I
used
to have a picture of my mother with the necklace on. Dad says they buried it with her, but that she always said it meant she loved the two of us forever.” She rolled onto her back so he could see it again. “I broke the ends of the infinity sign because she left us too soon. It’s a little silly because I really barely remember her. But what little I do remember is still the warmest feeling I have.”

He bent and kissed her the tattoo, caressing her stomach, dipping into her navel with his thumb and grasping her waist. His touch wiped away the sorrow, and the heat between her legs, so close to where he played, made her groan. Every sensation that had built on the horse, and the walk to this cabin, and in the long moments he’d tortured her tattoos with teeth and tongue now swelled into need.

With consummate skill he touched the tender spot between her legs and stretched up at the same time to seal her lips with his. She moved beneath his hand and opened to the thrust of his tongue. It took only seconds to reach the edge of an abyss that completely stole her breath. For an instant she held back, forced herself not to leap, but it was too late for fear, and she let David push her over the edge. Heat, fire, electricity, and relief engulfed her as she tumbled headlong into the colors of release. From far away she heard herself cry out and, finally, as he slowed the motion of his hand, she heard David’s voice, calling her back.

“Hullo,” he whispered when she opened her eyes. “Did you go far away?”

“To the ends of the world.” She closed her eyes again and felt the smile slip onto her lips.

“Good journey?” He nuzzled her ear. Her chin. Her throat.

She pushed him away and sat up, energy flooding her suddenly as if she’d drunk a magic elixir. “It was the most amazing place. One I’ve never been to before.”

She kissed him and reversed their positions. With one glance she knew his body was treating him exactly as agonizingly as hers had treated her. She traced him through his breeches and relished his groan. Slowly working his belt buckle open, and even more slowly running down the zipper of his fly until she could touch him beneath it, she bent to follow her fingers with a touch from her lips.

“I think it’s time you got to visit, too.”

Chapter Twenty

R
IO CAME CLOSE
to finding an idyllic life during the beginning of that week. David and everyone else dashed around with tails on fire as final show preparations ramped up in earnest, but the connection she now felt with him remained real and electric. So real that Kate didn’t bother her anymore. So real that even when David was at his most stressed and likely to bark at someone, she could make him laugh. Deep in his cocoa-infused eyes was always a secret spark showing he remembered, too.

Tuesday night, the show secretary, pressed anyone she could rope and tie into service filling envelope packets containing bib numbers and show information for the competitors. Bonnie, Kim, Kate and Stella helped. Rio, finagled her way onto Andy, David, and Dawson’s group that got to mark the final cross-country course. Working outdoors—not to mention simply being with David, was infinitely more stimulating than stuffing envelopes.

On Wednesday, two flatbed trailers arrived stacked with fence panels and gates. Rio left for work while the trucks were being unloaded. When she returned in the afternoon, both indoor arenas were filled with temporary stalls, and Bonnie, Kim, and all the younger riders hopped around like rabbits labeling them with competitor names.

A dozen Port-A-Potties had been delivered and placed strategically around the barns, stables, and far end of the jumping field. With shiny stadium jumps set prism-like in the outdoor arena, and two beautiful dressage arenas, fenced with low, white chains, set up on a section of flat pasture, Bridge Creek turned into a festival grounds.

Rio also discovered that Bud and the crew at The Loon Feather would cater a competitors’ party on Saturday evening. The more she learned, the more incredible the entire production seemed.

Wednesday night, David disappeared into his office in the house. Once she’d finished helping Andy with chores, Rio made her own way to the house, stunned to find the kitchen empty. For the first time in days Dinner by Stella didn’t bubble on the stove or fill the room with aromas from the oven. With a frisson of anticipation, her brain went into dinner-planning mode, until she heard voices from the direction of David’s office.

“It bloody well isn’t fine.” David’s words held pent-up anger. “You can’t add party flowers to my show order willy-nilly. It was already over four hundred dollars. The budget is firm.”

“I’ve arranged to help pay for what we added,” Stella replied.

“But you’ve helped more than enough. I am grateful, but I simply need you to come and be my mum, not my social director or my interior decorator.”

“I thought you approved of the plan for the house.” Stella’s voice, unlike her son’s, remained unfailingly even. “Ten years is the timetable you set, and we’re on schedule. And we always have a party, sweetheart.”

“In November. When it’s slow. And this year it must be smaller.”

“David, my pet, what’s gone so wrong?”

“What can I do to help?” Kate’s sweet, reasonable Mary Poppins voice brought another layer to the conversation. “I’ll do anything I can.”

“That’s not what I’m asking for.” He sounded the tiniest bit short with her.

“You wouldn’t ask, darling. But I can offer.”

Darling?
Rio frowned.

“And I can handle my life fine on my own except when little surprises pop up on my voice mail, like the florist asking if they can push back the delivery date to
after
the show in order to accommodate the new order.”

“I’m sorry,” Stella said. “We’ve fixed the delivery issues. All’s well.”

“An extra hundred-and-fifty dollars in live plants and flowers for a four-hour get-together is not ‘all’s well.’ You’ve spent a bleeding fortune on decorating. Can’t a party speak for itself?”

“If that’s what you wish.” For the first time a hint of hurt tinged Stella’s words.

“Look, Mum, I just got off the phone with the awards company. Show ribbons that should have been here last week won’t be here until Friday, and they’re trying to charge a rush fee. The EMT service raised their prices this year. Bud has to use a more expensive supplier for his dinner rolls because his regular went out of business. Do you see? I’m not trying to be unreasonable. I need you to stop spending money.”

“We’ll sort it all,” Kate soothed.

“I don’t want—”

The chime of the front doorbell cut off his words. Rio jumped, feeling guilty for eavesdropping in the first place, and turned toward the door as David strode out of his office.

“Rio?”

“Hi, I heard the front door.”

“Yeah.” He frowned and hurried past her.

Rio’s jaw went slack when she saw who stood on the porch. She’d seen his pictures hundreds of times and heard his songs more than that. In the flesh, Gray Covey was both bigger-than-life and more normal-looking than on any poster or video. The woman beside him, as classically beautiful as if she’d stepped from an old Grace Kelly movie, was instantly recognizable as Kim’s mother, Abby.

“David,” she said. “We’re so sorry to bother you, but we need your help.”

“What’s going on?” David ushered them in. Rio gawped.

Gray turned before answering and held his hand out. “Hi. I’m Gray. You must be Rio. We’ve heard so much about you from Bonnie. I’m sorry we haven’t met before now.”

She took his hand, and his naturalness put her immediately at ease. “It’s great to meet you. Thank you for having Bonnie over so often.”

“She’s delightful.” Abby shook her hand, too. “Sharp and funny. She’s good for both Kim and Dawson.”

“Did I hear you’re both staying long enough to enroll her in Quad District?” Gray asked.

“I’ve got an appointment at the school tomorrow.”

“That’s wonderful.” Abby squeezed her hand. “The kids are thrilled.”

“So, what’s the news?” David brought them back to topic, his calm back in place.

“Jill just heard from Ben Thomlinson.” Abby turned to Rio. “Her boss, a veterinarian here in town,” she explained. “The police were called to a farm down near Nerstrand where they found fifty-two severely neglected horses. It sounds like they’re not in very good shape, and they need to be removed immediately. We’re the volunteer crew looking for help.”

David groaned in sympathy.

“We know this is the worst timing for you,” Gray said. “But we’re running out of options. The local Hooved Animal Society has a barn that can take twelve of them. Jill and Chase and Robert can put twenty of them in their pasture. We’ve got room for ten, but that leaves ten that need a place. We’ve called several people but nobody has the space.”

“Would you consider taking them temporarily?” Abby asked. “Hooved Animal will help place them. Meanwhile, Jill’s organizing a team of vets to do exams over the next week.”

“I . . . Of course. Yes, there’s no choice, is there?”

David’s hesitation had been barely noticeable, but Rio caught the uncertainty in his eye. He didn’t know she’d overheard his worries just now, but she understood this meant incurring more costs.

“Thank you!” Abby threw her arms unashamedly around David’s neck. “I know what an imposition this is.”

“No need for thanks. Is there a plan?”

“Doc Thomlinson has a stock trailer, Jill and Chase have a three-horse, and we have ours. If you were willing to either come with your six-horse or let one of us use it, we can leave now and pick up eighteen horses. It’ll take two trips each, but we’d like to start tonight. It’s only about forty-five minutes away.”

David’s reluctance had vanished. He turned to his mother and Kate.

“What can we do?” Stella asked.

“And me, too,” Rio added. “Anything you need, just ask it.”

“Mum, if you’ll organize a few of the boarders who are still here to move horses out of the south pasture, the one with the two shelters in it, and put them in with the geldings in the middle paddock, I’ll have Andy throw half a dozen bales of hay around.”

“Of course.”

“Kate. There are two phone numbers in my roller file, one for Dodge City Badges and the other for Faribault Ambulance. Will you look them up, give each a ring, and confirm the orders—one for the ribbons and one for the EMT price. Be firm with the badge company—the ribbons must be here Friday morning.”

“Gladly.”

He met Rio’s eyes next. “Would you like to come with us? You can hold trailer doors and ropes.”

Her heart soared. “Sure.”

“Right.” His eyes softened. “Let’s go.”

T
HE COMFORT OF
having Rio in the truck seat beside him was almost enough to calm David’s frayed nerves. She’d waited out his silence, letting him think. At one point she covered his hand with her small, capable fingers and just squeezed. What other woman would have squelched the urge to dig for what was wrong?

“I’m sorry,” he said at last.

“For what?”

“For ignoring you.”

“I know you were preoccupied tonight even before Gray and Abby showed up. Are you all right?”

He stared out the window. The seven-thirty sun hung above the horizon—they had maybe ninety minutes of light left. He debated lying, but her fingers tightened and he caved.

“No.”

“Oh David, what’s wrong? Is it these horses?”

“Yes, but not for the reasons you think.” He released a heavy sigh.

“What are the reasons?”

“I told you money is tight? Truth to tell, it’s more than tight. I lost three paying boarders last month simply because the economy is so tough they sold their horses. The arena we built last summer has cost far more than the amount I was paid in insurance.”

“Frickin’ insurance,” she mumbled and kneaded his fingers.

“No. It’s more a problem with my father. In a way he’s exactly like my mother. He spent last summer with me, and all I heard was, ‘You’ll never regret the extra touches, David. You’ll justify your board rates with cracking good facilities.’ You know how my mother is with the house? That’s Da’ with the horse facilities. They’re a right pair, I’m telling you.”

“You do own the place. You could tell them to butt out.”

“I’ve always found it easier to appease them for a few weeks and then send them on their ways.”

“Until now, when it’s making you miserable.”

“My mother
is
barking mad this trip. Because of Kate. She’s trying desperately to impress the woman, and I don’t know why. Well, I do. I just don’t want to admit it.”

“Might as well tell me about that, too.”

She smiled with such warmth he believed nothing he said would upset her.

“Mum always adored Kate. She was heartbroken when we split up and even more devastated when Kate married soon afterward. Now here she is, reunited with her dream daughter-in-law, her son is thirty-two showing no signs of producing an heir, and she had a grand idea: If she could get us together for six weeks, we’d find that old magic.”

“She’s said all that?”

“Not in so many words. But she’s letting Kate design the rooms. She’s throwing a bash to introduce her to her American friends. She points out any time she can how wonderful this place is and how far I’ve come. She might as well say it.”

“And how does Kate feel about all this?”

“Kate wouldn’t say shit if she had a mouthful of it. She’s smart as a Sunday suit and rich as Midas. I haven’t a clue what she hoped to accomplish by coming.”

“She likes you. A lot.” Rio’s smile turned devilish. “If you asked her on a date, she’d go.”

“Hang on.” He laughed, but stared at her quizzically. “Do you
want
me to ask her out?”

“I don’t own you. I can’t tell you what to do.”

“Well, that’s brilliant, that is.”

Her laughter filled the truck cab, and she swatted at his upper arm. “No, I do not want you to ask her out! And I don’t want you to take her bareback riding, and I don’t want her to know about the cabin. I’m pretty jealous of her, actually.”

The words sent warmth to all the aching, worried parts of his mind. “Don’t be jealous.”