The Black Sheep and the Hidden Beauty. Donna Kauffman
hire, after all. “Can I ask why you’ve decided to take lessons?” She knew Mac and Finn both rode, as she’d seen the two of them, and Kate, head out before. She assumed, with his constant attention on her and the stables, that he rode, too, but apparently not.
“I never had the chance to spend much time around horses growing up. None, actually, if you don’t count summer camp. I figure it’s time I changed that.”
It struck her then, as she finally calmed down enough to look at the situation, and him, more objectively, that for all his apparent interest…he wasn’t exactly really enthusiastic about this whole idea. “Is it…job-related? Because your partners ride?” she asked, before thinking better of it. In the end, it didn’t really matter why he wanted to learn. In the Dalton Downs hierarchy, he ranked somewhere on the level of her boss, or higher, so from a professional standpoint it behooved her to do what she could to make him happy. Kate might not have sent him over here, but she’d very likely expect her employees to accede to any of the Trinity partners’ wishes.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem put off by the question. Quite the opposite. “Finn grew up on horseback, probably rode before he walked, and yes, Mac learned last year, mostly so he could impress Kate. They go on these weekly picnic rides now and—whatever, that’s not important. I just thought it was a skill I should have, and, being as they’re right here, I’ve probably put it off too long as it is.”
Elena tried not to smile. He was awfully chatty all of a sudden. His gaze moved from her to the occupied stalls nearby, then back to her. It was the first time she’d ever seen him as anything other than the enigmatic, intense, controlled man who observed her while she worked. The very idea that he was at all nervous about learning to ride charmed her. Just a little.
“Are you all planning a horseback ride or event of some kind? I only ask because if there is a deadline by which you have to be a decent rider, or if there is something specific you need to learn, that would factor in to how we’d go about setting up your lessons.”
She thought about her newly adopted work program with Bonder. And Springer’s demands on her time. And all the other horses she was responsible for taking care of, and wondered when she’d have time for this. Not that she had a choice.
“No time frame, no event. Like I said, I just want to expand my horizons a bit. In my line of work, you never know what skills might come in handy.”
Which begged the question: what was it, exactly, that he did? She didn’t know much about Trinity, Inc., and, frankly, the less she knew about them and vice versa, the better. But now that it looked like she was going to be stuck spending time with him, perhaps it was best to do a little digging. Information was power, after all. A brand of power that, in the wrong hands, could definitely be used to harm her. But in her hands, could only help her. At the very least, it would help gauge just how safe and secure her chosen little hidey-hole really was.
“I know I’ve been here for a little while now, but I’m afraid I don’t know all that much about what you do. I know you, Mac, and Finn run some kind of foundation, so I take it Trinity is some kind of charitable organization, but—”
“We help people. But we’re not a charity, or a foundation.”
“Okay.” She paused to see if he would elaborate, but he said nothing more, and she took that to mean her line of questioning was over. Perhaps for the best. Information was fine, but in hindsight, the more he offered, she supposed, the more she owed in return. Maybe the less they had to talk about, the better.
As if to prove her point, he said, “How long have you been working with horses? I understand you work with racehorses as a rule.”
She stilled briefly, surprised that he knew about her past. Not that it was a secret. Kate knew her work history when she hired her. Maybe it was common knowledge around the grounds—she really didn’t know, as she made a point not to engage in small talk with any of the other personnel. Still, it was more than a little unsettling to think that he’d been checking up on her, or asking about her. Her guard increased. “I do. Or did. It’s a tough industry to get a break in, though, and I wasn’t moving along the way I wanted to in my former situation.” It had been her stock answer to Kate. And Kenny. And anyone else who wondered why she’d left the industry. Still, she found it hard to maintain direct eye contact in the face of his rather intense focus. She doubted he missed much, and, after dealing with Kenny’s surprise visit, her guard was in need of a bit more shoring-up before handling this kind of test.
“I’m guessing there aren’t too many women in your line of work.”
“Not too many, no.” Before she could deftly change the topic back to him and the classes he wanted, he continued.
“So, have you given up on it completely then?”
She forced herself to maintain steady eye contact, but it cost her. She could only pray he didn’t see anything in her gaze that was less than forthright. “No, just taking a break. My horse is expecting, so I thought it was a good time to step out of all the chaos for awhile, regroup a little, and think about where I want to go from here.”
“How is she doing? Everything going okay?”
Her guard, already on alert now, leapt even higher. This was precisely the conversation she didn’t want to be having. She wondered if he’d overheard any of her talk with Kenny. Kate knew about Springer’s condition, of course—it would have been impossible to conceal. But Elena had been somewhat circumspect in sharing the rest of her horse’s background. Other than letting Kate know that she wanted to use her own vet, an old family friend, as her horse’s time neared, she hadn’t shared any specifics.
Kate had seemed fine with everything, not suspicious in any way, but now Elena couldn’t help but wonder if there might be some ulterior motive for Rafe’s surprise visit. She was probably just being paranoid, but better to be overly cautious than simply to take everything he said at face value. She couldn’t afford to be less than vigilant where Springer was concerned. Too much was at stake.
“She’s doing very well. It’s much calmer here and I have more time to spend with her.”
“You worked for a good-size outfit, then? You mentioned it was chaotic,” he added, when she looked surprised by the question. “So I just assumed that meant it was a big operation.”
She had to relax and respond as if this was just a normal, getting-to-know-you conversation, which it likely was. She just didn’t want anyone getting to know her, that was all. Especially this man, with his dark eyes and overwhelming intensity. He made her nervous and made her pulse race, all at the same time. “Yes, one of the premiere stables in the mid-Atlantic.” It wasn’t anything he couldn’t learn from Kate, but she really needed to get him off this line of questioning. She just wasn’t sure how to do it without appearing rude.
“You’d think they’d have a pretty good setup for a pregnant horse. Assuming they breed horses.”
She tried to maintain a casual air, but the longer he pursued this line of questioning, the harder it was to believe it was simply innocent. Kate had, of course, asked her about her previous work experience when hiring her, but how much Rafe knew, she had no idea. Elena had been as up front and open as possible when Kate interviewed her, and had told the truth. Just not the whole truth. Whether or not Kate had contacted her reference at Charlotte Oaks, she didn’t know. She hadn’t asked anything specific about Elena’s former employer, much less mention that she knew about the famous resident who’d had an all-too-brief stay there, and Elena certainly hadn’t brought it up.
Kate had asked questions pertinent to her skills and training and her decision to work outside her chosen field, but she’d seemed satisfied with the answers. After two months here, she’d thought things were going quite well, but…maybe not. Maybe Rafe or Mac, or even Kate, had pieced things together, and now they’d come digging.
She ruthlessly shoved that thought from her mind. She had to maintain a steady demeanor. “Yes, the owners were breeders first, racehorse owners second. But the two go hand in hand. No one