Who's Cheatin' Who?

It didn’t surprise her that she hadn’t heard him approach the stall. Nor did it surprise her that despite not hearing him, she’d sensed he was there. The air around her changed, she thought, whenever Marcus was nearby.

She took a steadying breath and forced herself to turn.

He stood in the stall’s open door, looking all tough and rangy and fit in a sweater as black as his eyes, and faded jeans with bleach stains splattered over one thigh. Just seeing him again had something in her leaping to attention.

What is it about this man? I take one look at his face, inhale a whiff of his scent, and I’m aching to tear off his clothes. And mine, as well.

Not good, she thought. After all, he hadn’t come to Quest to see her. He’d come to conduct business. So, she would accommodate him.

“You know horses, understand them, that’s a given,” she said. “But does Demetri?”

Marcus studied her a long moment. “A lot of owners don’t know horses. What are you getting at?”

“Demetri races cars. Or he did before he retired. I hope he understands that horses aren’t like race cars. You can’t just park them in a new place and expect them not to notice. Not to get upset.”

“I’ll be sure and tell him,” Marcus said, his eyes lingering on her.

She wore her blond hair anchored back with clips. Her jeans were snug and faded to a soft blue-gray that matched her down vest. Under that she wore a sweater the color of pale, creamy caramel. Her boots appeared old, scuffed and serviceable. Despite her work clothes, she wore earrings with bright stones that glittered beneath the stable’s lights.

Seeing the sparkle of the stones had Marcus wondering if she’d also taken time that morning to dab on Chanel. Nearly a week had passed since they’d kissed, and the memory of her scent still kept him awake at night. He wasn’t sure he would ever get it out of his system.

Wasn’t sure he wanted to.

Which told him right there he should stay away from her. He’d grown up watching just how miserable love could make a person, and he wanted no part of it. He could have easily sent one of his grooms with a trailer to transport the colt. Instead, he’d come himself. Solely because he wanted to see her. And find out for himself if she was as upset about losing the horse as he suspected she’d be.

And maybe, just maybe, toss out the offer he’d been considering. The offer he kept telling himself was all sorts of crazy.

“Will you race him soon?” she asked, while holding out her palm to offer the horse a slice of pear.

“If I decide he’s ready.” While Something To Talk About munched on the pear, Marcus gave him an appraising look. The colt was strongly built and had already demonstrated in Dubai that he had the hunger and ability to win. “Florida’s Gulf Classic race is on New Year’s Day.”

“That’s less than a month away.”

“True.”

“You know full well that changing facilities and trainers and jockeys all at the same time could affect Something To Talk About’s desire to win.”

Marcus lifted a brow. “Did he tell you that when you were talking to him?”

“He tells me lots of things,” Melanie countered, her chin inching up. “One being that you need to give him time to get used to his new home and new people before you expect him to race.”

“He’ll settle in just fine at Lucas Racing. I’ve got a nice stall lined with fresh hay waiting for him.”

Marcus watched Melanie’s blue eyes narrow when he stepped through the open door. “As for trainers, Something To Talk About already knows me.”

He moved farther into the stall. When he paused beside Melanie, he caught the faintest echo of her scent. Instantly, heat coiled in his gut.

Marcus set his jaw. He could feel himself falling into something with her that he couldn’t handle, didn’t want. But hell if he could stop thinking about her. Or stay away from her.

The offer he’d been considering might be crazy, but he didn’t care. Not when he still had her taste in his system. And wanted more.

He ran his palms over the colt’s head and throat, skimming, stroking, checking. “He won’t have to get used to a new jockey if you come to work for me.”

He had the satisfaction of seeing sheer astonishment in Melanie’s face. “What did you say?”

“You heard me.”

She shook her head. “That’s impossible. I can’t leave Quest.”

“If times were normal, I wouldn’t expect you to. But the instant questions arose about the lineage of Leopold’s Legacy, things started going downhill. I worked here, Melanie. I know how bad things are.”

The instant before she tore her gaze from his, he caught the gleam of tears in her eyes. He had to hold himself back from reaching for her.

“You’re a damn fine jockey. But right now with the ban in place, you can’t race any horses majority owned by Quest. Come to work for me, and I’ll have you back on a racetrack as soon as possible.”

“I can’t walk out on my family.” When she looked back at him, he saw she had fought back the tears. But he could hear the emotion in her voice.

“Walking out isn’t what you’ll be doing,” Marcus countered. He moved around the horse, running his hands down its flank. “Think about it this way. Your family still owns forty-nine percent of this guy. Any races you ride him in and win money, they get a portion of the purse. Seems to me that’s an important way for you to help your family.”

Marcus met her gaze over the horse’s broad back. He could see she was wavering, but still wasn’t convinced. “You said it yourself, Something To Talk About will do better if he’s around people he knows. You sign on at Lucas, he’ll have me and you. Otherwise, you’ll still be here, and he’ll be there. That happens, there’ll be some other jockey riding him. I doubt that’s going to sit well with you.”

Watching Melanie, Marcus saw clearly how loyalty to her family tugged at her. Family loyalty was something he knew little about. Instead, he knew how it felt to be cheated out of something because of blood kin. He was illegitimate, and his own father had refused to acknowledge he even existed. The almost-obsessive love his mother felt for her married lover had stolen any hope she might create a happy, fulfilling life with another man.

“Don’t talk yourself out of this opportunity, Melanie. Your grandfather, your parents, your brothers—none of them would thank you for turning it down on their account.”

She remained silent while skimming her hand along the colt’s jaw. After a moment she said, “I need time to think this over.”

“Understandable. Just to let you know, housing is a part of the package.”

“Housing?”

“It’s an hour’s drive from here to Lucas. I doubt you’d want to commute every day.” He lifted a shoulder. “For now, you’ll have a staff apartment. There’s a lot of remodeling going on in the main house, but once it’s done you may have the option to move in there if you want. Demetri is engaged to your cousin, after all.”

“I can’t even begin to make a decision until I take a look at your facility.”

“You can drive over with me now. I’ll bring you back tonight.”

She shook her head. “No, I’ll come on my own in the morning.”

“All right. This offer is a win-win situation for everyone.” And, because he couldn’t help himself, he placed his hand over hers. In an instant, electricity coursed from her fingers straight to his gut. Her hand twitched, as if she felt it, but she didn’t jerk away.

She simply kept her eyes locked with his. “I need to think about a lot of things.” She slid her hand from beneath his. “I’ll go get Joe Newcomb. He’ll load Something To Talk About in your trailer.”

“All right.”

Marcus blew out a breath as she strode off—slim legs in tight jeans and scuffed boots. He knew full well he was playing with fire. Probably destined to get singed in the process. But he didn’t care.

All he cared about was having her near.