The owner of all that perfection stood before her looking like a good ol’ boy in his worn Stetson, faded jeans, and scuffed boots. She wasn’t fooled. Anyone who took note of his body language would recognize a man who wielded power. His broad shoulders were thrown back, his stance was slightly open, and his square jaw was firm. Intelligence gleamed in his silver eyes.
And something else flickered briefly in those eyes, something that made her jumpy nerves fizz even more—sexual interest. He doused the flame immediately, but not before she felt an unwelcome response in her own traitorous body. A girl could be forgiven for that, she supposed. The guy was, after all, gorgeous.
But she’d sworn off men for the time being. The last one she’d trusted had abandoned her to the crush of bodies trying to escape the concert hall. Intellectually she knew that not all men were cowards and not all crowds would turn into mobs, but that logical conclusion hadn’t filtered into her subconscious, which remained on red alert.
She adopted the tone she used on the phone with new clients. “Good morning, Mr. Templeton. Thank you for fitting me into your schedule.”
“Good morning, Miss Wolitzky.” A trace of humor laced his words. “Do you think we could loosen up enough to call each other by our given names?”
“I can if you can . . . Adam.” He had an honest, solid name. She didn’t know anyone else with that name, so using it shouldn’t affect her one way or the other. Yet just saying it out loud established a greater sense of intimacy, at least for her.
“Then that much is settled . . . Valerie.” The telltale flicker was back in his eyes. He extinguished it and held out the clipboard in his hand. “Before we get started, I need you to sign a waiver.”
“Naturally.” Will had told her about this, and she would have been suspicious of anyone who didn’t require it. As a lawyer, she liked to find evidence of legal clarity. Stepping forward, she took the clipboard and glanced over the standard waiver that absolved him of any responsibility for her fragile self.
She signed the waiver with the pen attached to the clipboard with a string. Considering what this guy was worth, she was surprised he didn’t have his lawyer standing by to witness it.
He gestured toward the barn. “Come on inside and I’ll introduce you to Rocket Fuel.” He stood aside to let her go in first.
She planted both feet and stayed where she was. “Rocket Fuel?” She’d heard of cowboys who delighted in putting greenhorns up on the meanest horse in the barn. She’d just signed a waiver giving him carte blanche when it came to her personal safety. She wasn’t about to climb aboard a horse named Rocket Fuel.
The corner of his mouth kicked up in a smile. “His racing days are over, I’m afraid. At one time he could launch himself from the starting gate with blinding speed, but now he just makes a good saddle horse.”
She wasn’t convinced. “Did Will happen to mention anything about my riding experience?”
“Nope. He deliberately tells me as little as possible about his patients. Figures it’s up to them to say whatever they care to. Assume I know nothing about you except your name.”
She peered at him. “I knew he wouldn’t reveal the personal things we talked about during our sessions, but the horse stuff isn’t exactly privileged information.”
“Maybe not, but he believes it’s better if I start with no preconceived ideas about what you can and can’t do, or what you will or won’t do, for that matter. He leaves it up to you to fill me in.”
“Oh.” She debated just how honest to be. God, this was hard. She hated being out of her depth in any situation. “Well . . . I’m not used to being around full-sized horses.”
“Ponies, then?”
She nodded. Hell, she might as well lay it all out. “As in pony rides, the kind where they’re hitched to spokes and you just go round and round.” She waited for him to laugh, or at least chuckle.
He did neither. Instead he gazed at her the way he had after the embarrassing incident outside the bar—with kindness. “Okay. Did you like it?”
“Not much. It was boring. I’m sure it was even more boring for the ponies.”
“No doubt. So how do you feel about getting acquainted with a full-sized horse?”
Her first impulse was to say it would be no big deal. Both of her best friends were good riders. Melanie had grown up on a small ranch and had ridden practically since birth. Astrid could ride both English and Western, and she was now a large-animal vet.
Melanie and Astrid had been extremely enthusiastic about Will’s suggestion that Val try working with horses as a way to calm her fears. Horses didn’t scare her friends, and they’d assumed she wasn’t afraid either. She’d never contradicted that belief.
“I could probably ride one,” she said.
“You probably could,” Adam said. “But let’s start with grooming the horse. Rocket Fuel loves to be brushed. He’d be in seventh heaven if you’d spend some time this morning doing that.”
“Okay.” She heard the relief in her voice and winced. But all the way out here she’d wondered what this horse interaction involved and whether she’d be expected to get on a thousand-pound animal she had no idea how to control and gallop off into the sunset.
Will had been vague about the process and had said that Adam tailored it to fit the individual. She’d told him she wasn’t much of a rider, but he’d assured her that wasn’t important.
Because she wasn’t stupid, she knew Will was sending her into an unfamiliar situation on purpose so that she could have a chance to move out of her comfort zone in a relatively safe environment. He obviously trusted Adam Templeton a great deal.
But could she trust Adam? She barely knew him. Will’s good opinion of him was helpful, but Will was one of his best friends and might be giving Adam more credit than he deserved.
Brushing a horse sounded innocuous enough, though, so she stepped inside the barn. Once out of the sunlight, she had to take off her shades or risk tripping over her own feet. That possibility was even greater because this was a first outing for her boots and she wasn’t used to them yet.
Propping her shades on top of her head, she accompanied Adam past a row of stalls. The scent of hay reminded her of a high school hayride and making out with her teenaged boyfriend. She’d bet Adam Templeton was a great kisser. Confident men like him usually were, because they had nothing to prove.
She, however, would not be finding out about his kissing abilities. Even as she thought that, she couldn’t help sneaking a sideways look to check out his mouth. He had a full bottom lip, which was often a good beginning to a hot kiss. Not that she’d ever find out if his mouth lived up to its potential.
Wow, this was one long-ass aisle. “How come all the stalls are empty?” she asked.
“We turn the horses out in the pasture unless the weather’s lousy. It’s not good for them to stay cooped up in the barn.”
“Makes sense. So Rocket Fuel had to stay behind because of me?”
“Yes, but you can make it up to him with a good grooming session.”
Right then a horse with a white blaze down its face stuck its head over a stall door and stared at them. Those big brown eyes looked friendly.
“Is that Rocket Fuel?” Valerie asked. If so, he wasn’t quite so scary.
“No, that’s Saucy Lady.”
“Why isn’t she out in the pasture?”
“She foaled yesterday, so we’re keeping them both close for a while.”
“A baby horse?” Now that was more like it. She could deal with a baby any old day. “Could I brush the foal instead?”
“Maybe another day you can. Saucy Lady doesn’t know you yet, and she’s protective of her foal. We’ll be better off with Rocket Fuel.”
“Understood. Do you think she’d let me peek in the stall?”
“Sure, if I’m there, she should be fine. Hey, Saucy Lady, I have someone here who wants to admire your son. Want to show him off a little?”
The horse lifted her head and snorted.
“Is she saying yes or no?”
“She’s saying maybe, if I happen to have a piece of carrot in my pocket, which fortunately I do.”
Valerie was fascinated by Adam’s indulgent tone. He might be a billionaire, but this horse was more than a money-making animal to him. He obviously loved her.
She hung back as Adam walked over to Saucy Lady. He murmured softly, saying things Valerie couldn’t hear as he stroked the mare’s nose and scratched behind her ears. Saucy Lady nuzzled him as if returning the affection.
“Come on over,” he said as he dug in his pocket. “I’ve told her she can trust you. Just stay relaxed and don’t make any abrupt moves.” He fed the horse a chunk of carrot and continued to murmur sweet nothings in her ear.
Valerie approached slowly. “Have you always loved horses?”
“As long as I can remember.” He pulled another piece of carrot from his pocket. “Hold out your hand. Keep it flat and let her take it from you.”
“Will she bite me?”
“Not on purpose. So keep your hand flat and don’t get your fingers in the way.”