At the Brazilian's Command(2)

Fair enough. If she believed his press, she probably should run for her life.

But she didn't run. Danny stayed to confront him. She'd always had  guts, he remembered, and had never been afraid to take him on when  they'd met at Chico's ranch. But what had happened here?

‘Why are you out here on your own?' And where the hell was Security? he wondered, glancing around.

‘What's it to you?' As she spoke she touched the red bruise on her cheek.

‘Quiet, chica... You need help with this.'

‘From you?' she demanded. And then she shrieked. ‘Watch out!' and,  giving him one hell of a push, she alerted him to the shadowy form  looming behind them.

Shielding her with his body, he countered the attack and knocked the man out cold.                       
       
           



       

Carlos Pintos!

He loathed the man. Pintos gave polo a bad name. A cheat on the field  of play, as well as in life, he was also Danny's ex-who had brutalised  her, by all accounts, he remembered now. Toeing the inert figure with  the tip of his boot, he reassured himself that Pintos wasn't going  anywhere before calling Chico on his phone.

A few terse words later, he turned back to Danny.

‘Don't,' she said, holding up her hands as if to ward him off.

They'd had many a run-in during Danny's time in Brazil, but theirs had  always been a good-natured battleground, where he teased and she  flirted. It had never gone any further than that.

‘Thank you would suffice,' he commented mildly. ‘And please let me  assure you that I have absolutely no intention of touching you.'

He was assessing her injuries as he spoke. Judging them superficial, he  considered the subject closed-though the police would have to be  alerted, and he would wait until he was sure Pintos was safely under  lock and key.

‘Thank you,' Danny muttered, frowning as she stared up at him from beneath her eyelashes.

Straightening his suit jacket, he brushed his hair back and then asked bluntly, ‘Did he touch you?'

‘What do you think?'

‘I can see the obvious bruises, but I think you know what I mean.'

Grimly, she shook her head. ‘He didn't do what you're thinking. You men all think the same.'

She was upset, but he wouldn't stand for that. ‘Don't tar me with the  same brush as Pintos. And you still haven't told me why you're out here  on your own.'

‘I was in the stable block checking out the horses,' she explained grudgingly.

He didn't believe her for a minute. Chico had staff to do that, and even Danny wasn't so closely welded to her job.

‘I've lived here all my life,' she murmured, ‘and I've always felt safe  here. Nothing like this has ever happened before. And if you must  know,' she added, flashing a glance up at him, ‘I wanted to be alone. I  wanted to think...away from the noise of the party.'

‘I can understand you wanting some quiet time,' he agreed-he'd felt the same. ‘But times change, Danny.'

‘Yes,' she said ruefully. ‘Everything changes. But I'm still here.'

He guessed she would miss her friend Lizzie now she had married Chico,  and perhaps Danny's scholarship to train horses in Brazil hadn't been  the golden ticket she'd hoped for. ‘It takes time to establish a  career-especially a career with horses.'

‘And money,' she said. ‘Lots of money that I just don't have. And if  there's one thing I've learned it's that I can't have everything in  life.'

‘You're wrong. Look at me.'

She smiled at his arrogance, but he knew that self-confidence was the  first step towards building any successful career. If he hadn't believed  in himself, who would have?

‘It's possible for you to do this too,' he said, and when she started  to argue, he added, ‘I admit I was in the right place at the right time,  but I worked all the hours under the sun for that luck-as you do. I  always had a vision of what my future would hold. You have the same. So  go for it, Danny,' he advised. ‘Don't hold back.'

If there was one thing he couldn't tolerate it was bullies, and he  hated seeing what Pintos had done to this woman-stripping away Danny's  spirit and leaving only the doubt underneath. He found himself willing  his strength into her.

He'd never been in this position with a woman before; communicating  with women on a serious level had never been necessary. His life was  full of women, and he had never wanted this type of interaction with one  of them. But to keep Danny steady after her ordeal, he continued on  with his theme.

‘When we first met on Chico's ranch in Brazil you wanted your own horse-training establishment. Am I right?'

‘Yes,' she agreed, but she was shaking her head. ‘I was idealistic  then. I hadn't thought through all the pitfalls ahead of me.'

‘And you think it's been easy for me?'

His face was close. Her scent bewitched him. He was pleased when her  flickering gaze steadied on his, telling him she was calming down.

"I worked hard and never gave up my dream. And neither must you, Danny. Never...never give up your dream.'

Her gaze strayed to Pintos.

‘Don't look at him. Look at me.'

He was relieved when she did so.

‘Thank you.' Her eyes were wide and wounded. ‘Thank you for reminding  me what I want out of life, and that he has no part in it.'                       
       
           



       

‘Don't thank me. You're strong. You'll get over this.' He glanced at  the creep on the floor. ‘He won't be bothering you again. I promise you  that.'

‘I'm all right-really,' she insisted, with a smile that didn't make it to her eyes.

She didn't want his pity. He could understand that. Danny wasn't the  type to make a fuss. She didn't cry, or cling to him. She'd been one of  the boys in Brazil, only caring for her horses and for her best  friend-today's bride, Lizzie. She had always lifted everyone's spirits  on Chico's ranch.

He glanced again at Pintos in disgust. The creep had been so eager to  recapture Danny he had forgotten to do up his flies. ‘I'll stay with you  until Security arrives,' he reassured her, seeing she was still  frightened of the man. ‘I'll hand Pintos over to them and then I'll take  you back to the house.'

‘There's no need for that,' she insisted, shaking her head as she hugged herself defensively.

‘There's every need,' he argued. ‘You shouldn't be on your own tonight. And you should get checked over.'

She shook her head slowly, as if she were reliving events. ‘I can't believe I let this happen.'

‘You didn't let this happen, Danny,' he said firmly. ‘You've done nothing wrong.'

She glanced at him then, as if seeking reassurance. ‘Maybe I should take it as a sign that my time here's done.'

‘Then don't stay,' he said with a shrug. ‘But just promise me you won't make any hasty decisions while you're upset.'

‘Upset?' she scoffed. ‘I'm over it.'

He doubted that. ‘Good, but please sleep on it, and see how you feel in the morning. Maybe you'll feel differently then.'

‘Or maybe I'll think Clean page, new story.'

‘That's also a possibility,' he conceded.

‘But I can't run away,' she said softly, almost to herself. ‘I can't run away from Carlos or from anything else.'

‘You don't have to,' he reassured her. ‘Change doesn't always involve  running away. Think carefully before you make any life-changing  decisions. And don't go wandering around on your own in the dark in  future.'

‘Why?' Her eyes cleared suddenly and she repaid him with a piercing look. ‘Because you won't be around to save me?'

He met that stare and held it. ‘That's right. I won't.'

* * *

Danny's feelings were in an uproar. Yes, she was shocked by what had  happened in the stable, but standing next to Tiago Santos was  incredible, and unreal, and incredibly unsettling even without having  Carlos Pintos at her feet. She had been violently attracted to Tiago in  Brazil. From the very first moment she had felt a connection between  them, and it was still there.

Which only proved what a hopeless judge of men she was, Danny  reflected. Tiago was a notorious playboy, and when they'd first met she  had treated him as such-teasing him, yes, because that was in her  nature, but keeping a safe distance from him, all the same. And now  Tiago was handing out life advice. Was he the best person to do that?

Surprisingly, tonight she would say yes-because tonight he was talking  to her as Lizzie would, and his concern for her appeared to be genuine.

‘Security's here,' he announced as two guards ran up. ‘We'll go back to the house as soon as we've spoken to the police.'

‘I don't need a chaperon, Tiago,' she stressed.