‘Fun?’ Danny queried, breaking into her thoughts. ‘If that’s what you look like when you’re having fun, I’d hate to see you when you’re angry.’
‘Sorry.’ Shaking her head as if that could disperse the memories, she set about distracting Danny. ‘You weren’t exactly all sweetness and light with Tiago, I seem to recall.’
‘And where’s the similarity in that?’ Danny asked, pausing with her fork halfway to her mouth. ‘One polo player owns this facility and can throw us both out on a whim, while the other is a guest player. Chico is a whole different deal. You know that as well as I do, Lizzie, and you shouldn’t take him on. Just behave,’ Danny coaxed as Lizzie pretended nothing was wrong as she tucked into her omelette.
‘I promise,’ Lizzie agreed.
‘For how long?’ Danny groaned as she followed Lizzie’s gaze.
‘Hateful man,’ Lizzie muttered as Chico raised his glass to her.
‘I can see how much you hate him,’ Danny remarked as Lizzie’s cheeks flamed red.
* * *
Bandaging. Something Lizzie had believed she could do really well, but maybe not at six o’ clock in the morning. The class had gathered round Chico to pay attention as he worked, while all she could register was that his touch was so deft, that watching those long, lean fingers was a thought-stealing distraction—
‘Lizzie?’ Chico glanced up. ‘Would you care to demonstrate my technique to the class, please?’
This would be all right if she could concentrate, and if her cheeks didn’t burn red from Chico being so close to her. She actually gasped when their stares met and held. ‘Sorry—I’m being fumble-fingered this morning.’
‘No problem,’ Chico growled. ‘We can wait.’
And she did make a good job of it. ‘Same time tomorrow, everyone,’ Chico said when she’d finished.
Straightening up, she turned to leave with the other grooms, but Chico stopped her with his hand on her arm. Relax, she told herself firmly as heat zigzagged through her.
‘I know what you’re thinking,’ he began.
She sincerely hoped not. Her thoughts were the wrong side of X-rated.
‘You think I’m being hard on you, for no good reason, but either you want to succeed or you don’t.’
‘I want to be the best,’ she said frankly.
‘Good.’ Chico’s level stare held her gaze, and she got the uncomfortable feeling that somehow he could read her thoughts. ‘I know you from way back, Lizzie, and if you build on the talent you showed then, you could be the best.’
‘Thank you.’
She left the stall thoughtfully, half hoping he would call her back. It would have been good to talk as they had used to, but that was another one of her daydreams, and Chico had no trouble separating their personal and professional lives. If only she could do the same. The air had been electric between them with so much left unsaid. Perhaps it was better that way, though she had a suspicion that at some point they would have to clear the air between them, and that it might be explosive when it happened, with years of bottled-up emotions on both sides pouring out.