The #1 Bestsellers Collection 2011(243)

He looked way too good.

Shaking her head, though, Gina asked, “Is this another rule, Adam? Do I have to ask permission to come outside, too?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what?”

He came closer and the scent of him, soap and male, drifted to her and seemed to coil in the pit of her stomach. She took a breath, hoping to steady herself, but all she succeeded in doing was dragging more of that scent deeper inside.

“I woke up and you were gone.” He said it with a shrug.

A small note of hope lifted inside her. “You were worried about me?”

He glanced at her, then shifted his gaze to the animals wandering the corral enclosure. “I wouldn’t go that far,” he said. “I … wondered about you.”

That was a start, Gina thought.

“You were sleeping and I couldn’t,” she said, turning to lean on the railing again and watch the horses moving through moonlight. “I was going to go for some of Esperanza’s cookies, then I decided to come out and check on the Gypsies.”

He shook his head and took up a spot beside her at the fence. Amusement colored his voice when he said, “What is it about these horses that’s so damn special?”

She shot him a quick look, smiled and said, “Everything.”

“Care to vague that up for me?”

“Wow. A joke?” She laid one hand on his forearm and when he didn’t flinch and pull away, Gina considered it a win. “This is a real moment for me, Adam.”

“Very funny.” He turned to look down at her. “But that doesn’t tell me why you’re so nuts about these horses.”

“They’re gentle. And smart. And so good with kids, its nearly eerie.” She blew out a breath and watched as one of the foals jolted into a one-horse race around the corral. Smiling as she watched the spindly legged baby run, she said, “They’ve been bred for centuries to become part of a family. They’re strong and loyal. I admire that.”

“Me, too,” he said and when she looked at him, she noticed he hadn’t been watching the horses, but her.

Nerves fizzed inside her, but in a good way. The night was quiet, but for the sounds of the horses. The wind was still, the sky brilliant with stars and it suddenly felt as though the world itself was holding its breath.

He was silent for so long, her nerves buzzed even harder, so she spoke to break the hush building between them. “I saw my first Gypsy about six years ago, at a horse show.” Her gaze slid from his to the corral again. “They were so beautiful. Elegant somehow, yet their eyes were liquid and kind, as if there were very old souls looking back at me.”

“If you love them so much, how do you bring yourself to sell them?”

She laughed. “It’s not easy. And I’m very careful who they go to. I check out prospective buyers so thoroughly, the CIA would be impressed.”

“I know I am.”

“Really?” Gina turned her head to look up at him again and saw his dark eyes flash with something she couldn’t quite read.

“Really,” he said and leaned his bare forearms on the top railing of the corral fence, alongside hers. Jerking his chin at the horses milling around like wallflowers at a high school reunion  , he continued, “I’ve seen my share of horse breeders who couldn’t care less about the animals in their charge. They’re only interested in the money they can make.”

Gina’s mouth tightened. “I’ve seen a few like that myself.”

“Bet you have.” Glancing down at her, he said, “Sorry about earlier today.”

“Sorry?” Gina blinked at him, shook her head as if she hadn’t heard him right and smiled. “Wow. A joke and an apology. This is a red-letter night for me!”

“You’ve got a smart mouth on you, that’s for damn sure.”

“True. My mom always said it would get me in trouble someday.”

“Do you always listen to your mother?”

“If I did, we wouldn’t be married right now,” she pointed out, then wished she hadn’t when he frowned.

“She was right, you know. About me. About warning you off.”

“No, she wasn’t. I love my mom, but sometimes she worries more than she should.” Gina looked up at him and felt that maybe, just maybe, he was reaching out to her for the first time since their hurried wedding. Everything in her yearned for it to be true. She laid one hand on his forearm and tried not to notice that he nearly flinched from her gentle touch. “I know you, Adam …”

“No, you don’t.” He looked down at her hand on his arm and his stare was so steady, she finally pulled her hand away in response. When she had, he said, “You used to know me, Gina. I give you that. But I’m not that kid anymore. Time’s gone by and things have changed. I’ve changed.”