When It's Right(97)

Blake sucked in a ragged breath and let it out. “You need a helmet and a vest. I’m not letting you on that track without proper gear.” The words came out as if he’d torn them loose.

“Jeff’s holding both behind you.”

Blake turned to the other trainer. “You were in on this?”

Jeff gave Blake a wide berth and walked to Gillian to hand her the gear. “I gave her instructions on how to train him. She did the work. She’s good. She retaught him everything, right down to saddling him and letting her up on his back.” Jeff took three steps back before he admitted, “Boots threw her twice.”

Blake’s sharp gaze met hers. She hated making him this upset.

“What? Where did you think the bruises on my legs came from?”

“Damnit, Gillian. You could have gotten seriously injured or killed.”

“And what about you? What were you doing this morning?”

Breaking in a new horse, that’s what he’d been doing. Blake had gotten the horse saddled with no trouble, but the animal had been waiting for Blake to try to get on. When Blake leaned over the saddle and put his weight on the horse, he’d gone ballistic and bucked. Blake ended up dumped on his ass and damn near stepped on to boot.

He’d concede this one to her. He’d learned to pick his battles. Hardheaded woman.

“I should have stayed in bed with you this morning. Maybe we both could have stayed out of trouble,” he grumbled.

Gillian’s mouth dropped. “Jeff is right there, thank you very much.”

“Don’t mind me,” Jeff said with a broad smile.

Blake narrowed his eyes. “Sweetheart, we’re all anyone on this ranch talks about.”

“Mostly it’s that Blake is the luckiest son of a bitch on the ranch,” Jeff said, a rush of red brightening his face.

Blake slapped him on the back. “Yes, I am. She’s the most beautiful woman in these parts.”

“Yeah, we’re all wondering what she’s doing with the likes of you,” Jeff teased.

Blake ignored the jibe. “Kiss me before you do this and get yourself killed.”

She leaned down and kissed him softly. He frowned at the chaste kiss she laid on him. He wanted more. With her, he always wanted more. She snagged his black cowboy hat, ran one hand through his hair, grabbed a handful, and pulled him to her to really kiss him. She ended the kiss tracing her tongue over his bottom lip. Sexy as hell. He fought the urge to drag her to the ground and have his way with her.

“Nobody’s getting killed, cowboy. But I am going to show you what Boots can do. You’re going to want to take him to the next race.”

“We’ll see about that.” He reached for the reins. “I’ll set you up in the gates, sweetheart. How about we put three other horses in with you to give old Boots here a run for his money.”

Maybe when she lost the race, Gillian would give up and let Boots live out his days with the mares on the ranch.

Ken stood next to one of the horses he’d been training for months. Blake walked Gillian to the gates. She felt Ken’s gaze following her, but she ignored him.

“Ken, bring Diamond Deuce over. Let’s run him, too.”

Gillian’s stomach tied in knots. The fury in Ken’s eyes frightened her. Angry men like Ken were a force unto themselves. He’d already proven that he’d resort to manhandling her to get what he wanted. She wasn’t sure what he’d do if she showed him up in front of everyone.

Ken had kept his distance since she’d clocked him with the wrench and Blake had come home, but she caught him watching her all the time. Sometimes with purely sexual lust and other times tightly reined rage. One day soon, he’d make up his mind about which one of those he’d act on, and she’d have to defend herself against both. Unlikely to let things go and put the past behind them: no, men like Ken—­like her father—­had to win, no matter how wrong they were.

Well, she had a need to win, too. No way she let him beat her down and make her go running to Blake and her grandfather. She’d beat him once. She’d beat him again. Right now, she’d beat his horse to show him and Blake she had what it took to train Boots to be a champion again.

The other riders gave her a hard time about putting Boots up against their horses.

“It’s like a tricycle against a ten speed.”

“A Tonka truck against a bulldozer.”

“Are you going to cry when you get my dust in your eyes?” Ken’s horse’s rider called. That one made her laugh.

She took the razzing in stride. She’d come to know everyone on the ranch. Like having an extended family, it made her feel good to be included.