“Every chance I get,” he said with a quirk of his lips.
“I'm thirty years old, Lance.”
“I know how old you are, Amy. I'm one year ahead of you.”
“Your birthday was in July.”
“And yours was in June.”
“You remember.”
“You kept drumming it inside my head when we were little and being a pain about what you were going to be doing. You forced me to buy you ice-cream the day before.”
She grinned in remembrance. “Mint chocolate chip. Still my favorite.” She eyed him for a moment. “Yours was double chocolate chip.”
“Still is.” His heart swelled that she'd remembered his favorite flavor of ice cream. He ignored the cold biting into his unsuitable jacket and sat there on his horse staring at the woman in front of him. Before he could say anything else, he felt a fat drop of rain sliding down his neck. “I think that’s our cue.”
“I feel it too,” Amy said with a laugh. “Race you back to the stable.”
“Amy no—” He broke off as she wheeled the horse around and dashed past him. “Oh, for heaven’s sake!” he muttered as he gathered the reins and guided his horse into a canter, racing after her.
“That damned fool woman,” he muttered as he watched her take a jump that was too high for a woman in her condition. He didn't care what she said or what he had to do but this was the last time she was going to talk him into something this foolhardy! By the time they got to the stables the rain was coming down hard and felt like icy needles driving into their skin.
“This is the last time I let you persuade me to do something like this again,” he told her grimly as he vaulted from the saddle and came over to help her down. “It will be a miracle if we don’t catch our death.” He held onto her until she'd cleared the stirrups before moving away to see if he could find some blankets. They were both dripping wet and he could see that she was shivering.
He handed her the blanket.
“Thanks.” Amy swathed the thick brown blanket over her head and wrapped herself into it. Outside the rain was pounding on the roof but inside the stable it was warm and cozy. She'd never been inside it before and was impressed by the modern layout combined with the old-fashioned décor of actual straws filling the stalls. There were bunk beds off to one side of the large area complete with an old range stove, a chestnut table, four chairs and a small refrigerator. An electric fireplace was off to one side and someone had turned the heat on, lending the air a cozy and warm feel to it that was quickly drying their clothes and seeping into their skin. “This is nice,” she murmured as she walked around. “Someone sleeps here?”
“Some of the men bunk down here whenever there's a storm and they're caught in it.” Lance was busy rubbing down his horse with the intention of taking care of the one she'd just gotten off and giving them something to eat before turning them loose inside their stalls. From the sound of it, the rain wasn't going to be letting up anytime soon. “Would you like to make us some tea? There's a pantry by the stove and an assortment of biscuits as well.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” She moved towards the area and pulled the pantry doors open, crying out in delight at the well-stocked and organized interior. “No one can ever be hungry even if they're trapped here for weeks!”
“That has never happened before.” Lance couldn't help but smile at the delighted look on her face. Her hair had dried somewhat and there were tendrils curling around her face. She'd wrapped the blanket around her shoulders like a shawl and looked like a beautiful street urchin. He patted the horse’s rump and sent him into the stall. He found some carrots and apples already set out for them. Locking the stall doors, he went over to join her as she turned the fire on under the kettle.
“Have you ever slept here?”
He went to get two cups out of the cupboard and set them on the table next to the assortment of biscuits she'd put out for them.
“Several times.” He opened the pouches and put them into the cups. “I usually have a vehicle parked near the stables so that I can have something to take me back to the house, but sometimes the storm is sudden and unexpected. I've bunked in here as well when the horses are foaling and there are problems.”
“How many horses are there?” Amy turned off the fire under the kettle as soon as it started to whistle and took it over to the table. He took it from her and poured the water over the pouches.
“The last count was close to two hundred.”
Her eyes widened as she stared at him. “In here?”
“We have another stable at the back of the ranch house. Sugar?”
“Honey, I saw a bottle in the pantry,” she said distractedly. “I thought this was a cattle ranch?”
“It is but we also breed horses. My dad introduced that aspect of it when he took over from my granddad.” He handed her the bottle of honey and stirred a spoon of sugar into his tea. “He started with a couple of thoroughbreds and discovered that he had a love for the animals and decided that it was something that he needed to do as well.” He pulled out a chair for her to sit on before taking his seat. “I learned to ride when I was about five years old and he brought me a Shetland pony. I was a natural and by the time I was ten I'd graduated to a bigger horse.” He handed her the plate with the cookies. “I love riding and love the way the animals are able to tell what I want before I even know it myself. I'm more comfortable on the back of a horse than sitting in a vehicle. It took me years to master a stick shift and I almost gave up on learning.”
“Don’t worry,” Amy said dryly. “I'm still learning how to manage it myself.”
He laughed at that as he sipped his tea and eyed her over the rim of the cup. “You have my utmost admiration. I haven't seen another woman more expert at handling the reins as you.” He lifted his cup in a toast. “You're a natural.”
“I think so myself,” she told him with a grin. “So, what do you think? Will we have to sleep here?”
“I hope not, but if we do, would you mind?”
“Are you kidding?” Her dark brown eyes sparkled. “It’s like camping but inside with horses staring at us and the smell of hay and horse manure. It’s perfect.”
“You're a strange woman,” he said, shaking his head.
*****
“Amy?”
“In here,” she called out, stifling the cough that was threatening to make her pee on herself again. They'd spent the night in the stable and had left early in the morning before the men had started their early morning duties. She'd enjoyed the unusual setting and hadn't minded the whinnying of the horses as she cried out his name when he'd made slow and maddening love to her. She'd insisted on going back to her place to get some rest and resume the work she'd brought home with her but hadn't been able to turn on her laptop because she hadn't stopped sneezing and feeling as if ice cubes were all over her body. She'd crawled into bed with a cup of tea and had finally called him.
“What’s wrong?” He stopped just inside the doorway and peered into the darkened room. The drapes had been drawn and there was no light in the room.