Crazy. You’re absolutely crazy, Shelby Masters
.
“We can’t waste any time.” She shoved away her ridiculous thoughts and reached for Candy’s halter. “Six weeks isn’t long to get you riding like a pro.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
The sound of a car gunning up to the stable took her attention. Shelby recognized it immediately.
“Not her again!” Shelby dropped the halter back onto its hook and headed out of the barn, annoyance grating through her like steel wool. “Put Candy into her stall, Jake,” she called back over her shoulder. “We’ll take a break. There’s something I need to get rid of.”
She stepped outside as Michelle emerged from her vehicle. Designer jeans hung low on shapely hips, and the red blouse tied under Michelle’s breasts left a long section of midriff bare.
“What do you want?” Shelby faced her, feet planted firmly apart, arms crossed, jaw set. “I’m busy.”
“Just wanted to take another gander at your oh-so-sexy farm hand.” She shoved her sunglasses up into her hair and smiled over Shelby’s shoulder. Turning, Shelby saw that Jordan had followed her out of the barn and was standing a few feet behind her.
“Ah, yes, definitely.” Michelle strolled over to him and circled slowly, taking him in from all sides. “I thought so. Tom said I was crazy, but I knew I was right. Jordan Brooks, I do believe.”
Shelby suppressed a gasp, wet her lips, and forced what she hoped was an expression of utter contempt and disbelief.
“Jordan who? What are you talking about, Michelle?” She faced the woman.
“Oh, my, you’d never make an actress, sweetie.” Michelle paused between them, tossing back her long mane of black hair in shampoo-ad fashion. “And you’ve never been a decent liar. I thought I recognized something familiar about him the first day I was here. Then when Tom took out a bunch of his favorite country CDs and started boring me silly with them, I amused myself by looking at the covers. Some good-looking talent there. And there, lo and behold, was your farm hand, grinning that world-famous, heart-throb grin. Well, of course, I just had to sashay on over here and introduce myself.”
“Sorry, ma’am, but I’m just plain old Jake Banks.” Jordan faced her, grinning innocuously. “I can understand you thinking I’m that singer. I’ve been mistook for him before.”
“Oh, yes?” She circled him again. “Hmmm. I think you’re lying through your teeth, Jake Banks. I’m as good a judge of male bodies as I am of horse flesh, and, trust me, my instincts are good on this one.”
“Come on, Michelle.” Shelby threw her what she hoped was a disparaging, mocking look. “What would a superstar like Jordan Brooks be doing working on a little horse farm in New Brunswick? Those guys go for five-star accommodations only.”
“You’re not convincing me, Doctor.” Before Shelby could stop her, she’d pulled out her cell and snapped a picture. “For future reference.”
She jumped into her car as Shelby lunged for the phone and missed.
“My, my, seems you’re putting a lot of effort into getting back a photo of a farm hand,” she smirked as she started the engine. “See you two later…and that’s a for sure.”
She gunned the engine, spun the wheel, and tore off up the drive in a cloud of dust.
“Well, that’s a fine mess!” Shelby rounded on Jordan and slapped her hands onto her hips. “She’ll have that picture circulated on the wire services within the hour.”
“Maybe.” He turned and headed back into the barn, whistling.
“What do you mean, ‘maybe’? Of course she will.” She followed him, anger at his nonchalant attitude spilling over. Here she was about to lose money she’d been counting on to save her business, and all he could do was whistle.
“A woman like that doesn’t react the same way as that stable hand who sold her picture in a tabloid for a few bucks.” He picked up the fork and re-entered the stall he’d been cleaning. “She uses everything she’s got to the best advantage.”
“And just exactly what do you see as being to her best advantage?” Shelby stood in the stall doorway, arms akimbo.
“Blackmail.” He paused to lean on his fork and look over at her. “Didn’t you say she’s been trying to get onto the big screen for years now? Well, everyone knows I’ll be appearing in that movie premiering just before Christmas. In show biz circles, that means my agent made the deal. I’m betting she’ll be back with an offer to keep her mouth shut if Annie can get her a motion picture contract.”
“Oh, come on. Farfetched or what? Get real!
Our
contract has just been blown right out of the water, and you know it.”
She turned and strode toward the barn door, a sinking feeling so intense she could barely walk holding her in its grip. Involved in her dilemma, she didn’t notice a hose lying to one side. Her foot caught in it, and she would have gone sprawling if a pair of strong arms hadn’t caught her.
“Careful, ma’am.” She looked up into Jordan’s grinning face and those resolve-melting blue eyes. Pressed against his chest, feeling the heat of his body against hers, any defenses she’d had against the man and his charm crumbled. Locked in the power of his charm and physical attractiveness, she didn’t pull away.
“Hey, Jake, you got time to help me with some feed…” Travis’s voice trailed off as he entered the barn and saw them.
Shelby jerked away and Jordan turned to retrieve his pitchfork from where he’d dropped it.
Shelby felt a hot blush pouring up her neck as she met her brother’s puzzled, suspicious look.
“Come on, little brother, let’s get back to work. Jordan’s about to learn how to groom a horse. Want to take over the lesson while I head up to the house to get lunch?”
“Yeah, sure.” Travis looked uncertainly between them again, then headed into the barn. “Come on, Jake. I’ll teach you what brush does what.”
Chapter Nine
“You remember what we talked about at the restaurant in town, don’t you, Jake?” Travis sat on an upturned bucket and watched as Jordan brushed Candy.
“Sure. We talked about music, about maybe jamming sometime.” He looked over the mare’s back at the younger man.
“Come on, Jake. You know what I mean. About Shel. I thought I could trust you, but what I saw just now doesn’t make me feel real easy about the situation.”
“Shelby tripped. I caught her.” He stopped brushing and looked over at Travis, hoping he appeared as serious as he felt. “I’m not coming on to her, trust me.”
“Yeah, well, just see that you don’t. Like I said, I won’t have her hurt, not even by Jordan Brooks, you hear me?”
“Loud and clear. Now how about that hoof pick? You were going to show me how to use it without getting kicked.”
****
“Annie?” Jordan waited until Travis had gone up to the house before he pulled out his cell and made the call. “Just had a small incident here. Hope you can take care of it for us. Do you know a Michelle Latton? Her agent Tom Hadly? Well, find out about them and get in touch. I need you to do some negotiating faster than immediately.”
He described the encounter with the soap star, then listened as his agent fumed for a few moments and then, as he knew she would, went into damage-control mode.
“I’ll get in touch with her and search out the situation, ferret out just how sure she is you are Jordan Brooks. If she threatens to go to the wire services with any pictures she managed to take, then I’ll have to negotiate some sort of stalling tactic that will keep her involved until the end of August…like maybe the producer of your movie is out of the country and he’s the only one I’m on a first-name basis with. Leave it with me and get on with your lessons, Jordan. You do your part and you know you can trust me to do mine.”
“Sure do. Thanks, Annie. Sorry about this mess.”
“Not your fault, sweetie. You’re just so adorable you’re recognizable almost anywhere. But keep that stubble on your face, that hair short and black as ink, and don’t socialize with the locals anymore than necessary.”
“Will do.”
“How are the lessons coming along?”
“Got a bridle on a mare this morning, and this afternoon I’m going to climb onto her back.”
“Great. Hope you’re riding a full gallop within a couple weeks. We’ll talk later.”
****
“Pull the girth tight…no, tighter than that. Put some muscle into it.”
Jordan sucked in a deep breath and gave the saddle strap another tug.
“No, no. Let me show you.” Shelby stepped forward and yanked it taut, then proceeded to fasten it in place. “I can’t believe you don’t have the strength to do that.”
“I do, but…” He ran his hand over the cantle and looked over the mare’s back across the barn.
“But what?” She turned to face him squarely, and he couldn’t lie.
“I don’t want to hurt her.” He looked down at his boots and shuffled them on the cement of the barn’s walkway.
“You won’t.” Her voice was soft, and he glanced up to see emerald eyes soft with appreciation. “I’m glad you care about Candy’s comfort, but, believe me, I’ll let you know if I see you doing anything not in her best interests. Okay?”
“Sure.” He let a slow grin curl his lips.
“Now.” She handed him the reins. “Lead her into the arena and mount her on the left side.”
****
An hour later Jordan dismounted and patted Candy on the neck.
“Thanks, girl. You’re one patient lady.”
“You did well.” Shelby came to stand beside him. “Tomorrow we’ll try a trot. But right now you have to unsaddle her and rub her down. Although she didn’t work up a sweat with an hour’s walking, you still have to learn how to put her away properly. Later, when you’re loping, you’ll have to learn how to cool her down, as well.”
“Lots to learn.” He started to lead the mare back toward the stable area. “But I’m going to enjoy it.”
His cell rang. He shot Shelby the question in a look.
“Go ahead, take it. Just don’t make Candy wait too long.”
She leaned on the fence as he pulled the phone from his pocket.
“Joe, how’s everything? Boys behaving?” He paused and listened. Gradually a frown and then a storm cloud engulfed his features. “Damn it, what’s wrong with them? Are they with you now? Good. Put me on speaker phone.”
Shelby had never seen him angry. In fact, she hadn’t thought this affable man had it in him.
“Now, listen up, you guys. One beach party with booze is one beach party with booze that can land you all in the can for a long, long time. Joe, Annie, and I have put our asses on the line for you sorry bunch, and you’re not going to let us down, understand? Joe, do you still have your old four-wheeler? I think an hour-a-day run behind it for a week might wear away some of their energy.”
Pause while he listened.
“Yeah, well, sorry doesn’t cut it. Actions are better than words. I’ll check in with Joe in a couple of days, and I don’t want to be hearing any more crap about booze or giving him and his lady a hard time. They took you in for the summer and nearly had to sign their lives away to do it. Remember that.”
He shoved the phone back into his pocket, drew a deep breath, then looked over at Shelby.
“Nasty old man, right?” He cracked a rueful grin.
“I’d call it essential tough love.” She squinted at him in the sun. “I’ve only had Travis to look after and he was a handful as a teenager, even if, overall, he’s a great kid. Keeping four young men in line must be a huge task.”
“Sometimes.” He nodded. “And right now, this summer, when they have free time with me here learning to ride, they’re getting into trouble. I should be with them. But I don’t have a choice. Our recording deal is all tied up with the movie contract. I have to fulfill the film commitments to keep everything going. Annie is a great agent, but sometimes she pushes my band and me into deals I’d rather avoid. Still, overall, a tight schedule is best. Keeps the young lads too busy to get into trouble. That’s what counts in the big picture.”
“Even at the cost of your health?”
“Some reasons justify the price.”
As he led Candy out of the arena, Shelby watched. His tough conversation with his band had definitely upped him a notch in her opinion.
****
Shelby took the last of the steaming lobsters from the big pot on the stove and placed it on a large platter. The table was set for three, with a bowl of potato salad and a basket of rolls in the center. She hoped Jordan liked lobster. If not, he’d have to settle for leftover ham.
Travis and her hired hand entered the kitchen, joking like two buddies.
“Hope you like lobster, Jake.” She carried the platter to the table. “Otherwise you’ll have to raid the refrigerator for something else.”
“Ah, man, do I like lobster! Practically grew up on it. It’s my favorite.” He pulled out a chair and sat down. “Just like home.”
Shelby had to bite back the obvious question of just where that might be. Instead she turned to Travis. “Better wash up quick. Looks as if Jake is ready to devour the whole thing singlehanded.”
“Sorry.” He started to get up. “I was just so happy to see those red devils…”
“Not a problem.” Shelby grinned as Travis headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the bathroom. “What about you? Need to wash up?”
“Did it at the cabin. Why, do I look as if I need to clean up?”
“You look fine.” Suddenly embarrassed by her reply, she turned away and went to the refrigerator. “Don’t fill up entirely on lobster. I have strawberry shortcake for dessert.”
“Are you kidding? Man, it doesn’t get any better than this.”
She sat down opposite him and indicated the lobsters. “Help yourself. And really? This is your favorite meal?”
“Definitely. Second is a thick clam chowder, and third is a good feed of oysters…but maybe, under the circumstances, we’d better leave that last one alone.”
He shot her a teasing glance as he transferred a large lobster to his plate.
****
“Hay’s ready to cut in the back field.” Travis came into the kitchen the next morning, slapped his baseball cap on a peg by the door, and dropped into a chair at the table.
“ ‘Good morning’ is the usual greeting.” Glancing at her brother, Shelby placed a plate of poached eggs, whole wheat toast, and ham in front of Jordan, who was already seated at the table.