Forbidden Contract (The Birmingham Brothers Series) (10 page)

Both Beckett and Bailey looked at his mother with a surprised expression on their face. Then Bailey looked at Beckett.

“Alright…but we can’t do a long lunch…I’ll need to let the kids nap first before dinner.”

“That can be arranged
.” He smiled. “Shall we say 9:00 am at the stables?”

“Alright….good night
.” She smiled then walked away. Beckett noticed she seemed to walk with a little lighter step. He turned to see his mother studying him.

“What
?” He asked

“Oh nothing
.” She smiled. “Good night son.”

“Wait….did you want to talk to me about something
?”

“No…it can wait…sweet dreams
.” With that she turned and headed towards her room humming.

Beckett shook his head baffled at his mother. Then his thought turned to Bailey and he smiled as he stepped back into his room and closed the door. Tomorrow promised to be an interesting day.

Bailey was ready the next morning with both kids dressed and rearing to go. When they reached the stables she noticed Beckett had saddled a large bay for her, the Percheron for him and two gentle
ponies for the children. She had assumed they would have the children ride with them and raised an eyebrow when he came out leading the ponies first.

“I thought the kids would ride with us
.” She suggested.

“Where
’s the fun in that?” He said winking at Tristan.

Bailey noticed how handsome he was in his form fitting jeans and
grey t-shirt. With his five o’clock shadow and deep blue grey eyes he only needed a cowboy hat and boots to compliment his rugged looks. When he looked up meeting her gaze she felt her cheeks once again heat up.

“Beckett….they’ve never been exposed to horses
.” She said diverting the subject.

“Now
’s as good a time as any.” He said picking up Tristan and placing him on the saddle. He adjusted the stirrups so that they fit his tiny legs than handed the reins to him. Bailey watched as he patiently explained to Tristan the dos and don’ts of riding. Taking the horse by the tack he led the horse around giving Tristan a feel for the way the horse moved. The smile on his face and light in his eyes was worth the anxiety Bailey was feeling.

“My turn
.” Alexis chimed in.

Leading Tristan
’s horse over to Bailey to hold he turned and swung Alexis up on her horse. Bailey couldn’t help but notice that he had picked a delicate black and white pony that seemed to dance with her steps. Alexis had listened carefully and very quickly got the hang of it. Satisfied Beckett led Bailey’s bay over to her. She was a beautiful horse that seemed to be more spirited than first glance. Bailey realized he had picked a horse to challenge her without overpowering her. She handed him Tristan’s reins as she swung herself up into the saddle. Leaning low over the horse she stroked her neck as she whispered in her ear. As if nodding in agreement Bailey pulled up on the reins then turning the horses head cut her loose to run off her energy. She could hear the kids squeal in delight but swore she heard Beckett curse. It had been so long since she had been riding the freedom of being on her back was exhilarating. She heard Beckett screaming but with the wind in her hair she couldn’t make out his words. Looking over her shoulder she noticed he had taken the kids off their horses, tied the horses to the fence then hopped on the Percheron and was in full pursuit.

His horse was bigger and stronger but was no match for the
nimbleness of her horse. She knew he would catch her if she kept on her straight course so she darted off into the trees then making several sharp turns managed to lose sight of him. Picking her way back through the trees she made it back to the open field and decided to make a run for it back to where the kids stood watching. He came out of nowhere and quickly coming up alongside reached over pulling her up onto his horse.

“What the hell
!” She cried as he slowed his horse down.

“What were you thinking
?” He yelled at her. “Were you trying to get you neck broken?”

Bailey looked at him and he was clearly mad at her. She didn’t understand his anger and suddenly his overbearing ways began to piss her off.

“What are you thinking…put me down.” She demanded.

He held onto her, keeping her firmly planted across his lap as he brought the horse to a stop. The more she struggled to be free the tighter he held her.

“Stop struggling or I might drop you.” He ordered.

“PUT ME DOWN
!” She ordered back her eyes flashing in anger.

He studied her for a brief moment then sighing he released her and she dropped to the ground in an unceremonious thud. Her pride injured
; she now stood and faced him defiantly.

“What were you thinking
?” She demanded

“What were you thinking
?” He shot angrily back. “You never charge off like that on a horse you don’t know in an area you’re unfamiliar with…you had no way of knowing how she would react nor do you know what’s over the next ridge”

“I was in complete control…I knew she would follow my lead
.” She said defending her actions. “We seemed to have been doing fine till you decided to manhandle me.”

“You needed to be manhandled after that stunt….what would have happened if you had been thrown or she had stepped into a pot hole and gone down….did you ever think to wonder how Tristan or Alexis would have reacted?”

Bailey now looked over at her brother and sister who now seemed upset with the interplay going on between her and Beckett. She knew it was reckless but it had been so long since she had been on a horse she had wanted to feel the raw power between her legs. To feel the freedom again of no responsibility. She looked back up at Beckett and could see he was still angry. She didn’t know how to explain this to him to make him understand.

“Come on
.” He said reaching down his hand to lift her up onto his horse. “No point in the kids being disappointed by your recklessness.”

His words cut and she was about to refuse but knew she didn’t want to disappoint Tristan and Alexis. Reaching up she took his hand and he easily swung her up behind him as if
she weighed nothing. As he started back she tried to decide where to put her hands. As if deciding for her he reached behind him and pulled her hands around his waist. She was about to protest but he kicked the horses side causing him to lurch forward. Had she not grabbed on tighter she might have been thrown. Instead of heading directly back he took his horse for a long run and Bailey began to relax as the speed and strength of the horse overtook her. Satisfied he had made some point Beckett finally turned the horse back towards the stable where the kids still stood.

“Bailey….that was so cool
!” Alexis said jumping up and down. “Can I ride like that?”

“Not till you’re older
.” Beckett replied as he reached around and assisted Bailey off the horse.

Bailey noticed Tristan was looking now at the horse in fear. She realized he had no idea the horses could run that fast and her stunt had now caused him to fear them. She knelt down at his side as he stared at his
pony.

“Don’t worry Tristan….Beckett picked out two very mild horses for you and Alexis….you don’t need to be afraid of them
.” She said now looking at Beckett seeing him frown.

He jumped off his horse and came up to Tristan. Lifting him up
Beckett walked over to the pony. When Tristan shied away from the horse Bailey cringed. She could only watch as Beckett whispered in his ear. Slowly Tristan turned and looked at the pony. Tentatively he reached out and stroked the pony’s head. Beckett was patient as he waited for Tristan to once again relax around the pony before placing him on it back. He handed the reins to Tristan and still holding the tack let Tristan walk the horse around getting comfortable with it again. When Beckett looked in Bailey’s direction she felt the shame of her actions. He led the horse over to her and stopping before her she could see he was still angry but for the sake of the kids was not going to let it affect their fun.

“Shall we?”
He asked raising an eyebrow as if asking is she would behave.

She nodded then walking over to Alexis swung her up on her horse before retrieving hers which now grazed lazily on the grass. She swung herself up and walked over to where Beckett waited already mounted. He took the lead and the kids were in the middle with her taking the rear. She couldn’t help but notice how well he controlled his horse and remembered the way it felt when he pulled her off hers and held her against his chest. As if sensing her eyes he turned and looked at her
causing a blush to spread over her face. She quickly looked away but not before she noticed the cocky grin on his face.

Beckett led them in the same direction of her earlier run but this time she saw the path he had taken when he chased her. He followed it for almost 20 minutes and as they rode in silence she noticed the way the kids kept turning their head back and forth taking in all the sights. In California
almost every corner was covered with strip malls, gas stations and 7’11’s. The only wilderness they had seen was when she took them occasionally to the park. The path opened up to a small stream with boulders crossing over to a clearing. Beckett crossed the stream and the kids boldly followed laughing as the water rose up to their ponies knees. Once they reached the other side Beckett dismounted then helped the kids down. They immediately turned and ran off to explore the rock formation as Beckett walked up to her horse reaching up to help her down. Bailey thought to avoid contact with him but thought it best not to anger him any further. She noticed when he lowered her it took longer than it should have as her body now slid down the length of his. When her feet touched the ground she looked up at him her hands still placed on his arms. She could feel the muscles tense beneath and it seemed as if his mind was waging its own battle. Abruptly and to her disappointment he released her and headed back to his horse for the saddle bags. He handed them to her then took the reins to settle the horses. Looking inside Bailey noticed a gourmet lunch awaited them all neatly packed away in Tupperware. There was fried chicken still warm from the oven, mac and cheese for the kids, greens for them, for appetizers they were given cheese, crackers and grapes. The kids had juice boxes and they had a bottle of red wine complete with two plastic wine glasses. Finding a blanket she spread it out on the ground then set up the lunch. Alexis and Travis immediately ran over and grabbing a bunch of grapes took off again to explore. She was sitting there watching him when Beckett sat down and joined her.

“Wine?” He asked as he found the opener.

“Please
.” She said trying unsuccessfully to ignore his presence. When he handed her a glass she had no choice but to meet his gaze. She noticed the way his eyes now smoldered as he watched her. “I’m sorry….about earlier…it’s just.” She said now looking at her glass. “It’s been so long since I’ve felt that freedom.” She said once again looking at him.

He seemed to be deep in his own thought for a moment before his eyes lightened and he smiled.

“It’s ok….it just…I’ve grown up around horses and Regina’s stable is full of some spirited horses.”

“I knew she wouldn’t throw me
.” She smiled now looking up at him. “She told me.”

“Ahhh yes…I forgot
.” He smiled. “Did she also tell you if you hadn’t done the evasive maneuvers you did to lose me you would have ridden right into a ditch that was too wide to jump?” He asked.

She looked at him to determine if he was being truthful. “No…she didn’t…”

“Regina’s property has plenty of room to ride but there are areas that she should have roped off….I discovered the hard way.” He grinned.

“Really
?” She asked surprised.

“Yeah….
Zeus decided to stop on a dime….I did not.” He grinned looking over at the Percheron. As if realizing they were talking about him he looked up at them, snorted and shook his head. Bailey couldn’t help but laugh.

“You have a nice laugh…you should do it more often
.” Beckett said as he studied her.

Again a blush crept up her cheeks and she looked over at the kids to hide her embarrassment. To her relie
f both Tristan and Alexis came running in their direction preventing the conversation from evolving as they took over relaying their finds. After a lazy lunch Bailey packed up the remains while Beckett went off exploring with the kids. As she watched him she thought it was such a shame he never wanted to marry. He would make a great father. Realizing where her thoughts were heading she turned as they approached folding up the blanket as a diversion.

“We should head back….give the kids a chance to nap before tonight
.”

“Oh
.” Alexis groaned as she rolled her eyes. “Do we have too?”

“
Yes….if you want to go to Chucky Cheese tonight you do….I’m not bringing cranky kids along to meet Beckett’s family.” Bailey said firmly.

“We already met his folks
.” Alexis chimed back in a southern accent.

“Folks?” Bailey said frowning
. “You mean his parents.”

“People don’t say that here
.” Alexis argued.

“And you were raised with better manners….no nap, no Chucky Cheese
.” She said firmly.

Alexis looked in Beckett
’s direction for help but he held up his hands in defeat. She looked at Tristan but he was already showing signs of fatigue so she knew he would be of no help. Stomping over to Beckett she allowed him to put her on her horse. Noticing Tristan Beckett suggested he carry Tristan while she led his horse back. Bailey was about to refuse when she saw the excitement on his face.

“Alright
.”

Beckett climbed up on Zeus’s back and Bailey handed her brother up to him. He sat him across his lap, his arms securely around him to prevent him from falling. Walking back to mount her horse Bailey couldn’t help but remember what it felt like to be held in those arms.
Muttering to herself she climbed up on her horse than rode over to Tristan’s pony and took the reins. Again Beckett took the lead, Alexis in the middle and Bailey in the rear. When they reached the stable she had every intention of taking Tristan from Beckett but he easily slid off the horse holding Tristan securely in his arms. Somewhere on the way he had fallen asleep and now he clung on to Beckett as if he was his favorite blanket. While Beckett carried him into the house Bailey led the horses to the groom then followed with Alexis. Beckett had already taken him to the bath room, stripped him of his shoes and had him tucked into his bed when she reached his room. She watched as he moved a stray strand of hair from his face before he turned and joined her in the hall. Alexis was already tucked in her bed and she too had quickly fallen asleep.