Читать книгу The Whisperer - Elsa Winckler - Страница 7
Chapter 2
Оглавление“Where’s the house?” Imke asked while leaning forward. It was just before eleven and they were driving down a neatly cobbled road towards the big farmhouse.
“It’s just beyond that row of blue gum trees,” Cilla said, pointing towards the trees. “You should be able to see it at any moment now … there it is.”
“Wow, it’s beautiful. And look, from here one has a glimpse of the sea. I didn’t know that would be possible. You didn’t say a word about the house or the view.” Imke wiggled her eyebrows.
Cilla scowled. “I was so angry with the man I completely forgot about the lovely scenery. I’d really like to know why he’s changed his mind. Yesterday he was convinced that I’d cast a spell on his horse and today he wants me to help the animal. He must be desperate.”
She steered her car down the small road. The beginning of a headache was brewing behind her eyes and she was so irritated. She’d hardly slept a wink. Not even the gallop on her favourite horse late yesterday had helped her to fall asleep quickly.
The moment her eyes had closed, a hundred pairs of dark blue eyes were watching her from all sides. Some were smoldering, some were pleading, one pair was even trying to seduce her … Damn it, all of them kept her from falling asleep. She honestly hoped after today she never had to lay eyes on Cameron Rahl again.
She parked her car in front of the house, and even before she opened the door, the front door opened and two men stepped out.
Imke inhaled sharply and started fanning herself. “Oh, my goodness, Cilla, look at all that gorgeousness – who are these sexy men? And why didn’t you tell me there are two of them?” She was clearly in awe.
“Come on, Imke, seriously. It’s not as if you’ve never seen an attractive man. The one in the blue shirt is Cameron, but I don’t know who the other one is. They look alike, probably brothers. My mom did say there are two boys.”
Imke blew out a heartfelt sigh. “And fortunately for us, they’re not boys any longer.”
Cilla got out slowly. Cameron was walking towards her. He nodded in Imke’s direction, but his eyes never left Cilla’s. When he reached her, he put out his hand. She swallowed and waited a second before she shook his hand. Was she going to have a similar I-know-what-your-fingers-feel-around-mine-like experience to the one she had yesterday, or had that only been her imagination?
His fingers closed around hers and, rattled, she met his gaze. She recognized his hands, she knew how they’d feel, even the heat travelling up her arm was familiar, something she’d experienced before.
Quickly she tugged her hand from his and motioned in Imke’s direction.
“This is my friend. Imke,” she said and turned towards her. And blinked. Something very strange was going on. The man standing in front of Imke had taken both her hands in his and his fingers were playing with hers.
“Imke?” Cilla asked, completely stunned.
Blushing, Imke pulled her hands away. “You haven’t told me the men around here are such smooth talkers,” she giggled, her eyes still on the big man in front of her.
“My brother, Philip.” Cameron said. “The charmer of the family.”
Philip smiled and greeted her. “I have to be, he’s the grumpy one,” he said, slapping his brother on the back.
“I know,” slipped out before Cilla could help herself.
Cameron frowned but ignored her remark. “If you don’t mind, could you look at Bravo before we have lunch?”
“Of course, he’s the reason I’m here,” Cilla said.
“Do you want to join us?” Cameron asked Imke.
“Yes, please. I would love to look at your horses and I enjoy watching Cilla when she works. You should listen to her, she knows what she’s doing.”
Cameron rubbed his face. “Look, I have a BSc degree in Agricultural Science. I know farm animals, I know when they’re ill and I know what to do about it. I rely on facts, on things I can see and understand. What Cilla here proposes to do, I find …”
“… weird was one of the kinder words you used yesterday,” Cilla said with a straight face.
A ghost of a smile turned up one of the corners of his mouth. “Strange is the word I was going to use. My dad had horses when we were little but I can’t remember ever having a horse as ornery as this black stallion. I’ve tried everything I can think of. At this point I’m willing to try anything, even listen to your strange and okay, weird ideas.”
He started walking in the direction of the stables. Cilla fell into step next to him.
“What made you change your mind? About asking me. Yesterday you didn’t want to listen to anything I had to say but then you phoned me?”
“Another farm hand is now also in hospital. Ken suggested I phone you again.”
“Oh.” Cilla bit her lip to keep back the giggle that threatened to erupt. He obviously found it very difficult to acknowledge when he’d been wrong.
She glanced in his direction, but he was looking straight ahead of him.
As they neared the stables, Ken stepped out. “Good morning, Cilla. I’m very glad that certain people around here finally changed their minds and asked you to come over again. This morning, Bravo is completely out of control. I’m not sure whether you should go in there alone.”
Cilla put a hand on his arm. “He and I understand one another, don’t worry. I know what the problem is, but let me talk to him again, there may be something else bothering him.”
Behind her, Cameron mumbled something incoherent but she ignored him. Imke followed her into the stables.
“I’m coming with you, I’d love to see the other horses.”
The two women disappeared into the stables and Cameron put his hands in his trouser pockets. It was much better to have them there otherwise he might do something utterly stupid like taking Cilla’s hand in his.
He didn’t know what the hell was going on, but he was struggling to keep his hands to himself, the need to touch her was overwhelming. When she was walking beside him just now, he’d wanted to put an arm around her, as if it was something that he did regularly, as if he’d done it before.
And her perfume. She smelled like roses. A huge bed of red roses. Yesterday her scent had infiltrated every pore of his body, leaving him aching and lusting after her. Hell, he’d hardly slept last night. When he woke up this morning he could swear he still smelled roses.
He swore. He didn’t want this woman on his farm, he didn’t want her near him. She was trouble with a capital T. He needed to get out more. Philip kept telling him he needed more of a social life and maybe his brother was right. All those women he was afraid of meeting? He should go and meet them, have sex with them so that he wasn’t this sex starved next time a beautiful woman visited his farm.
Feminine laughter floated towards him and the next minute Cilla and Bravo exited the stables. Bravo gave him a spiteful look before he turned away.
“Well, I never,” Ken said behind him. “He doesn’t want me near him, but he is quite happy to be led by Cilla.” He barked out a laugh. “I won’t be surprised if he sticks his tongue out!”
Imke grinned, staring after her friend. “He’s putty in her hands. She has a way with her, you should listen to her suggestions.”
Like the previous day, Cilla led the horse to the centre of the big circle and stood silently next to him for what felt like a long time. Then she rubbed his face, turned and walked him back towards the stables.
After a few minutes she came out alone.
“And? Can you help us?” Ken asked.
“It depends,” Cilla said. “Are you going to do what I say you should do?”
He felt Ken’s eyes on him.
Cameron folded his arms. “I’ll listen to what you have to say,” he finally said. “Let’s go and have lunch, we can talk then.”
They all walked back towards the farmhouse. Cilla looked around her. The view was truly spectacular. Closer to the homestead she noticed the piece of garden where the gardener worked yesterday. Beyond that, another piece of earth had been readied for something to be planted in it.
Cilla motioned in that direction. “What are you going to plant over there?”
“Canola. It blooms during winter. I don’t know if you’ve seen a field of buttercups in bloom before, but it is a beautiful sight,” Philip said.
“We are both born and bred Overberg girls,” Imke smiled. “Cilla’s parents farm just outside Caledon and my dad works for the beer brewery in town. And although we’ve both worked overseas and have seen the world, Cilla was in America and I was in China, to us, this region is still the most beautiful piece of land on earth.”
As they neared the homestead, amazing aromas from inside the house reached them.
Imke inhaled. “Who is the cook?” she swooned. “I’ll marry him immediately!”
Philip stepped out on to the huge veranda in front of the house and took Imke’s hand in his. “Well, I’m the chef. Come with me, then we can talk about your proposal.”
Amazed, Cilla stared after them. Imke was usually very wary of strange men, but she obviously didn’t have any problems with this one.
Cameron motioned for her and Ken to follow him. “Let’s talk here,” he said and showed her into the huge dining room. “Have a seat.”
Gingerly, Cilla sat down and looked around the lovely room. The furniture had to be family heirlooms. The table was obviously made from South African yellow wood and antique spindle chairs were placed around it.
“So, what would you say is Bravo’s problem?” Cameron asked.
Ken sat next to her without a word.
It was clear from the skeptical expression on Cameron’s face that he still didn’t believe in her communicating abilities.
Cilla looked down at her hands. She knew what his reaction was going to be even before she opened her mouth. But he did ask.
“Two problems, actually,” she said and looked him straight in the eye. “First of all, where did you get him?”
“Why is that important? I got him from someone in Bredasdorp,” he said, clearly taken aback.
“And you drove through Caledon?” Cilla asked.
“Yeah, that’s the only way,” he said irritably.
Cilla smiled. “Well, then I understand. Bravo caught the scent of a particular mare on his way here and he wants to, well, he wants to mate with her.” She ignored the blush that crept up her neck. “I could be wrong, but I think I know exactly which mare he wants. And the other thing is …”
Cameron swore and jumped up but Cilla ignored him and continued with her sentence. “… he’s bored.”
Cameron’s fingers folded around the back of the chair, his knuckles turned white. Just as she had thought – he didn’t want to believe that the solution to Bravo’s problems were actually very simple.
“He wants to mate? There is a whole bloody stable full of mares, where the hell do you get this cr … nonsense!” he shouted. “And bored? So what is it that he would like to do? Shall I take him to the movies?”
Ken held up a hand to silence Cameron. “Why do you say that?” he asked Cilla.
Cameron lifted the chair he was holding and dropped it back into place. He started pacing the room.
Cilla lifted one brow but, ignoring him, she spoke to Ken.
“As I said, he caught the smell of a particular mare on his way here.” She glanced over at Cameron. His whole body language was telling her he thought her completely insane.
“My parents’ farm runs alongside the N2 from Bredasdorp. We have a mare, Maggie. She’s chestnut in colour with a black mane and she looks exactly like the …”
Swearing, Cameron turned on her. “Oh, so this is what you do. You are looking to pimp your mare, aren’t you ashamed of yourself?”
Cilla got up so quickly, her chair fell backwards. She gnashed her teeth, trying her best not to say anything but to rather stay calm. Never before had she thought of herself as the violent type, but this man made her so angry, she could throttle him.
Inhaling deeply, trying to calm herself and her galloping heart, she spoke again. “I’m not sure that Maggie, who by the way is not for sale, especially to you, is actually the mare Bravo has in mind, but, for his sake and if you agree, I will bring her here. Temporarily.”
She bent, picked up the chair and sat down again. Her hands were shaking, she was so upset, so angry. She took a deep breath, willed herself to calm down. Ignoring Cameron, she spoke to Ken.
“What you should remember is that every horse has a very particular personality. The term ‘horsenality’ was coined to refer to the system of understanding horses through their personality types. Just like humans can be understood by looking at personalities. Not all of us are the same and we react differently in situations. I will have to spend more time with Bravo before I will really know, but I think he’s a right-brain extrovert. He’s impulsive, can’t be still, he’s nervous, can be easily frightened. He’s energetic and athletic with lots of endurance. He notices things around him. If you know and understand his personality type, you will be able to handle him.”
She glared at Cameron. “Handle him correctly, that is.”
Cameron stormed closer. “And I suppose now you also want to analyze me?”
Cilla felt like punching him, but she kept her cool and lifted her chin. “No, that is not part of my job. But if you were a horse, I’d say you are a left brain introvert. You’re argumentative, stubborn, pushy and you don’t listen to what other people have to say.”
He narrowed his eyes. The muscle in his cheek jumped up and down, a clear indication he was gnashing his teeth. Before he could say anything though, she turned to Ken.
“Let me know if you want me to bring Maggie over. This is, of course, when you can convince this … this stubborn, difficult boss of yours I don’t have a hidden agenda.”
Cameron laughed sarcastically. Cilla ignored him.
“Bravo is also bored; you’re handling him too gently. He wants to use his legs, he needs more activity. Let him run free. He’s frustrated and feels fenced in. Also, someone is hitting him. Make sure that doesn’t happen again, it’s completely unnecessary. Violence is never the answer.”
“Do you have any idea how utterly ridiculous you sound?” Cameron asked.
Cilla continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “Remember, in nature, horses are prey animals, the hunted. Safety is their primary concern and fear is their primary reaction. They are herd animals who look to their alpha for leadership. I also think you should contact an acupuncturist. The aura on his left side looks white, the chi energy isn’t flowing as it should. It might be that he’s anaemic, but I’m not sure.”
“Really?” Cameron asked, not bothering to hide his sarcasm. “You’re not sure? How come? You seem to be sure of everything else!”
Cilla ignored him and stood up. Slowly this time. “Well, that’s my advice, use it, don’t use it. You don’t believe me and you don’t trust me, so my suggestion is, find another solution. I obviously can’t help you. Under the circumstances, I don’t think we’ll be staying for lunch …”
Just at that moment, Imke entered from the kitchen, looking dazed and pleased with the world. “Cilla, Philip can cook like an angel, you have to taste what he’s made. He’s busy with …”
“I think we should go,” Cilla interrupted.
“Oh, but you have to taste …” She continued before she realized something else was going on and stopped speaking. She looked from Cameron to Cilla. “Let me guess – he doesn’t believe you.”
Cilla nodded and took Imke’s arm. “I think we should go.”
Cameron stared at Cilla, not sure whether he wanted to laugh or cry. What the hell! All this nonsense about horsenalities and auras and energies. The woman was obviously completely crazy.
Philip put his head around the door. “What’s going on? I feel very negative vibes coming from this room.”
Cameron glared at his brother. “Don’t you start as well. Excuse me,” he growled and walked quickly towards the front door. He needed fresh air. Lots and lots of fresh air. Where the hell did the woman get her insane ideas? She was so far removed from reality, it was ridiculous.
But hell, she was beautiful. When she coolly looked at him and told him he was a left or right or whatever brain, he wanted to grab hold of her and take her to his room.
And those eyes. She put up a cool façade but just one look in her eyes revealed the passion of a full-blooded woman. It would be very interesting to watch her when she forgot to be cool and collected. His blood started boiling at the mere thought.
He lengthened his stride. That was the last thing he should be thinking about. Yes, she was beautiful, but so were a million other women. And as he very well knew, on this farm, beautiful women were a curse not a blessing.
He didn’t want this woman on his farm, he didn’t want her messing with his head, and he definitely didn’t want her around his horse. Chi energy – what a lot of bull.
Just because she was beautiful and had the most amazing eyes, it didn’t mean he was going to let her loose on his farm.
“What did you tell him?” Philip asked, amused.
“I told him Bravo was bored, he wanted a specific mare, and I think his aura is an indication that he’s anaemic.”
Philip burst out laughing.
“And she told him that he was a left brain … what were the words again?” Ken asked and both men laughed heartily.
By this time Cilla had enough of men and especially of the lot she had to put up with this morning. She pulled at Imke’s sleeve. “Let’s go.”
But Philip moved quickly and grabbed each one’s hand. “Look, I’m sorry, we’re being very rude. Cilla, if you know my brother like I know him, you’ll know why he’s reacting the way he does and why we are laughing. Please stay? It doesn’t happen every day that we can entertain two beautiful women like yourselves.”
Ken slapped him on the shoulder. “You’ve never had women here before, let alone beautiful ones like these two. Enjoy yourselves, I’m heading back home. Thanks, Cilla, and don’t worry, we’ll work on Cameron.”
Cilla gave him a very skeptical look.
Ken scratched his head. “I don’t think I understand everything you’re saying but nothing else we’ve tried with Bravo is helping. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure nobody hits him again. And I really hope we’ll see you again. If you can do with horses what you’ve managed to do with school kids, I’ll believe everything you say. Our son is actually reading now. Never thought I’d see the day.”
He moved towards the door and waved. “I hope we’ll see you soon.”
When he was gone, Philip pulled them after him. “I’ve cooked a lovely meal, you’re not going anywhere. I’ve laid the kitchen table; it’s much more pleasant here than in the stuffy dining room. Have a seat, I’m opening a bottle of wine. Cameron … what can I say?”
Shaking his head, he proceeded to open a bottle of wine. “When our mom died, he was still very young. She was thrown off a horse’s back. For him, it was a double loss. Not only did he lose our mom to whom he was very close, we lost a father as well. Dad immediately sold every single horse on the farm, lost all interest in the farm, in us, in life basically. Like our mother, Cameron loved to paint and draw, but my dad stopped his art lessons after our mother’s death and he removed all her paintings from the walls.”
He grimaced. “I think the development of his right brain stopped right there and then. You’re so right when you call him a left brain introvert. He is very logical and analyzes everything to death, and yeah, he’s argumentative and stubborn. The scientist in him only understands what he can see and explain. What you do is totally outside his comfort zone.” He poured them each a glass of wine and took a seat. “But let’s eat and forget about my brother for a while. At some point, his stomach will bring him to the table.”
Cilla inhaled the lovely aromas coming from the dishes on the table. “This smells divine,” she groaned. “Are you also involved in the running of the farm?”
“No, I love the place, make no mistake, but I’m no farmer. I’m a chef. While Cameron was riding horses, I was helping Mom in the kitchen. My dad hoped I’d change with time, but eventually he had to acknowledge the fact that Cameron was the farmer, not me. I have my own restaurant in Hermanus. Let me know when you visit, it would be my pleasure to have you as guests,” he said, his eyes on Imke.
He lifted his glass, his eyes twinkling. “A toast to the woman who has rocked my brother’s world within the span of two days!”
Cilla looked up in surprise. “What are you talking about? He thinks I want to put a spell on Bravo and is not impressed with this mere woman who has the gall to say she can help him with his horse.”
Philip smiled. “So you don’t understand people as well as you understand animals, it seems?”
Cilla pressed her lips together. These bloody Rahl men – they obviously think they have all the answers.
“But tell me, how does one become a horse whisperer? Do you really whisper?” he teased.
Deep breaths, Cilla, deep breaths. As calmly as possible, she tried to answer him. “I don’t whisper, I communicate with animals. And it’s really very simple. All of us are capable of doing it. As kids we know intuitively how to listen to animals, how to let them know what we want. Unfortunately most people lose that ability as they grow older. We live according to a certain set of acceptable rules and ideas. I grew up on a farm and I’ve always just known what the animals around me were feeling and experiencing. And my parents didn’t think it strange when I spoke about it.”
“She’s always been very intuitive,” Imke interrupted and placed a hand on her arm. “She always knows when I’m feeling sad even if we’re not together. And she had an imaginary friend, if I remember correctly until …” she looked at Cilla. “Right up until high school she would sometimes smile at and talk to the air next to her.”
Embarrassed, Cilla shrugged. “His name was Roux. He and I had a wonderful time on the farm. I don’t remember when he left. One day he was just gone.”
She looked up to see the frown on Philip’s face. “See, now you also think me strange.”
Imke touched his shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to her. And do try and persuade your brother to listen to her. If she says the horse wants a particular mare and that he’s bored, I’ll bet you that would be exactly what his problems are. I’ve seen too often how she helps people and animals. I’m a true believer.”
The hair on her arms raised even before she heard the noise behind her. Cameron was back. She looked up as he walked into the room. He looked calmer somehow, the frown from earlier had disappeared. She relaxed. A little bit.
Philip noticed him and motioned him closer. “Now that you’re here, we can eat. Wine?”
Cameron nodded and pulled out the chair next to Cilla. When he sat down, his knee touched hers. The temperature of her blood rose in milliseconds and a rushing noise in her ears drowned out everything else. She tried to move away but her chair wouldn’t budge. Heat radiated from his body in her direction, threatening to overwhelm her. He was restless, agitated. She felt it deep inside herself.
A hard kick against her leg made her look up. Imke was making big eyes and motioning in Philip’s direction with her head. He’d probably said something that she didn’t hear.
“Uhm … sorry. You were saying?”
“I want to know how you communicate with animals if you don’t whisper. Do you talk to them? Do they talk to you? Your mouth didn’t move when you were with Bravo, I was wondering how it works,” Philip asked, his eyes twinkling.
Cilla smiled. It was easy to talk to the brother; it was the silent man next to her that she had trouble communicating with. “No, they don’t talk but they communicate with images that explain what they want to say. Animal communicators use different techniques – some only see pictures, others use a kind of dialogue. What is important though, is the relationship you build up with the animal. Energy flows through all forms of life. You only need to open yourself up to it.”
“Okay, but exactly how does it work?” Philip insisted.
Next to her, Cameron had stiffened and she glanced quickly in his direction. That he didn’t want to be listening to this conversation was obvious. She ignored him, though and looked at Philip.
“Well, you start by regulating your breathing, then you are more susceptible to experience things in a different way. Let go of all your rigid ideas of what reality is supposed to be, and you’ll become more intuitive, and will be able to use telepathy. Telepathy derives from the Greek word ‘tele’, which means distance and ‘pathe’ which brings across the idea of a feeling, a perception. In other words, you get a feeling, a perception over a distance.”
Next to her, Cameron cleared his throat. “I’m sorry but as a scientist the whole idea is bloody ridiculous! I find it highly unlikely that Bravo will communicate to you he wants to mate with a specific mare, one whose scent he supposedly caught on his way here. I’ve never heard of anything so … so bloody bizarre.”
Cilla turned to Cameron. He was sitting so close to her, if she put out her hand she would be able to touch his hair and …
“… How do you explain that?”
She again hadn’t been listening to the conversation. Her leg touched his again and she turned her body away from him.
“I think we all have an idea, for instance, of how you think your dream husband or wife would look like. Don’t you have a picture like that in your head? One you sometimes dream about?”
He stared at her for seconds before he slowly nodded.
“Well, I got such a picture from Bravo.”
“Can you see the picture in my head?” Philip teased.
Cilla shook her head. “I can read people who are close to me, someone like Imke, who doesn’t wear a mask. Sometimes there are so many layers between who the person really is and the persona he or she shows the world that it’s difficult to read him or her.”
Cameron took a sip of wine and stared into the glass. “Look, I don’t understand what you’re talking about. I understand things I can see with my eyes, black on white. This communication you’re talking about is a grey area and makes me uncomfortable, to say the least. But,” he raised his eyes to her, “I’ll think about it.”
“That’s progress, I’d say,” Philip laughed. “He has actually agreed to think about what you said. I’m telling you, that doesn’t happen every day. If he’s made up his mind about something, he rarely changes it. And don’t hold your breath, though, he’s as stubborn as they come.”
“And you’re of course, always Mr. Nice Guy,” Cameron said, obviously irritated. “Our dad was an ornery piece of work; I suppose it’s something we’ve inherited.”
“Well, at least if you know your own shortcomings, there’s hope for you yet!” Imke teased. “When did your dad die?”
Cameron moved on his chair and his leg touched hers only this time she didn’t move away, but waited quietly for the answer.
“About two years ago,” Philip answered. “It was only after his death that Cameron started buying horses again. While Dad was alive, he refused to have a horse on the farm.”
“You’ve probably heard how my mom died,” Cameron said, looking at his plate. “She was his whole life and he was never able to accept her death. He blamed everything and everyone for what happened and nothing and no one else mattered after she was gone.”
Philip slapped his hand playfully on the table. “Oh, my goodness, this is too morbid for words. What about a decadent pudding? I’ve made something with chocolate.”
Imke sighed. “Chocolate? Cilla and I are both addicted to chocolate – we’ll do just about anything for it.”
Philip wiggled his eyebrows. “Really? Anything?”
He and Imke continued to joke but Cilla wanted to leave. The brooding man next to her with his warm leg resting against hers, was becoming harder and harder to ignore. So when Philip stood up after they’d had their pudding and offered coffee for everyone, she jumped up.
“Thanks, but we have to go. I still have marking to do. Thanks for the lovely lunch, Philip, I’ll definitely visit your restaurant in Hermanus.”
“Yes, maybe even as soon as next …” Imke began eagerly, but Cilla interrupted quickly.
“Do you have your bag?” she asked Imke.
Imke frowned. “No, I have it with me. As I was saying …”
“Imke, really. We have to go. Come on,” Cilla said, desperate to silence her friend and to get away as quickly as possible.
When Imke turned to move towards Philip, Cilla grabbed her hand and just about dragged her out to the car.
“What’s wrong with you?” Imke hissed.
“Just keep moving,” Cilla said and didn’t stop until she was safely behind the wheel of her car.
The quicker she could put distance between herself and Cameron Rahl, the better.
It was only when they drove through the gates of the farm and her heart rate had settled somewhat, that Imke turned towards her. “Well, that was interesting.”
“What was interesting? The fact that a complete stranger couldn’t keep his hands to himself but had to keep touching you?” Cilla teased.
Imke grinned. “That’s not what I’m talking about but yeah, that was also very interesting. I’m talking about your reaction to the other brother.”
“He makes me mad – if that’s what you’re talking about, I wouldn’t call it interesting.”
“Yeah, you’re mad, but what about?”
“You were there, you heard how stubborn, how narrow-minded, how … how …”
“Tall? Handsome? Sexy? Gorgeous? Those the words you’re looking for?”
Cilla glared at Imke. “That’s not what I’m thinking about …”
“Oh, come on, Cilla. The man is drop-dead gorgeous – you want to tell me you didn’t notice it? Your heartbeat didn’t even increase a tiny bit?”
And just like that, the anger left Cilla. Nobody could stay mad with Imke for long. She rolled her eyes. “Okay, yes, he’s … sexy …”
“Oh, so that’s the word you’ve picked from all of the above?”
“And gorgeous and … whatever else you mentioned, but …”
“He makes you feel flustered, uncomfortable?”
Cilla shifted restlessly in the car seat. “Imke, seriously. I’ve seen the man twice. What I was going to say before you interrupted me was that yes, he’s attractive and all the rest but he’s also rude and … and narrow-minded. You heard him. He’s a scientist, I’m anything but. Not two lanes that will ever meet.”
“You feel deeply, you would love intensely. Don’t be scared of that. You’ve always relied on your instincts, don’t stop now.”
Cilla shrugged. “This has nothing to do with me being afraid to feel. The man wanted my opinion on his horse, I gave it to him. He’s convinced I’m crazy. End of story.”
Imke opened her mouth to speak again but her phone rang. “It’s Philip,” she said, her eyes sparkling.
“Of course it’s Philip. He couldn’t stop touching you. Answer it.”
Fanning herself, Imke answered the phone.
Thank goodness. Cilla didn’t want to think about Cameron Rahl, she didn’t want to talk about him and she didn’t want to be reminded that yes, her heartbeat had in fact, increased a tiny bit.
But it was just a tiny bit and he was a very attractive man.
Cameron kicked a bucket that was lying near the stables. Inside the horses moved restlessly. He swore. Damn it to hell, now he was upsetting the horses. He wasn’t angry at them, he was angry at the whole bloody situation. Perhaps his dad hadn’t been so stupid not to want horses on the farm. Was all the trouble and effort really worth it?
But when he remembered the way his mom’s face would light up when she rode, he knew the answer to the question. She was the reason he brought horses back to the farm and because of her, he would never get rid of them again. All of this was for her.
And to remind himself of a time of laughter and love on this farm.
He entered the stables and walked up to the big black stallion. Bravo. The horse was standing as close to the far wall as possible. Disheartened Cameron stared at the animal, resting his arms on the gate.
And then she was back in his thoughts – the long-legged beauty. He remembered everything about her in vivid detail – her long brown hair, her deep green eyes, the way she lifted her chin when she was angry, the way her smile lit up her whole face. Not that he’d seen much of that. And he remembered the heat of her leg against his and the nearly overwhelming urge to take her in his arms and kiss her lips to find out whether they were as soft as they looked.
Something pushed against his hand and when he looked up, he looked into Bravo’s eyes. The big stallion had moved closer and was looking at him with … sympathy? As if he knew Cameron was thinking about Cilla, knew that he missed her. Cameron staggered back. What the bloody hell?
The big horse stared straight at him. Cameron stilled. Outside, the laziness of the Sunday afternoon reigned; the birds were chattering in the trees, the cicadas were making a noise. Inside the stables the other horses moved around. Gradually all the other sounds faded until he couldn’t hear or see anything else, except Bravo.
He blinked and then he saw it – a clear picture of a chestnut horse with a pitch black mane, exactly like the one Cilla had spoken about earlier today.
Gasping for breath, he turned around and fled from the stables. Outside he nearly ran into Ken.
“Whoa!” Ken laughed and stepped aside. “What did Bravo do now?”
“He …” Cameron motioned in the direction of the stables. “He came closer and I could see … what … I could see …”
“Yes? What did you see?” Ken asked, clearly puzzled.
Cameron took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s … nothing. I think I’m slowly losing my mind. Ever since that damn woman arrived on the farm, things have been …”
But there were no words to describe exactly what she was doing to him. With long strides he walked towards the house. He’d turned ice cold. What the bloody hell had happened just now? He’d always understood animals and never before had a problem handling them but he’d just seen a clear image of a mare when he’d been with Bravo. This was way beyond anything that he understood.
“Are you okay?” Philip asked behind him. “You’re muttering to yourself, what happened?”
“Any coffee left?” Cameron asked brusquely and walked into the house. He needed something and it was way too early to have a drink. A caffeine kick would have to do.
He put the coffee in the machine, took out the mugs, walked to the fridge to get the milk. Each movement was slow, focused. He knew how to do this, this made sense, this was normal, ordinary.
Philip cleared his throat behind him and he turned around to see his brother lounging against the door, a big smile on his face.
“What are you grinning at?” Cameron grunted.
“I’m grinning at you. You’re even grumpier than usual. What’s going on?”
For a split second Cameron thought of telling his brother what he’d seen. What he’d thought he’d seen. But he realized, almost immediately, it was not a good idea – he would never hear the end of it.
“I thought I’d come and visit you next week in Hermanus,” he finally said.
“Great. Summer is nearly gone and you’ve only been there once.”
“Well, it was harvest time as you know; it’s a difficult time to be away from the farm.”
“Oh, come on. You’ve harvested long before Christmas. You need to get away from the farm now and again, meet people, meet women. One of the new waitresses is gorgeous, she is still studying but she works over weekends and …”
“Not interested,” Cameron interrupted him.
Philip came closer and slapped him on the shoulder. “Come and see, will you? I have to go now, will you be okay?”
“I don’t know what you’re going on about, I’m fine. I want to find out what the hell is wrong with Bravo, the sooner the better. There are other things on the farm that need my attention; I can’t keep taking workers to the hospital because of one ornery horse!”
Philip cleared his throat. “What about Cilla’s ideas?”
Cameron crossed his arms. “Ken and I have spoken about letting the horses run free, it’s not as if I’ve never thought of the idea, but it took time to fence off a piece of land specifically for them. But now it’s done. As far as the mare for Bravo is concerned … I-I’ll go and talk to Cilla’s dad about the chestnut mare. I don’t believe for one minute that’s the only reason for Bravo’s behaviour, but to please Ken, I’m prepared to do even that. Just to show all of them the woman is talking nonsense.”