Читать книгу Suddenly a Daddy: The Billionaire's Unexpected Heir / The Baby Surprise - Kathie DeNosky, Brenda Harlen - Страница 13

“Where’s Heather?” Jake asked when he walked into the kitchen and found Clara feeding the baby breakfast.

“Tony called. There was a problem down at the stables with one of the horses and he wanted her to come down to assess the situation.” The housekeeper shook her head. “He knows Heather would never forgive him if he hadn’t let her know about it.”

Jake frowned. He’d put Tony in charge to free Heather from having to deal with this sort of thing until after the race. “Is there something wrong with Dancer?”

“No. I think she said one of the other studs has a really nasty cut on its pastern.” She spooned a mouthful of cereal into Mandy’s open mouth. “Heather’s almost as good as a vet when it comes to taking care of horses and I’m pretty sure Tony wanted her to take a look at the injury to see how bad it is.”

Clara might as well have been speaking a foreign language for all he understood about where the horse was injured. “How did she learn so much about horses?” he asked as he grabbed a mug from the cabinet, then poured himself a cup of coffee.

“Bless her heart, she learned from the best,” the housekeeper said, smiling fondly. “Before he died five years ago, her dad, George, was the manager here. From the time she was old enough to walk, she followed him around like a shadow and soaked up everything he knew about horses.”

Fascinated by the details he was learning about Heather, Jake leaned against the kitchen counter. “What about her mother? Is she still around?”

Clara snorted. “No, and I say good riddance. She was a wild one, always looking for a good time. She took off when Heather was six and they never heard from her again.”

It sounded to him like Heather’s mother and his father were a lot alike—narcissistic and completely irresponsible. “I think I’ll walk down to the stable and see what’s going on. Would you mind watching Mandy until Heather and I get back?”

“Not at all.” Clara grinned as she wiped the baby’s face. “Take all the time you need. The only thing I have to do this morning is come up with another list of chores to keep Daily busy after he finishes mucking out the stalls.”

Chuckling, Jake wondered how much longer the woman was going to make the boy suffer for his lapse of judgment. “I have another project that I’d like his help with. Do you think you could pencil that in on the schedule for tomorrow?”

Clara nodded. “Will you need him all day?”

“Probably several days. Will that be a problem?”

“Not at all.” She smiled. “What have you got up your sleeve this time?”

“When we moved Heather and the baby, I noticed the carriage house could use a fresh coat of paint and some new carpet.”

As Jake left the house and walked the distance to the stables, his thoughts returned to Heather and he couldn’t help but wonder how she’d slept the night before. If he was taking bets, he’d wager that she hadn’t gotten any more sleep than he had.

Entering the stable, he followed the sound of a loud commotion. What had been so important that Tony felt the need to call Heather?

“Hold him while I get him tranquilized.”

Jake automatically turned at the sound of Heather’s voice inside one of the stalls and it felt as if his heart came up into his throat. As he watched, she, Tony and another groom jumped back just in time to keep from being kicked by a very large, extremely agitated horse.

“Heather, get out of there.” He tossed the coffee cup onto a pile of straw and reached to open the stall’s half door.

“Don’t you dare open that door,” she warned. “Just stay back. We’ve got this under control.”

It didn’t appear that they had everything in hand. It looked as if someone was about to get seriously hurt. The thought that it might be Heather had his heart hammering so hard that he thought he’d surely end up with a few cracked ribs.

When Tony and the other man finally caught hold of the thoroughbred’s halter, Heather moved swiftly to jab a long needle into the animal’s shoulder. The horse lurched to one side, then kicked the back of the stall with a blow that Jake knew for certain would have killed someone had it connected with one of the humans inside the enclosure. But just when he thought all hell was going to break loose, Heather and the grooms managed to open the half-door and escape.

Fear ignited an anger in him that quickly flared out of control and he was itching for a confrontation. “What the hell do you think you were doing in there?” he demanded when she stood safely in front of him.

“The job you pay me to do.”

He stubbornly shook his head. “I pay a veterinarian to attend injured horses. And if the size of his bills are any indication, I pay him quite well.”

As he and Heather glared at each other, Jake noticed Tony and the other man hurrying toward the far end of the barn. They apparently decided that retreat was the better part of valor.

“For your information, the vet is on the way.” Her aqua eyes sparkled with anger and he didn’t think he’d ever seen her look prettier.

“Then why were you in the stall? Why didn’t you wait for Dr. Pennington to get here?”

“Because Magic needed a sedative immediately,” she shot back. “We couldn’t run the risk of him making the injury worse.”

“I don’t care,” he said angrily. “You could have gotten yourself killed.”

“I’ve been around horses all my life and I know what I’m doing,” she insisted. “Besides, that horse is a full brother to Dancer and almost as valuable as he is. His stud fees alone are going to make you a fortune once he’s retired from racing.”

Reaching out, Jake took her by the shoulders. “Don’t you understand? It’s not about the money, Heather. Your safety is far more important to me than any money I could make off of a damned horse.”

She stared at him for several long seconds before her stormy expression began to ease a bit. “Honestly, I really wasn’t in as much danger as it might have seemed, Jake.”

He crushed her to him. “Even the slightest chance of you being hurt in any way is one chance too many, honey.”

As his heart slowly returned to a more normal beat, he couldn’t get over the fear that had coursed through him when he saw the horse come so close to kicking her. It had rivaled the feeling he’d experienced a few days ago when he’d awakened to find his napping daughter missing from where she’d fallen asleep on his chest.

Before he could analyze what that might mean, he lowered his head to cover Heather’s mouth with his. He told himself that he needed to reassure himself that she was indeed all right. Yet the truth of the matter was he’d become quite good at looking for reasons to kiss her.

Soft and pliant, her lips immediately fused with his as she wrapped her arms around his neck. But when she used the tip of her tongue to invite him to deepen the kiss, her eager response to the caress sent blood surging through his veins and his body hardened so fast it made him dizzy.

As he slipped inside and teased, he slid his hands from her back to her delightful little blue jeans-clad bottom and tried to pull her even closer. But an insistent nudge against his legs had him breaking the kiss to look down at the big dog trying to work his way between them.

“Thank God Nemo came along when he did.” Heather’s cheeks colored a pretty pink as she glanced down the wide aisle to see if anyone had been watching.

“I thought you were supposed to be man’s best friend,” Jake groused when he bent to pick up his discarded coffee cup. He scratched behind the big dog’s ears. “How would you like it if I interrupted you and one of your female friends?”

“Since he’s been neutered, I doubt he’d care,” she said dryly.

“Nemo, buddy, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Jake said sympathetically.

She looked confused. “Why are you sorry he’s been neutered?”

“It’s a guy thing.” Jake shook his head. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“The vet just arrived,” Tony called from the opposite end of the stable, drawing their attention back to the matter at hand.

“Heather and I are going back up to the house,” Jake said before she could answer or find an excuse to stick around. “You assist him with whatever he needs.”

“No problem, boss.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” she stated. “My job is to stay right here and see to Stormy Magic’s welfare.”

“Dr. Pennington has arrived and Tony will see that he takes good care of whatever treatment the animal needs.” Turning her, Jake put his arm around her shoulders and started walking them from the stable. “Besides, if you’ll remember, we have a dinner meeting with a couple of the other owners and then the Southern Oaks Ball to attend this evening.”

“You could go without me.”

“Nope. You agreed to be my date for these things. It’s too late to back out now.”

She shook her head. “It was more like you pulled rank and told me I was going.”

He chuckled. “Whatever. You’ll need to start getting ready early.”

“Why? We’re not meeting the other owners until seven this evening.”

“I was contacted this morning by the television network carrying the race. They want to interview us before dinner and get some footage for their Meet the Owners pre-race segment.”

“I don’t own Dancer. You do. There’s no reason for me to be included in that.” She shrugged from beneath his arm and stopping, glared at him. “Right after he was named the favorite to win the Classic, they showed up here to tape his daily exercises and grooming. They interviewed me then and I told them everything there is to know about Dancer.” She shook her head. “This particular fifteen minutes of fame is all yours.”

* * *

When Jake helped her out of the back of the limousine, Heather felt as if she’d stepped right into the middle of a three-ring circus. Cameras whirred and reporters called out questions as they walked along the carpeted runway toward the entrance of one of the oldest and most prestigious hotels in Louisville.

“This is just like a Hollywood premiere,” Jake said, placing his hand to her back to guide her.

“And the very reason I would have preferred staying at home,” she muttered. They’d spent an hour and a half before dinner being interviewed by the television network as well as a couple of reporters from the print media. She was more than ready to escape the spotlight.

“What was that, honey?” he asked, leaning close.

“It’s not important.” She wasn’t surprised he hadn’t been able to hear her. The noise was almost deafening.

Thankfully they left most of the chaos behind as they crossed the lobby to enter the Grand Ballroom. She waited while Jake presented the doorman with his invitation, then walking into the ornate room, looked around. The light from the massive crystal chandeliers caused the gold accents on the pristine white walls to take on a rich glow and complemented the heavy floor-to-ceiling red velvet drapes. As she continued to scan the room, she spotted a few of the same guests that had attended the Wainwrights’ reception along with several well-known celebrities and foreign dignitaries.

“Is that who I think it is?” Jake asked as a sheikh and his entourage strolled past them.

She nodded. “That’s Sheikh Kalid Al-Kahra. He owns Dancer’s biggest competition.”

“Do you think we have anything to worry about?” Jake asked.

“Not a chance.” She couldn’t stop her smug smile. “The sheikh’s jockey has a tendency to take the horses he’s riding to the lead right out of the gate and doesn’t let up. By the time they reach the homestretch, the horse has nothing left for the sprint to the finish.”

“I’m glad that jockey is riding the sheikh’s horse and not ours,” Jake said, grinning.

“The previous owner of Hickory Hills demanded the best. That’s why we have Miguel Santana wearing our silks.” She nodded toward a group standing off to the side of the orchestra. “See that distinguished-looking gentleman over there with all the medals and ribbons? He’s the Crown Prince of Marunda. He owns the long shot.”

“The Wainwright affair was small potatoes compared to the company we’re keeping this evening,” Jake said, accepting champagne for both of them from a passing waiter. “There are some very impressive pedigrees here this evening.”

“I suppose you could say that.” She accepted the sparkling wine he handed her and took a sip. “But I’m more impressed by the horses than I am with the people owning them.”

He looked thoughtful. “You really mean that, don’t you?”

She nodded. “Owners like the sheikh and the prince were born into their positions in life. They didn’t have to work to get where they are. But every horse starts out the same. They may have impressive bloodlines, but they still have to work and prove themselves on the track. That’s something to be admired.”

They fell silent for several moments before she felt him watching her.

“Is something wrong?”

“Not at all.” His smile caused her pulse to speed up. “Do you realize you’re the most beautiful woman here tonight?”

“I really hadn’t given it much thought,” she said truthfully.

She had, however, thought a lot about how handsome he was. Dressed in a tuxedo she knew for certain hadn’t come off of a rack, he looked absolutely amazing.

When a beautiful young woman stepped up to the microphone in front of the orchestra and began to sing the song “At Last,” Jake set both of their glasses on a nearby table. “Let’s dance.”

He took her hand and leading her out onto the dance floor, took her into his arms. The awareness suddenly arcing between them was spellbinding. Gazing into the other’s eyes, neither spoke as the orchestra played and the young woman sang about finally finding love. Jake held her close, and swaying in time to the music, Heather knew that she’d remember the moment for the rest of her life.

When the song ended, the orchestra immediately played the beginning notes of another slow, dreamy love song and he pulled her more fully to him. Resting her head against his broad chest, she closed her eyes. She’d never felt more cherished, more secure than she did at that very moment in Jake’s arms.

“Honey, I want you more right now than I’ve ever wanted anything in my entire life,” he whispered close to her ear.

His warm breath caused a shiver to course through her. She could deny that she didn’t want him just as much, but she was tired of lying. From the moment he arrived at the farm, she’d fought what she knew now to be the inevitable. Jake’s touch, his drugging kisses and being held in his arms had worn down her defenses, and she’d lost the battle she’d waged with herself. She wanted him just as much now as she had the night they’d conceived Mandy.

Leaning back to stare up at him, the heat in his cobalt gaze stole her breath.

“How long are we expected to stay at this thing?” he asked.

Her heart sped up. “We’ve put in an appearance. That’s all that’s expected.”

“Then what do you say we call it an evening and go home?” The promising look he gave her sent excitement coursing through her veins.

Before she could answer, he led her off the dance floor and out of the ballroom straight to the concierge desk. Requesting that their limousine be sent to the front entrance, Jake helped her into the backseat. He raised the window between them and the driver, then gathered her into his arms.

Touching her chin with his index finger, he smiled when their gazes met. “You do know what’s going to happen when we get back to the farm?”

Her smile robbed him of breath. “Yes.”

Crushing her to him, he covered her mouth with his and it suddenly felt as if the temperature in the car went up a good ten degrees. As she put her arms around his neck, she parted her lips and he didn’t hesitate to deepen the kiss.

Her eager response sent blood surging through his veins and he didn’t think twice about slipping his hand inside the low cut neckline of her evening gown. Caressing her breast, he touched the beaded tip with his thumb. Her moan fueled the fire building in his belly, but when she moved her hand upward from where it rested on his thigh, the rush of heat tightening his groin made him feel as if the top of his head might just come off. He would have liked nothing more than to strip her of the sexy dress and make love to her right then and there. But he hadn’t made out in the backseat of a car since he was in his teens and he’d forgotten just how uncomfortable it could be.