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She shot him a glare, and he took the hint. He backed away while giving her a quick wave. Then he was gone, and she relaxed. Grooming horses was her favorite thing to do outside of riding them. She began with the mane, brushing out any tangles, dirt, and debris she could find. Usually, she used a dab of conditioner, but Chuck hadn't set any out. So she decided to do her best without it.
Someone cleared his throat behind her. She didn't have to look to know it was Jared. His mere presence disturbed the atmosphere. Electric. A weird sensation sizzled across her skin.
“I'm sorry,” he said in a flat tone.
She sighed. “I'm working.”
“No, you're not. You're hiding.”
“From you? Don't flatter yourself.” She stroked the brush over Breaking Storm's back. The horse whinnied in complaint and tried to move away. He obviously sensed her dark mood. She had to concentrate on being gentle. “Could you go back to the house? You're upsetting the horse.”
“I think I'm upsetting his groomer.” Jared shoved his hands deep into his pockets and rocked back on his heels, a familiar habit she remembered from his youth. He added, “I need to tell you why—”
“Don't bother. I'm fine. You didn't have to rush out here with apologies and explanations. I'm not a silly girl anymore. I am a fully grown woman. Go finish eating your meal before Delta gets upset.”
She brushed Breaking Storm's neck while silently praying Jared would return to the house without her. Nothing he could say would make her feel better. Her scars were too deep to be healed by mere words.
He sighed. “Hey, you overheard the end of a conversation, and you walked in at the worst part. I didn't mean it like it sounded.”
“Oh? Are you saying I'm not the last person you would want to have a relationship with?”
“I'm saying this has nothing to do with you as a woman. It's not a rejection of you.”
She mumbled, “Feels that way.”
He drew closer until he could pluck the brush from her hand. She schooled her expression before turning in his direction. She didn't want him to see the pain he so easily caused. The two of them needed to go their separate ways before too much damage occurred. She felt the wedding ring tightening like a noose around her finger.
“I couldn't fall for you even if I wanted to,” he said.
She blinked up at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”
He gestured to the acreage around them. “You love this ranch as much as I hate it. You always have. But I will never live here again. Do you hear me? Never. Hell, I don't even like the idea of staying the night.”
“Why? What is it about this place that makes you so crazy? Can't be your father. He's gone. Is it me?”
He shook his head hard. “It isn't you, and my father was only part of the problem.”
She felt like they were finally getting somewhere. He was talking to her, opening up to her, and she didn't want it to stop. For years, she'd wondered why he loathed her beloved ranch so much. If she could understand the reasoning behind it, perhaps she could help him. “Tell me,” she said. “Make me understand.”
“I don't want to talk about it.”
“You don't trust me at all, do you?”
His mouth opened to make a reply, but his facial features froze. He took a step back and stared at the horse. “Is this... did you use Balefire as a stud?”
The blood drained from her face, and her heart beat so loudly that she could hear it in her own ears. She'd forgotten about the horse's parentage and hadn't had time to warn him. This was not good, not good at all. “I... Balefire was such a beautiful animal, and you went away to college, and we didn't think you'd ever come home.”
“You bred my horse without asking me? With who?”
“Sea Nympho.”
That match had made perfect sense at the time. According to Simon, Balefire had been a gift from their mother, her last gift to Jared. When Balefire died, it crushed him. He had probably felt like he'd lost his mom all over again. What he didn't know was they had frozen some of Balefire's semen. She did that with all their best horses, just in case something happened to them.
She added, “And it wasn’t me that chose to breed Balefire with Sea Nympho. I was only fifteen at the time. Big Jim made the decision, and my father thought it was a great idea.”
“Why didn't you tell me?” he asked. “I hated the idea of him being the last in his line. Why didn't you tell me Balefire had a son?”
“When was I supposed to do that?” She threw her hands up in the air. “You avoided this place like it was the gateway to hell. Then, when you did come back, Balefire was sick. Was I supposed to tell you that night, the night he died?”
