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The muscle ticked in his jaw as he slowly lowered his hands from her face and stepped back. “No, Cassie. Nothing about you or this situation is easy.”
Without another word, he turned and walked through her house and out the back door. Cassie gripped the edge of the sofa and let out a sigh. She had no clue what had just happened, but something beyond desire lurked in Ian’s dark eyes. The way he’d looked at her, as if he was wrestling his own personal demon...
Cassie shook her head. This was not her problem. Sleeping with the man had brought up so many complications—the main reason she never did flings.
Was that why she kept feeling this pull? Because sex just wasn’t sex to her? For her to sleep with someone meant she had some sort of deeper bond than just lust. How could she not feel attached to the man who made her feel this alive?
Glancing down to sweet Emily, who was chewing on her stuffed horse, Cassie rested her hip against the couch. This baby was her world and no way would she be that mother who needed to cling to men or have a revolving door of them.
Better to get her head on straight and forget just how much Mr. Hollywood Agent affected her mind.
Trouble was, she was seriously afraid he’d already affected her heart.
Ten
“My girls ready for next week?”
Cassie slid the saddle off Don Pedro and threw a glance over her shoulder to her father. Damon Barrington stalked through the stables that he not only owned, but at one time had spent nearly every waking hour in.
Even though the Barringtons’ planned to retire from the scene after this racing season, Damon still wasn’t ready to sell the prizewinning horses. He’d had generous offers, including one from his biggest rival in the industry, Jake Mason, but so far no deal had been made. Cassie highly doubted her father would ever sell to Jake. The two had been competitors for years and had never gotten along on the track...or off it.
“We’re as ready as we’ll ever be,” Tessa said as she started brushing down the Thoroughbred. “My time is even better than before. I’m pretty confident about the Preakness.”
Damon smiled, slipping his hands into the pockets of his worn jeans. The man may be a millionaire and near royalty in the horse industry because of his Triple Crown win nearly two decades ago, but he still was down-to-earth and very much involved in his daughters’ careers.
“I know you’ll do the Barrington name proud, Tess.” He reached up and stroked the horse’s mane as Cassie slid in beside her father.
“What are you doing down here?” Cassie asked. “Thought you’d be keeping your eye on the film crew.”
Damon patted the horse and reached over to wrap an arm around Cassie’s shoulders. A wide grin spread across his tanned, aged face. His bright blue eyes landed on hers.
“The lighting guys are reworking the living room right now,” he explained. “The scene they shot the other day wasn’t quite what they wanted. They’re shooting a small portion again this afternoon.”
This whole new world of filming was so foreign to her, but the process was rather fascinating. “I plan on heading into town and picking up some feed later,” she told him. “I guess I’ll miss watching that.”
And more than likely miss seeing Ian again—which was probably for the best. She needed space after that simple dinner and arousing kiss last night. He hadn’t been by the stables and she hadn’t seen him around the grounds, so he was probably working...which was what she needed to concentrate on.
“I thought I’d take Emily with me and maybe run her by that new toy store in town,” Cassie went on. “She’s learning to walk now and maybe I can find her something she can hold on to and push around to strengthen her little legs.”
Damon laughed. “Once she starts walking, she’ll be all over this place.”
Cassie smiled. “I can’t wait to see how she looks in a saddle.”
Tessa came around Don Pedro and started brushing his other side. “Why don’t you take her for a ride now? I’m sure she’d love it and it’s such a nice day out. We’re done for a while anyway.”
The idea was tempting. “I still need to get feed, though.”
“I’ll send Nash to get it,” Damon spoke up. “He won’t mind.”
Cassie leaned her head against her father’s strong shoulder. “Thanks, Dad.”
Patting her arm, Damon placed a kiss on top of her head. “Anytime. Now go get my granddaughter and start training her right.”
Excited for Emily’s first ride, Cassie nearly sprinted to the main house and through the back door to the kitchen, where Linda was washing dishes.
