AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Stargazer was missing from his stall. The mystery rider was most likely Rose.
He put a bridle on Lucifer and led him into the yard. He sprang onto the horse’s back, cantered out, and then galloped into the night.
~~o0o~~
Rose soon realized that she’d risk more than her neck if she kept up a fast pace. The horse could stumble, and she would never forgive herself if he were injured. Riding at night at speed was exhilarating, but she reined in so Stargazer could pick his way in safety. As he ambled along, she took the chance to soak in her surroundings. The moon cast a blue light from behind the clouds, illuminating her path. She inhaled deeply, appreciating the scents and sounds of the pampas that seemed more pronounced at night. She knew where she was heading and soon spotted the rocky outcrop at the edge of the river where she’d chatted to the gauchos who worked on the ranch. They’d lit a fire and had shown her how to build one using tinder that was lying around, and a spark tool and lighter fuel they kept in a hollowed-out opening in one of the big old trees. She guessed that gauchos had probably been hiding their fire-making materials in the same old tree for generations. It was the perfect place to stop and rest the horses by the river, and she was hopeful that the materials she would need to light a fire would still be there.
After dismounting on the riverbank, she walked across to the tree. Kneeling on the mossy ground, she felt around in the scratchy hollow. She made a small sound of pleasure when her fingers touched
the metal tool. It was full of fuel, she discovered with relief when she brought it out and shook it. Next she set about gathering tinder for the fire, confident she’d be warm in no time.
Not completely useless after all, Rose concluded with satisfaction as she settled back on her haunches to enjoy the warmth of her very first fire. Spreading her arms, she delighted in the fresh, clean air with its tang of wood smoke. It felt good to be away from all the tensions, as if she could touch happiness with her fingertips.
But it always got away.
Nope. She wasn’t going to think like that. Standing up, she turned her face to the sky, wondering if Dante’s mother, the Romani princess, had camped out beneath the stars in this very same spot. If she had, she must have felt the same impulse to light a fire and dance around it in the moonlight. With no one to see her, Rose didn’t feel ridiculous at all.
What would her mother think if she could see her now? Would she be pleased her daughter was adventurous and had come halfway across the world in pursuit of her dream to work with horses? Or would she think Rose would have been better off staying at home? Kicking off her boots, she settled for the first option. Hadn’t her father always said that the excitement had left his life when Rose’s mother died? She was going to dance for both of them. Freeing her hair, she shook it out.
Maybe she needed a few lessons, Rose concluded after trying a few steps. Ungainly but enthusiastic would have shown on a school report. But as she was quite alone and—what was it that old Romani woman had said all those years ago? Rose would work with horses and would belong in a vast, wild land. At the time, Rose had pulled a face, thinking that meant staying on her father’s farm for the rest of her life, as it had seemed vast to her then, and it was certainly wild when her brothers were home. But was this the wilderness the old lady had been referring to?
The fire blazed vigorously as she danced. Her choreography was basic. She spun round and around. She was enjoying herself so much that she didn’t even stop when she was dizzy, and one last flourish almost plummeted her into the fire. She shrieked as a pair of strong arms caught her from behind.
She whirled around. “Dante!”
“No, I’m a fucking demon you summoned with your spell.”
“Don’t joke!” Clutching her chest, Rose tried to catch her breath. “You frightened me half to death.”
“You nearly burnt yourself completely to death,” he pointed out angrily. “For fuck’s sake, Rose! What are you doing out here on your own at night?”
“I needed space and a chance to think—”
“Screw the psychobabble!” Dante was clearly as shocked as Rose by her near miss with the fire. “You were running away from your feelings again—”
“Me?” she flared. “I don’t know how you dare say that.”
“Quite easily. You accuse me of not showing emotion? Take a look at yourself.”
“I have no idea you’re talking about,” Rose defended hotly.
“You grew up with six brothers,” Dante reminded her. “My best guess is that if you showed any emotion, they ripped the crap out of you. That’s how you’ve grown up—that’s all you know. Rose, with her tightly drawn hair and no makeup. Rose, with her sensible knickers and the professional attitude that’s eating away at the fun inside you. I admire your professionalism more than you know, but not when it spills over into your private life. You’re the best trainer I know, and that’s saying something. You take on the most difficult horses without a thought for your own safety, and then you do something reckless like tonight. You’re the one who needs to get in touch with your feelings, not me. Why couldn’t you speak to me before doing this?” he demanded with an angry gesture.
“This is the man who was squared up, ready for a fight at the party? And I’m supposed to confide in you? Are you kidding me? You’re not my keeper, Dante—”
“No. I’m your employer,” he interrupted.
“Ah…” She nodded. “You have a responsibility for me. So what’s your problem? Doesn’t your insurance cover employees riding out at night?”
“It doesn’t cover stupidity. No.”
Rose had to press her lips together to stop herself from saying something she would regret. The worst of it was, Dante was right. She’d risked a horse, and she’d risked her life. She’d thought of nothing but getting away from Dante—and yet here he was. She had to applaud the irony, if nothing else.
“I was doing fine until you crept up on me. I was careful. I rode slowly—”
“You were not doing fine. You almost fell into the fire.” And he had only to glance at his horse, tethered to a tree, to prove the point that he hadn’t crept up on her. “Thank God you lit the bonfire. I might not have found you without it.”
She was thankful. And she was glad he was here. Too much so, Rose concluded as a familiar tension began to build between them.
