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She huffed out a sigh, shoulders drooping slightly. “He’s being stubborn.”
He frowned. “Is this normal for him?”
A shake of her head sent a ripple through her silky waves. “No. But then again, there’s not much that’s been normal lately.”
The frustration in her voice sparked sympathy. He knew how it felt to miss normal, though his experience stemmed from an entirely different situation, and things had begun to improve this past year.
Marginally.
Setting that aside, he stepped up onto the ramp. “May I?”
Raine twisted around to glare at him, as if offended he dared to ask. Just as he was trying not to notice the pretty color of her hazel irises, she rolled her eyes and moved back while extending one hand with the lead rope in silent invitation. Clearly, she didn’t expect him to succeed where she’d failed.
Or maybe, she was as desperate as her father.
Reyes entered the trailer, murmuring softly, keeping his gaze locked on Diamond Fire while taking the rope and easing closer to approach the horse from the side so he wouldn’t startle him. Conscious of Raine watching with her arms crossed, he reached a hand to stroke the gelding’s neck, then held his palm out for him to smell.
“Hey, boy, how’s it going? I bet you’re tired after the trip here, so how about we get you out of this box? The sun’s still shining, and there’s a nice, cool breeze outside.”
He kept his voice low and smooth. The horse’s ears flicked back and forth, then stayed forward as he arched his neck and turned to bump his forehead against Reyes’ chest. When he leaned his weight into him, Reyes took a step back. The gelding turned to follow.
“There you go. Good boy.” Forcing away a triumphant grin, he gave a gentle pull on the lead and led him toward the ramp. “Come on. We’ve got a clean stall all set for you, big guy.”
Raine muttered, “Traitor,” under her breath as they passed. At the bottom of the ramp, she stepped forward and took the lead rope from his hands. “I’m going to walk him around to stretch his legs.”
He lifted his palms and stepped away—but not before he caught a whiff of something light and flowery. The enticing scent amped up his pulse all over again. “I’ll meet you inside when you’re ready.”
As she led her horse away, the groom and driver were already closing up the trailer to leave. Reyes stood by the barn as they drove away, leaving Raine’s pile of luggage and horse feed stacked by the front doors. Looked like he’d be playing bellhop after all. He gave a low growl, then set to work transferring the hay and grain into the same stall as her trunks.
Nearly fifteen minutes later, the clip-clop of hooves drew him out of the office next to the stable’s tack room. He made his way down the aisle to show Raine the stall he’d prepared for Diamond Fire, and the one next to it where he’d stored all the tack and feed.
“How’s he doing?”
“He’s fine,” she said shortly. “I don’t know what got into him. He’s never done that before.”
Reyes didn’t know what to say to make her feel better about the horse’s refusal to obey. It wasn’t like the two of them weren’t used to travelling for events and being in new places on a regular basis, so he couldn’t blame it on that. He also didn’t quite know why he wanted to ease her distress, so he kept silent as she put the gelding in the stall and checked everything over.
When he noticed her intense scrutiny of every nook and cranny, a spark of defensive annoyance surged forward. “Everything up to your standards, your Highness?”
The sarcasm earned him a sideways glare. “It’s fine,” she said. “You can go now.”
Oh, how badly he wanted to be an asshole after such a haughty dismissal. Instead, he gave her a smile that he hoped irked the shit out of her. “Come on now, I know you don’t really want me to leave.”
A flash of alarm lit her hazel eyes a second before she scoffed and arched her brows. “Wanna bet?”
“Wanna carry all that luggage to the guest house by yourself?”
Her gaze cut to the door where the transport driver had left her things in a jumbled pile. She clenched her jaw a second before her shoulders slumped. “No.”
“I’ll give you five minutes to finish up, and then I’ll drive you over.”
“I’m not quite ready to leave Fire yet. Just leave everything at the door, and I’ll walk over when I’m finished.”
He had to give her credit for that one—not for ordering him around like her own personal servant, but for taking care of her horse. She looked exhausted after the twelve-hour drive from Texas, and if he was honest, he’d totally expected her to bail on the animal.
“Suit yourself.” He pulled out the keys the senator had given him. “These are for the house. Janine filled the fridge and left her car in the garage for you to use, so you should be all set.”
“Thanks.” Her tone was grudging as she accepted the keys. Then she looked around as if searching for someone. After a long moment, she asked, “Did my uncle say anything to your dad about what’s going on? No one’s bothered to inform me who I’m supposed to be working with, or when we’re supposed to meet. I expected him—or her—to be here tonight.”
