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Theyweremarried, and Beth knew in that moment, standing in the hall after he’d read her son a bedtime story and put him to bed, that she was in love with him.
“What’s goin’ on in that head of yours?” he asked, and Beth didn’t know how to tell him. Maybe she could just show him.
She took a small step toward him, swallowing against her nerves. “Trey,” she said, her voice shaking on the one-syllable name. “I love you.”
Her son had said it and gotten a favorable response. Maybe she would too.
Trey’s shock showed plainly on his face. “Beth, you don’t have to say—”
“I wouldn’t,” she said. “I’m saying it, because it’s true.” She took another step toward him, and he really had nowhere to go. Feeling strong now, with a touch of bravery somewhere deep inside her, she ran her fingers up his arm to where he held the plate with one remaining brownie on it.
She looked only at it, because if he said no to her next question, she didn’t want to be looking into his eyes. “Do you love me?”
He didn’t answer immediately, which only lit her strength, confidence, and bravery on fire. As it burned and turned to ash, she closed her eyes against the stinging rejection.
Then he said, “Yes, I love you.”
Beth’s eyes flew open, and she met his gaze. They moved toward one another simultaneously, and the resulting kiss was nearly an explosion. She pulled in a breath as she ran her hands through his hair, lifting up onto her toes in an attempt to get closer to him.
She needed to be close to him; there was no way to get close enough.
She gasped as he broke the powerful kiss and moved his mouth to her neck. She clung to him and whispered, “Let’s go into the bedroom, Trey.”
“Yeah?” he asked, his voice rough and filled with desire. His hands seemed to be everywhere, and he dragged his lips toward her collarbone, sending a spray of sparks through her whole body.
“Yes,” she said, lowering herself back to stand flat on her feet. She had no idea where the plate with that brownie was. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was the two of them. She laced her fingers through his, looking at them in the harsh light from the hallway.
Then she led him into her bedroom, where she closed and locked the door behind them.
Chapter Thirteen
“She’s havin’ a problem on that last turn,” Trey said, consulting his clipboard.
“She wants to break there,” Rob said. “It’s extremely hard to hold her back.”
Trey looked up to where Rob stood next to Somebody’s Lady. “Maybe we should let her,” he said. “Just let her break on that turn and see what happens.”
Rob shook his head, though he wasn’t necessarily disagreeing with Trey. “It’s crazy. No one lets their horse loose on the curve.”
“Let’s just try it,” Trey said. “Can we set her up again?”
“Sure.” Rob stepped into Somebody’s Lady and ducked his head to murmur something to her. They had a special bond, and Trey found it remarkable. A tingling feeling spread down his shoulders, and he knew the Lord had directly helped him find this trainer and jockey.
As Rob led Lady away, Trey put one foot on the bottom rung of the fence and watched them. When they were out of earshot, he whispered, “Thank you, Lord, for Thy bounteous blessings.”
Rob had made it about halfway back to the starting gate when the door to Trey’s left opened. He stood straight and tall immediately, his heart pounding. He’d managed to keep his practice sessions under the radar, but when Lawrence entered the arena, it seemed that was about to come to an end.
Trey swallowed, his mouth semi-dry all of a sudden.
“What’s goin’ on in here?” Lawrence said, looking around like there might be a magic show he’d like to see.
“Nothing,” Trey said, working very hard not to turn around and check on Rob’s progress. He couldn’t hide Somebody’s Lady, though, and with Lawrence, he likely didn’t need to.
Lawrence, who stood maybe an inch taller than Trey, looked past him to the track. “So this is how you’ve been training your horse for the Sweetheart Classic.”
Trey’s jaw jumped, but he said nothing.
Lawrence draped his arms over the top of the fence and looked down the track toward the black and white horse. He whistled appreciatively. “She’s a pretty horse.” He glanced a Trey. “How’s she run?”
