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Thankfully, Samantha was all business, and she soon diffused the situation. “So, Mathis, would you like a cup of coffee while Callie loads her horse?” she batted her long russet eye lashes, oozing the charm that was typical of Samantha.
Unfortunately, Mathis seemed completely immune to her looks and her appeal, which I couldn’t understand because I had yet to meet a man, until Mathis, who wasn’t drawn to her like a moth to flame. Mathis, however, smiled politely at her before shaking his head.
“Thanks, Samantha, but I better help Callie.”
Sammy and I shared a mutual look and inward groan. I tried to hide my disappointment as my brain fired away ideas about how to get this task done without Mathis asking too many questions. “Okay…well, if you’ll just back the trailer right up to the barn doorway?”
As Mathis maneuvered the trailer as instructed, Samantha and I hurried down the hall to close the door at the opposite end.
“Callie, how the hell are you going to get that brute into the trailer? You can’t even get a damn halter on him!”
I scratched my chin. By this point, we were outside the stallion’s pen, and he was gaining irritation just seeing us. I could hear him thrashing about in there, stomping and kicking, and blowing air loudly through his nostrils in warning.
Mathis stepped up beside us, glanced into the stall where all the ruckus was coming from, and sighed. “Dammit, Callie. This is about that black horse, isn’t it?”
My spirits dropped, because Mathis had this tone to his voice I’d never heard before. A no nonsense-I’m not going to let you kill yourself-tone. Glancing at Sam, I was glad when she seemed to get the hint and wandered down the hall to pet Pizazz who was watching us inquisitively.
Taking Mathis by the hand, I looked up into those golden topaz pools and I sighed. “Mathis, I wouldn’t ask this of you if I had any other choice. Look, I know you don’t know me that well, and there’s not much between us besides…well…sex, but…”
Mathis was quick to cut me off. “Theres a whole hell of a lot more between us besides sex, Callie, you’re just too stubborn to admit it.”
My mouth gaped and I stared up at him for a drawn out moment before shaking it off. “Okay, lets focus on the horse Mathis. I need to take him to your place, just for a little while.”
Mathis took a step back, crossed his arms over his chest, and shook his head. “I will not remove this horse from your Pa’s ranch against his will Callie. I’m not going to cross him.”
My lower lip trembled, and I struggled to hide my emotions. The last thing I wanted was for him to see me cry, but I was damned if I was going to let this horse die. “Fine. Just leave Mathis, I’ll figure it out on my own.”
Mathis growled. “Damn it, Callie…”
Behind us, Samantha’s voice rose above ours. “Listen Mathis. Callie wants to move this horse because her Pa and Cody think he’s too dangerous and they are planning to euthanize him tomorrow. Callie thinks she can gentle him. I’ve known her all her life, if you don’t help us, she’s just going to do something stupid. She won’t give this up.”
Mathis whirled around and tossed his hands in the air. “Are you joking? Her Pa’s going to euthanize him cause he’s that foul tempered and you two want me to help Callie get herself hurt?” after he had glared Samantha down, he spun back around to me. “I’m surprised you don’t have better sense than that, being from this family.”
Now, my emotions said to hell with it, and a tear leaked from my eye and my voice cracked with my reply. “Damn it, Mathis, it’s not his fault. He was abused and Cody and my Pa just don’t understand that. None of you can see anything except what’s obvious. You are just like them! You know why I keep putting distance between us? Because, I know you’ll never except me or this…. this…thing I have any more than anyone else! You’ll laugh at me just like Cody, and you’ll just…you’ll just hurt me like everyone else! Just fucking forget it. Go home Mathis. Forget about me!”
My temper was soaring, and I felt bad because it wasn’t all his fault. It was all the years of suppressing my true self and my true feelings. Everything was raging inside of me, bubbling to the surface. I felt the emotions of the stallion crashing into me and I knew, somehow, that he was feeling mine too. He seemed to have quieted in his stall, perplexed at the range of things he was feeling and sensing. My gift seemed to be in full effect right now, because Pizazz began squealing and kicking her stall door, sensing my distress. Mathis was equally as confused. He stared at me in confusion, glanced back over his shoulder at the mare that was so upset suddenly, and frowned.
“Look, Callie, I don’t know what the hell is going on, or what the hell you’re talking about, but there is one thing I know. I can’t forget about you anymore than I can stop breathing.” He cursed under his breath, ran his fingers through his dark, disheveled hair, and cursed again.
When he looked back up at me, he shook his head, determination replacing confusion on his features, and then closed the gap between us, grabbing me around the waist, he pulled me tight, his gaze boring into my own.
“Whatever it is, Callie, we’ll figure it out, because all I know, is I can’t let you go.” He kissed me hard and rough, a kiss full of desire and need.
When Mathis finally came up for air, Samantha stepped up beside us, her expression amused. “Well, damn. I’m a little jealous right now Callie. If you two can get ahold of yourselves for two minutes, we need to get going. You folks won’t be gone all day.”
Mathis sighed. “All right. Let’s do this. I think the easiest way would be to load your little mare in the front, close the barrier, and then load him in the back. she’ll be safe up there, but a mare will lure the stallion in.”
I blinked. I hadn’t thought about that. “You sure she’ll be safe?”
Mathis nodded. “Yeah. Besides, having her in there will keep him calmer on the ride. It’s how my uncle used to haul mustangs.”
I nodded. Okay. Running to Pizazz’s stall, I opened the door, stroking her buttermilk nose and led her to the trailer. Like a good little mare, she hopped right in, and I closed the divider door behind her. Samantha disappeared past the truck, making sure the doors were pulled all the way to it so there were no options for the stallion. Mathis waited behind the trailer door, ready to close it behind the big black horse while I ran to his stall. The second I released him, the black horse barreled down the aisle, thrashing and squealing in his deep throaty stallion’s voice. He stopped at the trailer, pawing and flaring his nostrils. Inside, Pizazz let out a whinny, and I watched in surprise as he ungracefully leapt inside. Mathis swung the door quickly closed while Dark Temptation was distracted and locked it up.
“Wow, that went way easier than I expected. Thank goodness you knew that little trick, Mathis.”
Finished locking the trailer, Mathis turned his hot gaze back to my face. “There are lots of things about me you don’t know, Callie. Now come on, let’s get a move on.”
I felt a shiver course down my spine, because when Mathis looked at you like that, and said things like that with his deep strong voice…. oooh.
