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“Of course not. I love horses.” She let Manos encircle her waist as he guided her to the open doorway that led to the stalls. She hadn’t been in a lot of stables before, but anyone with an eye to detail could tell he’d spared no expense. Three other horses had poked their heads over their enclosures, and all seemedagitated by the screaming fury of their newest roommate. There at the end of the room, a larger pen imprisoned the unhappy newcomer.
As soon as they entered, Alexandro spotted them and came running. “Papa, Rambo is a monster. No one can get close to him to calm him down. I’m afraid he’s going to injure himself.”
It was obvious that no one had the expertise to handle the savage and until someone stepped in, he would keep spiraling. “Stay back, son. I’ve told you he isn’t like the others.” Manos pointed to an older man who held the stallion’s reins, trying to force him into his stall. “Barak, why haven’t you taken control? He’s escalating.”
“I’ve never worked with a Thoroughbred like him, boss. He’s not behaving the way most horses do. Everything I’ve tried just makes him worse.”
While the men were talking, Sophia happened to see Alexandro approach from the back and the horse sensing someone there, kicked out. She had just enough time to grab the boy and shove him behind her. From the corner of her eye, she saw Manos reach for the rifle they had mounted on the wall and lift it to his shoulder.
She called out, her voice singsong and gentle, “Manos, wait.”
Slowly, carefully, she began to step around the animal so he could see her and not feel nervous. “Hey, pretty boy, you wanna kick a lady? I didn’t think so.”
She stopped where she was and let him get used to her presence. His ears were pulled back and, she hoped it was because he was listening to her voice. His switching tail made her nervous as did his continually pawing the ground. Tall, close to six feet of streamlined muscle, the black coat glistened with sweat that she could smell from the exhausted beast.
Stilled, like a picture in time, she sensed not just anger from the poor animal, there was fear of the unknown there too. It was the only reason she held out her hand and kept her voice low. “Come on, baby. You need to calm down and letBarak look after you. You’re tired and unhappy, I know. But it’ll be better once you settle in. That’s the good boy.”
The horse turned her way and stared at her. His screams stopped and so did his pawing and stamping. Finally, he lowered his head and let Barak lead him into the stall they had readied for him.
Manosthrew the gun down on a pile of straw in disgust, grabbed the boy she’d pushed behind her andshovedhimtoward the house angrily. “Go. I’ll deal with you later.” Then hecame to her.“Sophia, that was incredible. I thought you said you haven’t been around a lot of horses.”
“I haven’t. I just treated him like any animal who was scared from being taken away from his home, traveling for God knows how long confined in an unfamiliar place on some ship, and then forced to deal with strangers. No doubt, he’ll settle in time. This is a beautiful home for the lucky horse.”
He closed in, his intentions plain. Reaching for her, she again gave him her hands and shook his in a playful way. “This girl needs a drink. It’s been an unforgettable beginning to the evening.”
Catching her cheerful manner, he pulled her right hand to his mouth so he could put a kiss there and went along with her request. “You’re right. Where are my manners? It’s just watching you standing up against that beast, a slender creature like you willing to take on that large animal and save my boy has my utmost respect and appreciation. You were splendid. Beautiful! No wonder Rambo listened.”
“Stop! You’re embarrassing me.” Sophia looked to the ground so he couldn’t read the distaste that overcame her from his boasting.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. We’ll go to the veranda to have that cocktail, and you shall tell me all about your terrible day.”
When they arrived, the twins came to greet her, and she let down her guard. “Hi Jack and Casey. I’m so glad you want to come with me and Peter tomorrow to Marmaris. We’ll have a lot of fun. Make sure and bring hats and a change of clothes, okay? I’ll bring the rest of the gear like suntan lotion, water and snacks.”
Both the kids were jumping in place from the excitement. Their questions came hot and heavy, but Manos put a stop to their barrage within a few minutes. “Okay, okay. Let Sophia have some peace now. You’ll see her soon enough in the morning.”
Not sure she understood, but the sneaky feeling couldn’t be ignored, “Aren’t they staying with us? I thought you told me at the barbecue you wanted me to have dinner with you and your children? I was looking forward to getting to know them more before tomorrow.”
Suave as a snake-oil salesman, he passed her the glass of champagne and sat close by… too close. “The two little ones are always in bed by seven. They’re up early in the morning and tire themselves out. And… I’m not happy with Alex right now. It’s best he stay away from me until I calm down.”
She’d seen the anger in his handling of the boy earlier, but hoped he’d have spoken to him, explaining what he’d done had been foolish and dangerous. In fact, since they’d come into the house, she’d expected him to excuse himself and deal with the incident. But to leave the kid hanging, waiting for punishment, was cruel and unnecessary.
“I’m fine if you want to go and have a little talk with him before we eat. I’m sure he’s anxious. And, I could sit here and look at this view forever.”
“No. I have no wish to give up any of my time with you. He’ll be fine. It’s best he stays in his room.” Manos smiled, relaxing back into his chair and lifted his crystal fluted glass. “Now, tell me what you finally decided to do at your grandmother’s house. Did you call the police?”
***
The evening continued in the same way as it started. Him coming on to her, and her backing off just enough to keep him interested, yet not really giving him more than she could stomach. Comparing him to a man like Sam made the whole thing more difficult. But, all she had to do was get through these few hours, and it would be clear sailing after that.
“I had the cook prepare us my favorite Greek dish calledPastitsio. Have you tasted it before?”
“Of course. It’s one of my favorites too. Who doesn’t likebaked pastawithground beef and béchamel sauce?”
“Then you do recognize it. I’m glad. She left it for us in the oven and the table is set. All I have to do is bring everything to the dining room, and we can enjoy.”
“Couldn’t we eat out here? It’s so perfect.” The breeze had picked up and the odors of hot sunshine, salty ocean and sweet scents from surrounding flowering bushes battled for supremacy. If only she could close her eyes, let the beauty seep in and forget who she was with.Regrettably, she still had a role to play.
Manos tried to sound like he felt badly, but she sensed he really didn’t. “The evening bugs will start attacking very soon. It’s best we eat indoors.”
