will be someone on the horse. Someone who really needs our help and will get a huge medical or emotional benefit out of a therapeutic riding session. I’d appreciate it if you’d take this seriously.”
Sam stopped in his tracks, turning on her with a face set in stark, uncompromising lines. “I take this very seriously,” he ground out.
Then what was the problem?
From the fence line, Jo called, “Is everything okay?”
Andie held up her hand, eyes never leaving Sam’s. “Give us a minute, please, Jo Ellen.”
A muscle ticked in Sam’s hard jaw. His sable brows were drawn into straight lines over his dark, shuttered eyes. “I don’t need a minute. I’m fine.”
“Obviously,” Andie said blandly. “Look, something is bothering you. Tell me what it is so we can fix it. That’s part of working together, Sam.”
His gaze shifted away and one of his hands sought Peony’s glossy neck, as if for reassurance. “I don’t really do that. Work with other people, I mean. It’s better that way.”
Andie cocked her head, honestly perplexed. “How can being alone be better for you?”
“I didn’t say it was better for me. ”
The derisive twist of his mouth on the last word knocked something loose in Andie’s chest. “You think it’s better for other people if you stay apart from them.”
“I’m good with animals. People? Not so much.”
“But that’s not true,” Andie protested.
“It is, believe me.” Sam finally met her stare, and the bitter chocolate depths of his eyes were hot with an emotion she couldn’t name. “You don’t know me, Andie.”
She felt the words like a fist to the face, but she knew how to roll with a punch and come back swinging. “How can anyone know you, when you push everyone away? Everyone except my niece. You think you’re not good with people? You’re great with her.”
“That’s not … I mean, Caitlin is different. I get her.”
“Well, she’s a mystery to me. But something about you makes her feel comfortable, makes her feel safe in a way that I haven’t managed to yet.”
He shrugged stiffly, as if redistributing a heavy weight across his broad shoulders. “You’ll get there eventually.”
“I hope so. At least she knows I’m trying, thanks to your help. That’s the beauty of having a partner. You have someone to watch your back, to help you when something turns out to be too much to handle alone. You’re more comfortable with the horses than with the idea of the clients? That’s fine, because I’m pretty good with people, and I’m the one who’ll deal with them the most. Until you get the hang of it, I’ll cover you. And vice versa, until I get my bearings around the horses. Right? We’ll be fine. So long as we work together.”
“Together,” he said, low and deep as his large, square-palmed hand flexed and turned under hers until their fingers twined together. “I’ll give it a try.”
Heat fluttered around Andie’s belly. Mouth suddenly dry, she nearly moaned when Sam’s gaze dropped to follow the flicker of her tongue over her bottom lip. Her mouth felt swollen and sensitive under Sam’s hungry stare. She drifted toward him, her grip on his hand tightening compulsively, the lure of his huge, hard body irresistible.
Until Jo’s voice broke through the fragile web of sensual tension. From only a few feet away, Jo said drily, “I think it’s time for a new approach.”
Trailing uncertainly a few paces behind her was Caitlin.
* * *
Andie got under his skin like no other human being Sam had ever met. He hadn’t meant to tell her any of that stuff. She had enough ammunition already without handing over new ways to strike at him. But instead of turning her newfound weapons against him, she’d somehow turned his head around so that he was agreeing to work together and coming within a hair’s breadth of kissing her.
Thank God for Jo Ellen and her new idea.
“Steady now,” Andie said softly from behind him. She
Sam stopped in his tracks, turning on her with a face set in stark, uncompromising lines. “I take this very seriously,” he ground out.
Then what was the problem?
From the fence line, Jo called, “Is everything okay?”
Andie held up her hand, eyes never leaving Sam’s. “Give us a minute, please, Jo Ellen.”
A muscle ticked in Sam’s hard jaw. His sable brows were drawn into straight lines over his dark, shuttered eyes. “I don’t need a minute. I’m fine.”
“Obviously,” Andie said blandly. “Look, something is bothering you. Tell me what it is so we can fix it. That’s part of working together, Sam.”
His gaze shifted away and one of his hands sought Peony’s glossy neck, as if for reassurance. “I don’t really do that. Work with other people, I mean. It’s better that way.”
Andie cocked her head, honestly perplexed. “How can being alone be better for you?”
“I didn’t say it was better for me. ”
The derisive twist of his mouth on the last word knocked something loose in Andie’s chest. “You think it’s better for other people if you stay apart from them.”
“I’m good with animals. People? Not so much.”
“But that’s not true,” Andie protested.
“It is, believe me.” Sam finally met her stare, and the bitter chocolate depths of his eyes were hot with an emotion she couldn’t name. “You don’t know me, Andie.”
She felt the words like a fist to the face, but she knew how to roll with a punch and come back swinging. “How can anyone know you, when you push everyone away? Everyone except my niece. You think you’re not good with people? You’re great with her.”
“That’s not … I mean, Caitlin is different. I get her.”
“Well, she’s a mystery to me. But something about you makes her feel comfortable, makes her feel safe in a way that I haven’t managed to yet.”
He shrugged stiffly, as if redistributing a heavy weight across his broad shoulders. “You’ll get there eventually.”
“I hope so. At least she knows I’m trying, thanks to your help. That’s the beauty of having a partner. You have someone to watch your back, to help you when something turns out to be too much to handle alone. You’re more comfortable with the horses than with the idea of the clients? That’s fine, because I’m pretty good with people, and I’m the one who’ll deal with them the most. Until you get the hang of it, I’ll cover you. And vice versa, until I get my bearings around the horses. Right? We’ll be fine. So long as we work together.”
“Together,” he said, low and deep as his large, square-palmed hand flexed and turned under hers until their fingers twined together. “I’ll give it a try.”
Heat fluttered around Andie’s belly. Mouth suddenly dry, she nearly moaned when Sam’s gaze dropped to follow the flicker of her tongue over her bottom lip. Her mouth felt swollen and sensitive under Sam’s hungry stare. She drifted toward him, her grip on his hand tightening compulsively, the lure of his huge, hard body irresistible.
Until Jo’s voice broke through the fragile web of sensual tension. From only a few feet away, Jo said drily, “I think it’s time for a new approach.”
Trailing uncertainly a few paces behind her was Caitlin.
* * *
Andie got under his skin like no other human being Sam had ever met. He hadn’t meant to tell her any of that stuff. She had enough ammunition already without handing over new ways to strike at him. But instead of turning her newfound weapons against him, she’d somehow turned his head around so that he was agreeing to work together and coming within a hair’s breadth of kissing her.
Thank God for Jo Ellen and her new idea.
“Steady now,” Andie said softly from behind him. She
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