with Lucas Donlon and his snarky comments.
At the bottom of the stairs, she followed a well-worn path through the grass that took her to the main paddocks. There were no horses in the barn paddock this afternoon, but in the fields beyond that, she could see several animals grazing in the sunshine. They appeared well cared for and content, and not at all concerned that their owner was a vampire. Kathryn smiled to herself as she made her way past the paddock and around to an open side door.
This was a horse barn. Kathryn stopped just inside the door, struck by the unique scent of warm horse, clean hay and packed earth. It brought back memories of her grandparents’ ranch. Their place hadn’t been anywhere near as grand as this one, but horses pretty much smelled the same everywhere. Other animals probably had their scents, too. Cows certainly did, and pigs. But there was something uniquely clean about the scent of a horse barn.
She looked around and found herself on the main walkway between a double line of box stalls, every one of which appeared to be filled. Several of the horses poked their heads out to check out the new arrival, watching her with big, brown eyes. One or two nickered softly, while a big black—even bigger than the animal she’d seen Donlon with last night—snorted his displeasure, his head bobbing up and down as he kicked the wooden side of his stall.
Kathryn gave him a wide berth, heading toward the closed end of the barn where she could see a tack room through an open door. Before she got there, a woman emerged, looking not at all surprised to find a stranger in her barn. She was on the short side, no more than five-foot-two, probably less without her boots on. Kathryn would have pegged her weight at 115 to 120, but well-muscled, no doubt from working with horses. Most people didn’t understand how big horses really were, and how much strength it took to ride one properly so it would do what you wanted it to. The woman wore no makeup or jewelry. She had blue eyes and strawberry blond hair that was even longer than Kathryn’s, her braid hanging all the way down her back to her butt.
“I’m Judy Peterson,” the woman said with a friendly smile. “And you must be Special Agent Hunter. Lord Donlon said you might come by.” She took the leather glove off her right hand and held it out.
Kathryn took it, feeling the rough skin and callouses of hard work. “Kathryn Hunter,” she said. So Lucas had expected her to come early? It wasn’t enough that he was unsettlingly handsome and charming, he had to be a mind reader, too?
“I wanted to see the place in daylight,” Kathryn admitted.
“Looks different, doesn’t it?” Peterson said agreeably. “Especially my babies.” She gazed down the long line of box stalls with a proprietary air.
“You’re the trainer?”
“Head trainer. I have a couple of assistants and some grooms. Lord Donlon spares no expense when it comes to his animals.”
“He breeds them?”
“Some. Mostly he rides for pleasure. But he loves horses, and he’s proud of what we’ve done here, so he doesn’t mind letting one of his stallions cover the occasional mare or two. For a price, of course.”
“Of course. Does he ever go outside his own stock for stud?”
“No.” Peterson shook her head. “If he’s interested in a particular line, he’ll buy the stallion outright. It’s a thing with him.”
“Men and their dicks, I suppose,” Kathryn muttered.
Peterson laughed. “You’d be right about that.”
The big black suddenly kicked the side of his box stall hard enough that it rattled the whole structure, causing several other horses to protest.
“ Tromluí doesn’t like being ignored. He’s a big baby that way.” She walked past Kathryn to the stallion’s stall and held out her hand. The horse immediately stuck his nose into her fingers and tongued up whatever had been there. “Carrot,” Peterson said, rubbing the animal’s nose with a fond
At the bottom of the stairs, she followed a well-worn path through the grass that took her to the main paddocks. There were no horses in the barn paddock this afternoon, but in the fields beyond that, she could see several animals grazing in the sunshine. They appeared well cared for and content, and not at all concerned that their owner was a vampire. Kathryn smiled to herself as she made her way past the paddock and around to an open side door.
This was a horse barn. Kathryn stopped just inside the door, struck by the unique scent of warm horse, clean hay and packed earth. It brought back memories of her grandparents’ ranch. Their place hadn’t been anywhere near as grand as this one, but horses pretty much smelled the same everywhere. Other animals probably had their scents, too. Cows certainly did, and pigs. But there was something uniquely clean about the scent of a horse barn.
She looked around and found herself on the main walkway between a double line of box stalls, every one of which appeared to be filled. Several of the horses poked their heads out to check out the new arrival, watching her with big, brown eyes. One or two nickered softly, while a big black—even bigger than the animal she’d seen Donlon with last night—snorted his displeasure, his head bobbing up and down as he kicked the wooden side of his stall.
Kathryn gave him a wide berth, heading toward the closed end of the barn where she could see a tack room through an open door. Before she got there, a woman emerged, looking not at all surprised to find a stranger in her barn. She was on the short side, no more than five-foot-two, probably less without her boots on. Kathryn would have pegged her weight at 115 to 120, but well-muscled, no doubt from working with horses. Most people didn’t understand how big horses really were, and how much strength it took to ride one properly so it would do what you wanted it to. The woman wore no makeup or jewelry. She had blue eyes and strawberry blond hair that was even longer than Kathryn’s, her braid hanging all the way down her back to her butt.
“I’m Judy Peterson,” the woman said with a friendly smile. “And you must be Special Agent Hunter. Lord Donlon said you might come by.” She took the leather glove off her right hand and held it out.
Kathryn took it, feeling the rough skin and callouses of hard work. “Kathryn Hunter,” she said. So Lucas had expected her to come early? It wasn’t enough that he was unsettlingly handsome and charming, he had to be a mind reader, too?
“I wanted to see the place in daylight,” Kathryn admitted.
“Looks different, doesn’t it?” Peterson said agreeably. “Especially my babies.” She gazed down the long line of box stalls with a proprietary air.
“You’re the trainer?”
“Head trainer. I have a couple of assistants and some grooms. Lord Donlon spares no expense when it comes to his animals.”
“He breeds them?”
“Some. Mostly he rides for pleasure. But he loves horses, and he’s proud of what we’ve done here, so he doesn’t mind letting one of his stallions cover the occasional mare or two. For a price, of course.”
“Of course. Does he ever go outside his own stock for stud?”
“No.” Peterson shook her head. “If he’s interested in a particular line, he’ll buy the stallion outright. It’s a thing with him.”
“Men and their dicks, I suppose,” Kathryn muttered.
Peterson laughed. “You’d be right about that.”
The big black suddenly kicked the side of his box stall hard enough that it rattled the whole structure, causing several other horses to protest.
“ Tromluí doesn’t like being ignored. He’s a big baby that way.” She walked past Kathryn to the stallion’s stall and held out her hand. The horse immediately stuck his nose into her fingers and tongued up whatever had been there. “Carrot,” Peterson said, rubbing the animal’s nose with a fond
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