Taking The Reins (The Rosewoods Book 1) by Katrina Abbott

it?”
    He had a point. But... “That’s another thing,” I said, crossing my arms, dangling the currycomb in my fingers. “Why didn’t you tell me you were the coach? I thought you were just a stable boy. You made me feel like an idiot.”
    He ran his fingers through his hair, making his biceps bulge under his polo shirt. “I apologize for that. It wasn’t my intention; I didn’t set out to deceive you.”
    “So why?” His eyes were on me and he was still standing close, too close, maybe, but I had nowhere to go since I was already backed up against a horse.
    He looked away, down the aisle of the barn before he blew out a breath and said, “All the other girls know me. They know I’m the coach and am going to the Olympics. They don’t see me: Brady . You looked at me differently.”
    I thought back to that first night, trying to remember how I’d looked at him, what I’d seen. Just a regular guy, I guess. Would I have seen him differently if I’d known he was the coach?
    Definitely.
    “Still,” I said. “You should have told me before I left here that second time. That could have been really embarrassing.”
    “What’s embarrassing is that you flirted with me to keep me from finding out about your friend making out with her boyfriend out back.”
    I did a double-take. “You knew about that?”
    He gave me a guilty grin. “I saw them outside when I came in.”
    I gave his shoulder a push. “You knew the whole time?”
    “Yeah. But I didn’t know you were in on it until you were so desperate to get me away from the office, you used your feminine wiles.”
    My face heated up. “Um, as I remember it, you flirted with me first,” I said cursing that my brain had let the word ‘first’ fall out of my mouth. But it was too late now. “You were the one talking about billiard balls in my pockets.”
    Now he was blushing. Which about made me melt into a pile of teenage hormones right there.
    “I suppose I’m guilty of that. But you can’t blame me. I thought you were here to see me, but I guess it was Charlie who had turned your head.”
    My mouth went instantly dry as I looked at him, his eyes unwavering on mine. My heart thudded in my chest and all I could think was delicious, delicious, delicious .
    “I should finish up with Charlie,” I croaked after an awkwardly long moment stretched between us.
    He pursed his lips. “We still have a problem.”
    What now?
    “If you’re going to stay on the team, you need to get better. Fast.”
    “I didn’t say I was going to stay on the team.”
    His eyes flared. “I put my ass on the line for you. You’re staying on the team.”
    Defiant, I crossed my arms. “And if I don’t?”
    He shrugged, exasperated. “I can’t stop you from quitting, but I don’t just want you to stay so my ass is spared.”
    “Why then?” I asked, pushing away the guilt.
    “Because I think you have potential,” he said, and then looked away.
    I tapped my foot, bringing his attention back to me. “And?”
    He paused, but then looked into my eyes again, his like liquid honey. “Because I want you to.”
    My breath caught, but I faked a cough to cover it up. “Fine. I’ll stay on the team. And I’ll work hard to get better, but I won’t even be at practice this week; I have to do the laundry assignment. I don’t suppose you can get me out of that.”
    He exhaled and shook his head. “Not a chance. Can you be here in the evenings?”
    I nodded before I even thought about what that would mean.
    “Good. Be here right after dinner. I’ll have Charlie saddled and ready to go. We’ll get you there. Like I said, you have potential; you just need to work it.”
    “Thank you,” I said, genuinely grateful for his faith in me and willingness to work with me to help me improve.
    He nodded and gave Charlie a friendly stroke, slowly running his hand down the horse’s shoulder. I watched the graceful movement of his arm, mesmerized.
    He finished with a final pat. “Make