The Riding Master by Alexandrea Weis Page A

a little more eagerly, wanting Bob to move faster.
    After getting around the high trees, she finally got an unencumbered view of the ring, and then urged Bob to slow down. She watched as Trent motioned about the ring and then waved his hand at Selene. Titan returned to the rail, and Selene put him through another series of difficult drills.
    Getting closer to the ring, Rayne could hear Trent’s deep voice calling to Selene, but could not quite make out the words. Selene’s flirty, girlish giggle responded to Trent’s comments, and Rayne debated whether or not she should approach the ring. But as Selene’s playful twittering continued, and then Trent’s harmonious chuckle joined in, Rayne’s decision to interrupt them turned into a gut-wrenching retreat. Wishing she had not seen the two of them, she quickened Bob’s pace for the stables.
    Beneath the protective shadows of the barn’s tin roof, she quickly took Bob to her red tack room door and secured his reins to a nearby hitching post. As she undid the buckles of his girth, the sound of Selene’s laughter rang in her ears.
    “I should have known.”
    She hoisted the English saddle and white fleece pad from Bob’s back and carried them into her tack room. After flipping on the single light bulb hanging by a cord above, she whisked the pad from beneath the saddle and placed it to the side. Grunting slightly, she lifted the saddle onto a wooden rack on the wall.
    Rayne was shaking out the fleece pad and placing it on a hook to dry out when a shadow crossed her open tack room door. Thinking it was just Bob shimmying around his hitching post, she never bothered to turn to check on him. That was until she heard the distinct sound of boots entering her tack room, and then the thump of the thick red door closing.
    When she spun around, Trent was standing in the doorway. His long-sleeved, white button-down shirt hugged his thick arms, and the few buttons he had left undone afforded a view of his smooth, tanned chest. His wavy black hair was slightly windblown, and his blue jeans were covered in dust. But when she caught sight of his winsome grin and the sparkle in his gray eyes, Rayne was done for.
    “I saw you coming back from the trails.” He shifted closer to her. “I was hoping to see you before you set out on your ride, but I just missed you.”
    She gave him a cool look of indifference. “Yes, I wanted to take an early morning ride before my classes.”
    He angled closer still, making Rayne take a step back. “I would have come after you on one of the schooling horses, but I got held up with an instructor.”
    “You mean you got held up with Selene. I saw you two in the back ring when I came in from the trails.”
    His grin grew wider. “You saw me and didn’t stop by to say hello?”
    She took another step back. “You were…busy.”
    “Busy?” He came up to her and stared diligently into her eyes. “Is that what you really thought?”
    She turned to a wooden shelf on her right with an assortment of brushes and currycombs on it. Picking up a soft white brush, she avoided looking into his face. “I need to see to Bob.”
    Trent never budged, blocking her path. “Bob can wait.”  
    She kept her eyes on the brush in her hand, and ran her fingers over the soft white bristles. “How was your dinner party?”
    “It was a dinner party. Tyler was gracious, and his wife, Monique, was very kind. She’s a writer. I told her about you, and she wants to meet you.”
    Rayne raised her eyes to him. “You told her about me? Why?”
    “Because she wanted to know if I was seeing anyone, and I told her I was seeing you.”
    “Seeing me?” She shook her head. “You’re hardly seeing me, Trent. One dinner and a few phone calls are—”
    He took the brush from her hands and put it back on the shelf. “What is it? You’re distant again. You weren’t like this the other night.”
    “I’m not sure the other night was such a good idea.” She circled around him