A Reckless Promise by Kasey Michaels

Author:Kasey Michaels
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: 2016-08-23T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

THERE HAD BEEN the day Roscoe Thatcher had come strolling into John’s infirmary with a shoeing nail stuck smack in the middle of his forehead. He’d walked out thirty minutes later, the nail extracted, and gone back to the blacksmith shop to finish shoeing the horse, apparently not realizing that, by rights, he should have been dead.

That had been a strange day.

But nothing had been as strange as watching Belinda Henderson inspect the black stallion.

After a luncheon passed comfortably enough thanks to Darby’s polite inquiries about the Henderson Horse Farms, which had elicited lengthy and effusive descriptions of the land, the weather, the stables and the quality of the horseflesh from Miss Henderson, they’d adjourned to the stables for the all-important inspection.

Sadie no longer had any qualms over what was about to occur, if she’d harbored any in the first place, as Clarice’s well-being had always been foremost in her mind.

There could be nothing more apparent than Miss Henderson’s love of her home, and her horses. Whatever had Mrs. Henderson been thinking, to bring the girl to England, to marry her off to some impoverished peer, just so that she could boast of another Henderson accomplishment, adding a title in the family? Belinda would have wilted under the English sky, under the strictures of English Society, and would probably never be accepted, not when her entire conversation was horses, and more horses.

The stallion, already saddled, had been brought out even as Belinda had bounced on her toes, her eagerness apparent. She’d even clapped her gloved hands together when the black appeared, and no wonder. The stallion was beautiful. Sadie knew she’d never seen the like—that sleek body, the rather dish-shaped face, an air of delicacy belied by the smooth ripple of the muscles beneath the jet-black coat as a groom walked the horse in a full circle in front of its audience.

There was a look of intelligence in its soulful eyes, and Sadie told herself she wouldn’t have been surprised if it took a bow, acknowledging its admirers.

“He’s magnificent,” she’d said to Darby, who was watching, looking rather proud himself.

“Looks aren’t everything, Sadie Grace. Now we get down to business. Watch.”

She’d done as he’d said, and that’s when this strange day had proceeded to beat Roscoe and his shoeing nail all hollow.

Miss Belinda Henderson had stripped off her cloak, exchanged her white kid gloves with a pair of strange black leather gloves with the fingers incongruously cut off. She approached the stallion, walked completely around it, twice, and then began barking orders to the groom.

Walk him in a straight line. Now in a larger circle. All right, let’s see what he can do.

The groom looked to Darby, who only nodded. The groom walked the stallion to a mounting post and hopped on its back. Everyone adjourned to the fence to watch as Darby unlatched the gate and stallion and rider entered the grassy meadow. Belinda shouted orders: “Walk him...trot...canter—spring him!”

“What’s his name?” Sadie had asked, her heart pounding at the speed and grace suddenly on display.

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