Kentucky Heat by Fern Michaels

Author:Fern Michaels
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Published: 2011-04-26T16:00:00+00:00

10

Nealy and Hatch were halfway to the barn when Nealy noticed the head groom leading Shufly out of the breezeway. The colt was wound up about something and required a second groom on his right shank to keep him under control.

“That’s some horse!” Hatch exclaimed. He’d grown up around horses, mostly mustangs, who were small and wiry compared to the tall, sleek colt who stood before him.

Nealy laughed at Shufly’s antics. She knew he was upset with her because she’d broken her routine and hadn’t visited him in his stall last night.

Pride marched through her. “He’s magnificent, isn’t he?”

Hatch nodded, his gaze never leaving the colt. “I have to say, Nealy, he’s the finest piece of horseflesh I’ve ever seen.”

Shufly whinnied and would have broken away if the grooms hadn’t been prepared for his antics and kept a tight hold.

“Careful, Nealy,” Hatch warned. “Something’s got him spooked.” He reached for her arm to pull her toward him.

Nealy smiled. “It’s okay. He’s just a little annoyed with me because of last night.” With a confidence born of having raised Shufly from birth, Nealy sprinted toward the colt, leaving Hatch a safe distance away. She reached for his halter, brought his head down to hers, and whispered in his ear. He immediately calmed down and became a docile pet, nuzzling his massive head against Nealy’s arm.

Hatch thought his eyes were going to pop right out of his head. If he hadn’t seen what he just witnessed, he never would have believed it. Nick had told him about his mother’s uncanny way with horses. Years ago Hunt had told him the same thing, but he never fully appreciated what it was they were saying. Later, when he thought about it, he decided Nealy had cast a magic spell over Shufly.

Awed at what he had just seen, Hatch walked over to the now-calm Shufly and rubbed his muzzle. “Just out of curiosity, what did you whisper in his ear to calm him down?”

Nealy tilted her head to the side. “I simply told him if he didn’t behave himself I wouldn’t take him out to the track. I told him he had to behave like a gentleman.”

Hatch grimaced. “And you’re telling me he understood what you said?”

Nealy laughed. “He calmed down, didn’t he?”

Hatch’s eyes narrowed with disbelief. Was she putting him on? She looked serious and was watching him carefully for his reaction.

Something in him clicked. Suddenly he had the overwhelming desire to know everything there was to know about Nealy Clay. He wanted to know her strengths, her weaknesses, her likes and dislikes. He smiled. Nealy smiled back.

“He’s rarin’ to go, Miz Nealy,” the groom said.

“Give me a leg up, will you, Hatch?”

Hatch bent down and cupped his hands together. She was light as a feather. Of course she would be. She was a jockey, and jockeys had weight limitations. He watched her wiggle her rear end into the slip of leather that passed for a saddle. She probably weighed around 110 pounds, less than half his weight and about a tenth of what Shufly weighed.

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