“You can take it any way you want it.”
Again, he was playing word games, implying double meanings. Alex didn’t rise to the bait this time. “What kind of horse is she?”
“A pregnant one. This is the mares’ barn.”
“They’re all kept here?”
“Away from the others, yeah.” The mare nuzzled his chest and he smiled as he scratched behind her ears. “Mamas and babies cause a ruckus in a stable.”
“Why?”
He shrugged his shoulders, indicating there was no clear-cut explanation. “I guess it’s like the nursery floor at the hospital. Everybody goes a little nuts over a newborn.”
He ran his hand over the mare’s smooth belly. “This is her first time, and she’s nervous about being a mother. She got a little skittish the other day when they were walking her and injured her metatarsal.”
“When will she foal?”
“In the spring. She’s got a while yet. Give me your hand.”
“What?”
“Your hand.” Sensing her reservation, he impatiently drew her into the stall with him until she was standing as close to the mare as he. “Feel.”
He covered her hand with his and flattened it against the mare’s sleek coat. The hair was coarse and short, and the vitality and strength of muscle beneath it was evident to the touch.
The animal snuffled and took a hesitant step forward, but Reede shushed her. The stall seemed close and overheated. The fecund smell of new life in the making permeated the square enclosure. “She’s warm,” Alex commented breathlessly.
“She sure is.”
Reede moved closer to Alex and maneuvered her hand, together with his, down the contours of the mare’s body to her swollen underbelly. Alex gave a soft exclamation of surprise when she felt movement.
“The foal.” Reede was so close his breath disturbed strands of her hair and she smelled the scent of his cologne, mingled with that of the stable.
A swift kick against her palm made Alex laugh with spontaneous delight. She also gave a start of surprise and bumped against Reede. “So active.”
“She’s breeding me a winner.”
“She belongs to you?”
“Yes.”
“What about the sire?”
“I paid dearly for his services, but he was worth it. Good-looking stallion from Florida. Fancy Pants took to him right away. I think she was sorry when it was over. Maybe if he was around all the time, I wouldn’t have to worry about her getting out of line.”
The pressure in Alex’s chest was such that she could barely breathe. Her inclination was to rest her cheek against the mare’s side and continue to listen to Reede’s lulling voice. Thankfully, her reason reasserted itself before she did anything so foolish.
She pulled her hand from beneath his and turned. He was standing so close to her that her clothes brushed against his, and she had to tilt her head back until it was resting against the horse in order to look into his face.
“Do all owners have access to the stables?”
Reede stepped back and allowed her to move toward the opening.
“Since I used to work for the Mintons, I guess they feel they can trust me.”
“What kind of horse is she?” Alex said, reverting to her original question.
“A Quarter Horse.”