But right now, with winnings in her pocket and the glow of alcohol warming her veins, Maisie didn’t give it a second thought.
CHAPTERSIX
“There’s my handsome fella,”Drew murmured in her most soothing voice as she entered Stormy’s stall. Given it was evening and the competition was over for the day, the place was eerily quiet. Stormy stomped his foot and nuzzled his head into Drew’s side as she approached, grateful for the company, no doubt. She couldn’t shake the sense he was feeling sad. “No need to apologize, buddy. It wasn’t your fault you stumbled out there earlier.”
Drew ran through those seconds in her mind for the thousandth time, trying to pinpoint the precise moment where it had gone wrong. Had she turned too quickly? Had her signals been unclear? Or maybe the problem had been that her hat wasn’t on quite right. Whatever it was, they would work through it during their practice tonight and nail it. Too much was at stake not to.
Drew closed her eyes, reliving that instant when her hat had lifted off her head and taken flight. She’d been riding horses since she was old enough to walk, wearing hats most of that time, too. She couldn’t remember ever having something like that happen before, so completely out of the blue without the slightest hint of wind. She’d been wearing her lucky hat out there, the one that cocooned her head like it was part of her. There’d been no indication of trouble until it was literally flying through the air.
Into the hands of the woman with the soul-searing eyes.
The memory of that encounter, fleeting as it had been, sent Drew’s body into flames. How long had it been since she’d enjoyed the company of a woman in her bed? Drew honestly couldn’t recall, both because the frequency had been rare and the encounters themselves fleeting.
Drew’s dad often said ranching was a man’s world. She happened not to agree with him, believing there was nothing a man could do that a woman couldn’t do backward while wearing high heels—not that she wore those terrible contraptions herself, but it was a quote she’d once seen on a poster of the dancer Ginger Rogers, and Drew had instantly turned it into her life motto. On the other hand, Drew had yet to meet a woman who wanted more from a ranch life than an occasional sunset horse ride and whatever bullshit they thought they knew about ranches from television. A teeny glimpse of reality sent ’em running every time.
Stormy gave her another nuzzle, fixing her with those large dark eyes as if to say no woman could possibly be more loyal than he was.
“You’re right about that, Storm.” Drew patted his neck. “Honestly, I don’t know why so many people insist on romantic relationships with other humans. I’d much rather have a horse as a partner. You always know what I need and have never once left me in the lurch.”
Stormy butted his nose into her chest, sniffing and working his mouth to get at the treats he knew from experience she had hidden there. He might be a hard worker, but even he didn’t do it for free.
“Okay, okay. Maybe you’re more human-like than I give you credit for.” Drew pulled a small apple from the inside pocket of her vest. She opened her pocket knife and cut off a slice, giving Stormy his evening treat. “After this, it’s back to work.”
Stormy let out a sound that was so similar to a human sigh it took Drew completely by surprise. It was followed by a giggle. Drew froze, her heart racing. Stormy might have a surprising number of human qualities, but no way was her horse responsible for that particular sound.
“Is someone there?” Drew called, irrationally fearful of the response for someone who didn’t scare easily or believe in ghosts.
“I didn’t know horses could sigh.”
A small-framed woman stepped into view, materializing out of nowhere in front of Stormy’s stall. So much for not believing in ghosts. Thoroughly startled, Drew—who had been halfway through cutting another piece of apple for her horse—let the knife slip, coming within a hair of lopping her thumb clean off.
“Jesus Christ!” Drew cried, her whole body shaking. “Never surprise a woman holding a knife.”
“I’m sorry.” The woman bolted over the bars and into the stall like an Olympic hurdler. Or maybe she flew. On this side of things, Drew could see her more clearly and truly appreciate how tiny she was. Like Tinkerbell in a tank top and jeans. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
As the shock subsided, Drew’s gaze finally made it as far as the woman’s face. She was instantly pulled in by the very eyes she’d been seeing in her memory for the last several hours. “You’re the hat girl.”
“Are you hurt?” The woman seemed too busy watching the knife in Drew’s hand, and possibly looking for signs of blood, to pay much attention to what Drew had said. “I don’t see any injuries.”
“Only my pride.”
“Let me check, just in case.” Plucking away the knife and setting it aside, the woman took hold of Drew’s hands. The instant their skin made contact, Drew experienced a surge of electricity similar to the one she’d felt when they’d touched in the arena. The woman sucked in her breath. “Oh, my goodness. The air must be really dry out here in the desert.”
“You felt that?”
The woman nodded. “Static electricity, I assume.”
Sure. Except, Drew could still feel it coursing through her, including some suspicious tingling in a few places she’d sure as hell never experienced static electricity before.
Drew laughed to cover her growing embarrassment. “Do I get a clean bill of health, Doc?”
“Afraid I’m not a medical expert.” The woman tilted her chin, looking upward with her dazzling hazel eyes. “But I think you’re going to be fine.”
Given the way Drew’s heart had been trying to tap-dance its way out of her chest since the stranger had arrived, she was less convinced. “What are you doing in here, anyway? I thought I was the only one around. You could’ve been an axe murderer, sneaking up on me the way you did.”
“No wonder you’re so jumpy, with an imagination like that.” The woman’s gaze shifted to the ground, her demeanor hovering between nervousness and fear. “I know I wasn’t supposed to, but I saw you head through the doors, and I… I guess I decided to follow without giving it much thought. I mean, other than to ask a cocktail server I’d made friends with to unlock the door and let me through.”
“Why did you do that?” Drew realized the second the words tumbled from her lips how rude she’d sounded, but she couldn’t help it. Drew would take any risk for a good enough reward, but that kind of random impulsiveness made no sense.