hands to reach under the horse’s belly with the brush. “I’m totally going to hell. But I can’t help it.”
Kate shot her a sympathetic look. Before she could say anything, Fitz sauntered into view around the corner, both hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. Hugo let out a bark and rushed to welcome him, his tail wagging a mile a minute.
“What’s up, ladies?” Fitz asked as he reached them.
“Hi, Fitz,” Tommi said. “You look bored. If you don’t have anything better to do, why don’t you grab Ms. Hamilton’s stuff from the tack room for us?”
“I’m not quite that bored.” Fitz leaned against the wall, ruffling Hugo’s ears and grinning that lazy, slightly crooked grin that had charmed half the girls in the New York metro area. If you believed even a fraction of his stories, anyway. “So Kate, I heard you totally rescued Greta Phillips from her horse’s rodeo show.”
“Something like that, I guess,” Kate said softly. “It wasn’t a big deal. You know how nervous she gets sometimes.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Tommi told her. She glanced at Fitz. “She laid down the law with that horse and turned in a great trip each time.”
“I’m not surprised.” Fitz bent down to give Chaucer a scratch on his big round head. “Our Kate’s an awesome rider. Not a bad-looking one, either.”
Kate blushed, and Tommi rolled her eyes. Shameless flirting was Fitz’s default mode. Tommi was one of the few who seemed immune to his charms, preferring a guy who required something more than two X chromosomes to turn him on. She’d shut him down on his first attempt to hit on her, though they’d ended up pretty good friends.
“Too bad you couldn’t beat me in the High Juniors this time.” Tommi shot Fitz a smirk.
“Yeah, the Chipster did his best, but I kept screwing him up by leaning at all the fences. Maybe I need some extra private lessons. What do you say, Kate? Think you could whip me into shape?”
Kate shot him a half smile, clearly not sure whether he was joking or not. Tommi wasn’t surprised. Fitz usually went for the more obvious targets, like Summer or some of the others—confident girls who gave as good as they got from him. He’d never paid any particular attention to Kate, who was usually too busy for much socializing.
“You’re a really good rider,” Kate told Fitz softly. “I’m sure you were just having a bad day. It happens, right?”
“Sure.” Fitz shrugged. “But you can’t blame a guy for trying to get some one-on-one time with the barn superstar, right?”
Now that Tommi thought about it, maybe she shouldn’t be surprised that Fitz was hitting on Kate. In fact, it was about time, given that he’d worked his way through most of the barn’s young female population already. Even if Kate wasn’t putting herself out there the way some girls did, why wouldn’t he notice her? She was gorgeous, talented, and sweet—probably way too sweet for the likes of Fitz. Tommi made a mental note to mention something to Kate as soon as he left. Call it a friendly warning.
At that moment the horse they were grooming pricked its ears toward the far end of the aisle. A split second later they all heard the clatter of hooves from that direction. A tall, attractive chestnut gelding walked in, dressed in shipping boots and a fleece-padded halter. Javier was at the horse’s head, cooing to it in Spanish as he coaxed it along.
“Who’s that?” Fitz asked.
Tommi shrugged. “Nice-looking horse, but I don’t recognize it,” she said. “Maybe a new sales horse?”
“Jamie didn’t mention buying anything new lately,” Kate said. “I wonder if—”
She stopped mid-sentence as someone else hurried into the barn right behind the horse. Tommi’s eyes widened as she recognized her. It was Zara Trask, the rock star’s daughter who’d bought Ellie! She was casually dressed in shorts, flip-flops, and a spaghetti-strap tank that left little to the
Kate shot her a sympathetic look. Before she could say anything, Fitz sauntered into view around the corner, both hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. Hugo let out a bark and rushed to welcome him, his tail wagging a mile a minute.
“What’s up, ladies?” Fitz asked as he reached them.
“Hi, Fitz,” Tommi said. “You look bored. If you don’t have anything better to do, why don’t you grab Ms. Hamilton’s stuff from the tack room for us?”
“I’m not quite that bored.” Fitz leaned against the wall, ruffling Hugo’s ears and grinning that lazy, slightly crooked grin that had charmed half the girls in the New York metro area. If you believed even a fraction of his stories, anyway. “So Kate, I heard you totally rescued Greta Phillips from her horse’s rodeo show.”
“Something like that, I guess,” Kate said softly. “It wasn’t a big deal. You know how nervous she gets sometimes.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Tommi told her. She glanced at Fitz. “She laid down the law with that horse and turned in a great trip each time.”
“I’m not surprised.” Fitz bent down to give Chaucer a scratch on his big round head. “Our Kate’s an awesome rider. Not a bad-looking one, either.”
Kate blushed, and Tommi rolled her eyes. Shameless flirting was Fitz’s default mode. Tommi was one of the few who seemed immune to his charms, preferring a guy who required something more than two X chromosomes to turn him on. She’d shut him down on his first attempt to hit on her, though they’d ended up pretty good friends.
“Too bad you couldn’t beat me in the High Juniors this time.” Tommi shot Fitz a smirk.
“Yeah, the Chipster did his best, but I kept screwing him up by leaning at all the fences. Maybe I need some extra private lessons. What do you say, Kate? Think you could whip me into shape?”
Kate shot him a half smile, clearly not sure whether he was joking or not. Tommi wasn’t surprised. Fitz usually went for the more obvious targets, like Summer or some of the others—confident girls who gave as good as they got from him. He’d never paid any particular attention to Kate, who was usually too busy for much socializing.
“You’re a really good rider,” Kate told Fitz softly. “I’m sure you were just having a bad day. It happens, right?”
“Sure.” Fitz shrugged. “But you can’t blame a guy for trying to get some one-on-one time with the barn superstar, right?”
Now that Tommi thought about it, maybe she shouldn’t be surprised that Fitz was hitting on Kate. In fact, it was about time, given that he’d worked his way through most of the barn’s young female population already. Even if Kate wasn’t putting herself out there the way some girls did, why wouldn’t he notice her? She was gorgeous, talented, and sweet—probably way too sweet for the likes of Fitz. Tommi made a mental note to mention something to Kate as soon as he left. Call it a friendly warning.
At that moment the horse they were grooming pricked its ears toward the far end of the aisle. A split second later they all heard the clatter of hooves from that direction. A tall, attractive chestnut gelding walked in, dressed in shipping boots and a fleece-padded halter. Javier was at the horse’s head, cooing to it in Spanish as he coaxed it along.
“Who’s that?” Fitz asked.
Tommi shrugged. “Nice-looking horse, but I don’t recognize it,” she said. “Maybe a new sales horse?”
“Jamie didn’t mention buying anything new lately,” Kate said. “I wonder if—”
She stopped mid-sentence as someone else hurried into the barn right behind the horse. Tommi’s eyes widened as she recognized her. It was Zara Trask, the rock star’s daughter who’d bought Ellie! She was casually dressed in shorts, flip-flops, and a spaghetti-strap tank that left little to the
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