To Protect His Own. Brenda Mott

libido racing. “I didn’t realize I had a new neighbor. The Realtor’s sign was still up the last time I was out here.”

      “I thought your house was empty, too,” Alex returned. “We just moved in a couple of weeks ago.”

      “I’m Dillon Kramer.” Pretty Boy held out his hand, and Alex shook it, surprised to find it work-roughened, the man’s grip strong and sure. “This is my sister, Caitlin.”

      So it was her. “I’ve heard of you.” Alex nodded and took Caitlin’s hand, relieved she was okay.

      Her face flushed and her eyes darkened. “I hope you’ll excuse me, Mr. Hunter, but I’ve got things to do.”

      “Sure. Sorry for the intrusion.” He gestured toward his place. “I’ve got groceries to put away myself.” He looked at Dillon. “Nice meeting you. You, too, Ms. Kramer.”

      “Likewise,” Dillon said.

      But Caitlin didn’t answer. She merely nodded politely, then turned her back on the two men and walked away.

      To Alex’s surprise, Dillon addressed him softly. “Please excuse my sister’s rude behavior. She’s not normally like that.”

      Alex shrugged. “I didn’t really think she was rude. I’m the one who barged over here uninvited.”

      Dillon gave him a crooked grin. “You know, I’m actually glad you did. It’ll give me some comfort, knowing someone’s nearby to watch out for my sister.” He shook his head. “She’s very stubborn.”

      A million questions hammered Alex as he stared at the closed door of Caitlin’s house. He knew enough from his daughter’s magazines to realize that equestrians of Caitlin Kramer’s caliber didn’t normally live in a modest old farmhouse. His eyes fell on the tall gray horse that moved restlessly in the nearby paddock. Was it the same animal Hallie had been in such awe of?

      “Nice-looking horse,” he said. “My daughter’s been bugging me for one for some time now.”

      “How old is your daughter?”

      “Twelve.”

      “Ah.” Dillon nodded. “Another young girl bitten by the horse-lover bug.”

      Alex laughed, warming to the other man in spite of his initial reservations. “A common virus, I hear.”

      “Oh, yeah. Caitlin was riding before she could walk. Of course, I was, too, so I guess it attacks us guys, as well.”

      “Yeah.” Alex nodded. “I had a horse when I was a kid. But my mom and I moved to Denver when I was in junior high, and that was the end of that.” He didn’t like to think about how his mother lost their home after his father had died of cancer and the medical bills had eaten up all their savings and then some. Or the way she’d had to work two jobs to make ends meet.

      He’d helped all he could when he’d grown old enough to work. He and his mother had had only each other to rely on, just like he and Hallie now did. His mom had passed away when Hallie was five.

      “Guess I’d better let you get back to your groceries,” Dillon said with a wave. “If you decide to get your daughter a horse, come pay us a visit at Foxwood Farms. We’ve got some nice ones.” He headed toward the house.

      I’ll bet you do.

      Alex stared after him, wondering what Caitlin and her brother had been arguing over. Dillon seemed like a concerned and caring sibling. But then, one never knew what lay behind closed doors.

      Alex walked back across the road, anxious to tell Hallie that she now lived across the road from one of her favorite horsewomen.

      CAITLIN SAT in the living room, staring out the window. She felt tired, drained both physically and mentally. Her argument with Dillon had depleted her of the last of her energy, and she sat in Gran’s old rocker with a teacup of chamomile balanced on one knee, trying to calm her frayed nerves. She sipped from the cup, using her right hand to hold it, her left to awkwardly steady it. Her therapy continued twice a week, and though she was gradually improving, she still wondered if she’d ever be able to do the things she’d once taken for granted.

      It broke her heart to see her grand prix jumper standing uselessly in a paddock when he should be in a show ring. Couldn’t Dillon understand that the gelding was a reminder of everything she’d lost? Understand or not, at least Dillon had agreed, albeit grudgingly, to get the horse trailer and return for Silver Fox.

      Now as Caitlin watched Fox through the window, she saw the gelding’s ears perk. He was staring at something and, hearing the sound of a diesel engine, Caitlin craned her neck to see the far end of the paddock. A school bus was pulling away. A little girl, perhaps eleven or twelve, stood on the shoulder of the road, her gaze locked on Silver Fox. She hesitated and glanced toward the house. Caitlin ducked quickly out of view.

      When she looked back, the girl was leaning on the paddock rail, talking to Fox. She stroked his nose, then bent and picked a handful of long, golden brown grass and fed it to him. The gelding lipped the treat from the girl’s hand as though starved, and Caitlin couldn’t help but smile. It brought back her own girlhood fascination with horses.

      She set her cup of tea on the round, glass table near the rocker and reached for her cane. Despite her exhaustion, she moved toward the door. Outside, she called to the girl.

      “Hi, there. You must be my new neighbor.” She hadn’t realized Alex Hunter had a daughter. Did he also have a wife?

      The girl’s head snapped around, sending her long ponytail swinging, and her amber eyes widened as she looked at Caitlin. An odd expression crossed her face, and she pressed her lips together but said nothing.

      “It’s okay,” Caitlin said. “I don’t mind if you feed my horse.” She walked excruciatingly slowly toward the paddock. “My name is Caitlin. What’s yours?”

      For a moment she didn’t think the girl was going to answer. Long lashes shadowed the child’s eyes as she glanced down at her feet. “Hallie.” Then she reached up to pet Silver Fox’s nose once more. “I know who you are.”

      “You do?” Caitlin was fully aware her neighbors knew of her aspirations to ride in the Olympics, and she’d been written up in more than one equine publication. Besides, the hit-and-run accident that had nearly killed her had been the talk of the town. She shouldn’t be surprised Hallie knew her.

      “I recognized you from Horse Youth and Equus. I used to read them a lot.”

      Recognition dawned with Caitlin, as well. She’d thought Alex Hunter seemed familiar. She remembered him now, as she looked at Hallie. They’d been in Pearl’s Diner on her birthday. Hallie had stared at her until she’d made Caitlin uncomfortable, overly conscious of her wheelchair and her limitations. They might be temporary, but she hated those disabilities, and had no idea how people who were permanently handicapped coped.

      “I know you, too. Or at least, I’ve seen you before.” Caitlin forced a smile. “At the diner a couple of weeks ago.” Surely the girl hadn’t meant to be rude that day. After all, kids would be kids. But she also remembered the way Alex had stared at her. Not like she was a freak, but like he found her attractive. He was a good-looking man himself. But these days she didn’t feel much like flirting, and she wasn’t sure who had made her feel most uncomfortable, Alex or his daughter.

      Elbows hooked through the paddock rails, Hallie looked at the gray gelding. “This is Silver Fox, isn’t it.” Her words came out not as a question but as a sure statement that she’d just met a celebrity of the four-legged variety.

      “Yes, it is. The one and only.” She kept her tone light, though her heart felt heavy. She should sell the gelding. He was in his prime and worth six figures. No sense letting such a champion go to waste. The thought made her head throb.

      “What happened to you?” Hallie asked abruptly. She looked down at the cane. “You were in a wheelchair that day at the restaurant.”