The Black Sheep and the Hidden Beauty. Donna Kauffman

and Mac looked at each other and Kate made an impatient sound. “Would you two cut that out already? It’s like you’re sending silent smoke signals or something.” She looked pointedly at Rafe. “Was there anything else about this that I should be worried about? I mean…except as gossip or prurient interest?” She looked down at the report. “Did they ever decide how the fire started? I don’t see anything here except that an investigation was launched by both local authorities and insurance investigators for both the farm and the horse. Sounds normal enough, in a situation like that.” She looked up. “Is it all wrapped up now?”

      “I’m still digging. But no, not from what I can tell. Not entirely.”

      “Anything odd in that?” she asked.

      “Not specifically, no. Insurance cases can take a long time when the cause hasn’t been nailed down beyond doubt.”

      She looked like she wanted to argue further, but in the end, she just let out a deep sigh. “You’re not going to stop digging, so I might as well not hold my breath. But I want to know everything you find out so I know when to call you two off.”

      Mac lifted his hands. “I’m off. This is Rafe’s baby. I have the Peterson case you were so hot for me to take.”

      Kate glanced at Rafe, as if waiting for him to comment on her interference, but he said nothing. “Right,” she said at length. “Well, I need to get back to my job. I’ll leave you two to yours.”

      “Speaking of being hot for me,” Mac said, as she moved to leave. He snagged her arm and tugged her around, neatly, right into his arms.

      She went willingly, with a teasing grin.

      “I think you forgot something.” Mac’s voice had taken on an entirely new note.

      One that made Rafe wish he was standing anywhere but three feet away. “Get a room, you two.”

      Kate went to pull away, but Mac held her more tightly. “Shh, don’t mind him. Jealous, remember?” He planted a quick kiss on Kate’s lips, that was immediately followed by a longer one that had Rafe looking anywhere but at the two of them.

      Kate disentangled herself first. Rafe couldn’t tell if the pink in her cheeks was from embarrassment, or desire. Probably a little of both. She shot him a sheepish smile as she waved and started down the flagstone path off the back of the patio. “Still officially hating this,” she called out.

      “We know,” Rafe and Mac said at the same time.

      When she was gone, Rafe turned to Mac. “You think I’m right to pursue this? We’re agreed?”

      Mac nodded. “Too many things are just a bit off. My radar is pinging, too, though I couldn’t tell you what for exactly, but yeah, more information couldn’t hurt. Just…keep Elena’s attention on you. Make sure she doesn’t connect any of this to Kate.”

      “I know. I’m in the hot seat, got it.”

      Mac grinned then. “Actually, more like a hot saddle.”

      “Very funny. Now, if you want my opinion on the Peterson thing, then let’s get to it,” Rafe said, trying to shift things back to business as usual. “I’ve got things to do.”

      “Horses to ride. Women to…check up on.”

      “Woman. And she’s my riding instructor, and Kate’s employee. End of story.” Rafe’s gaze was briefly drawn down to the paddocks, where Elena was outside working with the abused horse, Bonder. All the camp horses were in, the students done for the day. All but one student, anyway. His first lesson was in a half an hour. Daylight was slowly fading toward twilight, and though the rings were lit, he’d rather his first time on horseback not be after dark.

      Rafe caught Mac looking at him from his peripheral vision, and realizing he was staring, shifted the direction of his gaze away as casually as possible.

      “Right,” Mac said knowingly. “End of story.”

      Chapter 4

      Elena ran her hand along Bonder’s neck, then gave his shoulder a good pat. “You did good today, big guy. You almost make me think you’re glad to be here.” She dug a few raisins out of the little box in her pocket and offered them to him on the flat of her palm.

      He nibbled them off, grumbled a little bit, then backed further into his stall and swung his head away while he chewed.

      She smiled. “Good night to you, too,” she murmured, then brushed her hands against the seat of her overalls before walking down the row of stalls and back out into the paddock. “One ornery male down, one to go.” She glanced up the hill toward the main house, but there was no sight of Rafe. Their lesson was to start in ten minutes. It had been a long day with a particularly heavy class schedule and lots of horses to maneuver around and keep happy for the kids. It was satisfying work—more than satisfying, she thought, as she replayed some of the kids’ reactions today as they spent time around these magnificent beasts.

      In the few months she’d worked for Kate, it had never ceased to move her, the way the animals brought out so much in children who were otherwise so closed off, mostly due to forces of nature and genetics well beyond their control and largely otherwise untreatable. Kate wasn’t performing miracles here, in that she wasn’t curing anything, but she was certainly enriching the lives of these kids, giving them windows of opportunity to express and enjoy themselves in ways that conventional therapy methods could not. Oftentimes, the look on a child’s face, or better, on their parents’ faces, made it clear how vitally important her work really was.

      It was invigorating, but also exhausting. A whole lot of emotions were being expended into the air of Dalton Downs every single day, and it did zap a person, even if it was for the very best of reasons. Today had been one of those days. She’d debated even working with Bonder, not wanting to risk him picking up on her less-than-sharp reflexes, or worse, her tension. Tension that really had nothing to do with the day she’d put in, and everything to do with the man about to invade her world. But the day she’d put in made hiding those feelings a little tougher. And she needed all the stamina she could muster to make it through their lesson.

      She’d finished a little earlier than anticipated when Tracey had offered to take on the last two horses so she could get out to see Springer before her lesson. Word had gotten out about Rafe’s lessons, but no one had dared tease her about it. For one, they didn’t know her well enough yet, and two, she was technically their boss. The barn help, anyway. The instructors were more her peer group, but she’d had little time to bond with any of them, and not much inclination. Better to stick to what she was here to do and make as few waves as possible, even friendly ones. Which was a shame. For the first time, she was surrounded by women, women she’d enjoy getting to know better. But when people thought they were your friend, they naturally wanted to stick their noses in your business. Something she couldn’t risk at the moment. So she was cordial, pleasant, professional, but didn’t invite more. It wasn’t such a sacrifice. She’d been doing it all her life.

      Still…there were times when the echoes of laughter and shared conversation beckoned to something inside her, a part of her she hadn’t really ever nurtured, and it made her wonder what it would be like to be one of them.

      She shut that mental path down. It was pointless and she wasn’t the type to feel sorry for herself. Besides, she had new things to worry about. For all her caution, now she had someone not even pretending to be her friend wanting to stick his nose in her business. All she had to do was keep him so preoccupied with horseback riding that he had little or no time to ponder anything more than his rein grip and foot position in the stirrup. And nothing having to do with the person teaching him how to sit a horse right.

      “I’m ready when you are.”

      Elena whirled around and found Rafe standing just inside the barn door. Her pulse kicked up a notch, and not just because of his sudden appearance. Even dressed casually, he was rather riveting in safari-style khakis and a deep green polo shirt that set off his dark complexion