Because she’d never actually paid for anything until now, A.J. thought, her fingers seeking out the solitaire and rolling it around.
So how was she going to cover her debt?
Maybe she could just sell something.
The trouble was, she didn’t really own anything. Which she guessed made sense considering she’d never really bought anything with her own money. Well, except for wildly unpredictable Thoroughbred stallions with water phobias and the predilection for torturing blacksmiths.
Why couldn’t she have started out with something a little less ambitious? Like a goldfish?
She mentally thumbed through the things she used on a daily basis. The convertible was in Sutherland Stables’ name for the write-off; her furniture back home was more the mansion’s than hers; her clothes had been bought on credit that her father covered. Besides, she didn’t imagine there was a huge market for used barn boots.
What was she going to do?
Her fingers stilled, the solution painfully clear.
God, growing up hurts, she thought, dropping her hand to her lap.
Chester showed up for breakfast the next morning with a saucy grin. Devlin and A.J. were just sitting down when the man walked in.
“Good mornin’! Good to see ya set m’ place at the table. Didya miss me?”
“Welcome back,” A.J. said, smiling up at the man.
“How’re you feeling?” Devlin asked suspiciously.
“Right as rain. Fit as a fiddle. All the usual.” Chester slid into his chair and picked up his spoon. “I’m ready to get back to work. Couldn’t stand kicking around the house yesterday. Hey, listen. After the trainin’, I was thinkin’ I could retrofit those water pipes that busted. The plumber said he fixed the line but—”
“You’re doing nothing but the bare minimum today and I’m going to be watching you,” Devlin said. “If you’re not on good behavior, you’re back on the bench.”
Chester opened his mouth to argue but obviously thought better of it.
“Fine,” he grumbled. “If the two a’ you want to play nursemaid, that’s your business.”
“Glad you see the light,” Devlin said with a grin.
Down at the barn, they fell into their regular rhythm of work but it was strained under the surface. A.J. had to perform many of her tasks with one hand, which meant she was slow and dropped things. The worst for her was picking out Sabbath’s hooves. She had to use her arm to do the job, and, by the time she was finished, beads of sweat were dotting her forehead from the pain. She was forced to sit down and recover, cradling her arm in her lap while pretending to make small talk with Chester. After a while, the pain passed but it took longer than the day before.
Devlin had his own concerns. He was worried Chester would overdo it and unsure how much lifting and pulling was safe for the man to do. The groom behaved himself for the most part, but when he came down from the loft with a heavy load of hay, Devlin had to step in.
“You sure you should be carrying all that?”
“Humpin’ bales a’ hay is what they make men for.”
“It’s what they make wheelbarrows for.”
“Aww, come on. I’ve been toting this kinda load for years.”
“And maybe it’s time you eased up.” Before the man could argue, Devlin pointed a finger to the back of the barn. “You know where it is.”
Moments later, Chester showed up grumbling but pushing the wheelbarrow.
“Much better.”
“Hate this thing,” Chester grumbled. “Wheel’s bent cockeyed an’ the barrel’s too shallow.”
“So buy a new one. You’re going to spend a lot more time using the thing, so you better like it.”
Chester looked as if he was going to squabble.
“Tell you what,” A.J. offered. “I’ve got some errands to run today. We’ll hijack the truck and pick up a new one together.”
“You askin’ me on a date?” Chester asked wolfishly.
“I suppose I am.”
“You buyin’ or am I?”
“If you’re talking about the wheelbarrow, I am,” Devlin interjected.
“But what about food? If it’s a date, ya need food.”
“Probably not a lot of that at the local hardware store,” A.J. said with a grin. “Considering your days of eating nails are over with.”
“Well, I’ll pay for lunch if we go to the Pick a’ the Chicken.”
“Okay, but you should know, I don’t kiss on the first date.”
“Neither do I.”
They all laughed.
Before heading to the ring, A.J. ducked into the tack room and dug out the pills she’d put in a plastic bag and shoved deep into the pocket of her jeans. She’d taken two as soon as she’d gotten out of bed and she’d intended not to take any more until after the session but she knew she wasn’t going to make it through the workout without more.
Devlin walked into the room just as she tilted her head back to swallow.
“Hey, do you want to—?”
Caught by surprise, she choked and began coughing.
“Sorry,” she gasped, knocking herself in the chest.
Devlin gave her a strange look. “You okay there?”
As soon as she could breathe again, she said, “Fine. I’m fine. You caught me on the thin edge of a sneeze.”
“Well, if you need mouth-to-mouth, I’m the right man for the job.”
She went over to him, slipping her arms around his waist. “That so?”
“You better believe it,” he said before dipping her and catching her lips in a searing kiss.
“What I was about to say before you turned blue,” he murmured against her lips, “was how’d you like to go on a date tonight?”
“A date?”
“Dinner and a movie. Just the two of us. We could eat pizza and nuzzle in the back of a dark theater.” His tongue stroked her bottom lip. “I’ve heard the smell of popcorn is an aphrodisiac. Not that we need the help, of course.”
“I’d love to go on a date with you.”
“Good.” He kissed her again and left.
Alone in the room, A.J.’s shoulders sagged. She hated lying to him. Hated her injury. Prayed that she would heal fast.
Going to the windows, she saw the ring beyond, its multicolored jumps bright in the sunlight. She reached out a hand, putting the tips of her fingers against the cold, leaded glass that wrinkled the landscape. It was just until the Qualifier, she told herself. Then she would take a break and let the arm rest. Only a matter of weeks.