Santiago's Command by Kim Lawrence Page B

certainly not been some life-changing experience, just the result of bad timing and hormones.
    It had made her realise that what she needed was some balance in her life, and while she was not about to sign on with a dating agency or start attending speed-dating evenings—both suggestions from helpful family members—she was not going to actively avoid the possibility of a relationship. Rather, as her mum poetically phrased it, she was going to put herself out there.
    If Friday night had proved anything it had proved she did after all have a libido. Her full lips twisted into a bitter smile—it was just a pity that she didn’t have good taste!
    She shook her head and tuned back in time to hear Ramon say, ‘… and not very fond of anyone but his master. Now how about Sapphire?’ He drew Lucy towards a chestnut pure-bred Arab filly several stalls away from the black stallion. ‘She’s a lovely girl with very good manners.’ Ramon held out his hand to offer a treat to the horse.
    ‘She’s lovely,’ Lucy agreed, patting the animal. She placed a hand to her stomach as another of the cramps that had started an hour or so earlier made her catch her breath. The pain passed and she forgot about it as her attention strayed to the animal in the stall. ‘Have you ever ridden Santana?’
    Ramon laughed and shook his head. ‘Santiago would have my skin if I tried. He doesn’t share. You really have a way with horses.’
    ‘My father bred racehorses as a hobby—we all ride. He put me on the back of my first horse when I was two and led me on a thoroughbred when I was six.’ She broke off as Ramon lifted a hand to his head. ‘Are you all right?’
    Ramon shook his head. ‘Fine, fine … I just need …’ He flashed her a tight half smile and said, ‘I’ll be back in a minute. Tomas here will look after you.’
    The groom Ramon hailed smiled and saddled up both horses, and when he realised that she knew what she was doing, left her alone.
    ‘Abandoned,’ she said, burying her face in the filly’s neck.
    She patted the gentle filly, who was tethered beside Ramon’s mount—a good-looking Arab—and, pushing up the sleeve of her shirt, glanced at her watch.
    ‘Great!’ She gave a hissing sound of frustration and stomped up the aisle between the stalls. What was Ramon doing?
    At this rate she would miss out on her ride altogether. She had left Harriet some sandwiches for lunch, but if her bored friend was left alone too long she knew that she wouldn’tbe able to resist starting the round of chores without her and probably put back her recovery several weeks in the process.
    She was half tempted to take the pretty filly out alone and—The sound of hooves connecting with the wooden panel of a door interrupted her chain of thought.
    ‘Hello, boy,’ she said, walking to the stall where the stallion was pacing restlessly up and down. The animal pawed the ground and rolled his eyes. Lucy smiled and held out a hand fearlessly towards him, murmuring softly.
    With a whinny the animal came forward, bending his head towards her as he pawed the floor.
    ‘My, you’re a handsome boy,’ she soothed, finding it easy to identify with the animal’s restless impatience. ‘You need a run, don’t you? So do I,’ she added with a sigh. ‘Have you been neglected? I wish I could …’ She stopped, a slow smile spreading over her face as she thought,
Why not?
    Despite any number of answers surfacing in response to her silent question, the reckless idea took hold until by the time she had saddled the animal she had rationalised her decision to the point where she was actually doing the horse’s true owner a favour—a beautiful creature like this needed exercise.
    She did not doubt her ability to handle him: she had grown up around horses, she was a better than good rider and she had a natural affinity for all animals.
    Her confidence seemed justified as she walked the animal around the exercise yard a couple of times before