Free Jockeying for You by Stacy Hoff Page B

if she wasn’t, her date probably wasn’t too anxious to see her. Ryder unconsciously rubbed an imaginary “L” off her forehead and grimaced.
    At least I’m waiting around in one of the best places. Chez Louis XIV was well known to all but patronized only by those with a very big wallet. And attitude.
    Standing around in high heels was no easy feat. Nor easy on the feet. But her preferred dress shoes, ballet flats, simply would not have cut it. This was not a simple, nice night out with her mom or Mindy. This was an honest-to-God legitimate date. Right? At least it would be if he ever showed up. So with that idea in mind she had donned her highest heels, four-inch platform gold and white dress sandals. Unfortunately, the braiding of the gold ropes chafed. But at least her figure would appear willowy thanks to her new height. It wasn’t as if men generally clamored for a woman who stood barely over five feet tall. Even with her platform shoes on, Jake would be roughly a foot taller than her.
    Instead of a tall, beautiful princess she had grown up feeling like she was the ugly dwarf. Can I help it if short genes run in my family? Without it, Dad never would have become a legendary jockey.
    Her eyebrows knit together at the memory of the vivid daydream from earlier in the day, the one where she became a jockey again. Her tiny frame sitting tall in the saddle as she rode toward victory.
    She frowned and shook the idea out of her head. Nobody, especially a rich businessman like Jake Carter, would want to be on a date with a daydreamer. Spaced out in her own world. Geez , even she didn’t want to be around herself when she was like that. She bent down to grab her heavy gold purse off the floor to go kill time in the ladies’ room, but out the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a tall, handsome man. Her full attention immediately turned to the source. Jake Carter gave her a slow, sly smile.
    Jake took in the sight of Ryder’s sleeveless dress and smiled. Though the garment was not outright sexy, it showed off the muscular contours on her arms. Her biceps were obviously well developed and very tan. Both effects no doubt created by all her physical work with horses. Yet despite the outfit showing her strength, it showed her femininity, too. The white and gold dress hung around her gracefully like a Grecian tunic that was cinched at the waist. She was a beautiful statue, thin and surprisingly tall. He suppressed a smile when he saw her platform heels peek out from under the long dress.
    She’s still so tiny. In fact, her petite figure was the exact opposite of her large personality. The stark contrast was appealing. But in some ways she was internally consistent. Strong body, strong mind.
    “You look lovely,” Jake murmured.
    “Thank you for the compliment,” she answered softly. Her blue eyes were bright and playful. She beamed a smile.
    “I hope you weren’t waiting long.” He glanced at his Rolex.
    “I have a little bit of a time problem. I always arrive early.”
    He shot her a grin. “Like your horses, I hope. I love it when they arrive early, too. First to the finish line.” He noted a small wrinkle spring up between her eyebrows. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to talk shop.”
    “It’s okay. Work is hard to shut out, I know.”
    “Tonight I’m going to make a concerted effort. I want to talk about you.”
    She smiled and blushed as they followed the hostess to their table. The restaurant was crowded as usual. Noisy laughter and chatter filled the air. With Ryder’s soft voice he hoped her words wouldn’t be drowned out. She was the only one he wanted to hear.
    “Wine?” he asked when they were seated.
    “No, thanks. One of us has to keep our wits.”
    He laughed. “I can’t possibly drunk dial you again. Number one, you’re right here. Number two, I’m not indulging tonight.” He picked up her hand and kissed it. “Any more than being with you is already an indulgence.”
    “Thanks, but you