mine, isnât he, Daddy? You got him for my sa-prise, didnât you, Daddy? For my birthday.â
âSlow down, honey.â Michael laughed, reaching down to ruffle her hair. He still hadnât relinquished Kateâs hand, and if he noticed her subtle attempts to free herself, he was pretending not to. âItâs a she, not a he. And yes, sheâs your birthday present.â
âAll right! Just what I wanted! Iâll bet she goes really, really fast, doesnât she, Daddy? As fast as Diablo, right?â
âShe goes plenty fast, kiddo. Just fast enough for a big seven-year-old girl like you.â
âHave you seen her, Trask?â When the big man nodded, Chloe turned her attention to her teacher. âCome pet her, Miss Rose. She wonât hurt you.â
Kateâs hand was released, and she moved toward the stall with Chloe. The animal pushed its soft muzzle into her hand and looked at them with soft, good-natured eyes.
âWell, Iâll be darned, Trask. I think I see a couple of sa-prises in here that the Clo-worm hasnât even discovered yet.â
âWhere?â Attention momentarily diverted, Chloe darted back to her father. âOh, I see it. Oh, Daddy, itâs awesome!â She ran over to the child-size saddle and ran her hand over it reverently.
âThought you might be needing this, as well.â Trask held up a shiny leather bridle that matched the saddle.
âThank you, Trask, thank you.â Chloe threw her arms around his legs and hugged him.
Kate found herself being drawn away and looked at Michael quizzically. He gave her a crooked grin. âNow I get to show you my horse,â he said. They went to the end of the stable. This stall was bigger than any of the others, and there were bars on the stanchions too narrow for the horse to get his head between.
âGood Lord,â she said faintly. âHeâs huge.â
The stallion was jet-black with white markings on his face. He was powerfully muscled and so high-strung she imagined she could see him quiver at their scent.
âHeâs a beauty, thereâs no doubt about it. Just got him this year, and we still donât have him completely broken. Hankworks with him every day, and I exercise him every chance I get. He loves to run, donât you, boy?â
The horse fidgeted suddenly, and Kate backed away, coming up abruptly against Michaelâs chest. His hands grasped her shoulders, and he held her in place. âDo you like horses?â
They were close enough for him to speak the words in her ear, a low, husky rumble. She shivered, a totally involuntary response to his nearness. She could feel the solid width of his chest pressed against her, and his fingers kneaded her shoulders lightly. It didnât take much imagination to envision being wrapped in those arms, pressed tightly against his solid strength, his heat enveloping her. Deliberately, she stepped away and turned to face him. âI havenât been around horses much. Iâm fascinated by their power, though. Iâve often thought it must be a wonderfully liberating feeling to race along on top of a horse.â
âIt is. Weâll have to get you on one someday so you can see for yourself. But first,â he said, looking at his watch, âI have a daughter whoâs going to miss her bedtime if we canât drag her away from her sa-prises.â
It was the temptation of ice cream and cake that finally proved strong enough to entice Chloe back to the house. She kept up a steady stream of chatter throughout dessert. âSomeday my horse will be as big as Diablo, right, Daddy?â
ââFraid not, shortstuff. Sheâs a Shetland pony. She wonât get any bigger than she is right now.â
âIâll feed her really good,â Chloe said earnestly over her ice cream. âSheâll grow, youâll see. Sheâll get lots bigger.â
Michael caught