Chapter 5

5

I slipped through the gate and approached Hyde, pasting a big smile on my face. I'd kill him with kindness. When he continued to glare, I waved. The woman holding the horse's lead waved back and looked relieved. She had to be in her thirties and had short-cropped brown hair and wind-burned cheeks.

I purposely focused on her and held out my hand as I introduced myself. We shook, her grasp firm.

"Anna Davis. Nice to meet you, Teremie."

I turned to Hyde and did the same, but he refused my proffered hand.

"I think you left out ‘the Cheater'." Unlike Ali, he didn't say it in a joking way.

"Well, you have the advantage since you know who I am." I raised a brow. "You look kind of familiar. Have I seen you in anything?" I pretended to examine him like I could almost place him.

Ooh, he didn't like that. Anna's eyes widened, and she coughed into her hand to cover a laugh. Yeah, we'd get on fine. Hyde, on the other hand . . .

He opened his mouth to say something scathing, I'm sure, but Anna—bless her—broke in.

"I appreciate you both being on time. This is Bruce." She rubbed the horse's nose. "He's a very gentle guy and perfect if you've never ridden before."

"Sounds like Teremie has ridden lots of guys," Hyde said under his breath, only loud enough I could hear.

Really? Slut shaming? My estimation of the asshole fell a few more notches, and it hadn't been all that high to begin with. I pretended to ignore him, because guys like him hated being ignored.

"Can I pet him?" I asked Anna instead. When she nodded, I slowly reached out. Bruce wasn't even close to the biggest horse in the paddock, and he looked a little older and, uh, well fed. A pretty brown color with a big splash of white on his face, Bruce had eyes that made my heart melt. He pushed into my hand when I ran a palm over his neck. Anna handed me a piece of carrot and instructed me to put it on the flat of my hand and keep my fingers straight so he wouldn't accidentally nip me. His lips tickled my palm when he picked up the morsel, and I chuckled.

"He likes you." Anna kept a loose hold of his reins and offered Hyde some carrot.

Hyde fastened on a smile that looked more like a grimace. He held out his hand with the treat on it. Bruce stared at him for a moment. The horse looked even less impressed with him than I was. After a pause, Bruce reached out to take the food. At the last second turned his head and nipped Hyde's finger.

"Ouch! Fucking horse." Hyde drew back, dropping the carrot chunk on the ground, where Bruce then snatched it up. I could swear the horse grinned as he chewed, his gums rolling back to expose his large teeth.

Okay, so not a Hyde Hatcher fan, either. I liked Bruce more and more.

"Sorry," Anna said. "He's usually so careful."

I patted Bruce's neck again, the hair soft under my fingers. Again, he shifted to lean into me.

Anna broke into a detailed discussion of how to mount, dismount, walk, stop, and hold a proper posture. Apparently, we'd be using a mechanical horse in the action scenes where they needed close-ups. I could've slumped to the ground in relief.

In the middle of her talk, an SUV bumped down the rutted track and pulled up to a trailer at the far end of the paddock. I'd always had excellent eyesight and let me tell you, the man who climbed out of that car was something to look at. At least 6'5" with a stunning jawline and dark brown hair with copper highlights that fell in waves around his face. This guy might be the most beautifully rugged man I'd ever seen. When he took off his sunglasses, I amended that to "wolf." The guy was definitely a wolf, his eyes glowing golden as he examined his surroundings before turning and going into the trailer.

Was my tongue lolling out? It had to be. In the months since Matt and I split, I'd only had a mild interest in anyone. I was beginning to think he'd broken me. But this guy set my libido thrumming. The powerful jolt was as startling as it was welcome.

"Teremie, did you catch that?" Anna asked.

"What?" I craned my neck to see if that gorgeous man would make another appearance.

"He's too busy ogling the very straight Kade Savage," Hyde sneered. "And even if he swung the other way, do you think a guy like that would have any interest in a nobody? And a cheater? Plus, he's currently dating Nora Kinkaide."

That was Kade Savage? I'd looked him up and found only a few blurry pics online. OMG, how could I be on set with him and not drool? What if I fanboy'd? It had been bad enough with Ali. Figures he was straight. And that he was dating a supermodel. Oh, and also, I raised my middle finger and waved it in Hyde's direction. Fuck you very much.

"I could get you fired—" he began.

"Teremie," Anna broke in. "I really do need you to pay attention."

She frowned, and I felt instantly chastised.

"Sorry. I had a crush on the guy when I was a kid and I'd wondered what he looked like now." I gave her my best sheepish smile, and her frown vanished.

"Oh, yeah, I was like that when I met Chris Evans. I thought I was going to pee myself." She squeezed my arm. "You'll get used to it."

"Charming." Hyde sighed. "Well, if you two are planning to waste my time, I'll just—"

Anna instantly broke back into her lecture on safety. I did my best to refocus. There'd be time to see Kade up close. I hoped he wasn't like Hyde. Ugh, wouldn't that be a disappointment?

"So, who's first?" Anna looked between us.

"I have a lot going on this afternoon. I'll go first." Hyde shot me a challenging glare.

I shrugged. "Have at it."

I wasn't in a hurry to be in the saddle. Horses were pretty but seemed like they could be unpredictable. At least for a beginner like me.

Bruce's ears flicked back, and he bared his teeth at Hyde.

Anna held a lead so Hyde could put his foot in the stirrup and get a grip on the saddle, reins in his fingers. The moment he had his foot in place, Bruce shied sideways, dragging Hyde with him. Hyde flailed before grabbing the pommel with both hands to steady himself.

"What the hell? Control this fucking thing," Hyde barked as Anna said, "Bruce!"

Bruce stopped, gave me a, um, conspiratorial look. That's the only way I could describe it. I cleared my throat, so I didn't laugh.

Hyde glared at me. I kept a straight face. Had to bite my cheek to do it. I mean, I shouldn't laugh. That could have been me.

"Let's try this again." Anna nodded for Hyde to swing up.

He huffed and attempted to hop up into the saddle. Bruce shied again. Hyde bounced on the ball of his foot and swung up, but it was graceless, and he almost fell off the other side.

"I hope the other horses are better behaved or I'm not riding. They can pull in a stunt double and use CGI." Hyde clung to a square pommel, his knuckles white.

"Don't worry, I've a hold of the lead. We'll try a few easy circles." Anna let out the rope, and Bruce walked until he'd reached the tether's end and did a lazy circle.

After a second one, Hyde seemed to relax. Anna called out a few corrections so Hyde would appear majestic when they filmed him in the saddle. He had terrible posture, all awkward and stiff. They ambled around another couple of times.

"Okay, now pull back on the reins. No reason to pull harshly. Be gentle. That's it."

And then, instead of stopping, Bruce took off.

He broke into a gallop and almost pulled the lead from Anna's grasp. Hyde screamed as he hung on for dear life. He hit a pitch so high I'm surprised he didn't break our eardrums. Riders in other paddocks paused to watch.

"Bruce, behave!" Anna shouted, and just like that, Bruce skidded to a halt.

Hyde almost tumbled ass over end off the front of the saddle but clung to Bruce's neck.

Anna rushed to help Hyde down. "I'm so sorry. Bruce is usually one of our most dependable mounts. He's the one children ride in films."

He ripped his arm from her grip.

"Fuck this horse and fuck you!" He stormed off toward the gate where his PA and a few others from his entourage waited.

I winced as he left. "Don't worry, I'll let them know this wasn't your fault. I think Bruce just didn't like him. He's got a bad vibe."

Anna blew out a harsh breath, her dark bangs ruffling from her frustration. "Thanks. I don't know—"

Her cell rang.

"Oh, sorry, I have to take this! My dad's having surgery today, and I've been waiting on word. I couldn't get a signal earlier."

"Here, give me the lead. I think he's had his fun today."

She looked uncertain. When her phone rang again, she handed him off. The moment she stepped away, Bruce's breath tickled the back of my neck. He poked his head over my shoulder, and I laughed.

"You sure didn't make any friends today. Well, except me. Though I think you backed the losing horse so to speak."

Bruce whickered and pressed into me as if to disagree. I couldn't explain it, but I knew this horse wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I reached up and ran my hand up the bridge of his nose. He nudged me again. A little harder than before.

"What?" I said, turning to face him. He swung around and presented his side. "Oh, no, I'm not getting on you without Anna watching."

If you've never been given side eye by a horse, you're missing out.

"Stop looking at me like that. I'll get on in a moment." I glanced over my shoulder. Anna was still engrossed in her conversation, her back to me.

Bruce blew out a huffy breath, stomped his foot. He had to be kidding me.

"Really? You're going to pout now?"

He swished his tail, nodding like he was answering my question.

I laughed again. "Give it a minute. She'll be right back."

He shook his head.

Seriously? I checked on Anna again. Still involved in her call. Bruce gave me the meltiest doe-eyes I'd ever seen. He put Rory to shame, and I could never say no to him.

"Okay, fine. You better not throw me. I can't afford to break anything." Hoped I wouldn't regret this. I twined the lead around my forearm and followed what Anna said to do. Swinging into the saddle like I'd done it a million times before, I settled myself comfortably. It felt like coming home. Huh. I hadn't expected that. "Maybe we can just start with a slow walk?"

As if understanding, Bruce walked. Since no one held his lead, he didn't have to go in a circle, but he did. I patted his neck, a combined sense of relaxation and exhilaration settling over me. I loved being on horseback. Who knew? Felt like I could stand and do crazy stunts. I didn't, though it was tempting.

After circling the area twice, Bruce blew out a breath. No one could say horses didn't communicate.

"Fine. Let's try a gentle trot." I almost expected him to break into a gallop, but he didn't. He trotted, and I rose and fell with his stride. Felt completely natural. Loved it. Except I wished I didn't have the saddle between us. Crazy as that sounded, it was like it was keeping me separate from him and broke our flow.

He whickered.

"Bored already?"

His ears flickered.

Anna still had her back to us, so maybe she wouldn't see . . .

"Go!" I said, and gently squeezed my knees to his flanks instead of using the reins like she'd instructed us to do. Just felt right.

Bruce took off, and I bent forward slightly, careful not to lean on his neck, the wind whipping my cheeks. I wanted to whoop, but I didn't dare draw attention. Anna would probably have a heart attack when she realized. We raced from one end of the paddock and back, his hooves thumping on the grass in a fierce gallop. Bruce returned to our starting point, then slowed to a trot and finally a walk.

Anna hurried our way. Shit, apparently, we weren't as stealthy as we thought. When I straightened, Bruce held his head high, tail flicking, and began prancing in a small circle. Like we were on parade. Or he was dancing to music only he could hear. As she reached us, I automatically applied pressure with my left leg, and he pranced sideways out of her reach. I effortlessly adjusted myself in the saddle, almost forgetting about the reins. We did what I could only describe as a jig. Anna's eyes were wide, her mouth agape.

When I applied pressure from the other leg, he pranced sideways in her direction, and we drew to a halt next to her. I couldn't hide an ear-to-ear grin.

"Horses are amazing!"

She narrowed her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me you were a pro? You scared me shitless. I thought he took off with a newbie. And how'd you know he'd respond to dressage commands? We use him almost exclusively for Western-style riding."

Huh?

"I've never been on a horse before." And I couldn't tell the difference between dressage and Western riding if my life depended on it. I just did what felt natural in the moment.

She huffed. "Not possible. You sit a saddle better than ninety percent of the pros I know. Did you compete as a kid? And, hell, I didn't even know Bruce knew how to prance like that and I've worked with him for years."

"No, I . . ." By her expression, I could see I was only going to piss her off if I kept protesting. I unwound the lead and tossed it to her, but didn't dismount. "So, how's your dad?"