Page 86 of Demons

I couldn’t let him ruin his life, protecting me.

Capri

King had come earlier and said something to Thatcher that caused him to leave the fence where he’d been watching me exercise the horses. I was able to focus more on what I was doing without him standing there, being a distraction. I managed to finish with Nemesis and Pharaoh while he was gone.

Dismounting from Pharaoh, I took the lead and walked him over to Derek to take back to the stables and brush down. I knew that Miller had sent for Sword next, so I glanced back at the stables to see if he was on his way out or if I had time for a water break.

The gorgeous Appaloosa that Storm had bought for his fiancée, Briar, exited the entrance with Briar leading her. I tried not to let my insecurities go running wild at the sight of her. She wasn’t like the girls that I’d seen Thatcher with. She was on another level. The kind of stunning that turned all heads. But the two times I’d spoken to her, she’d been nice. I liked her.

Storm walked out then, wearing a brown cowboy hat, with Poseidon. They were going on a ride. I’d seen them leave together many times, doing this. He leaned over and kissed her, then slapped her butt, causing her to laugh. Before she had shown up, I’d seen Storm once with another woman. She’d been along the lines of the women Thatcher was always with. Storm wasn’t like that anymore. Briar had all his attention.

“I’ll see what’s taking so long with Sword,” Derek told me, taking Pharaoh’s reins.

“Thanks,” I told him, then walked over to the water bottle I’d brought with me from Thatcher’s. The water was still ice cold. I could even hear the ice in it still. Whatever kind of bottle this was, I needed one. My water was normally warm after being out in this heat for two hours.

Miller stepped outside the stables and waved me in. Maybe Sword wasn’t coming out today. I nodded and headed for the gate. I had hoped I’d get a chance to see Carmen on Zephyr today. Now that I knew I had a better time than he did, I wanted to see what he was doing wrong. If Thatcher wouldn’t let me race him, then at least I could make sure he got his best time. He was Thatcher’s horse, and I wanted him to win and win big.

I was almost to the stables when I saw someone walking up in my peripheral vision. Glancing over, I saw Wells, who wasn’t here as often as the others, and the blonde who had tried to flirt with Thatcher yesterday. I forced a smile and kept walking. No need to interact.

“Capri!” Wells called out, and I turned to look back at him again, wishing I could have gone without this. “Have you seen Storm?”

I nodded, then pointed in the direction he and Briar had ridden. “Gone on a ride with Briar,” I told him as they reached me.

“Shit. I needed something from him,” he muttered.

I could feel the blonde’s eyes on me. I didn’t look at her.

“You work here?” she asked.

Guessed I had to look at her now. “Yes,” I replied.

She scrunched her nose at me, then smiled like she thought something was funny. “That explains yesterday. You must have pissed off Thatch. He never ignores me that way. I knew you couldn’t have his attention.”

Okay, not taking that. I mean, I probably should, but I didn’t like mean girls. I’d had my fill during my childhood.

“Best not to go there, Ruby,” Wells told her.

She let out a short laugh. “Why not? She’s a stable girl or whatever. Thatcher was dragging her like an animal through the stables, and I knew it couldn’t be because he was gonna fuck her. If he didn’t want me on his cock, then he had to be upset.”

“Shut up, Ruby,” Wells warned her, his eyes shifting around nervously.

I didn’t need him to take up for me. I could handle her. There was likely a chance she wouldn’t be the first I had to deal with.

“I’m a jockey. Not a stablehand. And I wasn’t in trouble with Thatcher. We were leaving. Together.”

She smirked, and her gaze traveled down my dirty jeans, boots, then back up to the tank top I was wearing. “Not to fuck—that’s for damn sure.”

“Enough!” Wells said, grabbing Ruby’s arm.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked her.

She was making me mad. I might be insecure about the women he’d been with, but I sure as heck wasn’t letting one of them make me feel less than.

She gave me a disgusted look. “Oh, the stable girl is getting snarky,” she said, stepping closer to me. “You do not want to mess with me, bitch. I—”

An arm swung in front of me, and the loud smack that landed on Ruby’s face sent her flying backward and onto her butt. I heard some cursing, and I was still looking at her in shock when Thatcher stepped in front of me. Realization hit me. Oh my God. He’d just slapped a woman on her ass.

“GET OUT!” he shouted, standing over her as she scrambled back on the ground, trying to get away from him.

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