Page 20 of Irish Thoroughbred
“I was telling you—”
“I’m telling you,” he interrupted imperiously. “You’re going.”
Her eyes flashed at the order. Why, she thought, if it’s God’s pleasure for me not to be forever bursting with temper did He give me such a demanding one?
“Majesty responds better to you than anyone else,” Travis went on. “I want you tending to him.” Anger receded slowly at his words, and she dropped her eyes, staring at the ground while she considered his statement. “You’ll come to Kentucky because it suits me to have you there, and I’m accustomed to having what suits me.” His smile spread in a rapid change of mood as her head snapped up with fresh anger. His hands claimed her waist, then trailed slowly upward, resting on the sides of her firm young breasts as her anger faded into confusion. Lingering, his thumbs caressed in a slow circle, then trailed once in a lazy arch over the subtle curves, pausing at their fullness before moving to rest under theirsoft swell. Her lips parted, but she found no strength to protest against the unfamiliar intimacy, her body responding to his touch, eclipsing her will. She felt herself rising from the ground, and her hands went to his shoulders automatically to compensate for the loss of gravity.
“Put me down.” The order emerged as a trembling whisper, and his smile grew wider before his mouth lowered.
“In a minute.”
His mouth was dominant and sure, and her fingers dug into his shoulders as the force of the kiss held her in its prison. With a final flash of lucidity, she knew she could never fight Travis on these terms. Then all was lost in the dark demand of need.
“Steve’s right,” he murmured, his teeth nibbling at her lip and sending shooting sparks of flame through her veins. “You are prettier than Tom or Stan.”
With a final hard, brief kiss, he dropped her back to the ground, to stride away with casual arrogance, whistling the first few bars of “My Wild Irish Rose.” Adelia stood gaping after him, trembling with a confusing mixture of indignation and longing.
CHAPTER FIVE
Adelia found herself on a plane for the second time in her life. This plane, however, was vastly different from the crowded economy section of the passenger jet in which she had traveled over the Atlantic. Now she was passing over the relatively short distance between Maryland and Kentucky in the lush comfort of Travis’s specially equipped private jet. Adelia’s attitude during this flight was also a marked variation from her first. She stared, mesmerized, from the window, fascinated by the topography of far-distant West Virginia.
She looked down on patchworks of green and umber dotted by small houses, toy-train cities, and gray ribbons of roads snaking and winding to connect them. There were rivers and pine-topped mountains, their colors soft from her eagle view, and she thought with pleasure thatthe world was indeed a wondrous place. Engrossed in her new discoveries, she did not notice when Travis sat next to her.
“Enjoying the view, Dee?” he asked at length, smiling at the way she pressed her forehead to the glass like a child at a bakery window. She started at his voice, then turned her head to face him, pushing back the chestnut curls that spilled over her face at the movement.
“Merciful heavens, you’re forever surprising me. You move like the wind through a willow.”
“Sorry. I’ll practice stomping.” He grinned and shifted in his seat to regard her more directly. “I’ve often thought you move like one of those fairies Ireland’s so famous for, or maybe one of your leprechauns.”
“Oh, well, it can’t be both. A leprechaun’s not considered a fit associate for a reputable fairy.”
“Only a disreputable fairy,” he returned, amused at the sobriety of her statement.
“Aye, and for the most part they’re on their good behavior, hoping to be readmitted to Paradise on the last day.”
“Tossed out, were they?”
“When Satan was rebelling, they stood back from the fighting, not wanting to take sides till they knew how it would end. But since that was their only offense, they were banished to earth instead of tossed into the pit with the rebels.”
“Seems fair,” Travis concluded with a nod. “As I recall, they have the rather awesome power to turn one into a dog or a pig or something equally undesirable, but are normally disposed to good deeds if treated with the proper respect.”
“That’s right,” she agreed. “How did you know that?”
“Paddy saw to the holes in my education.” He leaned over her, smiling, and she pressed back into the cushions, green eyes growing wide. “Relax.” His voice tightened in annoyance. “I’m not going to eat you.” He fastened the seat belt around her waist and leaned back. “We’ll be landing in a minute.”
“So soon?” She controlled her voice to casualness while the beating of her heart vibrated in her ears.
“That’s right,” he answered, matching her tone as he secured his own belt. “You’ve been staring down at Kentucky for some time now.”
With amazing organization and economy of movement, the plane was landed, Majesty was unloaded and transferred to a waiting van, and the travelers were on their way to Churchill Downs.
Adelia’s impression of Louisville was vague. Her mind was in the back of the van with Majesty. She worried that he might be frightened and confused by the strange sights and long transport. When she voiced her concern, she was rewarded with a deep, full laugh from Travis. The ominous gleam in her eye was ignored as, chuckling, he informed her that Majesty was a seasoned traveler and took it in his stride.
Her irritation had faded by the time the van reached the extensive stables at Churchill Downs. Travis immediately confirmed the arrangements that had been made for Majesty’s stall space and feed.
Travis Grant was well known and highly respected in racing circles. Adelia noted that he was greeted with warmth by the men and women milling around the stable area. He stood head and shoulders above the group, exuding power and a virile masculinity that, she observed with a rude stab of jealousy, was obviously appreciated by the women who greeted him. Infuriated with herself for her own weakness, Adelia turned sharply back to Majesty and led the gleaming colt into his stall.
Time passed swiftly as she tended to the animal’s needs, brushing and soothing as she kept up a flow of one-sided chatter. As she was completing her duties, she heard loud footsteps approaching and turned around to see who was causing the din.
