Page 61 of Close Match
“It started because I had to get out, Linnie.” We were walking toward the paddocks. Horses were grazing around hay strategically placed around the lush green grass. I could see Monty talking with a group of men, wiping the sweat from his brow beneath a red ball cap with a whiteWemblazoned on it. “There was one wealthy family who lived in a nearby town. It was a damn fiefdom. If these people wanted to spit on you, you would let them. They controlled whether you worked, you ate, you had a home, clothes—anything.”
When we’d stopped some distance away, he rested his arms against the top of the split rail. “I didn’t want to rely on anyone. My pa? He worked in their factory and then expected my ma to do his every bidding for him like he was a king. He was a huge man who swung a belt with unerring accuracy. I was so grateful to have won a scholarship to Virginia Tech. It was my ticket to freedom.”
I laid my hand on top of his briefly before pulling it away. “I’m so sorry.”
He barked out a bitter laugh. “I used to be until I met Char. Then I realized I’d live through every moment all over again to knock over those damn flowers. I felt this spark the minute I laid eyes on her, but until that moment, she never saw me.”
“Have you ever told her that?”
He turned his head away from the horses he’d been studying to smile at me. “Many, many times. I could lose it all tomorrow.” He waves an arm to encompass the land and the house behind us. “But if I kept the love my family has for me at this moment, I’d be richer than I would be ifFortunetold me I made the top 500 wealthiest people in the world.”
I froze and asked him, “Umm, you’re not on that list, right? I mean, I guess that’d be cool for you, but frankly, money can be a pain in the ass. At least I find it to be. That’s why I let Bris deal with mine.”
Chuckling, he slung a friendly arm over my shoulder. “I think that’s the first time I ever heard anything to that effect.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I like my creature comforts, but Bris donates a bunch.” I shook my head. “What the hell am I going to do with all of it? She keeps making more,” I tack on in disgust.
Ev tossed his head back and laughed. “You are priceless, Linnie.”
I gave him a quick wink.
Even Char and I have spent time getting to know one another. She made a trip to Gainesville this week for some extra groceries and asked me if I wanted to come along. We took her Lexus SUV—a vastly different driving experience than riding with Monty—and by the time we left Wegmans, I was indignant there wasn’t one closer to me in New York. “What complete crap,” I declared, much to Char’s amusement. “I’d love to be able to get the groceries we just got in one store. I have to get Whole Foods to deliver, go to Zabar’s, and hit a few specialty stores to get half of what’s in the trunk. You can walk in one freaking store and get everything.” I’m in awe.
“This is why I suggested we eat first. Can you imagine if we went in there hungry?”
“We’d have bought out the entire hot bar,” I said faintly. “As it was, we needed two shopping carts, Char. Two.”
Char reached over and patted my knee. “I only shop like this once every few weeks. It’s not as bad as it looks.”
Like the baby onThe Exorcist, my head revolved around to her. “Every. Few. Weeks? Are you feeding the horses people food?” I demanded.
Char’s laughter exploded over the music in her car. Shaking my head, I grinned out the window as Char drove us back to the house explaining the town we were driving through, littered with townhomes and shopping centers, used to be huge farms which were sold off for housing developments closer to the nation’s capital.
But despite shared meals, the one member of this family I still don’t have a pulse on is Monty. Wandering over to the fence where my father so often stands, I lean against a post, lost in thought.
What do I know about him? He loves his family. Char explained Monty left his job because of a personal decision. He’s patriotic, loyal, and I know very intuitive about human nature. He understood the idea of him looking into me would be disturbing. But there’s something else, something I can’t put my finger on that’s floating just out of reach.
Scraping the toe of my sneaker back and forth against the blades of grass, I don’t notice anything different about my surroundings until I realize the sun’s ducked behind a cloud. Glancing up, I jump backward when I’m startled by the fact it’s not a cloud that’s blocked the sun but a man on a horse.
Monty and the beast he’s sitting astride sure know how to make an entrance. A tiny smirk touches my lips wondering if there’s a chance in hell of ever getting both man and beast up on a stage—whoever cast them would make a mint. It would undoubtedly cause a stir in audiences everywhere, that’s for sure.
“Whatever you’re thinking can’t be good,” Monty declares as he throws his leg over the saddle, slides his body down the side, and loops the reins over the horse’s neck with ease. Holding them loosely in one hand, he makes his way around the front of the dark-maned beauty.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you and Ev have the same smile.” Again, I’m startled, since I always thought I had my mother’s smile. I take a step back to regain my balance. As if he hasn’t just rocked my world, he continues. “When you laugh, you both get dimples right here.” Monty points on his cheeks where I do have two dimples. “When you concentrate, you both make this face.” He puckers his lips until he looks like a goldfish.
An involuntary laugh breaks free. “Oh God. I don’t look like that. Do I?”
With his eyes twinkling and his lips still pursed, Monty replies, “Yes, you do.” Quirking his lips, his sexy smile causes my stomach to flutter. “So, fess up. What were you thinking about?”
“You and your horse,” I blurt out.
His brows raise a bit. “Come again?”
I begin babbling. “I was thinking you both would make one hell of an impression coming out on a Broadway stage. If you rode on out, the awe on the audience’s faces would be insane.”
I’m pretty sure Monty thinks I’m insane if the disbelief on his face is anything to go by. To cover my embarrassment, I keep talking. “I mean, you looked impressive up there. All…tough. Masculine. Not that I know anything about it. Riding, I mean. Well, I don’t know about being a man either. I’ve never been asked to play one. Though, that might be interesting…” I frown in thought. Then I shake my head. “Never mind. If I did that, it could never be a musical.” I focus back on Monty to find him more than just a little amused.
