My Forbidden Mentor Read Online Free Page A

him halfway, her face inches from his, mimicking his slow deliberation. “And you are the most cautious, logical, follow-the-rules man I’ve ever met.”
    His teeth ground together. “Follow-the-rules?” He straightened, shaking his head. “Listen, I’m not cautious.” He paused with tightened lips, not wanting to get into a battle of words with a woman he had met less than an hour ago. His head shook again as he peered at a ceiling of distorted wood, cursing aloud. “Damn my curiosity.”
    “Pardon me?”
    “I was chastising myself,” he explained, tilting his head in her direction.
    “I’ve got an idea.”
    He saw a fresh gleam in her eyes and his hands flew up in position, as if to stop her words from hitting him in the face. “Please, I don’t believe I want to hear this.”
    “Yes, you do. You can breed your top stallion to my mother’s mare. She has championship in her bloodlines.”
    “What are you talking about?” he asked with focused interest.
    “Insurance of payment for my training. An offspring of your top stallion.”
    “And what will your mother have to say about this?” He became fascinated at the plans she made without the knowledge of all parties involved.
    “My mother won’t, my father will. My mother has passed on,” she informed him in a low voice.
    John sympathized quickly. “I see. I’m sorry about your mother.”
    She formed the beginnings of a smile. “It’s fine. You didn’t know. And don’t worry about my father, I’ll take care of him.”
    He studied her for a moment. This was becoming complicated. “I don’t like the sound of that.” he said in weary contemplation.
    But his doubts only boosted her confidence. “My father will back me. He’s behind me in all that I do.”
    It was his turn to smile. “Including being here at a racetrack by yourself, and now alone with a man in an abandoned shack?”
    Her features sent a flash of defeat. “All right, I admit he might be unknowing about my little adventure today and being alone with you. That might raise some questions.” He sent her a smile of delight. “But he will understand once I explain it to him,” she added.
    His face went serious again. “And what if you were caught today? You would’ve needed to be bailed out. You don’t think your father would not have become aware of this?”
    “Yes, but it didn’t happen.”
    He stared at her in amazement. “First of all, your idea of breeding our horses will not work because it has to be approved, and it won’t be approved in time because Chief isn’t a champion yet, but besides that, there’s a lot to think about here. I’m not making sudden decisions on something like this, and I don’t particularly care for the fact that your father is unaware. There would already be enough sneaking around. I don’t want to include your father in that.”
    “You’re right, of course, but I feel this a great opportunity and I don’t want to lose it.”
    In that moment he realized, while studying the pleading look she displayed, that she had him thinking about this preposterous idea. He was fighting an inner battle, which was unusual for him, but nevertheless he struggled between her ability as a rider and her gender. He decided to go with his initial feeling and be on his way. She appeared socially proper again, donned in her feminine attire. Once she was near the stables and away from this abandoned shack no one would question her appearance.
    He seemed dazed. “What is it?” Melissa asked.
    “I’m not able to help you.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because horse racing is a man’s sport.” He cringed inside at the ludicrous excuse he gave her.
    Flabbergasted by his response, she responded in fear of losing her chance. “You can’t believe that Lord Blackburn. You’re interested in me, I know you are.”
    “Being interested and acting upon it are completely different.”
    The loss of opportunity struck Melissa so hard she was speechless. He meant to leave and