O'Brien's Lady Read Online Free Page B

sweat lay on her forehead and she kept pushing loose strands of hair away from her face. She felt the ache in her lower back and stopped for a moment to straighten up.
    "Ready to quit?" Michael's deep voice came from behind her and when she turned around, she saw him leaning against the stall door, one leg crossed over the other and a smirk on his face.
    "Never," she answered as she continued to work.
    Sonny quickly touched her forehead with the sleeve of her sweatshirt, hoping he had not seen. He could stand there all day if he wanted, but she would not quit.
    After the last stall had been cleaned, she carried the rake and pitch fork back to the empty end stall where barn tools and extra bedding were stored.
    Michael had followed and was standing right behind her. If she turned around, she would be practically in his arms, and if she kept her back to him, he would eventually force her to leave anyway. Sonny pulled her shoulders back and then whipped around abruptly, almost smashing into Michael's broad chest.
    "Do you enjoy watching other people work?" she asked.
    "I enjoy watching you."
    "Then do you mind moving, so I can finish?"
    Michael leaned one hand against the wall over her head, entrapping her within his reach. He touched the side of her cheek with his fingertip, tracing the line of her jaw up into her eyebrows and then back down again to her mouth.
    "Do you really want me to move, Sonny?" he asked softly.
    She tried to look straight ahead, afraid to let her eyes meet his, but it was impossible. Michael tilted her chin up with his thumb, holding her gently as his eyes took quick inventory of every line of her
    face.
    "Michael, I don't have time for games. There's work to be done."
    "So there is." Michael dropped his arm back to his side, and allowed Sonny to pass.
    He moved forward, just as she passed and Sonny's leg brushed against his hard thigh. That moment of contact sent currents of electric shock through her and she tried to quicken her steps. But, Michael's arm was around her shoulders, filling her with an immediate need to escape to safer ground. Anywhere would do as long as Michael O'Brien could not work his charismatic influence over her usual sound reason ing.
    "Wait, partner," he said softly. "I'll show you how we groom the horses.
    "Billy can teach me."
    "Not as well as I can." The twinkle was back in his dark eyes.
    Grooming the horses was more difficult than Sonny had bargained for, but she was determined to hide the fatigue she felt. If Michael thought he was winning the first round, he would soon learn differently.
    Billy joined them, handing Sonny the proper
    brushes, showing her how to move with circular motions over the animal's coat. She watched as he worked expertly and quickly. When she began, her arms grew tired. By the time she had finished the black horse, she was ready to rest.
    Michael had other plans.
    "You've got the hang of it now," he said. "I want you to see Graceful Lady."
    "Who is Graceful Lady?"
    "She's our broodmare. Your father invested a lot into her foal."
    "Another Pinebrook winner?" Sonny asked.
    "Should be. The sire was Thunderbolt, winner of the Triple Crown."
    "And that's going to make this foal a champion, Michael?"
    Michael placed his arm around Sonny's shoulder. "Let me tell you how it works. By the charts, it appears that this could be the one your father waited for most of his life. He wanted that Triple Crown in the worst way."
    "So, he picked the father and that makes us the proud owners of a good runner. Right?"
    Michael smiled at Sonny's lack of knowledge.
    He had been raised around the Thoroughbreds, so all of
    this was just matter-of-fact to him. He could see from the expression in Sonny's blue eyes that he had caught her interest.
    "Wrong. The charts can only tell what might happen. There are no guarantees. We just make the calculations and wait."
    "You make it sound so scientific…charts, calculations and all that." When Sonny saw Michael's eyes watching her