She couldn't help but admire the leashed power in his stallion's every stride. Domino was a magnificent animal. She could be riding him right now.
But she'd grown up with Buster. She’d raised him from a colt and knew what he was capable of. And this race wouldn’t be just about the horse. It was going to test the riders in every way.
Which is why she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"What are you doing out here?" she called out.
He was close enough with just a couple of yards between them that he heard her. But he didn't answer. "I brought a gift to your home," he shouted instead, surprising her. "I was going to tell you what it was, but I've changed my mind, since you weren't there to receive it."
She sputtered a laugh. He was withholding information to punish her?
She should be offended, but she couldn't find it in her. Somehow, he knew curiosity would eat her alive.
"Tell me,” he called, “why are we letting everyone outpace us?"
He was speaking conversationally, as if they were at home sitting in the parlor. The wind whipped at her face. She blinked against it, kept her eyes on the ground in front of her horse. She knew Adam was doing the same, even if he was conversing with her.
"Not everyone," she called, and that was the truth. There were maybe a dozen riders who had pulled back from the main herd and were now spread out around them. The rest were pushing hard and pulling even farther ahead. Soon she'd be able to take off the bandana that was keeping her from eating dust.
"Their horses won't be able to sustain that pace," she called to Adam. "Some will drop out today, the rest tomorrow or the next day." She gave the idiot racers three days maximum before they ruined their horses.
It was a pity. The animals didn't deserve their owners' stupidity.
All Breanna needed to do was reach the race checkpoint each day before it closed. Being first to the checkpoint served no real purpose. She needed to keep Buster as fresh as possible for the last thirty-six hours of the race, where there would be no checkpoint. Only an overnight race to the finish in Chicago. That last leg was the most important, though each day she must make the check-in to be eligible.
Now was the time to evaluate her real competition, but she found herself distracted by Adam.
She pulled away from him, taking a moment to count horses. Twelve, not including Adam and his stallion.
She was catching stares, either because they thought she was a young pup or because they'd discovered she was a woman. The man with the scar on his cheek was hanging back, just behind and off her right side. Half the time she looked at him, she caught a stare that sent prickles of unease skittering up her spine. She would keep tabs on that one at all times.
The two brothers were there, too, out to the north and slightly ahead.
It was only a matter of moments before Adam caught up with her again, closer this time. As if he'd caught a whiff of the menace in the air between old scar-face and her.
It rankled. "I don't need a minder," she called. "Or a protector."
"Your father assured me of that. I would never consider myself such."
His words might be flirtatious, but she knew he was lying. Why join the race unless he believed she needed looking after?
She shook her head, disappointed. The turn of her head meant she caught sight of his fancy duds, his dark coat whipping in the wind. It was a reminder of what he came from.
And that he wouldn't last.
"You ever spend a twelve-hour day in the saddle?" She already knew the answer. Adam worked in an office, not on a horse's back. "I bet you don't last the day."
His mouth firmed in determination. She'd seen that look plenty of times. Recognized it. Her opponents had worn it often enough.
Not that their determination had helped them.
"And what boon do I win when I ride in to the checkpoint at your side tonight?"
He was so sure of himself, it made her grin, even though she hadn't forgiven him for joining the race.
"What prize do you want?"
She didn't know how he did it while riding at the speed they were, but the hot look he sent her conveyed exactly what he wanted. Her.
