My frown deepened as my fingers curled up to form tiny fists.
“Darling,” he called as he got closer.
I glanced at Betsy with the thought of hopping onto her back and charging away. But without a saddle, stirrups or a stool to help me up, that wasn’t an option.
“I was hoping I’d find you here,” he said as he deftly stopped Buster just feet away from Betsy.
“I can’t imagine why,” I said. The need to flee was overpowering and I felt trapped. “You have a lovely woman to bed, Ricky. You have no need for me.”
He got down and came to me. I instantly recoiled and stepped back, my foot now in the cold water of the pond.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me from the water’s edge. “There’s no need to run away from me, Darling. I wanted to find you simply to talk to you.”
“I still can’t imagine why, Ricky. You owe me no explanation. You’re a free man, free to do as you will, free to be with whomever...” I choked, still smarting at the thought of him with Britney of all people.
“I certainly didn’t intend to hurt you in any way, and though it’s no justification, you have to know that I was devastated by your rejection.”
I nodded but remained skeptical. “You have a reputation, Ricky. Women are just playthings to you. Trophies, I guess. You pile up women the way some men pile up medals. Is it not your favorite game to break a woman who refuses your advances? Just as I initially did? I have no doubt that the more I pushed you away, the more intent you were on getting closer to me.”
“I’m quite aware of my reputation, Darling, and I’ll admit that I deserve all the negative thoughts you have of me. But this is different and...”
“No,” I said, stopping him abruptly. “Please do not try to tell me ‘but you’re different from all the rest’. It will not work, Ricky. Besides, the point is moot all the same.”
“But youaredifferent,” he said, persisting in his argument. “Proof of that is Britney’s reaction to the whole affair. She was there at the house, waiting, her claws out and ready to pounce on me. I knew she wanted me, just by the way she’d been hovering around me lately. She was an easy remedy to erase the pain of...” He stopped just short of blaming me for his pain.
“None of that matters anyway.”
“But you came to my room this morning. Why?”
“You saw me?”I said softly, surprised by this admission.
“I heard a commotion and raised my head to see what was going on just as you walked out.”
I nodded, wondering what Britney had told him.
“Why, Darling? Why did you come to my room, and so early in the morning?”
“All right,” I finally said with some indignation. “If you must know; I felt bad about yesterday. I didn’t like the idea of...well, of hurting you. It wasn’t my intention. Not at all.”
“I know that. I know you enough to know that you would never intentionally hurt anyone.” He chuckled lightly. “Not even your sworn enemy, Britney.”
I smirked, not sure how to respond.
“She’s nothing to me, Darling. Nothing. And she’ll surely be sore when she realizes that, if she hasn’t realized it already. I ran out of that bedroom so fast. She tried to hold me back. She knew I wanted to go after you, and she did everything she could to latch onto me. By the time I broke free and went to the door, I couldn’t see you.”
He laughed again and raked his fingers through his hair. “When I tried to get dress to chase you down the hall, Britney gathered up my clothing and threw them all in the bathtub. Then she went to my closet and tried to grab everything there as well.”
I had to giggle at the thought. I could just imagine Britney, upset that her new conquest wanted to go back to his previous girl. She was sure to hate me all the more for this.
“When I finally managed to throw a decent amount of clothes on, I ran out to your room, but you were already gone. On my way down the stairs, I spotted you through a window rushing to the stable.”
I glanced at Buster. “You saddled him all on your own?”
He shrugged and smiled, then shook his head. “I had a little help.”
Nodding, I looked down at his wrinkled t-shirt, worn out jogging pants and sockless sneakers.
I wanted to smile. I wanted to cry. Part of me wanted to apologize for everything, and another part of me wanted to slap him for letting Britney win. Not only had she won a night with him, but she did so knowing how much it might hurt me.
