Kentucky Groom by Jan Scarbrough Read Free Book Online Page B

stared up at him.
    He grinned, and shyly she glanced away as his hand covered hers on the rail.
    When the class had been judged, horses and riders retired to the end of the arena to wait. Carrie hated waiting. Nerves made her feel sick. Her mouth was as dry as the hard Kentucky clay.
    “Hurry up,” she murmured as if the judge could hear her.
    Jay squeezed her hand. She looked up at him once more, and her heart rolled over in her chest. He was so dear. So caring. She couldn’t let this charade continue. She had to tell him that money mattered. Not to her, but for her daughter.
    “And the winner is number two hundred and twenty-six,” the loudspeaker said, “Dr. Doolittle owned by Carrie Mercer of Louisville and ridden by Jessica Mercer.”
    “Oh!” Carrie’s hand flew to her mouth.
    “Yippee!” Jay vaulted the fence as the announcer finished speaking.
    Mary clambered over the rail right behind him. Together they greeted the winning horse and rider in the middle of the open-air arena. Carrie watched as Mary clipped the blue ribbon on Doolittle’s brow band, and Jay wiped lather from the pony’s neck. Then they both stepped back while the victory picture was snapped. Jesse just beamed. Carrie beamed for her.
    She met Jesse at the gate after the victory pass. “Congratulations.” The happiness bubbling within her made it hard to stop smiling at her child.
    “Thanks!” The little girl was breathing hard. “Isn’t it wonderful? That’s my very first blue ribbon.”
    Mary and Jay joined them. “You deserved the win,” Mary said. “Look at your nice trophy.”
    She held up a silver plate as the small procession headed down the hill toward the stabling area.
    “You really rode well,” Jay added his compliment as he trailed behind them.
    Carrie turned her head to see him catching Doolittle’s long tail and tying it up in a knot to keep it from picking up bits of dirt. He winked at her. Self-conscious, Carrie offered a small grin and lowered her gaze to the gravel road. Jay had a way of making her feel like such a novice. Over the last few weeks, she’d grown accustomed to the way her heart fluttered when he was around, the way her stomach knotted because of his mere glance. She sighed to herself, determined to put a stop to the roller coaster emotions within her and tell him the truth.
    * * * *
    Carrie dipped her head, suddenly so subdued it made him anxious. At the same time, he relished the way the sunlight cavorted across the contours of her face. Her eyelashes were scant smudges against her cheeks, her sun-streaked blond hair hanging in a long braid down her back. She filled his senses and his heart.
    At the barn Jay held Doolittle’s head while Jesse slipped to the ground. “I’m hot,” she complained.
    Carrie stripped the wool riding coat off her daughter’s back as Jay led the pony into the stall. By the time he had finished scraping sweat off the animal, sponging him off, and throwing a cooler over his back, the stabling area had cleared. Only Carrie was left sitting in a canvas director’s chair where she sorted through Jesse’s cosmetic case.
    “Where did everyone go?”
    She looked up. “To watch the rest of the show.”
    “Alone at last,” he bantered coming toward her.
    Carrie grimaced. He ignored her scowl. Leaning over, he kissed her full on the lips.
    “I’ve wanted to do that all week.” He straightened and noticed the expression of alarm in her eyes. “What? You don’t enjoy my kisses?” Jay cocked his head.
    Her gaze slipped away. “It’s not that. I enjoy them too well.”
    “Good. You had me worried.” Jay’s shoulders relaxed.
    Carrie looked back at him. He saw her swallow. “Sit down,” she said, shutting the cosmetic case.
    Jay plopped down on a small tack trunk beside her. “I feel a lecture coming on.”
    Carrie held the handle of the cosmetic case as if it were a link to safety. Carefully, he removed it from her hands and placed it on the ground.
    “Tell me