Purebred by Patricia Rosemoor Read Free Book Online Page B

out one of her hands in a nonthreatening way. The mare was so spooked by the wind that she didn’t trust her. Cat kept talking nonsense in a soft voice, anything to soothe the mare. Her being so stressed wasn’t good, and Cat feared that it would interfere with her conceiving.
    “Relax, girl, that’s it,” Cat murmured as the mare finally lowered her head and stretched out her neck so Cat could touch her. “Yes, you know me. You know there’s no reason to be afraid.”
    But as she ran a hand along the mare’s neck, her horseflesh quivered. Fairy Tail was afraid of something. And the wind wasn’t even whipping through the barn now.
    Had Fairy Tail been hurt by the stallion’s cover that morning?
    Had she missed something in checking over the mare?
    Continuing her soothing chatter, Cat rechecked every inch of the mare’s body for scratches or bites she might have gotten from False Promise, but she found nothing. Fairy Tail was physically fine as far as she could see. And given Cat’s continued attention, she finally settled. So the mare wasn’t hurt, just frightened.
    “You are a scaredy mare,” Cat whispered, kissing the velvety soft nose. A rush of warm breath on her cheek in return made her smile and pat the mare’s neck. “Are you going to be okay now if I leave you?”
    Fairy Tail pushed at her in response, making Cat laugh.
    “That’s my girl.”
    Relieved, she left the stall and got that weird feeling of not being alone again. But though she stopped and waited and listened for something that would indicate another human presence, nothing seemed out of place. It was more an itchy feeling of something being wrong.
    Not wanting to stay in the barn any longer than necessary, Cat headed for the center aisle and Mac Finnian’s stall. The colt was acting nearly as weird as Fairy Tail. But like the mare, he quickly settled under her soothing hands. Other than the tension that rippled through the barn, he seemed just fine.
    A rumble of thunder followed by a flash of light through the open doors set off the horses once more. They began to shift and nicker.
    What a night—she’d never seen them all so edgy.
    She’d never felt so edgy being in the barn alone.
    It was almost as if something horrible was about to happen here.
    Then the tap-tap of rain hitting the roof made Cat groan. The storm had started in earnest.
    Deciding to get to the house before the sky opened and the drizzle turned into a downpour, she left the flashlight on its hook and made a run for it. The rain beat down on her harder than she expected. She tucked her chin to her chest and ran blindly toward the house.
    The wet ground beneath her feet made going treacherous, and halfway there, she slipped, slid and caught herself only to ram into another body. Arms wrapped tight around her.
    Instinct made her fight and start to scream until a hand whipped over her mouth to hush her.
    * * *
    C ERTAIN THAT SHE ’ D LEFT THE BARN , he left the shadows where he’d been hiding. She’d passed right by him without even knowing he was there.
    What the hell had she been doing out here anyway?
    Five minutes earlier and she would have caught them. She could still catch them. They weren’t by any means done with their work.
    He considered the risk.
    Considered the reward.
    Considered what would have to be done if one night Cat entered the barn at the wrong time.
    He decided he couldn’t let it matter—the risk was worth whatever they had to do.
    They’d gotten rid of one obstacle.
    Cat was equally disposable.

Chapter Six
    Cat bit down on the hand covering her mouth—hard!—until he let her go.
    “What the—”
    “Aidan?”
    His name came out a screech that attacked his ears.
    “Aye,” he growled in return.
    “What do you think you’re doing?”
    “Trying to be a gentleman, is all. If I hadn’t caught you, you would be butt-down in the mud now.”
    She gaped at him as if trying to come up with some stinging retort.
    The rain was coming down