Page 44 of Chris

“Didn’t you want a drink?”

“Sure, soon. The stables?”

“Why not?”

He expected his current guard to follow him inside the stables, as that had been his entire tour today in a nutshell, but someone called the guy’s name just as they came up to the entrance where one could hear the horses hooves scuffing the floor inside.

“Jesús, venir!”

Chris had no idea what the man across the way was shouting to his guard, but whatever it was, Jesús was quick to give him a nod before he said, “I’ll be back in a moment—you’re good to look around, sí?”

“Perfectly fine,” Chris replied.

Even better that he got to do it alone, now.

“Do not wander off.”

“Of course, not.”

He was right where he wanted to be.

As soon as Jesús’s back was turned, Chris headed inside the stables. His gaze swept the space, taking in the horses, and the equipment lining one wall. A bucket of apple slices rested on the floor near one station, and the scent of animals and hay clung to the air with every breath he drew in.

Another time, and he might have admired the stables, and the beautiful creatures it housed. He always had a healthy appreciation for horses and had gone riding a time or two in the past. But as he was running low on time, and couldn’t chance getting caught alone with Valeria, he didn’t bother to enjoy the stables.

Instead, he found the woman in question down the corridor stepping into a stall beside a white and beige speckled horse.

“Ah, caballo,” Valeria said as the sounds of a brush being dragged over the horse’s hide echoed from the stall, “you’re a bonito boy today. You like the brush, huh?”

Chris didn’t even hesitate, simply headed down the corridor, and slipped into the stall where Valeria was brushing the horse down. Her gaze flew to him, her eyes widening as her pink lips fell open in a perfect O at the sight of him. No, he certainly didn’t have time to admire the stables, or to have small talk, but he enjoyed the sight of this woman in front of him in her surprise.

There was something beautiful about that.

About her.

“You can’t be in here,” she blurted, her breath gone.

Chris leaned back enough to peek out the stall which gave him a perfect view of the stable doors that were still wide open. “No one is here to stop me.”

His stare went back to her.

She swallowed hard.

“What do you want?”

“To talk,” he replied.

Valeria took a little step back, but she didn’t have very far to go. The horse next to them pranced in place wanting his attention back with that brush. “Do you understand that my husband will hurt—”

“Oh, he’s made it clear what he intends to do if I get too close to you, yes.”

She chewed on her bottom lip, those dark brown eyes of hers—like melting pools of russet—drifting over him like she wasn’t sure what to do with Chris. “That’s fine and great for you,” she returned, “but I am more concerned about what he might do to me.”

That made Chris stiffen.

“He hurts you?”

Valeria’s cheek twitched. “I … I shouldn’t talk about it.”