Instead of telling her all that, he took her hand and showed her how to pet the horse.
“I don’t…” she started to say, unconsciously pressing her back against him to try and put space between herself and the enormous horse’s head in front of her.
“You do,” he countered, not letting her move away. “Just like this,” he told her as he lifted her hand, placing it on the horse’s nose.
Thor turned his head slightly to get more of her hand, sniffing her scent. “Don’t be nervous,” Rocco coached, his voice very close to her ear. “He’s just trying to smell you. Turn your hand like this.” And he turned her hand so the palm was up, giving Thor more access to her hand and her scent.
Brianna giggled slightly at the ticklish feeling of the horse’s whiskers against her palm. “He’s sweet.”
Rocco smiled but knew she couldn’t see him. “He’s a wild beast when you get him on the open trails,” he said. “He likes to take off, see how fast he can go.”
Brianna tilted her head so she could see him. “Just like you?”
Rocco laughed and wrapped his arm around her waist, squeezing gently. “He and I get along pretty well, once he knows who’s in charge.”
Initially she’d stiffened at his touch, but after only a second, she relaxed. Even smiled and rolled her eyes at his comment before turning back to the horse. “He wants to run around in the pasture, doesn’t he?”
Rocco patted the horse again before moving on to the next stall and handing Brianna another apple. “They all do, but the snow is too deep right now. My stable man might let them out later today, but they’ll probably just come right back inside again.”
“Why?”
“They don’t want to be cold,” he said as if that were the most obvious reason in the world.
Brianna grimaced. “Sorry. I guess that was a stupid question. I just thought, because of their winter coats, they wouldn’t mind the cold.”
“Normally they wouldn’t. But I think at a basic level,” he moved even closer, unable to stop himself despite the wary look that immediately came into her eyes, “that all creatures want warmth and comfort, a tender hand,” he moved even closer, “and a bucket full of oats.” That was so far from what she’d been expecting, Brianna couldn’t help but laugh outright.
Rocco smiled, enjoying her laughter.
“Come along,” he said. “We need some exercise.” He took her hand and led her out of the stable, back out into the cold afternoon. “Tell me more about Nikki and Rachel.”
Brianna turned her face towards the sunshine, closing her eyes and enjoying the bright light. “They’re good friends. We would do anything for each other.”
“How did you meet?” he asked.
This was not a subject she was going to delve into. “In school,” she replied, an evasive, but safe answer.
Rocco knew exactly what she was trying to do, but he wasn’t going to change the subject. The evasiveness of her reply told him that he had stumbled onto an important subject.
“It’s interesting that you don’t want to talk about your friends.” He looked down at her. “Very revealing about who you are as a person.”
Brianna pulled her hand out of his and put more space between them. “I just prefer to keep my professional and my personal life separate.”
“And yet, you’re here only so you can find out what all of my private secrets are. Ironies abound, don’t you think?”
Brianna glared at him for a long moment, then decided he had a valid point. “Fine. What do you want to know?”
He smothered his amusement and looked towards the edge of the field. “Primarily, why don’t you want me to know about your friends?”
She grumbled at that question. “Why are they so important to you?”
“We surround ourselves with people that make us comfortable. The fact that you don’t want me to know about these women tells me that they might reveal a secret about your past.”
She stomped ahead of him. “Rachel and Nikki are good, wonderful people. Rachel is married to a very nice man. I was in their wedding just last month. Nikki is a bit too independent to deal with a man. She’s smart and beautiful and strong.”
Rocco enjoyed watching the fire in her eyes. “Who is Rachel married to?”
“Just a man,” Brianna replied, trying to respect Rachel’s privacy. Her husband had a reputation for being almost a recluse in the world. Not in the small town in which the two of them lived. There, he was known as “Jack” and was a laid-back, fun-loving guy. But he was really a hard core investment broker and people shivered with fear whenever he ventured into New York City.
“Does this man have a name?” Rocco prompted.
Brianna shook his head. “I’m sorry. But the man prefers his privacy. I’ll tell you what I can about my own friends, but Rachel’s husband is off limits.”
Rocco actually respected her more for that statement. “Okay, so tell me how you met your friends.”
Brianna bit her lip, unaware of the biting cold. “Nikki and I met in a foster home,” she finally said. “My mother died when I was a baby and my father,” she stopped and looked around, unable to look at his face when she admitted the rest. “Well, he couldn’t cope without her. And he sort of…checked out.”
Rocco understood that her father had committed suicide and he cursed silently for this kind, generous woman. When a man becomes a father, there were more important things to consider than one’s sadness over a lost spouse. The man had responsibilities to his child. “I’m sorry.”
Brianna was surprised by the anger she detected in his voice. She’d always hated sympathy, finding it superficial and uncomfortable. But this man was angry on her behalf? “For what?” she asked softly.
“Because your father should have stood up and helped you instead of wallowing in self-pity. A child deserves better.”
Brianna had thought those guilty feelings so often over the years but had suppressed them, feeling awful for even being angry at her father who had abandoned her, leaving her to the cruel and usually heartless world. Hearing him say the exact thing that she’d been thinking so many times released a band of steel around her chest she hadn’t even realized was there. “Thank you,” she said, not even thinking about it. Just feeling now.