Ten minutes later, she was bundled up in snow pants and one of Rocco’s winter coats, feeling more than a little overwhelmed by the amount of fabric. He even plunked a wool cap on her head and tied a scarf around her neck before stuffing her hands into gloves that were slightly too big, but would still keep her warm and dry.
“Am I appropriately attired, sir?” she asked sarcastically.
Rocco looked down at her and grinned with a wink. “You’ll do for now,” he retorted.
With that, he took her hand and led her out of the house in the direction of the stables where she’d hunkered down last night. “Here,” he said, handing her an apple.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” she asked, looking at the large red apple in her hands.
“You’re going to feed one of the horses.”
She looked down at the apple again, then at the stables. “My friend Nikki is terrified of horses,” she said with a grin.
Rocco looked down at her. “Who is Nikki?” he asked, intrigued.
Brianna bit her lip, wishing she’d never said anything. She looked up at him, knowing he wouldn’t relent until he had some sort of answer. So she came up with a reply that wouldn’t violate her friends’ privacy, but would assuage his curiosity. “Nikki, Rachel and I were a trio growing up. Nikki was fearless, except about horses.” They tromped out through the door down a stone pathway that had already been plowed. “There was one time we were on a camping trip with some youth organization. We were listening to an environmental discussion on saving the creeks and lakes, holding shovels as we prepared to work on soil erosion by planting some sort of shrub or bush, I can’t remember what. Nikki was saying something and she slammed her shovel down, tip first into the ground, right into a snake. She’d chopped off the head without even realizing what she’d just done.”
Rocco chuckled, fascinated by this piece of information she’d volunteered willingly. “What did you do?” he asked gently, wanting her to continue.
Brianna laughed. “I grabbed Rachel’s hand and screamed. She looked down and started screaming as well. Between the two of us screaming, the rest of the group ran over, trying to find out what had happened.” Brianna gasped when Rocco lifted her up, away from one of the deeper snow drifts and carefully set her down on the other side of him where the snow was lower. She took a deep breath, trying to pull her mind back into focus. “Anyway, Nikki looked down, realized what she’d done and smiled. All she said was, ‘Cool!’ as if the snake hadn’t fazed her in the least.”
Rocco smiled, but it was more for this lovely mystery woman. The more she told him about herself, the more he wanted to know. “So I’m guessing you and Rachel aren’t fans of snakes?”
“Goodness, no!”
“And what about horses?”
She laughed slightly. “That’s what brought up the memory. Nikki was so fearless, but there’s something about horses that terrifies her. She never hesitated to stand up to a bully, challenge one of the teachers, or fight for either Rachel or me if she felt we were wronged. But horses?” Brianna shook her head. “I don’t know what it is about them, but she is terrified.”
“They’re actually very gentle creatures.”
“It probably has something to do with their size compared to her size.”
“What’s Nikki like?”
Brianna smiled softly. “Nikki is beautiful. I’m not sure if Rachel or Nikki is prettier, but all the guys used to flock around the two of them. Nikki would just push them away. Rachel barely knew they existed since all she wanted to do was study. But the boys were never deterred.”
Rocco suspected that many of the boys had been trying to get this lovely lady’s attention as well and he felt honored that none had ever captured her interest. At least not to the same extent as he’d been able to accomplish.
They entered the stables and Brianna looked around, fascinated by the area now that there was light and she could see the space. She actually blushed when she passed by the corner in which she’d fallen asleep, wondering how there could be spiders around when the ground was so cold. She supposed that it was still early enough in the season that the spiders hadn’t gone underground yet, but she wasn’t an entomologist so she could only guess. And then she noticed the warmth. “You heat the stables?” she asked.
Rocco smiled slightly as he petted the nose of one horse affectionately. “Only on the very cold nights. The horses are getting their winter coats so they’re generally warm enough. I only have a few horses since I don’t get to ride as often as I’d like, and they’re out in the pasture most of the time.”
She continued to ask him questions about horses while feeding one her apple, finding them more fascinating than she’d thought. “I’d love to ride one,” she said and then froze, shocked at what she’d just admitted.
Spinning her head around, she looked up at him, flustered. “I mean…I’ll…uh…” she wasn’t sure how to get out of that flub.
“I’ll take you riding as soon as the snow melts,” he said, moving closer.
She back away, even as he came closer. “I won’t be here when the snow melts enough for you to ride.”
He chuckled and backed her into a corner. “Yes you will.” Why was he so sure about that? He preferred his privacy. He didn’t like women hanging around. They were nice for one purpose. After that, he was all business.
Not with Brianna, he realized. She was different. He didn’t want to leave her alone. He wanted to know everything about her. He was fascinated. And he wanted her.
Backing away, he turned to greet one of the other horses that had stuck his head out in greeting. “This is Thor,” he explained.
Brianna came a bit closer, but still kept more than a foot between them. She’d been hoping he would kiss her a moment ago and that was dangerous. She had to keep her wits about her with this man. Where was the temper tantrum she’d expected? Why wasn’t he growling demands at his staff? She knew he wasn’t as charming and patient as he was coming across.
“Why are you so nice to your staff?” she blurted out.
Rocco turned to look down at her and chuckled. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her closer, ignoring her resistance until she was standing right in front of him, her back to his chest. In this way, he was almost hugging her. “Thor might be strong and powerful, but he actually is quite the attention hound,” Rocco explained, ignoring her question since he had no idea how to answer her. Why was he nice to his staff? He was good to the people who served him because he appreciated their help and they all worked hard for him. He wasn’t so nice to his directors and managers. He expected a great deal from each of them and knew the levels to which they could perform.