“Just did.” He couldn’t help but chuckle at his dad joke. I let out a breathy laugh and rolled my eyes.
“Did your dad just…buy you ten horses?” I asked, tentatively. A loud laugh burst from Jack’s chest as he shook his head.
“Nah. These horses were earned. I made a deal with my dad in high school: whatever money I received in intercollegiate scholarships for polo, he would lend me to start my career. So, when I received an offer for a full ride to play for the University of Texas, I took it and used the money plus my savings to buy my horses.”
Wow, so maybe Jack wasn’tsucha spoiled, rich playboy. Okay, maybe just not the spoiled part. I respected that Jack had to earn the money for his horses, and they weren’t just given to him because of his dad’s accumulated wealth.
He needed his own string of horses if he wanted to play as much as his dad.
“That’s smart of him to do.”
“Yeah, for sure. He’s still helping me out a little bit, like paying for you as a groom and giving me space in the barn. But luckily, I had enough money left over to buy a trailer.”
I nodded. He was smart with his career—I had to give him that. While we both had the role models and experience to move up and become excellent professional players, Jack had the resources to back him up.
“What about you? You gonna buy a string of ponies anytime soon?”
“I don’t know.” I nervously shifted the reins in my hands. “I can’t exactly afford that right now. That’s why I’m so grateful for your dad’s help, offering me playing time and all.”
Jack smiled. “He’s a good guy, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, he is.” I turned to look at Jack. Even with his hat on, I could still see the fluffy blonde hair peeking out from the sides and the back. His white t-shirt accentuated every toned muscle in his arms, chest, and broad shoulders. His calloused hands had no problem holding the four lead ropes and one pair of reins to control the horses below him. My gaze lingered over every part of his body, and when his eyes found mine, I knew he caught me red-handed.
“You sure you can handle this?” he asked, smugly.
“Hell, yeah, I can.”
Chapter three
Maggie
The week went by smoothly, and Jack and I quickly learned how to work together. Though I was his employee, he worked just as hard as I did on every chore. I learned more about him in five days than I had in the nearly two decades we had known each other. He was an absolute neat freak, and working out of a barn that got dusty every five minutes only drove him to clean more. I reminded him that we had horses to care for, and we couldn’t obsess over every little detail. He would smirk at me whenever I said something he liked, and I would do the same if he made a suggestive comment.
We worked well together. Dare I say, I began to enjoy waking up at five in the morning to feed and exercise horses with him. I anxiously waited for him to return to his horse trailer after stick-and-balling—practicing hitting a polo ball on the massive, grass polo field. He wasn’t playing any games this week, but he had a big tournament to prepare for next week. We worked on getting the horses into tip-top shape, schooling and stick and balling them. I would throw his water bottle at him after he droppedhis mallet on the ground, and he would catch it gracefully every time. Screw him and his perfect reflexes.
I had to admit that Jack was not the stuck-up playboy I painted him as. He was always eager to engage in conversation, even if it was about nothing. He often made coffee runs in the morning. He was kind and gentle to each of his horses. He knew when and when not to make dirty comments or mess with me about something.
Jack, ranked as a four-goal player—which was extremely impressive for someone so young; even my father didn’t make it to four goals until he was thirty-two—was driven and focused on becoming a better player and finding patrons who wanted him forhim, not just because his father recommended him.
Lenz had connected me with a sponsor in Wellington that was looking for a professional for the women’s tournament series coming up in the winter, which had me grinning from ear to ear. The sponsor offered me horses and accommodations, which were commonly provided for players who moved around by the season. When the summer polo season in Pennsylvania ended, and it would be too cold to play here, many players opted for Florida in the winter since that was their polo season. Lenz even offered me a few of his horses to play in an upcoming tournament that needed a player of my ranking. I planned to improve my skills here so I could play at my best and attract as many opportunities as possible.
The desire to run away from my job and my boss lessened every day.
“I still can’t believe you’re working for him, and youlikeit,” my friend Luciana scoffed at me as we stood at the clubhouse bar. The Forrest Hills Polo Club was hosting the Silver Cup kickoff party for all of the new patrons and players coming in for the tournament this weekend, which meant Luciana was on the prowl for her latest catch of the night.
I never said only the men were notorious.
“I don’t know Luc, it’s going pretty okay.”
“Maybe he’s plotting to kill you,” she giggled. She was already tipsy, as her Spanish accent growing heavier was always a tell-tale sign.
I laughed with her. “You never know.”
The polo clubhouse was growing busier with people, which meant Luciana was making lots of new friends at our place at the bar. Since the polo community was so small, we always ran into old friends who played long distances away.
“Oh, my God, is that Maggie Rynne?” A woman’s voice called. It didn’t sound familiar, but there were many people in the polo world I had met as a kid and hadn’t seen in fifteen years, so I always put on a smile and pretended to remember them.
“Hello.” I smiled at the woman I didn’t recognize. She saw my greeting as an okay to hug me and pulled me into her arms. Her pink, silky top smelled of Chanel No. 5, causing me to hold my breath from the heavy amount she must have used.
