Page 5 of Winner Takes All
“Surprised isn’t exactly the right word.”
Her foolish heart stuttered. “Then what would be?”
He grimaced. “For one, I expected a man.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
That earned her a scalding glare. “At least you’re back in a dress now.”
“Where I belong?” she challenged. She’d changed out of the boy’s clothes and into the dress she’d brought with her for coming and going from the track, although to be honest she’d felt more at ease in buckskin breeches than flower-print muslin. With his hand on her thigh.
Being with him again felt like coming home. She hadn’t realized until that moment exactly how much she’d missed him.
“Trust me, Francesca. No one has ever been able to put you anywhere you didn’t want to be.” He muttered, “Including in a dress.”
A warmth tingled at her toes, nearly enough to make her forget about her swollen ankle. But not enough to soothe the ache in her heart.I wanted to be with you, but I didn’t get to be there…
“So why are you letting your father force you into marriage?”
The question jolted her. So, hehadbeen thinking about what she’d said, and all this time, too. “That’s not exactly what he wants to do.” She straightened on the seat and focused on the horses’ ears flicking forward and back as they tried to eavesdrop on the conversation. “Papa worries about me and wants to see me with a good husband who will take care of me and provide a secure home and children.”
“You don’t want that?”
Her lips twisted. “I’d rather be a spinster.”
She felt his chocolate eyes dart in her direction, but he said nothing to reveal his thoughts.
Her shoulders sagged. “That’s not entirely true, I suppose—not if the right man came along.” She didn’t dare look at him as she said that! “But I’ve been resisting courtships and refusing to accept suitors the way Papa wants me to.”
He snapped the ribbons. “Lord Darlington only wants the best for you.”
“Ionly want the best for me, too, but that doesn’t mean being shackled to the first society heir who comes along.”Or the second, or the third. She wasn’t certain she’d find happiness with any of the lot of them. “Unlike some women, I’ve never cared about the size of a man’s…allowance.”
He stiffened. Pleasure sparked through her that she could still keep him on his toes with her innuendos and flirtations. Thank God some things never changed.
“So I made an agreement with Papa to give me three years to raise and train Midnight before I accepted suitors. If the colt wins the Derby, he’ll allow me to continue to run my own life, even one as an unmarried horse breeder.”
“And if you lose?”
If,notwhen.Perhaps Shaw thought she had a chance at winning after all, and her heart skipped with excitement. “Then I’ll go onto the marriage market, just as every other society miss does.” She’d resolved herself to that, yet she couldn’t prevent a bitter taste from forming on her tongue at the thought.
“How did you convince the viscount to go along with this ludicrous plan?” A harsh edge of frustration undercut whatever casualness he’d hoped for.
“The usual way any daughter cajoles her father into letting her do what she wants, I suppose,” she said dryly. “I threatened to run away to New York.”
He threw a surprised glance her way.
She smiled victoriously. “Apparently, the only thing my father fears more than having a daughter who’s a horse breeder is having a daughter who’s an American.”
His lips quirked into a grin. “So you bought yourself a three-year delay.”
“A lifetime when I win.”
“You won’t win.”
“Because you think you will? I hate to tell you this, Jack.” She reached to pull the ribbons from his hands and take over driving the team down the narrow country road. “But you can’t always get what you want.”
“Believe me,” he said quietly with regret, “I’ve already learned that lesson.”
