EXCERPT from Breaking the Reins
After
greeting Blaire and Andrea, who I wasn’t too close with, we ordered tea as the
conversation continued. They talked about shoes and the latest Roberto Cavalli
creations. I spoke a bit here and there, though I would have preferred talking
about Country Outfitter instead. Suddenly, the subject changed to trips.
Carmel, Aspen, Paris, Rome, and other fancy places.
And
I was bored.
My
gaze drifted from side to side, and I noticed Sandra had left, but I wasn’t
really looking for anything.
Until
I found him.
The
first thought on my mind was, what the heck was he doing here? The second,
damn, he looked good. The third, I shouldn’t be thinking that.
Dressed
completely inappropriate for a polo club—in jeans, a blue T-shirt, and cowboy
boots—Leo walked up the path to the right of the tennis courts, flanked by
three guys and a girl. They talked animatedly, smiling and touching each
other’s arms or shoulders occasionally. A few feet behind them, a couple
holding hands followed. By their similarities, I would bet they were all
related.
The
girls kept talking and giggling about whatever, but their voices were a buzz in
my ears as I strained to catch anything, any word, from Leo and the ones with
them. They were too distant, and even the few words I heard were spoken in fast
Portuguese.
A
few steps from the main house, Leo looked at the courts, following the game
closest to him for a couple of seconds, before his gaze continued on.
Until
he found me.
His
eyes wide, Leo stopped in his tracks, and the guy behind him bumped into him.
“Hey,”
the guy said, taking off his baseball cap and sunglasses. He looked familiar,
somehow.
“Why
is that guy staring at our table?” Megan asked, giggling.
I
averted my eyes and pretended I didn’t know what she was talking about.
“What
guy?” Blaire asked, turning in her chair. “Oh, he’s cute. All four of them
are.”
“Look
at them,” Andrea said. I didn’t, but from her eyes, I noticed they were moving
again. “They must be the team playing against the Knight House.”
I
knew Eric was going to play against an international team, but in all his
dealings with France, it never occurred to me the team could be from somewhere
else.
Could
it be? Eric playing against Leo? And why did I care? Leo was nobody.
“Oh
yeah,” Megan said. “Ohmygosh, I’ve seen one of them here before. He was an
exchange player, with a team from Florida.”
Really?
So that was why one of them looked familiar. Or it could be because they all
looked like each other, and I’d taken my time observing Leo the other day. The
urge to peek in his direction was strong, but I avoided it at all costs.
“True,”
Blaire said with a big smile. “What’s his name again? Oh, Ricardo Fernandes. He
was swoon worthy. I bet he still is.”
The
girls giggled, and I forced a smile so they didn’t notice how disturbed I was.
“Maybe
we should go welcome them to the club,” Megan suggested, wiggling her eyebrows.
Then she patted my hand. “Lucky you. Practically married to a gorgeous man
while we have to chase potential dates around here.”
I
was lucky, wasn’t I? Eric was
handsome, educated, generous, kind, and a great polo player. He was a little
too jealous for my taste, but I reminded myself that was because he loved me so
much. What else could I need?
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