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.Kathy’s opinions were pleasant to consider, but Will was too much of a realist to take them seriously.He liked Kathy; she was someone who could become a good friend if Will were staying longer, which he wasn’t.He was lost deep in his own thoughts when someone came up beside him.He didn’t speak, just fell into step with him.“Nice night for a walk,” Eli commented eventually.“Yes.”Eli reached over casually and took his hand, holding it loosely.His touch was becoming familiar, but it always made Will tense and wary.They didn’t say anything more for some time.They walked and enjoyed the fresh night air.When they reached the front yard of the main house, Elijah hesitated, slowing down as if he wasn’t ready to go inside.“Would you like to see the horses?” he asked, remembering Will’s delight in the horses at Adam’s ranch.“Yes, I would.” Will visibly brightened.Eli smiled and slipped his arm around Will’s waist.A young man passed them on their way to the stable and tipped his hat to them.“Good evening, Mr.Hunter… William,” he said.“Good evening, Steven,” Elijah answered.The young man regarded them curiously for a moment before moving on.“Does Steven work for you?” Will needed to talk, to say anything.The silence was too heavy.“Yes, he’s an excellent horseman.I’m lucky to have him.”Will thought again about what Kathy had told him and considered asking him about the piano.“Mr.Hunter,” he began but was immediately cut off.“Call me Eli,” he said and accompanied his statement with a firm squeeze on Will’s middle.“Eli,” he corrected.“You have a beautiful piano in the sitting room, and I was wondering if I may be allowed to play it?”“Yes, you may.I brought the thing here for you.” He was smiling at him when he added, “I told you that your stay would be as comfortable and as pleasant as I could make it.I was wondering when you were going to ask me about the piano.”“I thought it was a family heirloom.I was afraid I might be overstepping my boundaries if I asked to touch it,” he explained.“Kathy Graham told me that it just arrived a few days ago, so I decided to ask.”“Kathy Graham?” He looked puzzled for a minute.“You’ve been making friends, I see.She is a fine woman.” He glanced down at Will with a strange look of satisfaction.“You’re fitting in here very nicely, William.”He opened the door to the stable and let Will enter first.He followed Will in and secured the door behind them.Horses lined both sides in their separate stalls.“Wow!” Will burst out, unable to contain his amazement.These weren’t Mackinac Island workhorses, these were champions and they lived like it; the stable was immaculate.Elijah was delighted with Will’s approval and put his arm back around him, guiding him down the walk, looking at each magnificent animal individually.“Are these all Thoroughbreds?” Will asked as he stopped to admire another of the animals standing regally in his stall.“Yes, they are.” Eli was impressed by the uninhibited excitement he saw in Will’s expression.He was proud of his horses.“These are the most beautiful horses I have ever seen in my life,” he said with sincere appreciation.“Thank you,” Eli responded with the same sincere appreciation and hugged him a little closer.Will was a true enigma, cool and distant with regard to everything except horses.Horses made him smile and excited his interest.The look on his face was pure unabashed joy.He couldn’t get enough of it.There was an old man in one of the stalls at the far end of the stable.He looked up when he heard them approach.“Hi, Boss,” he said and then added, “Evening, sir,” when he saw Will.“Good evening, Sam.” Elijah stopped at the stall.Sam regarded them in the same way Steven had.“How is she?”“She’ll be fine by morning.” They were referring to the horse whose leg Sam was currently bandaging.“Sam, this is William.He’s going to be staying with us for a while.” He introduced them, saying, “Will, this is Sam Arden, my foreman and good friend.”“Pleased to meet you, William,” the old man stated.“Pleased to meet you too, sir,” Will responded as they shook hands.Sam looked at Will, rather baffled, and then finally verbalized his confusion.“I thought I heard you were the brother to that other one?”“He is,” Elijah answered for him.He pulled Will even closer and glanced down into his face.“But they appear to be very different people.”“I’m glad to hear that, Boss.” Sam laughed and Elijah joined him.Will missed the joke.He was having difficulty concentrating on anything other than the arm around his waist, pressing him close to Eli.All of Will’s attention was on the feel of Eli’s hand gripping his midsection, and the warmth and scent of his body [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]