Instead of making our way back to the house once the argument is settled, Lars takes me to the horse barn and stops beside Thunder’s stall. “If you’re going to be his trainer for a month, you need to know his history,” he says as he reaches out to pet the horse’s nose. Thunder reacts by jumping away and snorting restlessly.

“Why do I need to know his history?” I ask.

“Think of horses like people. If you become best friends with someone, it's best to know who they are on the inside and what forged them into the person they’ve become. Then you’re prepared for any eventuality. It’s the same with horses.”

I nod and reach out to pet Thunder and he gratefully accepts my caress.

Lars shakes his head in wonder.

“Is there a reason he won’t let anyone touch him?” I ask.

“There is, but part of it is still a mystery, especially now that he’ll let you get close to him. Thunder is a wild speed demon and he was a great racehorse. In fact, he was legendary. I believe he even set a state record of some sort, which is why we agreed to take him in. He was raised from birth by Catherine, my sister’s best friend, to be the best that he could be.”

He stops to watch Thunder rub his head affectionately against my shoulder.

“But Catherine was bonded so closely to him that only she could get him to ride to his full potential. Her father tried hiring professional riders, but none of them could work Thunder the way she did. Only Catherine could control him the way he needed to be controlled.”

“So, he won’t let people touch him because of his bond with Catherine? Why doesn’t she still have him then?”

Lars pulls a bucket away from the wall and sits on it, his shoulders slouched. He never slouches, so it is odd to see his posture so loose and relaxed. “Catherine died of an inoperable brain tumor at the age of seventeen.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I gasp.

“Yeah, it was a crying shame. She was a wonderful kid.”

“But you said Thunder won races. Who rode him?”

“Everyone knew she wouldn’t live to eighteen, so they allowed her to enter professional races as a minor. All she wanted was to be the best, and Thunder gave her that gift.”

I crouch next to him. How I wish I could put my hand on his shoulder and be a friend to him. “What happened…after?”

“The loss was hard for everyone, she was so special, but especially for her dad. He couldn’t live with the reminder that was Thunder. One night after he had seen the bottom of a bottle of whiskey, he took his shotgun to the stables and tried to kill Thunder. Fortunately, he was so drunk he missed, but it scarred Thunder for life. He became so nervous, no one could get near him. The only person he would allow close to him was my sister, Sophia. So, I bought him and she brought him here.”

“Do you have any female trainers or farm hands?”

Lars, not understanding what I’m hinting at, shakes his head. “All of my trainers are men. I only have one female farmhand, but she works primarily with cattle.”

I stand up and pace the floor restlessly. “Have you ever thought of the possibility that Thunder just doesn’t like men? I mean, if he is okay with all the women he has met, what’s to say he isn’t sexist?”

Lars stands too and looks at Thunder, who eyes him back warily.

“That’s impossible. Horses aren’t sexist,” he states firmly.

“Okay, scrap that. You said that Thunder bonded extremely closely with Catherine, right? Well, it’s a proven fact that men and women have different biological scents. When he sees a woman, it’s possible that she reminds him of the connection he had with Catherine? Maybe something in your sister and I reminds him of Catherine.”

“And maybe he associates men with the man who tried to kill him after his beloved Catherine died,” Lars says quietly.

Lars stands and moves away distractedly toward Devil’s Ride. He lays his large hand on the horse’s neck. It is a gesture that is at once possessive and tender.

“You really love him, don’t you?” I ask.

Pride flashes in his eyes and he takes a step closer to the big, impressive beast. “Yeah, he is my boy.”

“I can see why you chose him,” I say with a chuckle. I know nothing of horse breeds, but this one has to be mixed because I’ve never seen a thoroughbred with quite so many colors. Unlike Thunder, who has a certain softness to him, Devil’s Ride is aloof and proud.

“Why?” he asks.

“Because he’s like you.”

“Explain.”

“He’s contrary and difficult,” I say with a grin.

Lars takes two long strides in my direction and stops right in front of me. In the stall behind me, Thunder jumps and backs himself against the wall, but I can concentrate only on our closeness. Lars lifts a hand and I follow it with my eyes until his finger brushes gently against my ear. It takes me a moment to realize that I am holding my breath. I exhale loudly.

Lars moves his lips to my ear and his breath sends goosebumps down my spine. His other hand grasps my hip in a tight hold. “We have a lot in common and it’s not what you think. We both love to be ridden hard by a contrary, difficult woman,” he says in a deep, rasping tone.

My entire body tightens and my breath comes in shallow gasps. I close my eyes and wait, hoping more will come of the moment, but nothing does.

His touch leaves my hip and by the time I open my eyes, he is already walking out of the barn, shoulders stiff and rising rapidly.

“I’ll see you at the house.” His voice is calm and even, but his body mechanics are the complete opposite. I can’t figure out which is more telling.

His muscles ripple beneath his shirt as he walks away, and I can’t peel my eyes off him. He is perfect and I hate that nothing can come out of our relationship. If I weren’t Tamara, this is exactly the man I would choose for myself.