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 You swung your whole body up and out of the saddle of a runaway
horse? Hugh asked as if I was on the witness stand.
 And bounced down the goddamned creek, Your Honor.
He grinned.  You know, most people in their forties would be a
little hesitant about diving off a runaway horse. You could get seriously
hurt.
The age remark really riled me.  Most people in their forties can t
afford a horse and a vet and a barn and a trainer and the gear so that
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they can have the exhilarating experience of throwing themselves off
a horse. I bristled.  It was my fault. I got my anger under control.  I
shouldn t have ridden at night in the rain on my first trip with her.
 Not good, he said with newly mustered sincerity.
 No, not good, but she came back for me.
 Well, that s good& I guess. Are you in a lot of pain?
 No, just when I breathe or move or try to focus my left eye.
We looked at each other for a moment and burst out laughing.
 Don t make me laugh, I pleaded.  Laughing is really painful.
Whereupon he laughed harder.
 Maxine from research is  Jane tried to announce, but Maxine
blew past her.
 Hey! Maxine s large, solid frame filled the doorway, and her
equally strong face, with its pageboy haircut, revealed no emotion.
 Heard you had a horse accident.
 No accident. It was a planned jump off the back of a speeding
horse, Hugh said, as if he were my trial attorney.
 Planned, Maxine repeated.
 Yeah, she didn t want to get hurt, so she decided to jump off
while the horse was running like a bat out of hell, Hugh explained.
 I can see how that would keep you from getting hurt, Maxine
said, giving Hugh a deadpan look.
Hugh s shoulders jiggled and he snorted as he tried to suppress
his laughter.
 Get out! I ordered good-naturedly but firmly. Not good to
become too familiar with the troops; it weakens command, I thought.
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MISTRESS OF THE RUNES
CHAPTER TWELVE
y nightfall I was in agony, the pain so intense that tears
Bgathered involuntarily in the corner of my eyes. I located pain
pills and downed them as the doorbell rang, and I opened it to find Liz
standing there with an overnight bag, asking playfully if I needed a
nurse.
I replied that I did, and I wasn t kidding.
 Thought so. She walked past me, setting a sack of groceries on
the kitchen counter, and put an overnight bag in the spare bedroom.
 Come on, shower and bed. She addressed me as one might a six-
year-old. I wanted to argue if only to save my dignity, but frankly I
was amused that she could walk into my home and take over without
asking and without any fear of recriminations from me, a person of
great privacy. I was also relieved to know Liz would be there to call 911
if I fell over and was unable to get up.
I showered, which took a good thirty minutes longer than usual
simply because leaning over to turn on the water took two or three
tries, and I was too vain and too proud to allow Liz in the bathroom to
see my bruised body. I studied myself in the bathroom mirror while the
water was heating up. The blue-green bruise on my hip was as large as
a dinner plate, and smaller silver-dollar-sized ones adorned my arm and
chest. All in all, I was lucky not to have suffered broken bones. I did a
haphazard job of toweling off after my shower, unable to bend much
even after the blast of hot water had loosened my muscles, then pulled
on a long sleep shirt and shuffled out of the bathroom.
Liz was standing outside the door. Over her shoulder I could see
the bedcovers turned down, then I noticed the muscle gel in her hand.
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ANDREWS & AUSTIN
 Lie down on your stomach.
 Can t. Won t be able to get up or turn over.
Without another word, she unceremoniously flung my nightshirt
up in back and without asking permission slathered heat gel on my
lower back and my shoulder muscles. I shivered as her hot hand stroked
my near-naked body, causing a tingling of my nerve endings that I could
feel even through the pain.
She stopped abruptly, and her teasing tone changed immediately
to one of seriousness.
 Brice, how are you even moving? These are the worst bruises
I ve ever seen.
 No choice. I have to go to work. I kept my jaw clamped shut as
she gently rubbed my body. She knew as well as I that a fortysomething
woman executive had to be there, had to appear vibrant, had to be healthy
and on top of her game to avoid being replaced by a thirtysomething
male who might not be any of those things.
Liz helped ease me into bed and went into the bathroom to wash
the gel off her hands. A few minutes later she was standing over me
with a tray of hot soup and crackers and a half sandwich.
 Really, this is far more than you should be doing. Or at least more
than I deserve, I said.  It just feels 
 Like we ve been married for decades and now the only thing I
rub is liniment into your back? she said, and I didn t answer.  Okay, in
that vein, do you have to go to the bathroom?
 Do I have to report that? I winced.
 Probably, because I don t think you re going to be able to haul
yourself out of bed to get there& whiplash and any other muscle trauma
is always worse on the third day, and that would be tomorrow. So you
must call me in the night if you need me, she said, and went into the
other bedroom.
I was staring at the ceiling, the pain pills kicking in slightly now.
Liz Chase is more caring and loving than most women I ve lived with.
Well, she s auditioning, that s what TV people do, I thought. But part of
me didn t really believe that. Liz Chase was just kind.
Paula Zale had built a large thirty-six-stall Morton barn with
indoor arena, and, as soon as I could move my body, we transported
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MISTRESS OF THE RUNES
the horses there. It was new and impressive, and her Arabians were the
only horses in residence. We had worn out our welcome at Maynard s
farm. It was time to move our horses to their permanent location, and
Paula s barn was horse heaven.
Paula was a big, bossy, heavyset woman who greeted us with a huge
smile, patted our horses, and asked for their paperwork to ensure they d
had all their shots. We produced the documents and put Hlatur into a
stall next to Rune at the end of the barn, excited about the possibility of
training in the big arena and riding over her beautiful farm. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]