| He was a Renaissance man. Was that term still used in this day and age? Well even if it had gone by the wayside like so many other old colloquial expressions, it still fit. His methods of persuasion left her little resistance and Moire found herself seated at an intimate table for two. Upon returning to the house they had both retreated yet again to the second floor bedrooms to clean up. Once again clad in her blue shorts and halter-top she felt underdressed at Brian�s appearance in khakis and soft blue shirt, although his appraisal of her as she entered the kitchen didn�t go unnoticed. Brian did all the cooking, not only grilling the steak but potatoes and skewers of vegetables too. He sent her to the basement for a bottle of Cabernet and Moire was astounded at the extensive cache of wines, all pigeonholed into a homemade wine cellar. With Brian�s help she found table linens and cutlery and set the small round table in the alcove. He set two long tapers on the table and lit them. The flames danced and created patterns of light on the table and the large bay window provided a wonderful view of the deep green fields. They talked about music, books, sports and even current events and as promised no business wound its way into the conversation. He was a perfect gentleman too. All the derision and mockery of earlier in the day was gone to be replaced by the most engaging dinner companion. Moire wasn�t sure what to expect, but his range of interests took her by surprise. She let out a soft laugh and shook her head as she placed her wineglass on the table. "What�s so funny," he commented. The candlelight set a soft glow around her face giving her an ethereal appearance. He had held fast to his promise to himself. Yet looking at her there in the candlelight, he was so tempted to act on the feelings rising inside him. "You." He raised his eyebrows. "I don�t remember cracking a joke." He said seriously as he filled her glass and his. "You are not what I expected." "Oh, and what did you expect?" He sipped the wine never letting his eyes leave hers. "I don�t know. You could easily sit in the board room of a large corporation." "In other words you thought I could only talk horses and not much of anything else?" Moire lowered her eyes embarrassed that she had thought so little of him. She nodded afraid to look at him. Brian leaned across the table and took her hand, causing Moire to look up. His eyes had a mischievous glint and she became wary. "You are a snob, Moire Fitzgerald." He released her hand and drank deeply from his glass. "I�m sorry, and you are right I am a snob." He raised his glass at her comment. "Come with me," Brian stood and held out his hand. He took the wine bottle with him and led her into the den. Half the room was an office, with a large wooden desk, which sat in front of a set of windows that overlooked the stables. Bookcases lined the walls on either side of the desk. At the opposite end of the room two leather sofas and a couple of large easy chairs flanked a large fireplace. Brian put the wine bottle on the low sofa table. "This is where I spend most of my free time." He motioned with his hand. Strewn across the low table were copies of the Wall Street Journal and New York Times along with numerous breeding magazines. Moire wandered around the room. The bookshelves contained everything from the classics to the latest bestsellers as well as volumes on breeding, foaling, and racing. She ran her hands along the spines of the books. The desk was an array of organized clutter with various piles of items neatly stacked. "I apologize," she said as she came back towards the sitting area. "I never gave it a thought that you�" "Went to college, could read a book?" He goaded her now. "No. I know you went to college but I just didn�t think� I should have known better. Please, accept my apology?" Before he could answer a loud clap of thunder rolled across the sky and Brian noted that Moire�s back stiffened at the sound. He came up behind her and put a hand on the small of her back. "You�re safe in here, you know?" She turned and the soft light cast shadows across her face. Yet his eyes still shone brightly in the dimness. "I know." She backed away from the window. "It surprises me that you would be frightened of a storm. You don�t strike me as someone who would scare easily." Moire sipped from her glass. He made it so easy to talk to him. Brian waited, as she studied the inside of her glass. When she looked up her eyes were glassy. "The night my mother died it stormed." The words came out softly, almost a whisper. She turned back to look out the window. A streak of lightning stretched across the sky and she shuddered. "It was summer, like now. She should have been in the hospital but refused. So daddy hired a full time nurse to care for her. Each day she slipped further and further away and she needed more drugs to ease the pain. At twelve, I was old enough to know what was going on and every day I woke up wondering if today would be the day she would leave us." Brian stood quietly by as Moire relived that fateful night. "Daddy and I had gone riding after supper and we were laughing as we came in the kitchen just beating the rain as it started to fall. The nurse came down the stairs and told my father to go up stairs right away. I remember how he called out my mother�s name as he took the stairs two at a time. I screamed after him and followed but it was too late. All I could hear was him murmuring her name over and over as he held her in his arms rocking back and forth. And as he sat there cradling her in his arms, the storm howled outside. It was the only time I ever saw him cry." Tears fell down her cheeks. "I think part of him died that night with my mother." She turned, "he�s really a good man Brian." Brian moved towards her but Moire shied away and put up her hand. "I�m fine. I need to go." "Moire?" "Thank you for dinner, but I don�t think we should see each other again." Her voice was cool and she was in control again. She had said too much again. "Why?" "You know why. It�s called trust. Goodnight." He tried to stop her but she fled out the front door and down the steps to her car. Moire sped down the drive and stopped when she was clear of the house. The tears weren�t for her father any more but for herself. Something happened today, and it could only hurt them both but Moire knew it was going to take will power to keep her away. She wiped her eyes and continued to the main road. It was for the best, but somewhere in the depths of her heart she knew she would regret it. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The next day a bouquet of summer flowers arrived along with a vintage bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Brian didn�t even wonder whom they were from as he opened the envelope and read Moire�s note: Brian, Please accept these tokens from a woman who has much to learn, especially jumping to conclusions before getting to know someone. I had a wonderful time yesterday. Thank you. I was a pleasure getting to know you better. Moire Fitzgerald Brian grinned at her words yet there seemed to be a finality in them also. Had she come to the same conclusion he had? What could come of their association any way? Only trouble as far as he was concerned. Yet he was actually as surprised with her as she had been with him. All these years, watching from a distance, thinking she was the spoiled princess. Her life had suffered a deep loss and Brian could sympathize. Even though he had been an adult, the loss of his father still left a void in his life. He had opened up with her more than any woman. She not only understood how he loved the farm and his work, but she was well educated and shared many of the same interests. He put the flowers in a bowl on the round table and stood there thinking how natural it seemed for her to be there last night. He was lost in his daydreaming when Matt knocked on the back door telling him was needed down at the stables. Brian grabbed his hat and took one last look at the flowers as he left the kitchen. The oppressive heat of July bore down; parching the earth and causing Brian to take extra care that the livestock were kept as cool as possible and had plenty of water. Even the late day storms did nothing to bring any relief. Training was done before dawn while the air was still relatively cool and finished well before the sun reached its apex. There had been no more encounters with Moire and the first few weeks after their impromptu dinner Brian had little time to think about her. Although he kept the horses in top condition he decided to pass on the summer races. He continued to groom Lyrics Dream for the Derby and gave him a good workout every day. Brian had already made a decision to prepare him for some local fall competitions. The hot days of July moved slowly and as the month finally drew to a close Brian�s thoughts drifted back to an early summer afternoon. He�d gone up to the lake for a late day swim and was stretched out under a tree enjoying a bit of a break in the heat wave. The sound of a car made him sit up and it caused his heart to beat faster. Expecting to see the red sports car, disappointment clouded his face when he saw a group of teenage boys and girls laughing as they headed toward the water. Brian settled down again and gazed up at the cloudless sky. It had been nearly a month since their dinner and as much as he knew it was wise to keep his distance he had to admit that it would be nice to see Moire again. If romance was out of the question then so was friendship. And yet he felt comfortable with her. Their dinner that night was one of the most enjoyable he had shared with a woman in a very long time. She was far from self-centered or gratuitous towards him. Their discussions had been lively and she loved farm life as much as he did. It would be perfect if not for the feud with her father. Even the acknowledgment that she disapproved of her father�s behavior wasn�t enough. Brian had the other owners to consider. His association with Moire could be misconstrued and he owed them his loyalty. They looked to him for support. So it was best to curb his heart and libido and leave Moire Fitzgerald to the blue bloods. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Was it slumming? Her father would probably think so, although a tryst for casual sex and information didn�t seem to bother him. But a real relationship was something she was sure he would deplore, even though he came from a similar background. Moire had talked her way out of where she had spent that July evening, saying she met some friends for dinner. Colin watched her closely as she chose her words carefully and he noticed a slight flush to her cheeks. Never good at lying, he allowed her to tell her tale, but something told him that there was dinner but it was not with her friends. He would bide his time. She was seeing someone and he would find out who it was. The heat of the summer slowed the pace of the racing community. Horses were kept in condition and most owners, with the exception of the more affluent farms, took the time to rest before the fall meets. Colin on the other hand loaded up a group of colts and mares and headed off to Saratoga. Moire accompanied him for a week and then spent some time on the North Shore of Long Island with some friends. Her relationship with her father eased, as being away from the contentious situation at home, they were able to leave their opposing views there as well. Her time away gave her a chance to put her encounter with Brian in perspective, but strangely enough in the course of conversation something would trigger a memory of their minimal time together. Physically there was no doubt that Moire was drawn to him. His laid back, matter of fact attitude was so alluring not to mention his chiseled jaw and those bottomless blue eyes. Moire knew that no matter what the attraction it was hopeless. Even without her father�s desire to obliterate Brian from the racing community, he would never approve of her association with someone of his class. He had his hopes set on a perfect match, even though his initial attempt had failed. Moire had long since put the whole mess behind her and even liked Sean�s wife. Isabella suited him. However, Colin was bound and determined that when Moire married it would be someone worthy of her whoever that might be. Breeding and money were important to Colin and he would make sure his daughter would be well cared for. Moire would be the first to admit she enjoyed all the creature comforts her father�s money afforded her, but she could also see herself being comfortable in the Littrell home. There was a warmth and coziness to the place that was sorely lacking in the Fitzgerald home. The house was cold. Half the rooms had been closed off after her mother died. Colin couldn�t bear to enter them. He had even moved into a smaller bedroom leaving the master suite as a shrine to his wife. Business occupied most of his time now, leaving very little for Moire as well. She knew he loved her, but he rarely showed her outwardly. Gone were the hugs and kisses she received as a child. It was all buried with her mother. So she filled her days volunteering at the hospital and working with the animals. She felt as if she were floundering. Her life had no real meaning or purpose. Brian had every right to look on her as a rich, spoiled princess. Although the children welcomed her eagerly every day, she could be doing so much more. But she had bent to her father�s wishes and her dreams had vanished with it. And so upon her return to Lexington she found herself once again back in her daily routine. However her resolve to forget about Brian was an uphill battle. Moire began to look for him wherever she went. She visited The Saddlery two or three times a week on the off chance he would happen to stop in. Many times as she passed the entrance to his farm, she felt drawn to turn in and just say hello. But common sense would kick in and she let the moment pass and continue on home. She listened intently to the conversation of her father�s hands as she worked each day in the stables, hoping for some tidbit of news or information but Brian�s name was never mentioned. It was probably just as well, as Moire knew it would only create a mountain of obstacles for her if she got involved with him. So she quit her pursuit until one day, clearly by chance, they met. |