Burning Desire

Chapter Sixteen

{ A/N - This chapter is a bit all over the place tbh. But nevertheless, please vote, comment and enjoy. }

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"You didn't tell me that Brenna is already qualified for Kentucky Horse Trials."

The accusation flew from my mouth the second I flung open the door at 7:55am the next morning to reveal Callum standing there, adorned in a white t-shirt that hugged his muscular figure and made his latte-coloured skin look even more tanned and smooth, blinking at me in a taken-aback manner.

"Good morning to you too, Madison."

I marched out of the apartment, pausing to lock the door before striding over to the elevator. I jabbed at the buttons impatiently, glancing at Callum.

"This is serious, Callum. Why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jodhpurs. "I didn't think it mattered. Donna asked you to re-train Brenna and that's a big task in itself. The pressure of preparing for Kentucky on top of that was unnecessary."

I glared at him, folding my arms over my chest. "Oh, so you don't think I'm capable enough."

"No! That's not true! You're a really talented horse-woman, Madison. Honestly."

"Did I not tell you about how it's been my dream to compete at Kentucky Horse Trials since I was a little girl?" I raise my eyebrows at him, just as the elevator doors shuddered open and we stepped inside.

"Yeah. But there are plenty of horses at Belmont. I didn't think Brenna could be the one to take you there."

"Again, you were underestimating my capability."

"Not yours," Callum shook his head resolutely. "Brenna's."

His faded cerulean irises were alight with earnesty, burning into mine as if he was willing me to believe his words. And despite our twisted rivalry and my lingering hatred towards him, I did.

"Donna told me," I said quietly. "That Brenna is already qualified for Kentucky. Technically, she was supposed to compete at last year's event but couldn't, though she's still eligible to compete next year. Like me."

Callum didn't say anything as the elevator doors sprung open and we sauntered out of the apartment building and towards his car. He wiped invisible dirt from the bonnet before unlocking the vehicle and we both clambered in. He placed both hands on the wheel but didn't start the engine, glancing at me instead.

"So you want to ride her at Kentucky Horse Trials in nine months time."

"Will you let me?" I asked, biting my lip uncertainly. Yesterday afternoon, I'd been ready to resign my position of retraining Brenna after she'd proven once too often that she was a highly-strung, sensitive mare with an attitude. But the information Donna had revealed made me reconsider. I'd been up most of the night debating whether to persevere with the mare and aim for next year's Rolex Kentucky event, or continue my search for a less troublesome mount. In the end, I'd decided that I was unlikely to find such a talented horse elsewhere and Brenna was worth the trouble if she was already qualified for Kentucky. But she still belonged to Callum and if he didn't want me to ride her then my decision would count for nothing. "I mean, she's your horse after all. If you don't want me to ride her at Kentucky next year then-"

"No," he cut me off firmly. "Of course I'll let you ride her! But I just hope you're certain about this. Training and preparing any horse for such a big, prestigious event would be hard-work anyway, but Brenna is something else..."