Her puzzlement grew as they walked closer to her apartment. She'd expected that he might call a cab to go to his place after his words about sitting by a tree. Yet he continued walking down the sidewalk, turning onto her street, and saying nothing. Well, if his idea of a tree is a spider plant, then I guess we'll go to my place. Luke opened the door to her building and as they went up the stairs, she got the first indicat...

As Christmas approached, Emma found herself ever busier at the diner. One of the waitresses slipped and fractured her leg, and Millie couldn't find anyone to cover, so everyone worked extra hours. Luke was deep in his novel when he wasn't driving the carriage, and their time was limited, although he made a point of walking her home after her shift. It wasn't much, but Luke would come up and they would talk for a while, an...

Emma was too busy to reflect on her day with Luke, although she wanted to. Those kisses, she thought, bore particular reflecting. She smiled at herself. What's gotten into you? Even she knew the answer: Luke. The bulk of the shift flew by as Emma, Millie, and the other two waitresses dealt with the crowd. When things calmed down, one of the other girls begged Millie to go home, and Millie agreed. "Why don't you ever leave...

The next night, Ryan was sitting with her guitar, deep into a song when she heard Lara come in. "So, how's it going with the boyfriend?" Ryan looked up to see her friend leaning against the wall, a gleam in her eyes. "It's going fine, thanks." Ryan went back to her song and hid a grin, knowing the neutral response would drive Lara crazy. "Oh, come on. There must be more than that." Ryan pretended to think, then shook her...

Three days later, on a game-free Tuesday night, Brody whistled as he flipped a zucchini pancake over. Mark eyed the contents of the pan warily. "What is that?" "A zucchini pancake with angel hair pasta and a few other things. It's like a frittata." Brody sprinkled some salt and pepper on it, flipped it again. "How the hell do you come up with stuff like that?" "Saw it in a magazine." Brody shrugged. "Looked good, thought...

The next day, Luke arrived early at the stable and began hitching up the horses. He'd done it so often that he was able to let his thoughts wander, and they wandered to Emma. What would she say, he wondered. What would he tell her about himself? He'd been distracted ever since he'd proposed they talk, and hadn't slept well. Writing had been an exercise in futility. None of it had been helped by the phone call he'd made. A...

A week later, Ryan was on the UMD campus. She walked over to the statue of the diamondback terrapin, symbol of the school's teams, and rubbed its head. The week had been hectic, including a tense dinner with her parents, and it felt like it was the first time in days she'd even been able to take a deep breath. "So, let's see." She patted the terrapin's head again. "In the last week, I've filed a record number of reports a...

A week later, the diner was busy and one of the other waitresses was sick, so Emma came in early to help. She hadn't minded; since her day with Luke, she'd been in a wonderful mood. They'd gone out for a little while before her shift today, and he'd kissed her before saying good-bye. A light, curious kiss that had made her feel dizzy with delight. Even the piano in her apartment didn't seem to loom in the corner; she knew...

"What'd you tell him?" Millie jerked her head in Sol's direction. "Looked like he might jump over the table for that salt." Emma reached for the coffee carafe. "I told him you put extra salt in the hash browns." "Good one!" Millie laughed, almost a cackle, and patted Emma's arm. "And he believed you!" Emma shrugged. "This time, anyway." "And did I see you smile over there?" Millie raised an eyebrow. "That's good if you di...

Horses in the City © 2010 All rights reserved Prologue "Emma, what are you talking about?" Lila Hutchins stared at her sister, unable to comprehend what she'd just heard. They were at a Christmas party but Lila barely registered the lights, the decorations, or the songs. Emma's words had blocked everything else out. "Just what I said, Lila. I don't think it will work with the two of us. It's just not . . . ." Emma put her...

Brody debated what they might do now that the gig was over. It was fall, so a lot of places closed early. On the other hand, the weather was still decent, so he suggested they go to Old Town Alexandria. Ryan agreed, and he waited while she changed, musing over what Mark, Hilary and even Bax had been saying for the last few days. True, he wouldn't mind being more than friends with Ryan. However, she'd been up front about n...

Brody waited for Mark and Hilary near the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro station. He was looking forward to the show and seeing Ryan perform. When he thought about growing up, he always remembered music in the background. Classical, rock, blues, even some punk—his parents had played a little bit of everything, and he and his siblings had all added their contributions as they'd grown up. He'd tried to learn an instrument, but it h...

Saturday morning Brody woke up and groaned as his leg throbbed. He'd gone down to block a shot in the game against Philly, caught the puck above his knee, and it still hurt. Given that, he'd talked with the coach and trainer and decided to skip the day's optional skate. He stayed in bed a little longer, but sleep wouldn't return, and so he got up, making his way to the shower with a grimace. Once out, he was rubbing his h...

Brody drummed his fingers on his knee and bounced his leg as he sat on the team bus. They'd be on their way to Philly soon and few things got the Capitals pumped like a game against the Flyers, even though it was the teams' first meeting of the season, in mid-November. Baxter dropped into the seat beside him. "Jesus, do you never sit still?" "Just a little extra energy, that's all." Brody shrugged. "Plenty left over for t...

After going over a new song with Lara in the morning and grabbing an early lunch at the mall, Ryan made her way over to Crystal City to pick up a Zipcar. Working with Lara had kept her from dwelling on the party, but riding out to Chantilly in the little compact, she couldn't avoid it. It's really sad when you think about faking sick to miss your own brother's birthday party. She popped in a CD and tried not to think abou...