Recessive (Thoroughbred Breeders 3) Excerpt

Recessive, an Excerpt by Christine Meunier

Here’s an excerpt from the third book in the Thoroughbred Breeders series by Christine Meunier.

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Savannah had completely forgotten that Rick and Jay would be coming out on Thursday to do some trims. Because Nev had wanted a light day on Cup Day, he’d asked the men in advance if they could do the Thursday instead.
So it was with surprise and eagerness that she worked with Kathy to bring in a group of horses for trimming. The horses were mainly made up of dry mares that were housed in the nearby vetting paddocks.
Savannah felt the all too familiar butterflies in her stomach as a well-known broad frame stepped out of Rick’s beaten up Ute and made his way over to the yard of horses to trim. He gave Savannah a smile and slipped between the rails, heading straight for the horse she was holding.
She stood quietly until the other two men were preoccupied with the horses they were trimming. Kathy and Jack were holding for them. Savannah was relieved to find that Flynn wasn’t with the men.
Unable to help herself, Savannah blurted out what had been on her mind for the past couple of days.
“So you all made it safely home then,” she said, realising after she’d spoken that Craig had a right to not understand what she was talking about.
He glanced back at her as he continued working on the mare’s hoof.
“I told you I would drive,” he said with a smile, “There’s no way I would have let any of those three behind a wheel after the amount of alcohol I saw them consume.”
Savannah breathed out a sigh of relief, causing Craig to chuckle.
“Were you concerned, Savvy?” he asked softly, causing her face to grow warm.
“A little…” she admitted, “and I had no way of knowing that you had gotten home safely.”
She cleared her throat and amended her statement.
“That all of you had gotten home safely.”
Craig glanced back at her and gave her a wink, a small grin teasing his lips. Internally Savannah sighed.
Don’t think I can take that statement back!
Craig continued to work diligently, his movements efficient. Before too long he had finished the mare’s four feet and was glancing at the group of horses that were left. Savannah released her mare and caught another. As she walked back to Craig she saw him scribbling on a small piece of card.
What is he doing?
She took the card offered to her when she led the mare back to Craig. Savannah realised the numbers written on it were a mobile number. She looked up at him in question as she stopped the mare before him.
“Next time if you’re concerned, you can text me,” Craig explained, “I’ll reply as soon as I can.”
He got to work on the next mare’s feet, not waiting for a response from Savannah. The card felt warm in her hand and she placed it in her pocket, smiling at his thoughtfulness.