Read Soliman, Wendy - The Name of the Game (BookStrand Publishing Romance) for Free Online

well that they almost became as a single unit. Ashley had been told that her long legs, encased in tight-fitting jodhpurs and top boots, appeared not to move at all as they firmly guided Lucius into the complicated manoeuvres. Lucius’s mastery of the half-pirouette, the only movement he hadn’t properly got the hang of, was improving steadily, and by the end of their session, she was delighted with his progress. He was as ready as he’d ever be and they had a good chance of finishing in the top five. If by some miracle they finished first or second, then they would automatically qualify for the regional finals later in the season. But Ashley, knowing how tough the competition was likely to be, wasn’t holding her breath.
    Refusing an invitation from some of the others at the stables to go to the local, Ashley went home instead and spent a long time under a hot shower. She had lit the fire in the sitting room earlier and threw another log on it now, watching distractedly as a flurry of sparks flew up the chimney. Although it was still only October the evenings were chilly and, anyway, she loved the homely smell of burning wood. The eerie shadows the flames cast over the walls of the otherwise unlit room suited her mood perfectly. Freckles clearly agreed with her and stretched out in front of the blaze, his eyes dropping as he sighed and rested his head on his front paws.
    Ashley ate a slice of toast in lieu of dinner and opened a bottle of wine. Her breath caught when she observed the label. It was a favourite burgundy that Matt had given her. Suppressing all thoughts of her errant lover, Ashley settled on the sofa and curled her feet comfortably beneath her. She sat in contemplative silence, sipping her wine, her mood reflective, as she waited for Sandy, who had agreed to come up and share the wine once Callie was asleep.
    Ashley was snapped out of her reverie by the sound of the doorbell. Surprised that her friend hadn’t let herself in with her own key, she got up to answer it.
    Matt filled the opening with his musculature, the smile on his lips both determined and slightly apprehensive. Ashley’s own smile, dredged up for Sandy’s benefit, froze on her lips. Just for a moment, she was unsure what to do. Her treacherous heart leapt at the sight of Matt. Unprepared as she’d been to find him at her door, pleasure must have shown in her eyes. She struggled to amend that situation.
    “What are you doing here?”
    “Did you really think I’d give up that easily?” He bent to stroke the clambering Freckles, but his eyes didn’t once leave her face.
    “I thought you were in Southampton.” Now why had she said that? Why give the impression that it mattered to her where he was, or that she’d given the situation any thought?
    “I was. I drove back especially to see you.” The smile he offered her heated the air between them. Ashley, determined not to fall victim to his mesmerizing charm, pretended not to notice. “Happy birthday, darling. Can I come in? I’ve been in meetings all day, so I couldn’t phone. Anyway, I knew that even if I did you probably wouldn’t take the call.”
    “You got that dead right.”
    “So I came back to see you in person.” He paused, but when she said nothing, he spoke again. “We need to talk.” He looked, and obviously was, exhausted. It heartened Ashley to imagine that he’d slept little better than her, but she wasn’t about to let that knowledge influence her.
    “I’m expecting someone.”
    “Please, Ashley. We can’t leave things like this. I’ve driven all this way and have to go back again tonight, so I—”
    “Back to Evie ?” Ashley stiffened her spine, trying to disguise the hurt she felt beneath a veneer of indifference. “Of course you do.”
    “Ashley, please, just give me ten minutes.”
    Reluctantly, she backed away from the door.
    “Thank you.”
    He walked into the sitting room, just as he’d done on so many occasions in the past. She saw his