all roads lead to you

by Probst, Jennifer

  “Ophelia said your mother came from Kildare.” Aidan’s voice broke into her thoughts.

  “Yes, both our parents did. They settled here and built the inn first. The horse rescue came later. We lost our father early on, though. Heart attack. It was more of a working farm then, but our mother decided to concentrate mostly on the bed-and-breakfast portion for financial purposes. We lost her a few years ago.”

  “Ophelia mentioned that. I’m sorry.”

  “Thanks. I feel like she’s here, though. Each time I watch a new horse blossom or see the guests happy at the inn, I know we made her happy.”

  He came up closer behind her. Twigs snapped. She felt his gaze burning into her back and shifted in her seat. She’d never felt as if a man was listening so intently to her when she couldn’t even see his face.

  She tried to redirect his attention. “What brought you to the States? Just a vacation?”

  “Yes. I needed a change. I don’t like to stay in one place for too long.”

  Was that a thread of tension in his voice or just her imagination? “A wanderer’s soul, huh? My brother was like that for a long time. Traveled for years in the military. Now he’s practically a homebody and happy.”

  “A woman, I’d guess?”

  She turned and shot him a grin. “You guess right. He’s getting married next year.”

  “What about you? Are you married?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “Nope. You?”

  “Nope. Too many places to see and horses to ride.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Spoken like a true man.”

  “No, I really meant horses. That wasn’t some sexual innuendo.”

  That made her laugh. Who would’ve thought after her initial annoyance he could be fun to converse with? “Do you own your own horses back in Ireland?”

  He didn’t answer right away, and this time, she definitely sensed reluctance, as if he wasn’t ready to let her know the full truth. He took his time, guiding Maximus to walk beside her. “No, I actually train horses. Work with them to coax out their full potential for racing.”

  Startled, she studied him, but his gaze was stuck on the path ahead. Maximus bent his head to snatch a treat, but without pause, Aidan firmly tugged the rein and the horse settled right back into his walk.

  He was a real trainer? Holy crap, she might be able to grill him for information to help with Phoenix.

  She opened her mouth to pepper him with questions, then shut it. No. He didn’t seem to want to talk about that part of his life right now, and she respected a person’s secrets. Being pushed by strangers to share personal things always pissed her off. “Sounds cool. Ready to gallop?”

  He tossed her a wicked grin. “Thought you’d never ask.”

  “You signed the liability forms, right?”

  His laugh was deep and rich, pumping the space with life. “If I fall, I won’t sue.”

  “Good. Follow me, Irish.” She kicked her heels and eased into a trot, then broke from the woods into a vibrant green pasture that spread out for miles. With a whistle, she let Scar break free and fell into a smooth, satisfying gallop.

  He was right beside her, expert enough not to need to follow, and Maximus welcomed the challenge of the casual race. Clouds and sky merged and whizzed above, and she stood up in the stirrups, letting her body move with the horse beneath her. Maximus took the lead, and she caught Aidan’s wink as he rushed by, but Harper loved a good competition, so she dug in and urged Scar for more speed. Hooves pounded the ground, kicking up dirt and grass, and she let herself soar.

  The horses slowed together, both instinctively knowing when the race was over, and settled into a satisfying trot. Smiling, heart pounding, she glanced at Aidan to gauge his reaction.

  A satisfied grin curved his lips. A few beads of sweat dotted his brow. Confident and tall in the saddle, his thighs pressed against the horse’s flank, the sun turned his hair to spun gold, highlighting the toasty color of his skin. Amber eyes glinted with pleasure and something else, something a bit deeper that hadn’t been there before. Caught off guard, she kept his stare, and her chest tightened in an odd ache.

  “Harper?” The sound of her name lifted in the wind.

  Blinking, she tried desperately to figure out what was going on. “Yeah?”

  “Are you a wanderer or a homebody?”

  In that moment, time stretched and pulsed with unspoken questions and a sizzling attraction she’d never experienced before. It had taken one solitary ride to figure out this man called to her—a man she barely knew, who was only here on holiday. He waited for her answer, but there was only one to give. “A homebody.”

  He nodded slowly. “I thought so.”

  The moment exploded with intensity, then faded away like fireworks turned into ash. She ripped her gaze away and turned Scar around. In a light tone, she joked, “Not bad . . . for a trainer.”

  His chuckle floated in the air. “Not bad for a girl.”

  She swiveled in the saddle. “Did you just—”

  He flung his hands up in the air. “Just teasing you, love. It’s obvious you were born to ride.”

  The quick surge of pleasure took her off guard, so she pretended it was nothing. “Ready to go back?”

  “Yeah.”

  They walked the horses toward the woods. This time, there was only a thoughtful silence and the sense of something important drifting away, but it had been so quick, she didn’t know how to grieve it.

  Chapter Four

  Aidan dismounted from Maximus and tried to wrap his head around the scene in the field.

  Sure, Harper intrigued him, and he wanted to learn more about her. He figured she’d be a temporary distraction. She was fun to annoy and was different from any other woman he’d met. But that odd moment of connection between them? The way she looked at him and his chest got all tight and achy? That shit was stuff that happened in bad romantic movies, and he didn’t believe in magic moments.

  His question had been too personal and too intimate.

  But it was her answer that haunted him. The raw pang of regret that hit him like a sucker punch was foreign. Almost like he’d lost something he hadn’t even had in the first place.

  Ridiculous.

  He shoved the strange feeling aside and tugged off the horse’s bridle.

  “I can do that,” she interrupted. “Guests just enjoy the ride.”

  “No, I like to follow through. He gave me a good ride, and he deserves my attention.”

  “Fine, but you better not tattle on me to Ophelia like you did the first time.”

  He arched his brow. “I’m not a tattler.”

  She snorted. “Yeah, right. You wanted to annoy me, so you told my sister I hurt your feelings. You knew I didn’t want to see you again.”

  He gave a shrug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You were smitten the moment you met me.”

  Her laugh was genuine. “I thought you were an arrogant ass who knew nothing about horses but wanted to pretend he did.”

  “And you were wrong.”

  “I was wrong,” she admitted. “About the second half. You do know about horses.”

  “And the first half?”

  She tossed her head with a touch of playfulness. “Jury’s still out.”

  He led Maximus over to the hitching pole and grabbed a brush from the rack, grinning. The easy banter between them was back, and any lingering tension had dissipated. Maybe it had just been a weird fluke. Maybe being back on a horse and riding for pleasure had affected him in a way he hadn’t prepared for. She’d shared the special moment with him, so he’d transferred it to her. Made sense.

  “I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but you don’t seem to have much help for a farm this size,” he said, rubbing Max’s rump.

  “My full-time assistant is off the next couple of weeks with back strain, and my regular summer volunteers have all found real jobs. Ethan’s schedule is a bit crammed with his fiancée’s PR business, their
upcoming wedding, and renovating a house, so we’re just in survival mode right now.”

  The words popped out of his mouth. “I can help out.”

  She waved her hand in the air. “That’s very nice of you, but we’re fine. Can’t have guests doing any work.”

  “No, I mean it.” He shifted his weight and let out a restless sigh. “Listen, I’m bored out of my mind. I wanted some downtime but it backfired. I’m not talking nine to five here. Just a few hours. What do you think?”

  “I think you’re nuts. If someone gave me a vacation, I wouldn’t offer to help anyone during it.”

  “I don’t believe you. Has there ever been a time in your life you haven’t worked?”

  She leaned against her horse and shot him a look. “No, which is why I’d take the vacay. Besides, you’re leaving soon. Why don’t you explore the area? There’re a million things to do around here. The strawberry festival is in Beacon this weekend. You’ll have a blast.”

  He should drop it. Obviously, she didn’t want his help, and what if that crazy energy field came back between them?

  Strangely disappointed, Aidan finished up with Maximus and grabbed an apple from the bushel in front of the barn. “What do you do at a strawberry festival?” he asked.

  The horse snatched the treat and chewed with enthusiasm, juice rolling out of his mouth, lips curled up in pleasure.

  “Eat strawberries. They have great shortcake. And strawberry beer. Craft booths. Maybe they’ll even give pony rides. Go enjoy yourself, Irish. You’ll be back with your own horses in no time.”

  Her words flicked at him like tiny stings. It was ridiculous to feel dismissed. He had nothing to do with her life or her barn.

  Already he could tell she was shifting her attention away, caught in the million tasks ahead. He knew the feeling well because that’s how he’d lived his entire life: without apology or second thought.

  He gave Maximus one last pat and stuck his hands in his pockets. “I’ll let you get back to work, then. Thanks for the ride, Harper.”

  She barely glanced at him as she untacked Scar, fingers deftly removing the throatlatch. “No problem. If I don’t see you, have a safe flight back.”

  Aidan walked back to the inn, realizing she hadn’t addressed him by name. Not even once. He wondered why that bothered the shit out of him.

  Maybe this vacation had been a mistake. The only thing downtime was giving him was a fucking breakdown. He should’ve realized work was bred into his genes, and trying to take a break did nothing but stress him out.

  His mind sifted through his choices. For the past two months, he’d scoured the most popular racetracks east of the Mississippi and used up all his contacts to find a new horse to train. But there was nothing left for him here.

  He couldn’t return to Ireland with nothing to show for his time in the States. If he dug deep into his bank account and cut his stay short at the inn, he might be able to finance a trip to California and sniff out any possibilities. He might be able to work some odd jobs at Santa Anita. Hell, maybe he could be a consultant. Anything to keep money in his pocket and his feet by a barn. Best to leave New York behind and see if the West Coast offered a temporary solution.

  Yes, that was the best decision.

  He’d let Ophelia know he was leaving early and head out this weekend.

  If only Harper weren’t so stubborn about letting him help in the barns. It was easy to see she had too much to do and not enough people. Owen was useless, and with her brother distracted, there were too many horses who needed workouts, grooming, feeding, and—

  The idea hit him.

  Harper wasn’t the type to ask for help, especially from a guest. Hell, he wouldn’t, either. She was prideful, stubborn, and liked to do things her own way. Those traits were obvious at their first meeting. No, he’d made a mistake by giving her a choice.

  He’d correct it immediately.

  The next day, Harper chugged down some Red Bull, donned work gloves, and began to attack her midmorning schedule. Already out at the stables by five thirty a.m., she knew it was a good time to tackle the workouts since the day’s weather was a bit more seasonal and cooler for early June. She did her best to give every horse the attention and exercise they needed, but she always worried one would be neglected. Today she wanted to have some time with Phoenix and get a few workout sessions in so she could begin getting him ready to tackle the racing circuit.

  She tacked up Flower, laughing as the sweet mare tried to nibble at her hair, and suddenly felt the air around her squeeze and charge. Harper looked up.

  Aidan cocked his head and treated her to a slow, lazy smile. “You’re such a pretty little lass,” he said, his lilting, deep voice stroking her ears and other places. Bad places.

  She ignored her body’s horrifying reaction and concentrated on his words. “Are you kidding? Did you really call me that?”

  Amusement glinted in his golden eyes. “No. I was addressing the horse.”

  She absolutely refused to blush.

  Flower turned from her, stretching out to greet the newcomer who promised her sweet words. Aidan laughed and scratched behind her ears.

  Harper shook her head, trying to regain her balance. “I’m sorry, there’s no time today to schedule a ride. Ophelia never let me know.”

  “Not here to ride. Here to work. Are we doing workouts?”

  She blinked. He was dressed in the same type of casual clothes he’d worn yesterday—jeans, a black T-shirt, and work boots. He was freshly shaved and incredibly virile, and she fought the sudden urge to move closer and get another whiff of his incredible smell. Damn it, he smelled better than Ophelia’s freshly baked scones, and that was hard to do. And why was his height so sexy? She literally had to lift her chin a bit to look at him. “I told you yesterday guests don’t work the property.”

  He gave a wink. “I’m not a guest. Just a volunteer looking to help out for a few hours. If you’re uncomfortable with me riding, I’ll muck the stalls. Or give baths.” His gaze stabbed right through her. “Whatever you need, Harper.”

  A shiver raced down her spine. Oh no. She was not about to deal with this type of distraction today. The man had no right to invade her sacred space. “I appreciate it, but we’re fine.”

  Flower butted her head against him in a demand for more stroking. “Aren’t you a greedy little thing,” he murmured. “’Course, I do love a female who asks for what she wants.” He spoke the words to Flower but never broke his intense gaze with Harper.

  Her mouth dried up, and she stared at him like an idiot. Finally, in an awkward move, she yanked Flower back from him and began prepping her to ride. “This may come as a shock to you, but I can take care of this farm by myself.”

  “Imagine how much better it will be with me here.”

  She shook her head, clamping down on the urge to laugh. There was something about his arrogance that came out charming—a rare feat for a male to accomplish, at least the ones she’d tried to date. “Thought you weren’t a guest anymore. When are you leaving?”

  “A few days. I’m here through Friday, and then I head to California. Gonna let your pride lose you two strong hands for the rest of the week and the opportunity to boss me around?”

  She was saved from answering with the arrival of her rescue chicken, Hei Hei. Spotting the stranger in front of Harper, he stopped a few feet from Aidan, his beady eyes narrowing in on his prey.

  Harper settled back to enjoy the scene. There wasn’t a person alive who didn’t freak out when they first met the Polish chicken. With his crazy white head feathers sticking up in the air, heavy red jowls, and gigantic mottled-black body, he looked like a monstrous mutated animal ready to attack.

  Aidan stilled, his gaze swiveling to study the new visitor. “Harper?”

  “Yeah?”

  “What the hell is that?”

  She smirked. “Meet Hei Hei. Hei Hei, this is Aidan. He wants to work on the farm with us. What do you think?”

&nbs
p; The chicken cocked his head. Scratched his claws against the ground. And started to screech at the top of his lungs.

  Was that a bead of sweat on Aidan’s forehead or just her imagination? Harper knew the chicken was harmless, but she also knew Hei Hei had a hard time around men. He liked to intimidate and show them who was the real boss in town.

  “What’s he doing?” Aidan asked in a low voice.

  “Probably getting ready to charge.”

  “Ah, shit.”

  With one last outraged shriek, the chicken took off toward Aidan in a mad fury. Even Harper recognized Hei Hei looked like one of those creatures from the Goosebumps movie. She watched to see if Aidan would run or try to fight.

  With one smooth movement, Aidan knelt down to the ground, arms casually resting on his knees, and waited for the attack.

  The chicken skidded the last few feet and bumped against his knees. Spinning around a few times as if confused, he began pecking at Aidan’s feet, but when there was no fighting or loud voices, he began to settle. Lifting his huge head, the chicken studied the man before him, then slowly relaxed, brushing his feathers against Aidan’s legs in a stroking motion.

  Aidan’s hands came down very slowly, and he began to gently stroke the chicken. “Good boy,” he said in soothing tones. “What a massive, amazing creature you are.”

  Hei Hei clucked in delight.

  WTF?

  Harper stared in shock. The only male the chicken could stand was Ethan, and her brother had worked hard to gain Hei Hei’s trust. Something inside her chest loosened, but she had no time to process it, because Mia and Ethan were walking up the path, hand in hand.

  “Hei Hei, leave the poor man alone and stop—wait, what is going on? Is he being nice to you?” Mia asked, her eyes wide in shock.