by Mina Carter
Pepper squeezed her eyes shut and groaned. “You’re not making this easy.”
“I have no intention of making anything that ends in us being apart easy.” He narrowed his eyes. “Now, will you let me finish?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Not this time,” he said.
She waved her hand. “Dictate away, overlord of mine.”
“If you agree, this is my proposal… ”
She snorted, but pressed her lips into a thin line at his look of warning.
“My stable is an internationally authorized quarantine facility, and I have relationships all over the world with other similar facilities. I’ve spoken with Maggie about partnering with her to bring her facility up to code, and we’re also discussing a more in-depth business relationship. She has a deep understanding and love of horses, and with Mario as her trainer, this could be very lucrative for her.”
“How long will it take to bring Whispering Willows up to code?”
“Several months.” He raised a hand when she opened her mouth. “But before you try to tell me that waiting for Jonesy to go through quarantine is exactly why you can’t go with me to Scotland… I have another solution.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and he was so surprised, he laughed… and then he had to kiss her again… it was a necessity. When he broke the kiss he shook his head. “Ég sé að líf okkar saman verður eingöngu tær gleði.”
She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Which means?”
“I can see our lives together will be nothing but pure joy.”
“I’ll ignore the hint of sarcasm in that comment.” She gave him a reluctant grin. “Please continue.”
“Max is organizing my plane to pick Jonesy up—along with you and me.”
“You have your own plane?” she said in dismay.
“I buy and sell horses all over the world. I’ve found it’s much more cost effective to own my own planes than to hire one every time I have to fulfill a sale.”
“You own more than one?”
“Pepper. Focus,” he demanded.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
“I have, in the past, been given permission to bring a horse into the U.K. without it first being quarantined at an approved facility. It’s not a given, however. Max is working with DEFRA to get Jonesy to Gunnach Stables as soon as possible.”
“What’s DEFRA?”
“The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs. They handle animal imports into the U.K. Jonesy can go through quarantine there.” He pulled another treat out of his pocket and held his hand out for Jonesy, who lapped it up. “But all of this is only if it’s something you want to do.”
She rubbed her forehead. “I was not prepared for you, Connall Gunnach. I swear to Buddha, you have turned my life upside down.”
“Is that a yes, then?”
“I need to think about it.” She took a deep breath. “Is that okay?”
“Of course it is.” He reached for her hand but she avoided him. “Hey, there’s no pressure.”
She nodded, but he didn’t like her panicked expression.
“Pepper!”
They turned to see Samantha waving from the fence. Kade stood beside her and gave Connall an apologetic smile. Connall figured as soon as Samantha found out Jonesy was back where he belonged, that she’d wanted to share in the joy with her best friend. Sam let herself inside the arena and started toward them.
“Can I have a few minutes with Sam?” Pepper asked.
“Of course,” Connall said. “You okay?”
She smiled. “Yes.”
He wasn’t convinced, but he left her and made his way to Kade.
* * *
Sam clapped her hands and hugged Pepper and then patted Jonesy’s neck. “Connall got him back! I’m so happy for you.”
Pepper nodded, but her emotions were in turmoil.
“What’s wrong?” Sam asked.
“Con wants to take Jonesy to Scotland.”
“Without you?”
Pepper rolled her eyes. “No.”
“Okay,” Sam said slowly. “And?”
Pepper laid out Connall’s plan and Sam frowned in confusion. “I don’t see the problem.”
“Sam,” Pepper hissed. “If he does this, I will have no way out.”
“What are you talking about?” Sam asked.
Pepper let out a frustrated groan. “He just took care of my stalker, rescued my horse, and now wants to whisk us both to Scotland where we’ll what? Spend our lives together in bliss for the rest of our days?”
“Sounds good so far—”
“What happens when it all goes down the crapper and he hates me? I’ll be stuck in Scotland with him holding all of this over my head? I’ll lose him and my horse and still feel like I’m beholden to him. I already owe him too much as it is.”
“What makes you think, one, he’ll hate you and, two, he’ll hold anything over your head?”
“What makes you think he won’t?”
“Because I know him.”
Pepper glared at her. “Well, bully for you, sunshine. I don’t.”
“Yes you do.”
“It’s been less than a week, Sam. No. I. Don’t.”
Sam stared at her and then laughed.
“What?” Pepper snapped.
“Lightning wrapped in a rainbow.”
“Not even close! Roses with razor blades as thorns.”
“Oh my,” Sam exclaimed sarcastically. “You are in a bad way.”
Pepper sighed. “I have some money left over after the MGA tuition, but could I borrow a little from you?”
“What for?”
“I need to pay him back.”
“No you don’t.”
“Yes, I do,” Pepper argued. “I shouldn’t have let him do this for me to begin with.”
“What about Scotland?”
“I can’t, Sam. I’ll just stay here. It’ll be better for everyone.”
Sam crossed her arms. “Not for me.”
Pepper forced herself not to fold. “You have Kade now. I fully intend to visit. I just don’t think it would be a good idea for me to put all my eggs in one basket, so to speak.”
“Which is ridiculous. I may have Kade, but I still need you. Who can I complain about Kade to?”
Pepper smiled. “You can call me.”
“Pepper, come on. We had it all planned out. I really want to explore Scotland with you. The fact that you and Connall are a couple just makes it even sweeter.”
“If I don’t end it now, Sam, I won’t have the strength to do it later. It’s better to rip the Band-aid off now.”
“Pepper… ” Samantha stalled, looking as though she was going to say more, but then she shrugged. “Fine.”
“Really?”
“Yep. I don’t want to force you, Pepper. You’re my best friend. I want you to be happy.”
Pepper cocked her head. “What are you doing, Sam?”
“I’m sorry?”
Pepper glanced over to where Kade and Connall were standing. Connall’s back was to her and Kade seemed relaxed and unbothered.
What are you saying to Sam? Pepper asked Connall.
He turned to face her and shrugged. Sam’s all the way over there, love. What could I possibly be saying to her that you wouldn’t be able to hear?
“Is he talking to you?” Pepper asked Sam.
“Who?” Sam asked.
“Connall,” she snapped.
“In my mind?”
“Yes, in your mind!”
Sam shook her head. “Only Kade can, Pepper.”
“Well, then what’s Kade saying?”
Sam stared at her husband. “Um, kind of private, Pepper… and a little on the dirty side.”
“About me!”
“Why would my husband be saying dirty things about you?”
Pepper stomped her foot, causing Jonesy to sidestep.
“Careful,” Sam warned, stifling a giggle. �
�You’re upsetting your horse.”
Pepper threw her arms in the air and stomped toward the exit. Jonesy followed like a puppy.
“Hey, Pep,” Sam called and caught up with her. “You want to ride?”
Pepper turned, walking backwards, with a scowl on her face. “Hey, Einstein, I have nothing with me.”
“I brought you boots and a helmet.”
Connall pushed away from the fence. “And Maggie has Jonesy’s tack.”
Pepper turned toward Connall. “I told her to sell it.”
He shrugged. “She didn’t listen.”
Pepper tried not to smile. Truly she did, but her heart was reluctantly softening and she couldn’t stop it. “I hate both of you. I really do.”
Sam caught up to her and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. “I’m picking up on that. Come on. Connall bought three other horses today and has promised me a ride. I say we go on an old-fashioned trail ride.”
“You’re on your honeymoon,” Pepper countered.
Sam glanced at Kade and then smiled back at Pepper. “Yep. And right now, I’d like to go on a trail ride with my best friend. Maybe to the beach?”
“Twist my arm.”
“Yay,” Sam said, and clapped. “I’ll get our stuff. Be right back.”
She and Kade made their way to the car and Pepper was left with Connall. She was less upset, but she still felt like she had to stick with her decision.
“Max texted while you were talking with Sam,” Connall said.
“Oh?”
“We have the okay to bring Jonesy in anytime we want to. The plane can be here day after tomorrow and we can all travel together.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.”
“I can’t pay the price, Con.” She didn’t just mean financially.
“Pepper, the price has already been paid. You don’t owe anyone anything. How can I prove that?”
“What happens when you feel you’ve paid too much?”
He rubbed his forehead. “What are you talking about?”
She shook her head. This was harder than she could have ever imagined. “If I move myself and Jonesy over to Scotland, what happens when you… ” She swallowed. “… um, decide I’m not who you want?”
“I thought Sam talked you out of that.”
Pepper gasped. “Can you hear Sam in your mind?”
“No, but I can hear you. Kade filled me in on what Sam was saying.”
“I knew it! I knew you were eavesdropping.”
He shrugged. “If you’re going to insist on shutting me out, I’m going to fight all that much harder to get in.”
She held her hands up in defeat. “Fine. But it doesn’t change the fact that you’re asking me to risk everything after just a few days. I don’t have the resources you do. If it doesn’t work out, I won’t be able to bounce back.”
“Then I’ll stay here.”
“What?” she squeaked.
“If you don’t feel comfortable coming with me, I’ll move here.” He leaned against the railing. “Jonesy can stay where he feels content and you can have the time you need.”
“Time?”
“You obviously need time to elapse in order for you to believe it’s going to work.”
“That’s not a bad thing!”
“Sweetheart, I’m not saying it is.” He squeezed her hand. “Stop trying to find something nefarious in everything I say.”
Pepper narrowed her eyes. “Stop trying to psychoanalyze me.”
“I don’t need to psychoanalyze you, love. I know you better than you know yourself.”
“I know you better than you know yourself,” she mimicked in a sing-song voice.
He smiled. “I’ll give you whatever you need, but I won’t live apart from you. That defeats the whole purpose of being together.”
“What about your horses?”
He shrugged. “Max can run the farm.”
“He’s going on tour.”
“Niall, then.”
“Niall will be with him, won’t he?”
“Then I’ll make Brodie do it.”
“Connall, I cannot make you do this.”
“Why not?”
“Because you have a life in Scotland. You can’t give that up for me.”
“Why not?”
She blinked back tears. “Because.”
“Because why?”
“Because I’m not worth it!” she snapped.
“And therein lies the problem, eh?” He smiled gently and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, wiping her tears away. “Somewhere you got the idea in your head that you’re not worth it. You’re convinced I’m going to figure out who you really are and run, right? Which leaves you stuck in Scotland with no way home and your horse held for ransom… unless… ”
“Unless what?”
“Well, you could accept my offer, and then you’d be in the very precarious position of needing to be perfect, right?”
She dropped her head.
He lifted her chin. “So, in your mind, you have three choices. One, you come with me and act the perfect angel, catering to me, never arguing with me, really showing me how grateful you are because of everything I’ve done for you. Two, you come with me, act yourself, and I’ll figure out I’ve made a really bad investment and send you packing, but I’ll keep your horse, because at the very least, you owe me that because of everything I’ve done for you. Or three, you stay here, because you know this life and can function within it, even if it’s less than what you deserve… am I close?”
She shrugged.
“You’ve forgotten the other option,” he said.
She sighed. “What?”
“You could come to Scotland, bring your horse and go to MGA, vet school, train for the Olympics, or all three if your heart so desires. You will never owe me anything and can walk away at any time. You can set up an escape plan with Samantha. I don’t need to know anything about it if that helps. I will put this in writing, etch it into stone, or put it on a billboard, if that makes you feel comfortable. The bottom line is, I cannot live without you. I know you don’t know what that means right now, but you will, and then you’ll hopefully understand the depth of what I feel for you.” He cupped her cheeks. “I love you. Every part of you, especially the part that argues and fights and falls on the dramatic side. When I prayed for you, I could have never imagined I would have been given everything I asked for and more.”
Pepper snorted. “It’s the ‘more’ you may give back.”
“Never.” Connall chuckled. “I want it all.”
She closed her eyes, laid her hand on his chest, and “listened.” But it was when he kissed her that she was truly lost. She broke the kiss and leaned against him. “You’re killing me.”
He hugged her. “Oh, baby, we’re going down together.”
“I don’t want to disappoint you.”
“You probably will. Just like I’m sure to disappoint you. But I’m not going anywhere.” He kissed her temple. “And neither are you… except for a trail ride.”
She smiled up at him. “None of this makes you a genius.”
“Yes it does.”
“Will I ever win an argument?”
“Not with a genius!”
She giggled. “You’re impossible.”
He leaned down and kissed her again. “I haven’t been on a horse in almost a week. I’m dying for a ride.”
She grinned. “Me too. Are you sure? I’m giving you one last chance to save yourself.”
“Having you is saving myself.”
With one last kiss, Pepper followed Connall back to the barn, where they tacked up the horses and took off for their adventure.
CHAPTER TWELVE
TWO DAYS LATER, Pepper stood in Jonesy’s stall and ran a brush over his withers. “It’s a big day today, boy. We’re going to get on a plane and fly across the ocean, all the way to Scotland. I don’t know much about it, other than they have a sexy accent.” She dro
pped her head onto his back and giggled. “I suppose that doesn’t really matter to you, though, huh?”
Jonesy let out a quiet whinny and nodded his head up and down.
“I knew you’d understand,” she retorted.
He’s going to be fine, love.
What about me?
“You will be as well,” Connall said as he poked his head over the stall door. “Are you ready? The trailer’s hitched up.”
She nodded and attached Jonesy’s lead to his halter. Connall opened the stall and Pepper led her horse out of the barn and toward the trailer on loan from Maggie. When Jonesy figured out where he was going, he began to fight against the lead and Pepper was having a difficult time calming him. Her anxiety probably wasn’t helping things either.
Connall reached out and grasped the halter. “Let me do this, love. You can wait for him at the other end.”
“Okay.” Pepper climbed into the trailer and watched nervously as Connall stood with Jonesy, speaking low and quiet. She bit her lip, concerned Jonesy would freak, but then Connall guided him into the trailer without incident and Pepper was a little shocked at how calm he was.
Max closed and secured the back doors and Connall tied Jonesy’s lead off.
“How did you do that?” she asked.
Connall patted Jonesy’s neck. “I simply explained to him how this was going to go and what would happen if he didn’t cooperate.”
Pepper chuckled. “I do that all the time… he just doesn’t usually listen.”
Connall smiled. “Do you feel comfortable enough to leave the trailer?”
“Is that a loaded question?”
“He’ll be fine.”
Pepper gave Jonesy a peppermint and kissed his cheek and then let herself out the side door and waited while Connall made sure everything was secure. Maggie was driving the pickup, while Max rode shotgun and Pepper and Connall would follow behind in the rental.
“Ready?” Max asked.
Connall slapped his palm against the trailer and nodded.
“Maybe I should check him one more time,” Pepper countered.
“He’ll be fine, Pepper.” Connall waved to Max. “We’ll see you there, Max.”
Max nodded and climbed into the truck.
Connall wrapped an arm around Pepper’s waist and guided… no, dragged… her to the car. Pepper bit the inside of her cheek to keep from yelling for Maggie to stop the truck.