by AJ Adams
“And now?”
“I was going through the motions, living from day to day on automatic. Now l feel like I’ve come back to life. There’s a tang in every day and a sparkle in every night.”
“I feel the same,” Lacy whispered. “I love Mia, and I don’t for a second regret my choices, but I thought I was on my own. Finding you was a miracle.”
She was so close to me that I felt we were melding. “You and me,” I whispered. “Together forever.”
“Are you sure?” Her eyes were huge, and I was drowning in them.
“I love you, and I want you in my life.” I glanced at the little girl, giggling as she patted the pony. “Mia too. We’ll be a family.”
“A family,” Lacy repeated softly.
She had tears in her eyes, and it suddenly occurred to me that she might not think me good enough for her daughter. “Don’t say no! Think it over,” I said quickly. “Mia will love living here. There’s ponies, donkeys, the village school is great, and she can pick her own room -”
Lacy shut me up by kissing me. “Are you kidding?” she giggled. “If Snowflake is here, Mia is moving in.”
I breathed again. “I know I’m not poster material for fatherhood, but I’ll do my best, Lacy. Promise.”
“Are you sure, Rex?” Lacy asked again.
Mia was laughing. Her giggles went straight to my heart. “Yes.” It felt right, perfect heaven. “Lacy, will you marry me?”
The world stood still and then she smiled. “Yes.”
Neither of us was shy and left to our own devices, we might have sealed the deal on the spot, but a giggle and a massive velvet nose thrust between us brought us back to earth.
“Did you see me?” Mia asked excitedly. “Isn’t Snowflake clever?”
“He’s brilliant, and so are you,” Lacy replied promptly.
“We have to call it a day,” Wendy, my stable manager said. “We’ve got a booking in ten minutes.”
“Right.” I helped Mia dismount. “Shall we take Snowflake to the field to play with his friends?”
“Yes! But Snowflake needs a treat first.”
The little girl bounced up and flashed to the pony’s rear. But I’m quick too, and I caught her before she quite got there. “Hang on, sweetheart. Never walk behind a horse.”
“Why not?” Mia asked.
I hunkered down and explained. “Can you see behind you?”
Mia considered. “No,” she conceded.
“Well, Snowflake can’t either. So when someone comes up behind him, he might get a fright - and kick.”
“Oh!” Mia got it straight away. “So I need to tell him it’s me?”
“Yes, but it’s safer to duck under his head. Like this.” I moved under the pony. “Now you do it.”
The little girl ducked under the pony’s head and back again. “Like this?”
“Perfect! That’s how the Pony Club do it.”
“Pony Club?” Mia had her mum’s eyes, and now she was laser beaming at me. “There’s one here?”
“Erm.” I’ll dive into a fight no problem, but I found myself swallowing nervously. “Yes, but I should have asked your mummy -”
“Mummy, can I go? Please?” Mia squeaked. “Or,” she asked doubtfully, “is it too expensive?”
“Well,” Lacy said. “We’ll have to see.”
She spoke lightly, but the smile gave her away. I hadn’t put my foot in it after all. “Snowflake needs exercise, so if you say it’s okay, Mia could do us all a favour by joining.”
“Mr. Smooth at work,” Lacy giggled obscurely. “All right, Mia. You heard. Riding Snowflake is doing a favour to Rex.”
I’d always thought kids took everything at face value, but I found Mia inspecting me. “You were kissing Mummy.”
“I was,” I admitted. “You see, I like her very much.”
“Oh,” Mia considered.
Lacy’s pink cheeks and pleading eyes said to take it slowly.
I was wondering what to say next when Mia spoke up. “Do you want to be my daddy?”
So much for discretion. “Yes, I would. Erm, but only if you think it’s okay.”
I was dying a thousand deaths as the tot thought it through. “I have an uncle, but it’s not the same as a daddy,” she said meditatively. “I have been thinking I might want one.”
“Well, I’d like to apply for the job. What would you want me to do? “
“Read me stories and help do the dishes.”
“I can do that.”
“And maybe help with money.” Mia looked at me anxiously. “You see, Mummy has to work all the time.”
I had my arms around her before she could finish. “Of course.” I was speaking to Lacy as much as the little girl. “You need to spend more time together, right?”
“Sorry, love.” Lacy was with us, all of us entwined. “I missed you so much!”
As they snuggled, a fierce feeling of protectiveness went through me.
“Aren’t we sillies?” Lacy sniffed emotionally. “We’re all tearful, and it’s Pony Club time!”
I hugged them close to me, vowing I’d do my damnedest to make them happy. “How about this? You two join up, and afterwards, we go to the village, just the three of us. Mia can tell us what she’s looking for over lunch.” Remembering my foot in mouth, I added hastily, “If Mummy says it’s okay.”
It earned me two sets of hugs and kisses but more importantly, it was the start of my new life. It came home to me immediately when we stepped into the Dog and Duck. The first sign was the two-second stunned silence as we walked in, followed by a blast of chatter.
“Rex, I have a table for you outside.” Wally shepherded us past my usual spot at the bar and out into the pretty garden at the back. Then, smiling at Mia, “It’s the best seat in the house. You’ve got a primo view of the ducks on the river, love.”
I don’t know why I was surprised. Villages are hotbeds of gossip, and with the Pony Club on Whatsapp, Wally was fully informed.
Clocking the looks and whispers, many of them worried, and some glances at Lacy that were downright nasty, I went straight to work. “Wally, I need your best efforts today because I’m applying for a job.”
“Is that so?” Wally was quick to pick up the role of straight man. “What job is that then?”
“I will leave that to Mia to explain,” I said seriously.
She piped up happily, and a minute later the crowd was buzzing.
“That’s weird. If she’s supposed to have run off from a husband in Lincoln, how come he hasn’t mentioned the kid?”
“She says she doesn’t have a dad and kids that age don’t lie.”
“I heard it was all a pack of lies. Something to do with a turf war.”
It was like magic; I might have talked for weeks and been disbelieved but out of the mouth of babes, as they say. There was an instant shift in the atmosphere, but not everyone was convinced.
“I did wonder. I mean, his lordship has seen more bedsides than Dr. Kildare, but I’ve never heard of him messing up a marriage.”
“Only because he has the attention span of a Labrador. Once he’s fucked it, he’s forgotten it.”
“Then it’s good to see him settle down.”
“I dunno. I wish he’d picked another girl. This one seems to come with a lot of baggage.”
“Yeah, we didn’t have this kind of trouble until she came here. I wish she’d belt up and go back to where she came from.”
Lacy pretended not to hear, and Mia was too caught up with telling Wally about Snowflake to notice, but it told me Crush was right; the village was nervous and divided.
“Lacy?” Brianne stood by the table, nervously wringing her hands. “I don’t know what to say.” She was bright red with shame and embarrassment. “I’m so sorry.”
My girl was on her feet and hugging her. “Never mind. It was a moment of madness. Forget it.”
“Thanks.” For a moment, Brianne was stunned. Then she beamed. “That’s kind
.”
“Sit down and talk to me about Miss Bonnington,” Lacy invited her. “I want to pick your brain on what might make for good pre-publicity.”
It was a masterstroke because it made Brianne glow and helped ensure that eavesdropping villagers learned Lacy was working hard on their behalf.
As being seen was helping, we had a good lunch and followed it up with ice-cream in the village square, just in time for the Punch and Judy show.
“Best afternoon ever,” Mia sighed.
My job application was going well, and I was pleased to see some frowns turning upside down, but I soon realised getting the village united behind us would be hard work. Even more annoying, Pig decided to up the attacks on Bonnington.
An hour after we got back to Perdition, fights broke out simultaneously in the Feathers and the Coach and Horses. CCTV made identifying the culprits simple, and we got them just before they tried it on in the Oak Leaf.
“They were paid agitators,” Kraken said. “Pig must be running out of men.”
“More likely saving them for more important work,” Crush replied. “Pig has plenty of money, and as he’s trying to frighten away holidaymakers, he’ll see this as an investment.”
“Then we’d better make sure the word goes out that it’s bad news to take a job with the Horde,” I said.
“Broken arms and legs all around,” Crush agreed.
We went at it hammer and tongs when they tried it on in the Bella Italia restaurant and again when we got the heads-up that another lot were vandalising cars down by the beach.
Harding pitched up just as we finished packing the lot of them into a van. “This is insane,” he spluttered. “My cells are full, and we haven’t even reached pub closing time.”
“No worries. This lot will be in accident and emergency for the night.”
“That’s not funny!”
“No, but it may put off casual contractors.”
That shut him up. “These aren’t Horde?”
“No. These are strictly for-hire thugs.”
“Hell!” It was unlike Harding to swear. “I’m already being hauled over the coals. And now you’re saying I can’t blame this on Lincoln?”
“Afraid not. Although, they’re behind it.”
“These problems started when you stole Barrows’ wife.”
“I’m getting a bit tired of that particular lie.”
Harding was instantly rigid with fury. “A lie, is it? I had a call from London this afternoon. The commissioner of police herself asked me about it! And let me tell you, Lord Ravenshurst,” he was snarling my title sarcastically, “she wasn’t impressed at the knowledge that all this trouble is because you can’t keep it in your trousers.”
That sinking feeling was hitting me again. Those fuckers Pig and Barrows were hitting us where it hurt. “A background check would tell you that Lacy was never married to Barrows and did not run off with his savings.”
“As if I have time for that,” Harding grumbled.
“Oh come on! You can run a background check in two seconds.” His eyes flashing gave the game away. “You’ve already checked it out.”
The fucker was sabotaging us deliberately. I wanted to whack him, but it wouldn’t have done any good. “I’ll call the commissioner tomorrow and tell her the truth of the matter.” He was looking super sulky, and I needed him, so I added. “I will also ask her to give the Lincoln mob a boot up the bum.”
“All right,” he grumped.
“The Horde are spreading those lies, knowing it upsets the village. It would help if we had your support.”
Harding shrugged. “If anyone asks, I’ll set them straight.”
The bugger was lying. He’d sit in the Oak Leaf, hear Shona Weir and her mates trash Lacy and keep mum but there wasn’t much I could do about it.
As the inspector drove off, Crush appeared at my side. “DT and Zero will drop this lot at the hospital.”
“Yeah, good.”
“I heard Harding. Rex, you’d better stay at home from now on. Concentrate on repairing your rep with the bluebloods.”
“And let hired thugs rampage around my village? No fucking way!”
“Look, with Skegness and Durham being on high alert, we’re short of troops. But we can keep a lid on this.”
“We’re spread too thin. You need me. If it hadn’t been for my being here tonight, the Feathers and the council would have lawsuits galore from furious visitors.”
“That would be bad, but risk is part of business.”
“I’m not having my people running those kinds of risks.”
“But Rex, think! This is what Pig wants! You’re playing into his hands.”
“I don’t care. I won’t go on raids to Lincoln or anywhere else, but Bonnington is mine.”
“And if I remind you that I’m president and you should follow orders?”
“Are you?” I snapped.
Crush sighed. “I said, if.”
“Good because I’m not backing off.”
“Yes, Lord Ravenshurst!” It was sarcastic, but he slapped me on the back. “I had to try.”
“Right.” I took in my best friend. “Sorry I yelled.”
“That’s okay. You’re uptight, that’s all,” Crush grinned. “Want to take a swing at me?”
Like I said, best friend. “Maybe next time.”
Thankfully that was it, and I was able to get home just after midnight. It was strange because apart from the usual security lights, Perdition was in darkness yet I knew I wasn’t alone anymore.
Instead of having a drink and wandering about the place, I went straight upstairs. The door to the rose suite stood open, and there was a low glow from a night light. Mia was sacked out, dead to the world and smiling, with Buttercup crushed to her.
With a sense of rising excitement, I went to my own room. Pushing open the door, I was faced with a vision. Lacy was waiting for me in bed, wearing nothing but her collar and a smile. “Hello love,” she grinned. “Hard day at the office?”
Just seeing her made my heart soar. I didn’t care anymore about David, Kennard Wilton, Harding or what the village thought. I wasn’t giving Lacy up for anything or anyone.
Chapter Seventeen
Lacy
“Snowflake snorts when he sees me,” Mia confided to Rex. “Does that mean he likes me?”
We were in the kitchen, finishing a breakfast of eggs and buttered toast with yoghurt and fresh fruit to follow.
“Absolutely. That’s the way ponies laugh,” Rex replied. “Does he nod his head? And poke you with his muzzle?”
“Yes!”
“Then he really likes you. That nose bump is how horses kiss.”
Mia picked up Buttercup and bumped Rex gently on the arm. “Like this?”
“Oh yeah!” Rex bumped her straight back.
They giggled together, and I marvelled again at how quickly they’d become friends. We’d been at Perdition for just a week, but Rex and Mia had bonded instantly.
“You’re taking your first Pony Club badge today, right?” Rex asked. “Yard safety?”
“Yes!” Mia brought out her jotter, well-thumbed and much pored over. “I’ve studied and done the exercises.”
“Good,” Rex smiled. “Afterwards we’ll go celebrate. How about an ice-cream in the village?”
“What if I don’t pass?”
“Course you will. You’re clever, and you’ve done the prep.”
I’m probably a sentimental fool, but that instant affirmation almost made me well up. I don’t know why because that was Rex all over. He was hell on wheels with adults, but Mia only saw his tender side.
“So, ice-cream this afternoon,” Rex said. “What are you doing, Lacy?”
“Fixing up the last minute arrangements.” We were in for another marathon weekend with a huge charity dinner that night for the local hospital, a boat club meet on the Saturday, and the Miss Bonnington competition on the Sunday.
“Great! I’m off to the marin
a,” Rex scraped the last spoonful of yoghurt from his bowl. “Then I have to check-in with the bank. Finch wants me to sign some papers.”
“Lizzie Finch says you’re a lord, just like in the books,” Mia announced.
For a moment I froze. I’d known it was coming, but I hadn’t decided what to do about it. I mean, six-year-olds are hot on princesses but how do you tell them about the real world aspects of class?
Luckily for me, Rex was all over it. “I’m a viscount, so people call me Lord Winslow,” he said easily. “You’re called Redwood, right? You get your name from your mum. Well, I got my name from my dad.”
“Oh,” Mia said. She considered for a moment and went for broke. “Lizzie says that her mummy says we don’t belong here and that you’ll kick us out soon enough.”
My hands were clenched into claws, but Rex was cool. “Lizzie talks a lot of nonsense. I wouldn’t listen to her if I were you.”
“Oh,” Mia said again.
“What about the other Pony Club girls?” Rex asked. “What do they say?”
Mia shrugged. “Oh, you know,” she said vaguely.
I knew that closed look. “Are they being cats, sweetie? About me and my work?”
“Only Lizzie,” Mia sighed. “But I told her, nobody has the right to judge you, Mummy. Or me.”
I could tell Rex wanted to ask questions, but when I shook my head warningly, he let it go immediately.
“It’s a shame that Lizzie is so judgy.” Thanks to the years in village kindy, I had the mantra down pat. “Talking badly about others is very unkind, that’s why we don’t do it,” I said brightly. “We won’t let her bother us, will we, love? We ignore judgy cats and play with the girls we like.”
Mia nodded, reassured as always. “It’s only Lizzie being silly.”
“Exactly. Now, who do we like at the Pony Club?”
“Minnie and Flora and Alice.”
After a week in the village, I knew that Minnie’s mum was Suzie who ran Locks, the local beauty salon, while Flora and Alice were the daughters of Dot and Rob who ran the Feathers Hotel.
“Good, so we spend more time with Minnie, Flora, and Alice. Now, if you’re finished, put your plate in the dishwasher and go and get your hat and gloves. We leave in ten minutes.”