by Lindsey Hart
Lisa leaned back, her brow furrowed. But Mia’s head shot up, her eyes wide. She looked between Stephane and Lisa, and he hurried to pretend that he wasn’t staring back at her, carefully watching her instead out of the corner of his eyes.
As such, he didn’t miss the smile that began to bloom over her face. This was the first time he had not flirted with Lisa at the earliest chance, but he found that he couldn’t right now, especially with Mia sitting so close.
Somehow, Mia’s smile made the missed opportunity worth it.
Which was the problem, wasn’t it? After dinner, as Stephane stepped into the cool air with everyone else, he rubbed his head in thought. He had been more interested in Mia’s smiles the last couple of days than he had been in flirting with Lisa or any of the other women here.
No, scratch that, he was actually more interested in her smiles than in sleeping with her.
When they returned to the cabin, Stephane fled upstairs, claiming that he wasn’t feeling very well and wanted an early night. He didn’t care what any of them thought about it; he needed to get away from Mia’s calm eyes and beautiful smile before it drove him crazy.
Not that they hadn’t already.
Too late, Stephane remembered the careful plan he had come up with earlier that day. Yet he hadn’t succeeded, Mia unknowingly foiling him before he could follow through. He groaned and sat on his bed, running a hand through his hair. He really had no idea what to do now, if he couldn’t even bring himself to flirt with her after they shared such a light touch.
Who would have thought that those sorts of touches would be so intimate, though? Stephane was used to women touching him. He was used to nails raking down his back and soft palms running over his chest. But he had never had this before, these light, feathery brushes that set his skin on fire and made his heart race a mile a minute.
It was almost like she was trying to seduce him, but Stephane knew better than to think that. The idea of her knowingly trying something like that on him was laughable. If there was anything that Stephane had figured out in this entire mess, it was that Mia was pure and innocent, and had very little experience with dating or men in general. She wouldn’t be going out of her way to seduce him and, even if she was, he couldn’t imagine her being so successful at it.
Stephane snorted and got up to pace a bit, needing to move. Mia wasn’t seducing him, and he was the fool that felt things too deeply.
But he couldn’t help it. The more time he spent with her, the more he realized just how much he enjoyed her company. She had even started opening up a little more in the last day or so, allowing him to pull her into conversation. She was smart and funny, and she had a very logical thought process. She was definitely someone he didn’t mind spending time with.
In fact, he very much wanted to spend more time with her.
Stephane eyed his phone on the bedside table. He could hear everyone downstairs, but he still couldn’t face them. Maybe he should send Mia a message.
But what would it say? ‘Hey, I just saw you at dinner, but I wanted to see how you were’ sounded lame even in his own head. If he was lucky, it might just make her laugh… if he was unlucky, she would accuse him next of beginning to stalk her.
Then, suddenly, a flash of inspiration overcame him. He knew what he could say to her. Before he could stop himself, Stephane opened his phone and shot off a quick text message.
‘Would you like to go horse riding with me tomorrow?’
He could almost imagine Mia’s surprise at receiving the message. He closed his eyes and imagined Mia sitting downstairs with everyone else, fishing her phone out of her pocket with an inquisitive look. Her eyes would widen when she saw the message, and she would glance surreptitiously at the four parents and her sister to make sure none of them were paying attention to her.
Then she would hesitate, tapping her fingers agitatedly against her knees. She would stare at that message, wondering what to do, maybe even wondering if it was a trick.
Stephane didn’t know what Mia would decide to do. Maybe her suspicions would be too great, and she would say ‘no’ after thinking about it a little more, unwilling to give him a leg up in the bet that he no longer thought about.
Or, just maybe…
His phone beeped. Cautiously, Stephane opened the message, and felt his heart soar as he saw the one-word answer that Mia had given him.
‘Sure.’
He felt himself relaxing. Honestly, he didn’t know what tomorrow was going to bring, and there was a part of him that was dancing because he had just scored himself what could only be a proper date. He wondered if he should treat this as the first step toward winning the bet that he had dearly needed.
Then he wondered what it said about him now that he didn’t care about that anymore.
CHAPTER TEN
When Mia received the message, half-listening to Robert tell a joke that she wasn’t sure she found funny, she had just stared at it for a long moment. Before, when Stephane had wanted to spend time with her, he had just invaded her space and forced himself there.
Now he was asking ahead of schedule? He had actually put some thought into something he would like to do - with her, she reminded herself, struggling not to blush and - asked her about it?
It was so out of the blue that she wondered if he had hit his head on something. He had been a lot nicer lately, and he had been behaving in a manner that made her heart beat faster without her permission, but this…
This was a date.
She wanted to ask him what he thought he was doing. This was getting ridiculous, and she hated the feeling that, somehow, she was losing the game they were playing. But then she remembered how, for the first time, Stephane hadn’t flirted with her confused sister that night. He had had the perfect opportunity, and he had actually turned away from it.
Mia didn’t really understand what was going on. She stared down at the message again. He was probably just trying to find some more time to spend time with her, so he could continue breaking down the walls she was attempting to build between them.
But she couldn’t deny that her heart fluttered slightly as she reread the question. It had been a long time since she had been asked out on anything resembling a date.
With that thought in mind, she sent back ‘Sure’ before she could do anything else. Then she sat there, heart pounding, wondering what she had just done.
When it became apparent that he wasn’t going to message again, Mia had firmly told herself to calm down; it was ridiculous to get worked up over this.
Especially since it wasn’t even a real date.
⁂ ⁂ ⁂
The next day, as she stared at Stephane carefully considering the small selection of apples at the town store, she found herself needing to revise the opinion that he, at least, didn’t think it was a date.
He had come downstairs, dressed comfortably for riding, but with his hair teased into soft spikes and wearing a quiet smile on his face. Dressed in old jeans and a tee-shirt, she had felt a little shabby next to him, and she couldn’t prevent her blush when he offered her his arm.
He had proposed a quick trip into town; the resort didn’t mind when they fed the horses, as long as they let them know what they gave them, so Stephane insisted on taking the short drive into town to pick up some treats for the creatures they would be spending the day with. Once they had gotten there, he had made a beeline for the apples and urged her to find drinks and food; once they had finished horse riding, he had decided that it would be nice for them to go for a picnic.
This was most definitely a date.
Mia just didn’t know what to do with that knowledge.
She hadn’t yet asked Stephane what he was thinking, wondering if he was even aware of what this all looked like. She didn’t want to bring his attention to it, especially since he had done no more than tell her she looked nice that morning. A lie if she had ever heard one, but it still made her happy. If she asked him if it was a date, she was a little w
orried that he would revert to his earlier self, the one that flirted with her outrageously and looked at her like he was undressing her with his eyes.
She didn’t want that Stephane back. She liked this Stephane, even if she still wasn’t sure how long it would last. The Stephane that asked her on dates and complimented her was sweet and genuine, and she couldn’t bring herself to do anything that might force him to change back. Bringing attention to his behavior might embarrass him enough to make him stop being so nice.
So, Mia kept her mouth shut and followed him around the store, arms full of chips, candy, two bottles of soft drink and a packet of buns, watching him scrutinize each apple separately. He was trying to find ones that didn’t have any bruises on it, but he was eventually forced to give up and pick out four that were only slightly less bruised that the rest. Obviously, this store hadn’t gotten any fresh stock today.
“Will that be enough?” he asked her as they made their way to the counter.
“I’m sure it will be plenty,” she said dryly; she was pretty sure they wouldn’t be able to eat all this.
He sent a skeptical look at the pile of food she tipped onto the counter, but he didn’t argue. He was obviously used to catering for far more people, and the practicalities of only buying enough food for two was confusing him. She hid a giggle behind her hand, not wanting him to catch her laughing at him.
The drive back to the resort was pleasant. Stephane began to regale her with stories about his work, having her in stitches as he described one client that kept asking his father the same question over and over again, just in different ways. He grinned as she laughed, looking oddly content at the sound, and then told her about the time a client’s dog had gotten loose in the office as though he wanted to keep her laughing.
By the time they pulled up at the stables, she almost had a stitch from laughing so much. Stephane chuckled and jumped out, hurrying around to open her door for her again.
“Leave the food,” he advised. “We’ll get it later.”
“Sounds good,” she said, hopping out of the car.
The air was brisk and cool, and she was suddenly glad she had thought to bring a jacket as she pulled it tighter around her shoulders.
“Are there any groups running?” she asked curiously.
“Not right now; I checked,” Stephane said, shaking his head. “The stable manager was happy to let us take two of the horses as long as we saddled them ourselves.”
“It’s been awhile, but I’m sure I remember how to,” Mia said with a shrug.
“If not, I can help,” Stephane offered. He grinned at her surprise. “Riding horses is one of my hobbies.”
That would explain why they were left alone, then, instead of being supervised. Stephane must have shown the stable manager that he could handle horses himself in order to get this time.
When had he had the time to do that? It must have been that morning; he had been waiting outside for her that morning, which meant he had probably gotten up early and come to the stables then.
She felt warmth suffuse her. He really did know how to make someone feel special.
It had been a very long time since she had ridden, and Stephane ended up having to help her put the saddle on the horse she had chosen, a small, chestnut mare named Patches. Stephane, of course, had gone for a large, black stallion named King.
“Thanks,” she said as he tightened the saddle.
“Don’t mention it,” he said. “I wouldn’t want you to fall off.”
She had seen that happen to someone, once. She winced at the memory of it.
“No, I wouldn’t want to either,” she said with a small laugh.
They led the horses out into the paddock. King threw his head haughtily and reluctantly allowed himself to be pulled along, much to Mia’s amusement; the horse was as stubborn as Stephane. Patches, on the other hand, allowed herself to be led docilely, nuzzling Mia’s neck as she came to a stop. The mare had been thrilled at the apples she was offered and had been calm ever since.
Getting up on the horse was far more familiar to Mia. Muscle memory took over as she swung her leg over the horse’s back, and sat up straight as she took the reins, getting herself comfortable. Stephane had finally managed to get King to stand still, and he was up too.
“Maybe I should have chosen a less-spirited horse,” he joked, patting King’s neck.
“He’s a fine match for you, though,” she teased, nudging Patches into a walk. “I know you’re experienced, but can we stick with a walk or trot until I get the hang of this again?”
“Of course,” he said graciously.
It didn’t take Mia long to get used to feeling Patches’ muscles moving beneath her, and she ruefully thought she was probably going to be very sore later. She could not deny how happy she was right now, though, and she looked over to smile at Stephane, who was watching her.
“Beautiful,” she thought she heard him whisper.
“What?” she asked, thrown off guard.
His eyes widened, as though he hadn’t realized that she had heard him. Her stomach fluttered; that hadn’t been a seduction attempt, that had been a thought that he had allowed to escape his lips without meaning. She opened his mouth, wanting to ask him what he was thinking.
Bang!
Everything happened in very quick succession.
One moment she was staring at Stephane, her heart pounding and her mouth dry. Then she heard a loud sound; it might have been a car backfiring in the carpark. She didn’t have a lot of time to think about it.
Patches, the beautifully calm horse that she had chosen, started and reared unexpectedly, obviously terrified of the loud sound. Mia wasn’t expecting it, and she didn’t have a good grip on the reins. The world tilted alarming, and she felt the leather slip from her hands before she could grab it.
Then she was tumbling down. Patches wasn’t very large, so it wasn’t a big distance, but she hit the ground hard, throwing out a hand to try and break her fall.
She lay there, stunned by what had just happened. Her ear was pressed to the ground, and she could hear the pounding footsteps as Patches pranced in fear nearby, not even realizing that she had just thrown her rider. Then she heard a different set of footsteps rushing toward her.
“Mia!”
It was Stephane, and his urgent hands touched her shoulder gently, obviously not wanting to move her in case she was badly hurt. Mia opened her eyes, unaware of when she had shut them, and Stephane’s face swam into view, white and panicked.
“Ow…” she groaned, shifting slightly; her entire left side felt like one big bruise, and the wrist on her left hand, with which she had tried to break her fall, was throbbing.
Slowly, she pulled herself into a sitting position, cradling her arm against her chest. Stephane sat back slightly, already pulling his mobile out of his pocket. His urgent eyes were still darting all over her, evidently looking for any serious injuries; the concern and alarm in his expression was almost overwhelming.
She barely heard him talking to someone; she thought it might have been the stable manager since he was telling them about the horses in the paddock. Then he snapped his phone closed again and reached for her. She looked at him, puzzled, and then the world shifted again as he gathered her up in his arms and lifted her off the ground.
She squawked and flailed slightly, not expecting that at all.
“Stephane, I can walk!” she protested.
“Better safe than sorry,” he said tensely.
His strides were long and quick, and he maintained that pace all the way to the manor. Once they were through the doors, he snapped at the receptionist to get someone to look at her, and the young man at the desk hurried to dial the infirmary.
“Stephane, I’m okay,” she tried to assure him; the strength of his reaction was surprising her.
“You need to get checked out,” he insisted. “There could be internal injuries that you might not have even noticed.”
She stared at
him, searching his face. She could see no falsehood in his expression; he really was as concerned about her as he looked. She sat back, stunned; where had this come from? He was more terrified than she was over this.
The relief on his face when the doctor, who had run down the infirmary as soon as he was called, told them that she was going to be fine and wrapped her wrist, was humbling. It was all genuine, and it told her more than Stephane had likely wanted to about how much he cared for her right now.
“I’m sorry,” he said when they left the manor, his eyes pained.
“It wasn’t your fault,” she said firmly, surprised that he would even think that she would blame him. “It was just an accident. If anything, I’m sorry I ruined all your plans.”
Stephane glanced at her and hesitated. “We could… try again another day?”
There was no confidence in his voice, and he really was asking her out again, sounding unsure if she would agree but desperately wanting her to. She felt herself smiling slightly.
“As long as we do it without the horse throwing me off this time,” she said.
That startled a laugh out of him. “Deal.”
As they returned to the cabin, where her mother fussed over the bandages on her sprained wrist, Mia had the oddest feeling that she was stepping into a fire that she couldn’t control. She glanced back at Stephane as he went upstairs. A tiny part of her was trying to remember that she didn’t want to follow him anywhere.
Yet the rest of her, the part controlled by her beating heart, yearned to see where this was going.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
She started awake to find Stephane sitting beside her bed.
Mia blinked at him, looking bemused at his presence. Stephane, who had honestly thought it was a good idea to come in here while everyone else was out doing other things around the resort and wait for her to wake up, suddenly felt a little awkward as she stared. He wondered why she hadn’t demanded what he was doing there yet, but she was probably still just groggy from the pain medication she had taken before bed last night.