by Rachel Lacey
“Yes,” Ruby said.
“Of course, you did,” Megan said, giving her a good-natured nudge with her shoulder. “I think his books are in Theo’s library.”
“They are,” Ruby told her, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “And yes, you should totally read them. Let me know if they’re any good.”
“I think I will. You get us some wine, and I’ll meet you upstairs. I’ve got to feed and walk all the dogs first.” Megan wandered into the library, running her hand over the weathered spines of the books nearest to her. She remembered Theo telling them that his grandfather had stocked the whole library himself. Each shelf had a little brass-plated marker, labeling what it contained. She found a shelf of classics, encyclopedias, English history, science fiction, historical fiction, mysteries, and in the far corner…local authors.
Front and center were five crisp, new books by Jake Tappen.
She felt herself smiling as she lifted one of them. She opened it, flipping to the “About the author” page at the back of the book, where a ridiculously handsome photo of Jake smiled back at her. He had on a button-down shirt, jeans, and leather boots, leaning against a fence with rolling green hills behind him.
Her throat went dry. Damn, she had it bad for this man. Tonight, she was going to take him to bed with her…figuratively, anyway, and she was absolutely not going to acknowledge that doing so wasn’t really putting much space between them after all. She grinned as she tucked the book under her arm, headed for the stairs.
Jake had woken alone almost every morning of his twenty-eight years. He’d never thought much about it, except during those first few months after Alana’s accident when he’d still wished so fervently for her recovery so she could take her rightful place in his bed. Today, though, he woke filled with the memory of yesterday morning.
Megan in his bed. Her warm, soft body pressed against his. The way it had felt to hold and kiss her in these sleepy first moments of the day. Now that he knew what it was like to wake with a woman in his bed, the starkness of her absence left him cold.
He’d spent too many mornings alone. Too many days alone. Too many long, dark nights alone. He didn’t want to be alone anymore, although he wasn’t sure he was ready for the alternative yet, either. Because the thought of having Megan in his bed every morning, as much as it pleased him on a physical level, felt overwhelmingly new and strange. It was best that they were keeping things casual, taking it slow.
So, he got up and got ready for his day, went through his morning routine at the barn. He’d only been at Rosemont Castle for two weeks, but already this routine felt comfortable and familiar. He worked with Duchess, pleased with her progress. Mr. Nichols had mentioned a friend of his who had a horse that needed some training. Unlike Duchess, this horse was older, had been ridden for years but had some bad habits his owner would like corrected.
That was trickier than what Jake was doing with Duchess, but it was exactly the kind of challenge he looked forward to, not to mention the kind of business he needed. He couldn’t afford to screw this up, which meant his work with Duchess was more crucial than ever.
As lunchtime approached, he moved Bug and Dusty from the pasture where they’d been enjoying some grass to the riding ring, now that he’d finished working with Duchess. They were able to graze for a few hours a day now without upsetting their systems.
Both horses had calmed considerably since arriving at the castle. In his experience, animals were intuitive that way. They easily saw who to trust and who wasn’t worthy of it. He led one horse in each hand, turning his head to see Megan walking down the lane with two dogs at her side. She raised a hand to wave, and everything inside him seemed to warm at the sight of her.
Bug looked over at Megan and then shuffled to the side, knocking into Jake, the whites of her eyes gleaming as she tossed her head in alarm.
“Whoa, girl.” He took a step back, keeping slack on her lead so she wouldn’t feel trapped and panic further. What had startled her? “Easy now.”
Bug danced sideways, her haunches slamming into Dusty, who yanked the line in Jake’s right hand. He moved with them, keeping his voice low and soothing while he tried to figure out what was spooking Bug. He hadn’t heard or seen anything likely to startle her. The only other person anywhere in sight was Megan.
Megan and her foster dogs. Bug’s wounds had been caused when she was attacked by feral dogs.
“Megan, can you take those dogs into the farmhouse for a few minutes?” he said calmly.
She nodded, her eyes wide, posture tense. But thank goodness she’d had the sense not to express her own fear in a way that might have further frightened Bug. She led the dogs toward the farmhouse, taking them in through the front door. Almost immediately, Bug began to relax. She pranced uneasily, snorting as she looked around for any further sign of a threat.
“Easy, girl. The dogs are gone.” He kept talking to her until she’d calmed before leading her and Dusty the rest of the way to the arena. Once they were happily munching hay in the sunshine, he headed to the farmhouse. He found Megan in the living room, still holding her dogs on leash, her expression a mixture of guilt and worry.
“Everything okay?” she asked when she saw him.
“Fine.”
“I’m so sorry. I should have asked before I brought the dogs down to the barn.”
“I would have told you to bring them,” he said as he closed the distance between them, pulling her in for a gentle kiss. “Dogs and farms go hand-in-hand. Bug may have some issues from that dog attack before she got here.”
“I never even thought of that. I just thought the dogs might like to meet the horses.” She stiffened in his arms. “Poor Bug.”
“It’s all right. We’ll work her through it. And Twister loves dogs if you want to introduce them.” He glanced at the dogs sniffing around their feet. One had shaggy black fur, while the other was a light tan color, like a lab.
“Okay,” she murmured against his lips. “In a minute, maybe.”
“Missed you this morning.” He sank his hands into the back pockets of her jeans, securing her closer against him, breathing in her scent as he kissed her.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He pinched her ass. “How do you feel about staying here tonight?”
“That depends,” she said, giving him a coy look. “How do you feel about dogs?”
He looked at the two standing beside them. “I like dogs.”
“Well, that’s good, because I hate to impose, but these two are my responsibility until they’re adopted. I can have Elle watch them for me sometimes, but if you want me to sleep over often, it would make things a lot easier if I could bring them with me.”
“Fine with me if it’s okay with you guys,” Jake said to the dogs. The shaggy black one gave an excited bark in response. “I’ve never had a dog, but I’ve been around plenty of them in the barns where I’ve worked.”
“These guys are pretty easygoing,” she said. “Barnaby—the light-colored one—is really shy. You’ll barely know he’s here. Chandler is pretty enthusiastic, but he doesn’t really get into any trouble. As long as we close them in the bedroom with us so they don’t wander, they should be fine.”
“Okay, then.”
“Do you think I should go check on Bug?” she asked, her brow wrinkling.
“Nah, she’s fine. The dogs just startled her.”
She gripped his T-shirt and pulled him in for another kiss. “I’ll see you tonight, then?”
“Yep.” He watched as she gathered her dogs and headed out the front door, wondering yet again why the house felt so empty every time she walked out that door.
On her way back to the castle from Jake’s house, Megan bumped into Elle out walking her own foster dogs. “Hey! How was your charity thing last night with Theo?”
“It was great,” Elle said brightly. “I think I’m getting the hang of this future-wife-of-an-earl thing.”
“You never didn’t have the han
g of it,” Megan told her. “But I’m glad you’re feeling more confident about it now.”
“I heard I missed quite an exciting night for you.” Elle raised her eyebrows. “Or the recap of it, anyway. So, things are going well for you and Jake?”
“Yeah.” She felt herself smiling. “I still feel kind of irresponsible for sleeping with him while he’s our tenant, but, well…here we are.”
Elle laughed. “You know who that sounds like, right?”
“You, last year with Theo.” Megan shook her head. “But just because it worked out for you guys doesn’t make it a good idea for me and Jake.”
“Doesn’t make it a bad one either,” Elle said with a meaningful look. “I’m just glad things are good, and hopefully we can all get together for a girls’ night soon.”
“Definitely,” Megan said. “If we don’t hurry up, our next girls’ night will be your bachelorette party.”
“Yeah, oh my God.” Elle rubbed at her forehead. “It’s all coming up so soon.”
Megan rested a hand on Elle’s arm. “Are you feeling better about the wedding? I mean, about getting married at the Langdon family estate?”
She blew out a breath. “Yeah. It’ll be nerve-wracking, no way around it, but you guys made me feel a lot better about things. And expect me to lean on you pretty heavily while we’re there.”
“Totally what we’re here for.” Megan leaned in to give her a quick hug, which was interrupted by leashes tugging them in various directions as their dogs started tackling each other, rolling around in the grass.
After chatting with Elle for a few more minutes, Megan brought Barnaby and Chandler inside. She spent a few minutes doing obedience exercises with them before settling them in her room. It was her afternoon to run the inn.
She brought Jake’s book—the one she’d taken from the library yesterday—downstairs with her to read in her downtime. She’d started it last night after she left Ruby’s room, and then she’d accidentally stayed up way too late reading. It was good. Really good. She didn’t often make time to read, but right now she was dying to know what happened next for Derrick the PI as he tried to track down a missing horse trainer. The missing woman’s boyfriend had been found dead right before Megan finally gave in to her drooping eyelids last night.
Downstairs, she tabbed through the reservation software on the tablet in their office to familiarize herself with today’s schedule. They had three couples scheduled to check in. She ran through their daily routine, answering emails and updating their social media. Today, she uploaded some photos she’d taken of the new blooms in the garden, inviting people to come and experience spring at Rosemont Castle.
Once that was taken care of, she wandered into the library and settled with her book to wait for their guests to arrive. Derrick the PI had just been overtaken by an intruder when the guest doorbell rang. Megan reluctantly put down the book and went to greet their new arrivals. A couple in their fifties stood just inside the castle’s front doors, looking around with awestruck looks on their faces.
“Hi,” Megan said as she approached. “Checking in?”
“Yes,” the woman replied, tearing her gaze from the elaborate chandelier overhead. “We’re the Westmores.”
Megan consulted the tablet in her arms. “Mary and Art Westmore. Staying for two nights?”
“That’s right,” Mary confirmed. Her eyes locked briefly on the left side of Megan’s face before sliding away.
“Great,” Megan said, trying to ignore the heat that crept across her skin, the way her scar seemed to ache in moments like these, when she became so hyperaware of it.
Mary Westmore kept her gaze firmly anywhere but Megan’s face as they completed the check-in process and Megan walked them upstairs to their room. After she’d gotten them settled, she stood for a moment in the hallway, her back against the wall, one hand pressed against her diaphragm, as she breathed past the tears burning her throat and stinging her eyes.
She shouldn’t let it bother her. It was Mary Westmore’s problem, not Megan’s. She knew this, but it didn’t do anything to quiet the storm raging inside her. She would have to deal with other people’s discomfort with her scars for the rest of her life. So, when would it stop bothering her? How long until she got over her own discomfort with her face? What if that day never came?
Jake finished up at the barn early that night, so he’d have plenty of time to get ready for his date with Megan. He’d texted her earlier, suggesting they get dinner in town. It had been so damn long since he’d taken a woman out to dinner. He hadn’t done it since he was old enough to truly enjoy it, and he couldn’t wait to treat Megan to a nice evening out.
He topped off the water troughs in all the pastures and walked to the barn to get Bug and Dusty, who’d been in their stalls since he worked with them earlier, drawing up short when he spied the door to Bug’s stall standing ajar. It had been latched securely when he left. He was sure of it. Tamping back his alarm, he walked briskly to Bug’s stall, alarm morphing into relief as he saw Megan inside, talking quietly to the little horse as she rubbed her neck.
She glanced over at him as he stepped inside the stall. She stood with her lower back against the wall, legs spread for balance as she spoke softly to Bug, who was nosing at her with more interest and affection than Jake had seen yet from the horse. “You ladies having a pow wow in here or what?”
“Yep,” Megan answered, her lips curving slightly. Her hair was in her face, an outward manifestation of whatever internal battle she was waging against herself.
“She’s doing really well.” He gestured to Bug, who gave him a curious glance. She’d filled in considerably since she arrived, and her wounds were healing nicely too.
“She reminds me of a unicorn or something with her purple patches,” Megan said.
“You hiding your magical powers from us, Bug?” he asked. She nuzzled his hand, searching for treats. “Sorry, girl. You caught me empty-handed.”
“She looks like she could be,” Megan said. “Hiding magical powers, that is. You know how superheroes and their animal sidekicks have their incognito personas when they’re not fighting the bad guys? Bug looks like that to me, like she could transform into a magical creature that carries a superhero into battle.”
“Who’s the superhero in that scenario?” Jake asked.
“You?” she suggested with a soft smile, darting a glance over at him. Her hair still covered her scars, and he wondered if this was her incognito persona too. He wished she could see herself the way he saw her, strong and brave and beautiful.
“Nah, definitely you,” he told her. “I’m getting Wonder Woman vibes.”
“Hardly,” she scoffed, keeping her gaze solidly on Bug. “This one, though…”
Bug’s coat was unique, mostly white with dappled spots that suggested some Appaloosa heritage, and those purple splotches around her face and neck. Her mane was short and spikey, like a mohawk, adding to her somewhat comical appearance.
“Now I’ll forever see her as an undercover superhero,” he said, stepping closer to slide an arm around Megan’s shoulders.
She leaned against him. “Do you think she’ll find a home soon? That either of them will?”
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I’ve never worked with rescue horses before. I have no idea what the average adoption timeframe is, and these guys aren’t even officially on the market yet, right?”
She shook her head, her silky brown hair falling over his arm. “They will be soon, though.”
“Are you ready for dinner?” he asked. It was an hour before they’d arranged to meet, and she was wearing the same clothes she’d had on when he saw her earlier—not that there was anything wrong with the way she looked, but he knew women usually liked to change before they went out. He hadn’t expected to see her here in the barn, and as glad as he was for it, he also felt like she might have come here for an escape…from what, he wasn’t sure.
“No,” she answered, confi
rming his suspicion. “I just stopped in to see Bug.”
“I’m finishing up early so I can get myself cleaned up in time.” He gestured to his clothes, bearing the dust and dirt of a day on the farm.
“I won’t keep you, then,” she said. “I’ve got to get ready too. I’ll meet you at the farmhouse at seven?”
He nodded. “You’re bringing the dogs with you, right?”
“Actually, I thought I should bring them down after we get back from dinner, so I don’t have to leave them unattended in your house before I’ve had a chance to get them settled.”
“Okay.” He watched as she closed and latched the door to Bug’s stall before drawing her into his arms. He held on to her for a long minute, hoping she was okay, wishing he could undo whatever had upset her. “So, I’ll see you in an hour.”
12
Jake gazed across the table at Megan. She had on a simple black dress that was absolutely stunning on her. There was something mesmerizing about her, an energy that seemed to radiate from her. He couldn’t look away, not that he was trying to. Tonight, she wore her hair pulled into a loose knot at her neck, draped low over the left side of her face to partially conceal her scars.
She looked up, and their eyes locked. “This is really nice.”
“I think so too.” He’d brought her to a steakhouse in town he’d been wanting to visit. “I’ve always heard great things about this place.”
“You’ve never eaten here before?” she asked before taking another bite of her salad.
“Couldn’t afford it back in high school when I was dating Alana, and never had anyone to bring after that. There are a bunch of restaurants here in town I’d love to try now that I have an excuse to eat there.” He smiled to keep the mood light, not wanting her to feel sad on his behalf. He’d felt plenty of sadness and awkwardness over his situation in the past, but tonight there was nothing but joy and relief to be out to dinner with a beautiful woman who would be spending tonight in his bed. Finally, he could enjoy these simple, normal things like everyone else.