Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 128313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
The barn door suddenly opened, and Felix and Atticus stepped through. Felix’s eyes latched on to mine, exuding his concern. But Atticus just laughed out loud, making me wince at his usual booming volume. “Jasper, Jasper, Jasper, what do we have here?” Atticus said and came to stand before where I sat with his older brother.
“Fuck off, Atticus. I can’t cope with you today.” He was dressed in all black—he always did, to match his horse. Atticus put his hand over his chest like my words had wounded him, but nothing hurt this fucker. He was Teflon.
“Your words,” Atticus said, “are like bullets to my heart.”
I released an exasperated sigh and ignored his shit-stirring grin.
Felix sat down on my other side, moving the bottle of Macallan out of the way. His gaze met mine, and he nudged my arm. That was Felix-talk for giving me his support. I nodded back at my middle cousin. I was okay.
“So?” Atticus said, standing in front of us all. “Seeing as though we are all here, which is a rarity these days, shall we have a morning hack?” His eyes bored into mine. “Like old times.”
I swear Henry whinnied in support. He loved riding out with the other horses. We had acres and acres of trails to keep the horses fit and their toplines strong. I wanted to say yes. Even hungover and feeling like I’d puke at any moment, the thought of just taking a moment of joy for myself clawed at my brain. But then the darkness within me pulled my excitement back down and reminded me that I had more important things to be doing these days.
“I can’t,” I said, and I swore I felt disappointment pulse off all three of my cousins in a suffocating tidal wave. “I have to go.” I got to my feet, still holding on to the robe in my hand.
“Whose is that?” Atticus asked.
I looked to the robe and my pulse fired off into a sprint again. Rose and vanilla . . . “I don’t know,” I said. “It was over me like a blanket when I woke up this morning.”
“Oh, shit,” Atticus said, fixing his usual teasing smile back on his face “One of the grooms has seen you passed-the-fuck-out on the barn floor.” He laughed. “Good job they’ve all signed an NDA.”
My heart sank. Was that who the angel was? A groom. Shit. I worked hard at keeping myself away from the staff and riders. I couldn’t be arsed answering the same questions about retiring or being a freak show as the Grand Prix champion who was now a recluse. And I would never fool around with a staff member. That’s a scandal I wanted to keep far away from.
Forrest and Felix got to their feet too. I held my coffee mug up in a salute and focused on tamping down my dizziness. “I’ll see you all later.” I gave Henry a kiss on his nose, then headed to the back door.
“Jas! Are you sure you’re good?” Forrest called out, and I looked back at my best friend, only to see Felix and Atticus watching me in concern. I hated it. They were my family. My blood. I never wanted them to worry.
“I’m good,” I said. “I just have a long day of meetings ahead of me.”
It was true. I was in the Knighton Equestrian offices all day today. Meeting after meeting awaited me as we launched the new season. It took me until I was almost back on my wing of the family home to realize I still held on to the robe. And as the scent of rose and vanilla washed over me once more, I knew whoever I saw last night must have been real.
I just had no idea who my mystery angel was.
“Tommy,” I said, and my driver looked at me in the rearview mirror as we drove out of Golden Oaks. “Can you stop here, please?”
“Of course, sir,” Tommy said, and I opened my car door before he could. Leon was in the outdoor arena to my right, and I needed to tell him of some new mares that were arriving later today. Even though there was a slight chill in the air, one could almost mistake today for a spring day. The sun was bright, and the first signs of winter breaking were creeping in.
“You’re too wide on fence three! He can take a sharper corner than that. Circle back and do it again,” Leon called to the rider who was cantering around the ring on a dark-bay stallion. I recognized the stallion immediately—Lord Huxley. Even as a foal, he’d shown tremendous potential. I’d been waiting to see what this horse could do in the big leagues after dominating the lower levels for the past couple of years. Even before I took the helm here at Golden Oaks, I’d always had a vested interest in our stud-bred horses maturing and showcasing their skills coming through. My dad brought me up knowing how every part of this place worked. It was our entire life.