Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
“Kentucky,” he replied, digging his thumbs into his front pockets and rocking on his heels. “Small town called Shelbyville.”
“Ye don’t have the look of a small-town lad,” I pointed out shrewdly, looking him over him one more time.
When they landed on his face, I found him grinning at me. “Like what you see, darlin’?”
My face flamed hot with embarrassment. “No! I merely noticed ye look like ye come from money. But here ye are staying in the old steadings and working for Rory, and he’s not an easy taskmaster.”
Tommy to the left to look at the open barn doors and he tipped his head that way. “Aren’t you supposed to be showing me around?”
“Aye,” I replied and turned my back on him, making my way out onto the gravel path. Tommy scrambled to catch up. “Do ye know horses?”
“I do. My family breeds and trains American Saddlebreds. We’re the largest such farm in the US.”
My jaw sagged a little at this revelation because the United States was huge. That’s a lot different from us Conlans being one of the biggest horse breeding and training operations in little old Ireland. I cleared my throat to hide my shock. “A lovely horse to be sure,” I managed to say.
We walked through the training grounds first, me pointing out the gallops, the different outdoor tracks, and the carefully planned exercise routines Rory had developed for the young thoroughbreds.
Tommy, for his part, seemed only mildly interested in the horses and far more interested in talking about me.
“Have you ever been to the States?” he asked.
“Aye.” We stopped at one of the pasture fences where ye could see Conlan Manor in the distance, although I didn’t point it out as being my home. “My da took the entire family over to Florida a few years ago to look at some horses.”
Tommy scoffed. “Should’ve gone to Kentucky. No better thoroughbreds around.”
I truly liked the pride in his voice and with a slight chuckle, reassured him, “Oh, trust me… my da knows Kentucky is where it’s at. In fact, I think he has plans to open a sister farm there one day.”
“There are a few Irish breeding programs doing that same thing,” Tommy replied, and I wasn’t surprised he knew something about that, even though he dealt in a different breed. The horsing community was tight, no matter what you rode.
“So, you lot don’t have saddlebreds over here?” he asked, walking a little too close.
“Not so much. We don’t find them to be very useful.”
He didn’t rise to the bait over my slight dig at his breed. I only did it to see if he was the type to anger or to laugh it off.
He did neither, angling to face me. “You ride?”
“Of course,” I said, as if that was a ludicrous question. “I’m good, if not better than ye. Been in a saddle since I could walk.”
“Want to wager on that?” The clear mischief in his response did not put me off.
I tipped my head. “Like what?”
“A race around the track.”
“And if ye win?”
“A kiss,” he replied, brash as could be and not a lick of shame on his pretty face.
I wrinkled my nose in a grand display of disgust. “I think I’d rather kiss a pig.”
He was completely forward and it was quite unseemly, but I didn’t take him further to task because he tipped his head back and laughed with pure delight. When his blue eyes landed back on mine, he winked. “I kiss way better than a pig, trust me on that.”
I ignored the tiny shiver that went up my spine as I spent only two seconds imagining such a kiss. Such thoughts were not banished by my own fortitude but rather a change in subject. “Do you do any equine sports?” he asked.
“Steeplechase,” I replied without thought, although I had not technically run an actual race. “I mean… I’m training for that with Rory.”
His eyebrows lifted slightly, holding my gaze. “Now that’s something I’d like to see.”
I ignored the heat that flared in my chest because I wasn’t sure if he meant he’d like to see steeplechase in general, or me on a horse racing and jumping obstacles.
The fact I even wondered about it had me continuing our walk and I took the moment to point out Conlan Manor in the distance. “That’s my home over there. Rory has a cottage near the training center and all those barns to the east are the breeding portion of Glenhaven.”
“It’s beautiful,” Tommy murmured. While the sky was still overcast, the morning mist had evaporated, and I always thought that the green of the pastures and hills seemed more vibrant under dark skies than full sunlight. “Reminds me of Kentucky.”
“How so?” I asked.
“Green rolling hills. Nothing prettier, except maybe your eyes.”
I scoffed and ignored his flirting.