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)
“Sorry, boy,” I said, my voice barely making a sound. “I promise next year will be different.” I moved again, exhaling deeply when every part of me protested. Forrest chose that moment to reappear, an insulated coffee cup in his hand.
“Black, just like your soul,” he said, a wry smile pulling on his lips. He was dressed in jodhs, a Knighton Equestrian black puffer coat, and riding boots. He had a beanie on his head. He was ready to train. This was what Forrest and I did for years when we were at home and not on tour—trained together every morning. Being an eventer, Forrest was a seasoned show jumper too. Other days, I’d continue to train in the arena, but he would move on to practicing cross country alone, or ride dressage with Felix.
Forrest sat down beside me and tapped his mug to my own. I took a sip of the scalding liquid and sighed as the caffeine hit my tender stomach, giving it a smidgen of life.
Forrest looked beside him and lifted the almost empty bottle of Macallan into the air. “Christ, Jas. Not even Oban?”
I rested my head against the wall and smiled at Lady Aurelia prancing around the stall opposite us to get my cousin’s attention. “Your princess awaits,” I said, and Forrest smiled.
“Let me just talk to drunken Uncle Jas, darling, and we’ll get you ready for jumping,” Forrest said to Aurelia. It always made me laugh how much of a soft touch Forrest was with his prize mare. He was an unmovable force with everyone else, a bit closed off and serious, except for when it came to his girl.
A few silent minutes passed, then Forrest said, “You were meant to find me last night, Jas. Or at least Genny.” I froze. “We came looking for you.” Forrest motioned around the barn. “I don’t know why I never thought to check in here.” He shrugged. “Maybe it’s because it’s the middle of winter and it’s fucking freezing outside.”
“Whisky keeps out the cold,” I said, and cleared my throat to try to warm up my voice. My head pounded, and I tried my best to remember what the hell happened last night and how I ended up in here.
I shifted again, and the smell of vanilla and roses drifted up my nose. At that, a slither of memory slipped through from last night, and I felt my fingers tingle. I glanced down at my hand and balled it into a fist. As I did, I clocked the Knighton Equestrian–branded equine robe laying over me like a blanket.
Turquoise eyes and long raven hair swirled in my memory, coming back in dribs and drabs. But I couldn’t put those pieces together to form a coherent picture. Then from the depth of my unconscious, I whispered . . . “Angel.” My heart seemed to stop in my chest. I searched all around me.
I hadn’t been alone last night. I clutched the robe in my hands and brought it to my nose. Rose and vanilla, and a soft hand in mine.
“You okay there, Cousin?” Forrest asked.
“Was I alone this morning? When you found me?” I asked.
Forrest’s eyebrow rose. “Oh, tell me more, Cousin,” he said, dryly.
I shook my head and pressed a thumb into each of my eyes. I tried to think, but my brain was whisky-fueled mush right now. An angel . . . I shook my head. That couldn’t be right, right? I shook my head again.
“Jas?” Forrest said. “You okay? You’re shaking your head a lot.”
I took another sip of my coffee and said, “Pretty sure I hallucinated an angel was here with me last night.” My confession was met with pure silence.
I risked a glance at Forrest.
“What the hell, mate? I say this because I love you, Jas. But I think it’s about time you get some help. Real help. Professional help.” He shook his head. I entertained that Forrest was probably right. He sat up straighter. “You didn’t add a few shots of absinthe into your bender last night, did you? You know that shit can make you have some really vivid dreams.”
I sat forward, resting my arms on my knees. I released a sardonic laugh and remembered taking a few shots of the green fairy in my study before the whisky. “Yeah, I did, now that you mention it.” Forrest laughed harder.
I laughed too, but when Forrest’s humor died and he put a hand on my shoulder, all hilarity vanished. Forrest squeezed my shoulder and said, “Seriously, Jas. I’m really worried about you. We all are. You’re spiraling, Cousin.”
“I know,” I said, and ran my hand down my heavily stubbled face. The reality was, I wasn’t handling shit well. I needed to sort myself out. I had two extremely successful businesses to run, and I couldn’t let my family down again.