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)
“Miss . . . Oakley?” he asked, looking at a clipboard on the seat beside him. I frowned that he knew my name. He pointed at the cottage. “I have you down as staying here.”
I exhaled a relieved breath. God, I was so jumpy tonight.
“Yeah, I’m Hallie,” I said.
“Stanley,” the guard said, introducing himself. “You want a ride to the vet barn?”
“No thanks, I’ll walk,” I said.
“You might see a few more guards around,” Stanley said. “So don’t worry if you do. We’re here for your protection.”
“Thanks,” I said, and began to walk in the direction of the veterinarian barn. I used the walk to breathe in and out and try to settle my frayed nerves, attempting some meditation breathing techniques Aunt Jeanie had taught me when I was younger. They worked a little.
But then my thoughts drifted to Dahlia, then Genny Knighton. I recalled in vivid color the incident in Saint-Tropez when Dahlia fell on top of Genny. The details of that incident were never made public. The rumor mill was rife with guesses—drugs, foul play, and even that an internal injury might have ruptured within Dahlia midcourse. Whatever it was, the Knightons had certainly had their fair share of bad luck of late.
Another guard was positioned in the distance, the sound of walkie-talkies turning on and off as the team communicated. The woman gave me a wave, and I assumed Stanley had already prepared her for my appearance.
Next, I thought of Jasper. If I were being honest with myself, I’d thought of him nonstop since I’d returned to the cottage earlier this evening. How, when he had seen me training in the arena with Huxley, he had been his cold and aloof self but had thawed some when his sister spoke to me, as though he liked the sight of us getting along.
But my stomach tightened when I recalled the blatant fear in his eyes, seeing Dahlia on the ground in that field, legs tied up in wire. The dark circles under his eyes. I hadn’t really noticed it before, but as I remembered his face today, there was a heavy dose of defeat there. A flicker of helplessness that I hadn’t noted before. It made me want to hold him, despite the barriers between us. What burdens was he shouldering? More than people knew, I was sure.
I lifted my hand and studied my fingers in the light of the lamp posts surrounding the pathway. Thank you. The sound of his voice when he came to find me after we got Dahlia stabled played on a loop in my head. The feel of his fingers wrapping around mine were a tattoo on my skin.
“Jasper fucking Knighton,” I said under my breath, frustration in my tone. This man was an enigma to me. He was hot with me one minute and cold the next. I had no idea whether he was toxic or just misunderstood.
Or was he so damaged that he didn’t know how to open himself up?
I shook my head, unable to decide, when I realized I’d arrived at the veterinarian barn. There was an illuminated green cross on the side of the building. I opened the doors, and a woman around my age was busy stocking shelves. She looked up. “Hi,” I said, “I know this is unusual, and it’s very late, but I’m a rider here and helped a horse today—”
“Hallie?” the woman said.
I blinked in surprise. “Yes?” I replied, a question in my tone asking how she knew my name.
The small blonde came to me and held out her hand. “I’m Katie, a veterinary assistant here at Golden Oaks. Firstly, I’m a huge fan and can’t wait to see you on the tour in a couple of weeks.” That made me smile. “And secondly, the place is abuzz with your name and how you helped Dahlia today.”
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Really?”
“Really,” Katie said, and let go of my hand, only to squeeze my arm. “We all love Genny around here, and that horse is her life. The thought of anything else happening to them . . .” Katie shook her head. “We’d been told you might show up to see Dahlia, and to let you in so you can see she’s okay.”
“You were told that?” I asked, perplexed, wondering who the hell might have suspected I’d come here.
Katie nodded. “Dahlia’s section of the barn is closed off to everyone but Genny, Jasper, the Knighton family, and you.” My heart slammed in my chest. It couldn’t have been Jasper who said I’d turn up, could it? I thought back on the way I’d broken into his family barn—twice. The way he often commented that I always broke the rules, and realized it just might be him.
“She’s this way,” Katie said, and I followed her through double doors and down a hallway that led to a row of sectioned, private stalls. When we got to Dahlia’s stall, my heart lodged in my throat. She was bandaged and cut in several places, but she was clean, and she looked a damn sight better than she did earlier today.