Page 15 of Riding High

Jed scowled at his nephew.‘Snitch,’ he muttered, as Lana weaved her way to the door.When she was out of earshot, he turned to his stepdad.‘What happened?’

Troyden shrugged.‘I found the five hundred pounds I was missing tucked into her bra.’

Jed winced.Where did his stepfather find these creatures?GoldiggersRUs?

‘Can you please do some background checks on the next one before you move her into your life?’Mick asked, looking a little desperate.

‘What about dating someone a little… older?’Justin suggested.

‘Yeah, you should date someone really old, like she should be at least thirty,’ Gemma earnestly told her grandfather, her expression serious.

Jed winced, as did Alistair and Justin, who were closer to fifty than his thirty-five.Mick, whose thirty-third birthday was just a few weeks away, frowned at her daughter.‘This is an adult conversation, Gemma,’ she told her.Her daughter merely rolled her eyes.

Jed looked over at Eden; her expression held a fair amount of incredulity.She had to think this was a madhouse, and to be fair, it often was.Though today was a relatively quiet Sunday morning: most of the polo team was often in residence, and the guest rooms were usually filled with Troyden’s friends.As a result, the sixteen-seater table was crammed and deafening.Troyden resumed his seat and linked his hands behind his head, turning his attention to Eden.‘Well, that was embarrassing,’ he deadpanned, shooting her a grin.

‘But not as embarrassing as my mum hassling my friends’ mums to join Lighthouse at every match and every damn parent-teacher meeting,’ Mick retorted with a smile.

‘I forgot about that,’ Troyden murmured.‘She’s done with them, right?’

‘I think so… But it’s Mum, how can I be sure of anything?’

‘At least you didn’t catch your mum snoggingyourboyfriend when you were sixteen.’Al countered.

Jed winced.Ouch.

‘Your mother was the first of my complicated, slightly weird, wives, Alistair,’ Troyden agreed.‘I’ve been married five times, and this lot have put a moratorium on me marrying again.’

‘Is your mum a little mad or is she normal?’Mick asked Eden, before taking a huge bite of marmalade toast.

Clearing her throat Eden dropped her eyes to her plate.Her shoulders came up to her ears, the tips of which he noticed flushed pink.

‘Uh… well, um…’

Jed watched her chest rise with each deep intake of air.‘Well, ten or so years ago, and out of the blue, my mum joined a convent as an aspirant nun.A couple of months ago, she renounced her previous life and everything in it, including me, to enter into a formal marriage with God.’Eden’s voice turned husky, and Jed knew it hurt more than her breezy attitude suggested.‘She’s in a cloister now and has taken a vow of silence.I’ll never see her again.’

So her mum was alive, but also, sort of, dead.Holy shit.That was a lot.After a long silence, Mick tossed her serviette on the table, lifted her eyebrows and pulled up a smile.‘Okay, you win because who can compete with having a nun for a mum?’

The flash of sadness and deep vulnerability in Eden’s eyes made him want to lean across the table and gather her to him, placing his body, his strength, both mental and physical, between her and the world.He suddenly wanted to see the world through her eyes, dive into all that blue, and swim through her psyche.She was mysterious and intriguing, a vortex he couldn’t fight.

Jed shook his head, disconcerted by his off-the-rails imagination.Where the hell did all that come from?She was a woman, one of many he randomly encountered, nothing special.Get a grip, for God’s sake!He didn’t have a romantic bone in his body, so what was he thinking?Swimming through her psyche, a vortex he couldn’t fight?He was losing his mind…

His thoughts were ridiculous and unproductive, illogical and idiotic.The reality was simple: he was leaving shortly to do what he did best, and that was to play and coach polo.She would leave the estate, return to London and he’d never see her again.

Every muscle in his body tightened and his head spun at the thought.That felt wrong.Like he was in the wrong saddle or trying to sand a piece of wood against the grain.

His watch beeped and he grimaced at the message on the screen.

Waiting.Where u?

Right, time to get his head in the game, to get back to normal.For the next six months, his time would be taken up with polo, coaching, practising and playing.He’d look at some ponies Troyden might consider adding to his string.He’d try not to think about the FD’s death.

He pushed back his chair and stood up.It was time to walk away and get on with his life.Eden was a blip on his radar, one of the first women in a long time who’d captured his interest, but they were just two random people who’d collided.He’d never see her again.

He met her eyes.‘Good to meet you, Eden,’ he said, hoping none of his family heard the slight hitch in his voice.He needed to get his shit together.He briefly gripped Troyden’s shoulder, dropped a kiss on Mick’s head and ruffled Liam and Gemma’s hair.

‘Be good, okay?’he said, giving them his version of the stink eye.It didn’t impress them much, not that he expected it to.

Without looking at Eden again, and ignoring the disappointment sliding through him, he walked out of the dining room and back into real life.