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Her mother’s scathing words rushed into her mind.
‘You’ve got your looks. You don’t need an education!’
Sliding over the document, Bastien handed her a pen. ‘Sign on the last page after you’ve read it.’
Ana clenched her hand around the pen. ‘I won’t be rushed, Bastien. I’ll sign it once I’m satisfied with it.’
He frowned. ‘Organising a shoot on the scale of what the DBH ad needs doesn’t happen overnight. Relocating it to another country takes even more time.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘Are you having second thoughts?’
‘No,’ she replied hurriedly, her insides churning.
She’d made progress with her disability, but not enough that she could confidently deal with her own paperwork. But the thought of revealing her deficiencies to Bastien made her stomach twist with humiliation.
She glanced down at the paper. Words were jumbled together, morphing into a taunting miasma of black and white that made the document tremble in her hands.
Large, warm hands closed over hers a second before Bastien sank onto his haunches beside her. Startled, she glanced at him. His frown had deepened.
‘What’s wrong?’
She licked her lips. ‘Nothing. I just don’t want to rush it in case I miss anything. I...I just need a few minutes. Do you mind getting Chantal?’
His gaze probed hers for several more seconds. Finally he nodded. His departure brought much needed respite. Desperately she tore through the document, but nothing made sense. Hands shaking, she thrust the contract back onto the desk.
Bastien had faxed a copy to Visual. All she had to do was call and double-check things with Lauren. About to reach for the phone, she stopped when Bastien walked in, followed by Chantal.
‘Did you say my agency had approved this?’ she asked.
He nodded. ‘Yes, I spoke to Lauren this morning.’
Relief coursed through her. Opening the contract to where Bastien had indicated, she carefully signed her name. She felt Bastien’s intense gaze on her but refused to glance his way for fear he would see right through her to the heart of her disgrace.
Once the document had been witnessed, Bastien locked it in his drawer and held out his hand to her. ‘Now, let’s go and visit my horses.’
Pasting a smile on her face, she fell into step beside him.
The morning air was unexpectedly mild, but fresh. Inhaling deeply, she followed Bastien round the side of the château. Landscaped gardens lay to the east, absorbing most of the morning light. She barely had time to admire the profusion of flowers before they came to a large paddock.
Ana spotted the stables just before she caught the whiff of horseflesh. ‘How many horses do you own?’ she asked.
‘I keep six horses here. I have a bigger stable on my estate in Lucerne.’
A tall woman—Chantal’s daughter-in-law, she guessed—met them inside the stable. Peering into the semi-darkness, she saw a flash of white. ‘Oh, he’s magnificent!’
Bastien reached out and patted the horse’s nose. ‘He is a she. Her name is Storm.’
‘What breed?’
‘Lipizzaner. From Austria. Slightly smaller than Arabians, but just as swift and powerful.’
Ana leaned forward and stroked Storm’s soft nose. ‘You’re gorgeous. Yes, you are,’ she crooned. Her reward was a nudge of approval. She smiled and glanced at Bastien to find his gaze fixed on her.
‘She’s also very high-spirited, stubborn and reckless. She’s thrown more than one rider.’
Something in his voice made her pause. ‘Not you, though, right?’
One corner of his mouth tilted up. ‘Not me,’ he confirmed.
‘And what’s your secret, pray tell?’
