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She stared at him. ‘You’re more stubborn than I am!’
‘You’d better believe it, Brooke.’ His jaw was set and determined as he watched Toby circle the field. ‘He’s good. Relaxed, and he sits well. He ought to have lessons. I’ll talk to Mum.’
‘Jed!’ Brooke glared at him. ‘You can’t just arrange for him to have lessons with your mum. Your mum may not want him around.’
‘He’s her grandchild.’ Jed’s gaze was still fixed on Toby but his voice was firm. ‘Of course she wants him around.’
‘Does she know, Jed?’ Brooke’s voice was hoarse and she tugged at his arm, feeling the solid muscle under her fingers. ‘Are you saying you’ve told her?’
Jed nodded. ‘Yes, actually. My parents are very liberal. We don’t go in for secrets, I’m afraid.’
‘How could you do that?’ Brooke groaned and dropped her head into her hands. ‘Oh, dear God, what must she think of me?’
‘You? I don’t think she thinks anything bad of you. A person only has to look at you to see you’re as innocent as the day you were born. It’s me that’s in trouble,’ Jed pointed out, removing her hands from her face and laughing into her eyes. ‘She thinks I’m a big bad boy and that I led you astray. Which is the truth, as we both know.’
Brooke bit her lip. ‘But she must hate me for not having told you—’
‘She doesn’t hate you. She respects your reasons.’ Jed gave a wry smile. ‘Probably more than her son does.’
‘But what now?’ Brooke stared at him in horror and shook her head. ‘Is she expecting us to get together?’
She felt the panic bubble up inside her. She didn’t want Jed to have more pressure—
‘Calm down.’ His fingers closed over her shoulders and his blue eyes were infinitely gentle. ‘You worry too much, do you know that? You spend your whole life worrying and analysing things. Forget it, Brooke. Just relax and get to know me and my family. There’s no pressure, sweetheart. None at all.’
His gentle endearment made her insides melt and she wished that she could have met this man under different circumstances. Maybe then—
‘Mum, Mum, did you see me?’ Toby came racing towards her, Jed’s mother leading the pony behind him.
They unsaddled the pony and took him back to the field and then walked back to the farmhouse for lunch.
‘Could you heat the soup for me, dear?’ Ellie handed Brooke a bowl of home-made soup from the fridge and soon she was involved in preparing lunch with everyone else, with no time to feel self-conscious or out of place.
Tom was on good form, making everyone laugh with his stories of London life, and halfway through lunch Jed’s father arrived, trailing mud into the kitchen.
Jed’s mother rolled her eyes as she placed a huge bowl of soup in front of him. ‘Did you leave any mud at all at the Baxters’ farm or is it all on your boots?’
‘There’s none on his boots,’ Tom pointed out wickedly. ‘It’s all on the kitchen floor.’
His father glared at him. ‘Thank you, Tom, for that contribution to marital harmony.’
Brooke smiled, knowing that there was plenty of marital harmony in this house. Their warmth and happiness was so contagious it sucked you in and made you a part of it. Suddenly she didn’t feel like an outsider any more, and when she caught Jed watching her she managed a shy smile.
Jed’s father was charming and it was easy to see where Jed got his incredible looks from. Even in his late fifties, Peter Matthews was a handsome man.
‘So…I don’t suppose any of you strapping lads could
help me clear out the shed this afternoon?’
Tom rubbed his shoulder and winced. ‘I’ve got this rugby injury…’
‘You’ll have more than a rugby injury if you don’t give your father some help,’ his mother said tartly, taking away his soup plate and giving him a nudge. ‘Get up, you lazy hound. Brooke and I did the first course, it’s your turn. There’s cheese and ham in the fridge, and you and Jed can make a dressing for the salad.’
Tom looked at Jed, his eyes gleaming. ‘Can we?’
Jed’s eyes danced and he assumed a worried expression. ‘Don’t know really…’
Ellie put her hands on her hips and Jed stood up and grinned at her.
