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Chapter Fifteen
Edie
BythetimeIgot back to my cabin, there was an email with the details about my lesson.My finger hovered over the cancellation button.I had too much to do to bother with learning a skill I’d never use again.
Then I opened the door to the cabin.The boxes of my father’s research carried the musty smell of his house, and I’d already made a mess digging through the boxes trying to find things that morning.The curtains were drawn, the windows closed.I’d had my dinner delivered last night, and I’d been too caught up to bother cleaning up after myself.This morning’s coffee sat in a mug, half-empty and cold.My father’s robe hung on the back of the chair where I’d left it.
“Okay.This is a sign,” I said out loud.Instead of diving right into work, I spent an hour cleaning and organizing the cabin.My mother always said that an orderly home made for an orderly mind.She might have been right about me inheriting my father’s hyperfocus and obsessive tendencies.But I had inherited things from her too.
I made a compromise with myself.For the next three hours, I’d dig deep into Melinda’s medical records.Then, I’d go pet a horse so I had something to tell my mother about why I was here.
Three hours later, when the alarm I’d set went off, I was startled to realize how quickly the time had passed.When I stood up my back cracked, and I rolled my neck to loosen the stiffness.Maybe I should just keep working, I thought.But the sun was streaming through the windows, and it was too late to cancel.
I dressed quickly.The only boots I had were designed for slogging through Baltimore’s sloppy winters, but I hoped they’d do the trick.When I opened my email again to review the list of clothing suggestions, I saw that I’d gotten an email from [email protected] was a pdf of the NDA and a short message: “Edie, Please sign and return the attached at your earliest convenience,” followed by his email signature.
I exhaled sharply.I wasn’t expecting love poems, but some personal touch would have been nice.Annoyed, I clicked out of the message, grabbed a light denim jacket to wear over my long-sleeved shirt and leggings, and headed out the door.
The barn was bigger than it had looked from a distance.I hesitated, then walked up to the nearest person.“Excuse me.Where can I find the beginner’s riding lesson?”
The man rose from his crouch next to a horse and I recognized the guy who’d hovered near the door when everyone met in my cabin.“Well, hi,” he said.“Dylan Thorne.Sorry I didn’t introduce myself last night.”
“Dylan.”I recognized the name from my father’s files, but the only information about him was that he was Dominic’s son.I held out my hand to shake.“It’s nice to meet you.”
His mouth shifted in tiny increments from polite distance to amusement.He held up his dirty hands.I dropped mine, feeling embarrassed.“I don’t believe we have a beginner’s class today,” he said.
“Oh.”I pulled out my phone and looked up the email.“Melinda booked it for me.I’m sure there’s a confirmation number or something.Let me just check--”
“I believe you’re looking for me,” Jasper said, striding out of the barn.
All the heat and intensity of my dream flushed through me, making my skin prickle.His legs looked impossibly long in a pair of worn jeans, his shoulders impossibly broad in a blue-and-green plaid shirt.He wore a leather hat with a turquoise band around the rim that matched his eyes.
Oh yes, he was exactly what I was looking for.
“I thought—I saw you doing the lesson yesterday,” I said, pointing to Dylan.
“That’s the kid’s class,” Dylan said.
I looked around.“Is there anyone else coming?”
“Mom booked you for a private lesson,” Jasper said.“I was the only one who was available last minute.”
Dylan coughed.I thought he might have been covering a chuckle.I crossed my arms over my chest.“What is going on?”
“Nothing,” Jasper said, holding up his hands.“I’m a certified trainer.I’ve taught hundreds of people how to ride.”
“I know, I saw it on the website,” I said.“I also saw that you aren’t currently taking new bookings.There was plenty of availability for other trainers, though.”
Dylan cleared his throat like he was trying to swallow his laugh.“I think I’ll just take Maisie here inside,” he said, gathering up the placid horse’s reins.“Have a good lesson, Jasper.”
Jasper ran his tongue around his teeth.By now I knew he did that when was annoyed, and it was just my luck that I found the gesture so appealing.“Okay.So when Mom texted me, I took the booking myself.So what?”
“So, if you wanted to see me, you could have asked,” I fumed.“Instead of sending me an email like I’m an employee.‘Please return at your earliest convenience,’” I mocked.
He winced.“I guess the forty-five minutes I spent composing that email didn’t pay off.”
I had to work not to smile.The truth was, seeing him made the whole day feel brighter.I don’t know that I’ve ever met someone who made me feel so fizzy and tingly with his mere presence.I might have been confused about his intentions, but it didn’t seem to affect how much I wanted him.
Still, I wasn’t letting him off that easy.“Why did you lie?”
