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"Let me introduce you to everyone." Eve turned sideways to us. "Guys, this is Dr. Alex Thorne. He's an archaeologist, and so is his fiancée. Alex, meet the Au Naturel team."
Eve introduced us one by one, starting with Val, and we had a group chat before Eve and Val took Alex Thorne on a tour of the grounds. That gave the rest of us a break before we would be asked to chat with our guest about what he and fiancée might like for their wedding and when that would be.
Since we had free time, Damian and I headed for the horse pasture. While I brushed the boys, Damian went over to the shed that held all the horsey stuff. I got engrossed in my grooming duties and didn't notice what he was doing until he came up beside me.
"Ready for a ride?" he asked.
I glanced at him. He was holding a saddle in his arms.
For two seconds, I panicked on the inside.
"You don't have to if you're not ready for it yet," he said. "But you've gotten comfortable with Lenny and Georgie. You lead them around and make them back up and stop. They love and respect you almost as much as I do, so I know you're ready for this. But it's up to you."
The panic had evaporated almost as quickly as it set in, and I knew one thing for certain. I was always safe when I was with Damian.
"Sure," I said. "It's about time I tried riding."
Damian put the saddle on Georgie and did up all the complicated doohickeys that held it in place. He would need to teach me about all that eventually, but for now, I just wanted to overcome my last remaining fear. I wanted to ride a horse.
Georgie nuzzled me when I approached him, like he wanted me to climb onto his back.
Damian half crouched and cupped his hands, linking his fingers. "I'll give you a boost."
I stepped into his waiting hands, and he pushed up while I grasped the saddle horn and swung my leg over. I slipped my boots into the stirrups and picked up the reins.
"How's it feel?" Damian asked.
"Good. A little weird, since I've never done this before. But mostly good."
"I'll lead him around until you get comfortable with everything."
Damian took hold of the reins and guided Georgie around in the paddock.
I was on a horse. Holy cow.
After a few minutes, Damian let go. He gave me advice on how to make Georgie do what I wanted, and I rode him around and around inside the paddock, feeling more at ease with every passing moment. Maybe I wasn't an expert rider, not yet, but I had the best teacher to guide me. And the sweetest horse too.
Whatever life threw at me now, I could handle it.
And as for the massive wedding… Yeah, I could deal with that too.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Damian
After Heidi's first ride, we returned to the resort for the big meeting with Alex Thorne. This was when we would all present our ideas for his wedding and listen to his thoughts so we could hash out the details. We had two months to get it done, but Eve wanted to have as much nailed down as possible before our guest flew home tomorrow. To accommodate all seven of us, we gathered in the dining hall and pushed two tables together.
Our guest sat at the head of the table. The ladies occupied one side while the guys took the other.
I'd never met a British person before, or a Scottish person either. But soon, I'd meet more Brits and a whole honking horde of Scots.
Eve and Heidi took the lead in our discussion.
Alex Thorne seemed to like that.
"Aren't I a lucky bloke?" he said. "Two beautiful women ready to cater to my every whim." He winked at me. "Don't worry. I have my hands full with a fiery Scots lass, so I don't have time to seduce your fiancée away from you."
"What about Eve?" I asked. "She's not your type?"
