“Whoses animals are these?” She asks as she feeds them leaves from the ground.
“I guess they’re mine now. Or maybe they belong to the house keeper.”
“And the horses?”
“We’ve always had horses. This used to be quite an impressive stud farm in my grandfather's day.”
“What will you do with this place now?”
It’s the question that keeps running through my mind. I should just get rid of it. But there is that nostalgic feeling of being here as a boy that I can’t shake. My father would call me crazy but my grandfather might understand. After all, he loved it here.
But father would say there’s no room for emotion when it comes to business.
I ignore the question as I head towards the stables. Zoey follows behind.
“Everything is set up for the horses. Or you could use the land for rescue animals. Or open up the house as a bed and breakfast or for events.”
I stop and turn towards her. “Or I could just do nothing with it. It’s not like I need the money.”
She looks around at the paddocks and shakes her head. “It seems crazy to me to have all of this land and not work it in some way. My family had cattle and was always wanting more land.”
“Your family are farmers?” I’m not surprised. She’s got the look of a farm girl. I can imagine her as a kid climbing all over tractors and playing in the fields.
She kicks the dirt with her boot. “They were. Till they couldn’t afford to compete with the bigger farms anymore.”
I nod, not knowing what else to do. We’ve never had to worry about money. The family company was set up generations ago. Myself and my brothers all groomed to continue the legacy.
I take a moment to look around. For a moment I feel for Zoey. It must have been awful for her to grow up on a farm and then lose it all.
In the stable, I watch as Zoey shakes off her sadness and smiles with joy as she pats one of the horses. “Can I join you for a ride?”
The thought of Zoey on top of a horse, wind in her hair, smiling, laughing. The picture in my mind is so damn sexy I feel the blood race to my cock. It’s because of this my answer is harsh. “Don’t you have a house to clean?”
She goes off in a huff. But it’s for my own good. The more time I spend with Zoey the more I think about staying here. She reminds me of a simpler time. But I still find myself searching her out around the middle of the day, only to find her up a ladder hanging Christmas decorations. I stand for a moment watching her hum and wiggle her fine ass as she reaches up with a big green garland featuring red flowers and baubles.
Chapter 5
Zoey
Being rich and sexy hot is obviously enough to make a man go crazy. One minute he is all sexy smiles, helpful in the kitchen and making me go weak at the knees. And then in the next minute he reverts back to form as the grumpy, posh billionaire.
He is like a holiday cowboy, just playing pretend before he goes back to the real world. I think it’s the cowboy making my heart go faster. It’s the cowboy that I find myself looking out for during the day. But then I do enjoy arguing with the arrogant billionaire.
It’s these thoughts occupying my mind as I hang up Christmas decorations around the house. Quietly humming Christmas carols as everyone should when hanging Christmas carols.
Just as I reach over to fix a bauble, I hear a creak of floorboards behind me. Reaching and twisting to look simultaneously, my foot slips from the ladder step.
I let out a squeak, but then, like something out of a romance novel, Heath is there to catch me in his arms.
My first thought is how long it’s been since I’ve had a man’s arms around me. How good he smells. And how amazing it isthat he can hold me in his arms. Blinking up at him his face looks less stern, now filled with concern.
“Are you okay?” His voice is just a husky whisper and it sends thrills through my body.
I nod. For a moment he stands there. Holding me. Looking into each other’s eyes. The big room fades away and for that moment it is just him and me and our bodies together.
He shakes himself and lets my legs go. For a moment I am pressed against his body until I find my feet. I’m hot and breathless. There was no reason for him to hold me so long. To be lost in his eyes. I like seeing his guard drop, his feathers ruffled.
“See, this is why we don’t do Christmas. Too dangerous.” He smiles and I feel it like hot flames racing through my veins. Stepping back from me he gives me a little nod. “The place looks good.”
