She’d almost forgotten they were still mostly dressed and crammed together on the couch in the living room. She righted her own clothes and then Jake was back. He scooped her effortlessly into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. Barnaby followed, tail wagging. He settled onto a large dog bed in the corner.
“A dog bed?” Megan asked, heart melting that Jake had already started buying him things before he’d even adopted him.
“Helps to keep him out of mine,” he told her before cracking another smile. “But he still winds up here at some point during the night.”
She blinked up at him, seeing their future so clearly, living and working together here at Rosemont Castle, sharing this bed every night. It was everything she could have ever imagined for herself, so why did the thought terrify her? Everything was happening so fast. Too fast? Had Jake really finished healing? Had she?
* * *
Jake satastride Duchess as she moved around the ring at an easy jog. Mr. Nichols watched from the other side of the fence, phone held high as he recorded a video to send his daughter. The horse moved briskly, ears pricked, eager and excited to be working in the ring. He nudged her with his heels, lifting the reins, and she broke into a lope. The sound of her hooves drumming against the hard-packed earth filled his ears.
She made his job easy. Too easy? He did enjoy the thrill of a more challenging horse, but right now, she was making him look good in front of a client, and he really couldn’t complain about that. After a few minutes, Mr. Nichols put the phone away and leaned against the fence, a satisfied smile on his face.
Jake eased Duchess to a walk and approached him. “What do you think?”
“I think she’s one of the most gorgeous creatures I’ve ever seen, and you’ve done a fine job with her,” Mr. Nichols said.
“Thank you. It helps having a horse like Duchess to work with.” Jake leaned down to rub her neck, and Duchess bobbed her head enthusiastically. “I think she’s ready to move to your barn, with me returning for a series of training sessions while Kassie rides her, as we discussed.”
“I agree,” Mr. Nichols said with a nod. “I’ll arrange for her transport this week. Are you looking for more work?”
“I am,” Jake said, feeling his posture straighten in anticipation of whatever his client might be about to offer. He desperately needed more work, and a referral from Mr. Nichols could be invaluable.
A series of loud, sharp barks rang out across the field, followed by a scream, and then Bug was running straight toward them, lead line trailing from her halter, bouncing off her flank and further frightening her. Jake had been peripherally aware that Megan was in the process of bringing Bug into the barn, as she often did, but something had obviously gone wrong. A vise clamped over his chest as he remembered her scream.
“Whoa, Bug,” he called to the panicked horse, his attention divided between her and Duchess, who fidgeted nervously beneath him. Duchess was a solid horse, but she was young and green, and Bug’s alarm could easily become contagious. “Easy, girl. Easy, Duchess,” he murmured, shifting in the saddle to keep himself centered as she danced sideways.
Mr. Nichols flattened himself against the fence as Bug raced closer. Jake guided Duchess toward the center of the ring, talking soothingly to her as her ears flicked in unease. Megan came around the corner of the barn, looking stricken but—as far as he could see—unharmed.Thank God. At the last moment, Bug dodged to the side, avoiding collision with the fence, and galloped down the lane toward the main castle.
“There you go,” Jake murmured to Duchess. “Nothing to worry about. You okay?” he called to Megan.
She nodded, hands clasped around her waist. “One of Elle’s foster dogs got loose and scared Bug, and she bolted. I couldn’t hold on to her.”
“Okay. Don’t panic.” He dismounted Duchess and led her toward the fence. “She probably hasn’t gone far. Let me get Duchess settled, and we’ll go find her.”
“I can handle Duchess,” Mr. Nichols said, stepping forward, “if you want to go after your runaway horse.”
Jake hesitated. Duchess was Mr. Nichols’s horse after all. He owned several other horses, and although he generally had staff who helped him in the barn, Jake didn’t doubt the man could cool down and untack a horse if necessary. Duchess would be fine with him, except it still made Jake feel somewhat inadequate to hand her off like this, especially when Mr. Nichols had been on the verge of offering him a referral for a new client. He extended the reins. “I appreciate that. Thank you.”
“Not a problem. I’d enjoy spending some time with her.” Mr. Nichols took his horse and led her toward the barn.
With that taken care of, Jake went to the feed room for a bucket and some grain and then strode after Megan in the direction Bug had gone. Irritation rose inside him, not directed at Megan, but at the situation in general. Hopefully he hadn’t lost his shot with Mr. Nichols. He caught up with her halfway up the lane, cheeks flushed, jogging toward the castle.
“I’m so sorry,” she huffed, looking at him over her shoulder.
“No need to be. There’s no holding on to a horse when they bolt. They outweigh you by over a thousand pounds. If you’d tried, you might have been dragged.” He put a hand on her arm, tugging gently. “Slow down. You can’t run as fast as she can, and you’ll have better luck catching her if you’re calm when we find her.”
“How far do you think she went?” Megan asked, slowing to a walk beside him.
“There’s no telling, but probably not far.” He started shaking the grain bucket, hoping to entice Bug back on her own. “Horses are flight animals. They run when they’re frightened, but as long as the dog didn’t chase her, she’s probably grazing somewhere on the grounds right now.”
“He didn’t chase her,” Megan told him. “Elle took him back to the castle as soon as she saw what happened.”
“That’s good,” Jake said. “Don’t worry. Horses get loose fairly often, just like dogs.”
“We had a foster dog once who ran off for two days and turned up miles away from the castle,” Megan told him, her expression earnest.
“Well, let’s hope Bug isn’t that ambitious. In fact…” He pointed to the field ahead, where Bug stood grazing contentedly in the sunshine.
