She exhaled heavily, confessing, ‘I struggle to differentiate between someone teasing me for sport, the uniform, or the name.’
‘Montrose, huh?Does it mean you’re rich?’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘It was on the list.The Montrose bank account.’
She frowned.‘I’m a Montrose.’
‘I’m a Porter.So what?’He shrugged as if clueless.
‘Montrose in some circles is, well, we were…’ She winced.‘Connected.’
Again, he shrugged.‘It’s just a surname.’
‘Montrose is, was—ugh, I don’t know—a big deal.Apparently.’
‘Go on.’He folded his arms across his chest like a barrier between them, even worse when he took a step back, allowing her to breathe easier, while also making her feel more exposed.‘How big a deal?’
‘The Montrose family had a series of sheep stations, one in particular that had been in the family for generations.’
‘Is it still in the family?’
She shook her head.‘They’re gone.All of it.The Montrose name that used to carry so much weight, is now worthless.’
‘So, you got dumped over it?That’s why it’s on the list.’
‘I was engaged.’
‘Deadset.’
Deadset all right.She’d thought the guy had loved her, but he’d loved the name and the money more.
‘So that’s why Stone calls you Duchess.’
‘Yes.’
‘And those frock and fancy hat events you mentioned earlier, you went as a guest?That horse game—’
‘Polo.’
‘I don’t do horses, and I’ve never seen a game of polo before.So I haven’t got a clue what those events would be like.’
‘I loved the sport.’The thud of hooves, the feel of the leather reins, the way her heartbeat matched her horse’s stride.With no time to second-guess anything, it was like flying while still connected to the ground.
‘And, being a Montrose, the name and money gave me the opportunity to become a player.But my rise through the levels was all me.’
‘Was that because you name-dropped like a nepo baby to get a spot on the team?’
She lifted her chin, her voice hardening.‘I trained hard.And I put everything into that sport to make the state team, then as a national’s player, as number two in the women’s squad.Me.’She stabbed at her chest.‘I got there through sheer hard work, not because of my family’s name.’
His stance and tone softened.‘So, something must have happened for you to end up… out here?’
‘My horses got stolen.’Again, she exhaled heavily to calm herself down, even if the words still stung.
‘And that’s why you went for the Stock Squad.’
She barely nodded.‘I know from personal experience how devastating it is to have an animal you love stolen from you.Not that I feel like I’m doing the Stock Squad any good some days, but—’
