“Shame it’ll be on a horse.” Imogen gave her a wide grin and said her goodbyes, no doubt hoping to cause some sort of trouble in the town.
Lainey shook her head at her sister, wondering how on earth they came from the same gene pool, then headed out herself, setting the alarm and checking in on Holly and Josh before saddling up Rex. The kitchen had been remodelled and finished, the master bathroom ripped out before the end of the week after Jake had coloured her shower, although she found she missed the peach.
Riding had been her first love as a child. After the attempted break in, she’d attended equine therapy sessions, her parents recognising that outright therapy wouldn’t be something she’d engage in, but anything with horses was her catnip.
It hadn’t changed. Being outside on horseback was what she needed to straighten her head and sort through rational ways forward from the emotional filled reactions. Jake had been one of those reactions.
One she couldn’t stop coming back to.
She was half an hour into her trek through woodland that was thickening with late spring; it was warm enough to not need a jacket, even with the light breeze that filtered through the trees. The sound of hooves beating against the ground broke through the birdsong.
Lainey sat up a little straighter, some spider sense telling her exactly who was coming up behind her.
“Lainey!” It was an un-ignorable shout.
She slowed Rex, pleased at how he responded immediately, and heard the trotting get louder.
Jake Maynard managed to squeeze his mount in next to her and gave her his trademark smile, but there was something missing to it.
“How’s the bathroom?”
She raised her brows at him. “You needed to lead with that?”
He shook his head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that. I actually meant the refurb.”
Something inside her filled with disappointment. “Good. It’s good.”
“I signed up for the auction. Don’t know if you noticed.”
She snapped her head round. The horses were walking neatly, quite content to be near each other. Over the last couple of months, Jake and Lainey had shared some of the horse care, letting them herd together in the fields and shared some of the tasks when either of them were short staffed. Both of them were hands-on, preferring to be involved with the animals rather than just leaving it to staff, something that meant neither of them had as much spare time as someone else might.
“It’s on my list to finalise everything tomorrow. What’ve you donated? A night glamping?” She knew Jake was generous; everything she’d heard about him told her that he would give whatever it took to help someone out.
“That and me.”
“Pardon?”
“A weekend glamping, and a date with me. All expenses paid.”
“I’m not sure a couple would want you as a date. Unless they’re really kinky.” She found her heartrate had sped up, the bad joke a result.
“Two separate lots. Hopefully they’ll bring in a decent amount.” He didn’t rise to her, which rankled her further. “Tickets have sold well for the bands.”
She ignored the last comment.
“So one lot’s the glamping and the other is… you?” She squinted at him. “What services are you offering?”
There was a chuckle rather than an indignant remark. She must have him in a pleasant mood – maybe he’d had a visit from one of his harem.
“A nice date. A picnic maybe or dinner at restaurant somewhere – I’ll give a list of options then it’s winner’s choice. Limo, flowers – a night of romance.” His grin was absent of any filth.
Lainey tried to focus on how much that would raise. She was on the competitive side – having four siblings kind of brought that out in most people – and she wanted to have one of the most successful fundraisers, if not the most, for the helicopter fund.
“I expect there’ll be a lot of bidders. I assume some of your previous girlfriends would like another shot?” It was cold, even for her. She hadn’t actually seen anyone going in Jake’s house for weeks, not since they’d had that brief moment in her shower.
That was what it had been categorised as.
Brief moment.
