“Back in a minute.”
She watched him walk to the pub as she sorted out the horses, tethering them to a post. His jeans made his arse look good, she had to give him that. Flashbacks of the shower impinged on her brain like unwanted candy. He’d looked good everywhere naked; muscled without being like a body builder, tanned from the time he spent outside, with powerful thighs only earned from riding rather than doing squats.
Lainey groaned. She shouldn’t have been as brazen as she was when she found him in her shower. She should’ve turned and walked away, knowing full well that he was in there to try and set up some joke.
But when she’d seen him, mostly naked and caught the fire in his eyes when he saw her, she hadn’t been able to do the sensible thing, and why should she? It had been a long time since her orgasm had been given to her by anyone else, and from what she’d heard, Jake was pretty good at giving them.
He’d proved it to be true.
And she knew full well that she’d just become another almost notch on his bedpost. He hadn’t got her farm but he had managed to have her.
The man himself returned with two pints, passing one straight to her.
Lainey stared at it, expecting there to be some joke that went along with it. The jokes hadn’t stopped – one morning this week she’d come downstairs to find the garden full of plastic gnomes. As far as jokes went, it was on the tame but amusing side. She’d retaliated by shifting the tack he used to her tack room and had thoroughly enjoyed the resulting tirade of words that spewed from him. Then he’d managed to hide her coffee scoop in a bowl of raspberry jelly, left in a china bowl in her fridge. Her car keys had been discovered on her kitchen table, in about fifty layers of plastic wrap. She’d taken revenge. She’d used his own plastic wrap to cover his toilets, causing a bit of splash back when he’d used them. And she may have posted his email in a chatroom for swingers. May. She still hadn’t properly owned up to that one yet.
“It’s safe. It’d be a crime to poison a pint.”
“Thank you. I’ll get the next.” She accepted it and took a long swig. This was bliss. This was why she was living here instead of London, because there was nothing quite like a pint in the country after a ride.
“No problem.” He’d drank half of his already. “I need to get back after this. Promised I’d look after Rayah’s kids after school.” He looked at his pint sorrowfully. “I need more than this to get through three hours of Sadie Grace.”
“She’s not that bad.” Lainey wasn’t sure she agreed with those words.
“She’s just like Rayah was when she was the same age. Doesn’t matter that they’re not related by blood, she’s inherited all of Rayah’s evilness.” He took another mouthful. “Scott’s playing tonight at his bar. I think Marley’s singing. Are you and your sister going to go?”
“I don’t think I have a choice. Immy will probably already be there, demanding your cousin makes her some new cocktail and names it after her.” She didn’t imagine that Immy would’ve gone back home after going into town for supplies. In fact, she was pretty sure that if she checked her phone, Immy would’ve messaged to tell her to meet her at Scott’s bar for dinner. She was far, far more sociable than Lainey, and would seek out noise like it was treasure.
“Get down there and join her. Think of me with two reasonably sane small humans and a mini demon.” He downed the rest of his pint. “Although I can’t call Charlie small any more. He’s not far off the same height as me.”
He put the glass down on a nearby picnic table. “I’m going to canter back through the fields by the river. Follow me if you need to get back quicker, but if you don’t, follow the path for Darley Fields. It’s like a fairy land and great for getting him up to a canter.” He studied the horse. “He’s a beast. How long have you had him?”
“Six weeks. He won’t be a therapy horse, but he’ll be good for my therapy.” She gave Rex a pat. He ignored her, too interested in the grass.
“He’s a gentle giant.” Jake walked over to his mount. “I’d love to take him out sometime.”
“Do it.” Lainey knew how good a horseman he was. “And if you ever want to put that sweet girl of yours to work, I’d love to look at her for a therapy animal.”
“You mean Cilla?”
“The silver mare? She’s got the perfect temperament to work with a couple of the children I have at the moment.” Lainey continued to sip at her pint.
Jake nodded, but he was frowning. “Look, I know I wanted to buy the farm, and that ship’s sailed, but maybe we can work together on a few things. I read that kids can find working with the hens therapeutic…”
“You’ve been reading about it?” She sounded way too surprised.
He looked a little put out. “I like to know what my neighbours are doing. But yeah, I’ve been reading up on it. What do you need for health and safety so that you can take the kids in there – if it’s something you think you could use?” He checked his watch and then looked up at the sun, as if making sure his watch was correct.
Lainey wanted to sit down with him at the picnic table, order more drinks and discuss it further. It wasn’t just the business side of it she wanted to talk about; she wanted more time with him.
Whatever attraction there had been in that grotty peach bathroom hadn’t been a freak moment. “You need to pick up Sadie. We can talk about this tomorrow. I have two fields that I’m not going to be doing anything with…”
“The land next to the oaks? On the south side?”
She nodded. “Those. Maybe we can come to some sort of deal?”
“You can use my animals and hens without those fields – just know that.” He looked at his watch again. “I have to go. If I’m not there on time, Sadie will end up at the cake shop with Harry, stuffing her face with sugar.”
“I’ll head back with you. I think Rex wouldn’t mind a good canter.”
