“Okay,” I said, keeping my face neutral. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
Denise nodded as if she’d bestowed some great kindness, then swept toward the back office. Taylor trailed behind her, clutching his toolkit.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Dex turned to me, his producer mask dropping. “That was weird,” he said, his voice low. “Tell me she didn’t just gossip about her employer.”
“She did,” I said.
Dex’s jaw tightened. “Charming.”
I stared at the side door where Rose had disappeared. The room still felt different without her in it. Not empty, exactly. Quieter in a way that had nothing to do with volume.
“What do you think happened to her?” I asked, the question slipping out before I could check it.
Dex shot me a sideways glance, heavy with meaning. “No idea. Why? You care?”
“No, of course not. Why would I?” I snapped.
Dex didn’t answer. Didn’t need to.
We both knew I was full of shite.
CHAPTER THREE
ROSE
The next morning,by seven, I’d already done the chores. Feed, water, a quick check on Starlight’s hoof, and enjoyed the five minutes I’d spent with Cassiopeia afterward.
Now I was clean, mostly. Hair in a damp twist, hoodie swapped for a fitted long-sleeve and jeans that didn’t have manure on them.
I stepped out of my cabin and pulled the door shut behind me.
The keypad blinked once, like it was trying to be cute. I wasn’t in the mood for cute.
I pressed the lock button and listened to the deadbolt engage: clean and final.
I started toward the main building, keeping my steps steady even though my brain tried to replay the image of a Scottish stranger in my cabin.
He thought it was guest quarters,I reminded myself.He apologized. He left.
The problem wasn’t him.
The problem was the fact that I’d screamed like a horror movie extra and then had the audacity—the audacity—to notice he was attractive.
Not my proudest moment.
“Morning!” Kaya’s voice cut across the yard before my thoughts could get worse.
She stood outside the main building with the look on her face that said she was entirely too awake for this hour.
“You look like you fought a bear,” she said.
“I fought a checklist,” I replied. “I won.”
Kaya’s mouth curved. “Barely.”
She fell into step beside me as we walked inside, warm kitchen air swallowing us the second we shut the door.
“Breakfast plan?” she asked.
