She was about halfway back when she spotted a rider. Only one person rode as fast and fluidly bareback on such a highly bred horse.Raffa.Why was he coming after her?
Bringing his horse to a halt in front of her, he stared down at her face with concern. ‘Come on,’ he encouraged, holding out a hand. ‘You can ride with me.’
‘I thought you didn’t want me near your horses?’
‘Without me to keep you safe, that still holds fast.’
‘Where are you heading?’
‘To the river, so Duque can cool his heels while we talk.’
If he wanted to talk she wouldn’t turn him down. Taking hold of his hand, she sprang up behind him on to the horse. ‘Arms around my waist,’ he said as they took off at a steady canter. The temptation to rest her face against his back made her sit up straighter than ever.
Raffa dismounted first and then lifted her into his arms. ‘I was worried about you,’ he admitted. ‘You looked so pale. Thank goodness you look a lot better now.’
‘The fresh air helps.’ As did he. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll stay on for a while to make sure Adena feels confident enough to take over from me, and I’ll call Sofia. Babies are supremely portable, so—’
‘And you, Rose?’ Raffa interrupted. ‘What about you?’
‘Me?’ She stared into his eyes. ‘I’ll be fine, of course.’
‘Living where?’
‘Here, in the short term, if you’ll have me, and then I’ll go back to Ireland, I suppose.’
Doubts crowded in, but if she couldn’t work with Raffa’s horses, there was nothing here for her. ‘Maternity benefits will kick in eventually,’ she reflected out loud.
‘We have an excellent plan in place,’ Raffa confirmed, ‘but I don’t see you resting as you should if you return to Ireland. When I brought you back to Spain, you were on the verge of exhaustion. A repeat of that would be dangerous, both for you and the baby.’
‘I’ll be sensible,’ she promised.
‘Until you have a thorough check-up, you don’t know what is and isn’t possible. Everyone’s different, Rose. You’re safer here.’
‘Your mares carry some of the most valuable stock in the world, and you keep them in regal splendour, but I don’t want to be indulged to that degree. I’d feel uncomfortable. I’m not used to being plied with things I don’t need.’
‘What I have in mind will take all the worry out of pregnancy for you.’
‘A magic wand?’ She laughed bitterly. Raffa didn’t join in, and they strolled the rest of the way to the riverbank in silence. When they sat down, Rose took the opportunity to reassure him. ‘This isn’t your problem. It’s mine.’
‘There is no problem to solve, there’s a child. And this isoursituation, Rose. You’re not alone.’
All the right words, but he sounded so matter-of-fact. You couldn’t force someone to love you, no matter how much you wanted it, Rose reflected as Raffa went on, ‘It makes sense for you to stay here. You’ll have the best of care. Doctors can fly in. You can have anything, and anyone you want around you. You’ll still be able to work remotely without coming into contact with the horses.’
‘What about my father, and everything else in Ireland?’
‘Your father’s safe at Sofia’s retreat, and I have a team in place to manage the rest, remember?’
His team. His child. His plan. Rose hugged herself, wondering about her place in all this, and if Raffa could ever unbend enough to welcome a baby into his heart.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ROSESURPRISEDHIMby springing up from the riverbank, saying she could do with a rest. His protective instinct kicked in right away. Pregnant women needed lots of rest, he’d heard, though Rose didn’t look tired, she looked determined. What was she planning now?
He took her back to the ranch at a steady pace, and saw her safely into the grooms’ accommodation with the instruction not to go anywhere near the horses. Mounting his stallion once again, he took a long, fast ride, only slowing when the sun began to dip behind the mountains. The doting uncle—a position he had happily espoused—was destined to become a father. His brother Dante hadn’t stopped talking about the wonderful transformation in his life since his wife, Jess, had a child. Could Raffa feel that way too? Did he have the capacity to show a child the love it deserved? And what about Rose? He’d held back from sweeping her into his arms when she’d told him the news because that might have led her to believe that he could be everything she needed when he still wasn’t sure himself. The most important thing now was to persuade Rose to change her mind about accepting his help.
Warp speed described Raffa’s reaction to Rose’s news. Before the end of the day, Rose had received calls from the secretary of a surgeon-gynaecologist to the royal household in London, as well as from a famous London college where nannies were considered the best in the world. A brief text from Raffa confirmed that he had asked these various individuals to get in touch with her, and that they would be liaising with him once they had spoken to Rose.
And so it begins.
