Rose smiled, relieved that Maya was being so friendly, even if she was embarrassed by her straight talking. ‘I can most definitely forgive you. Truce?’
Maya smiled, too, and gave her a quick hug. ‘Truce.’
They stood side by side and watched the final chukka, before Maya turned to her, placing a hand on her arm.
‘He loves nothing more than a cold beer after the game, and no one will miss you if you disappear for a bit. You should go to him.’
‘Thanks for the tip.’ Rose watched Maya move away and make small talk with a group of neighbours, before eventually excusing herself and taking two beers from the bar. She slippedfrom the tent and headed over to where the horses were being unsaddled, seeing Benjamin helping his groom and leading two of his horses over to the water for a drink.
She walked to a nearby tree, leaning against it and taking a sip of beer as she watched Benjamin. There was a quietness about him that she found endearing, a sense of him being comfortable with whom he was, and she was certain it was why the horses were so calm around him. He was kind in the way he handled them, and she watched as he sponged one of their faces, laughing when the horse raised his head and sent water spiralling down on him.
But she didn’t have long to observe him before he turned, almost as if he sensed her watching. He didn’t wave, but he did find someone to take the horses from him, and she found herself staring at him as he crossed the ground with his usual long stride.
‘I see you have beer.’
Rose pushed off from the tree and held one out to him. ‘I heard you like one after the game.’
He grinned and took it from her, taking a long sip, the bottle raised high and making him look as if he was being recorded for an advertisement. Her throat went dry just looking at him.
‘You enjoyed it?’
‘I’ve enjoyed everything about today,’ she said. ‘I’m so pleased we went ahead with it.’
‘So am I. It would have been a shame to break with tradition.’
She hesitated. ‘And it would have been a shame for me not to see how welcoming everyone is. They’re just good people, quick to smile and as friendly as can be. Somehow they made me feel very much at home.’
‘Maybe it would have been a shame not to see you in that pretty dress, too.’
Rose felt her cheeks ignite, and she didn’t have any time to recover before he stepped closer to her and touched her cheek.
‘May I kiss you?’
She swallowed. ‘Yes.’
Benjamin reached down and cupped the back of her head with his palm as she tipped her head back, her hat falling to the ground behind her as he brushed his mouth to hers. The kiss they’d shared outside his parents’ house had been sweet and hopeful, but this kiss was electric—she felt it through every inch of her body.
When he finally pulled away, Rose found herself breathless as he braced himself on the tree behind her head. But she only waited a moment before standing on tiptoe and kissing him again, not caring that he was hot and sweaty as she slipped her arms around his neck, still holding her beer as her lips found his again and again.
‘We need to get back to the party,’ she eventually whispered, her mouth still hovering over his.
‘I’d say by this stage in the afternoon,’ he murmured, ‘no one would even notice if we didn’t return.’
‘Your sister knows where we are. She’s the one who told me to bring you the beer.’
He winked. ‘Well, my sister knows better than to tell on me.’
They both sipped their beer for a moment, and Rose felt a flutter in her stomach that she didn’t ever remember feeling before as she leaned back against the tree. He was waiting for her to reply, to make a decision, and when she reached up to touch his cheek, he responded by sliding an arm around her waist and drawing her closer.
Benjamin’s lips touched her hair and she snuggled tighter against him.
‘You’re sure no one will miss us?’
He laughed, and tightened his hold around her waist, whispering in her ear. ‘Would it matter if they did?’
Rose laughed with him, tipping her head back to the endless blue sky above, the sun beating down on her shoulders as she leaned into the man beside her. Argentina had been good for her soul, and Benjamin was good for her heart.
And for the first time, she truly imagined what it would be like if she stayed.
