Yeah, I know. “And we lost eight of the horses we were boarding.”
She stands, biting her thumb and pacing. “Okay, then let’s dig in and see if we can uncover whatever story is brewing before the press or whatever the hell this note is warning you of. I can’t lay out a PR plan when we’re already on our backfoot.”
“I don’t even know what foot we’re on,” I admit.
All of this is odd, and I don’t have a great feeling about it. I don’t know if Travis was stealing money, harming the horses,doing something illegal, or just finally had enough and quit. Maybe another farm grabbed him, and he didn’t want to tell me. Although, he has stock in this ranch. He’s not just a trainer—I gave him partial ownership of the breeding program.
Not a single fucking thing adds up, and I’m hemorrhaging money. I need to figure this out and find new buyers or I’m going to end up losing the ranch.
“We’ll figure it out and then we’ll create a plan, okay?” she says with determination.
“All right.”
“Great. In the meantime, I want to go through any paperwork you might have on the horse sales and Travis. Also, I’d like to see the ranch. Is that possible?”
A whole day with her where I’m unable to touch her? Sure, sounds like a great day.
“Yes, that’s possible.”
six
Tessa
“You should stay here,” Killian says as we approach the front door of his home so I can head back to my room, which was even worse in the daylight when I went to change. I need to do some more work and it’s late, I’m exhausted, and tomorrow I’m spending the morning with another of Aarabelle’s clients since I’m in town.
I stare at him, sure that I misheard. “I…what?”
“I have plenty of room. This house has six bedrooms.”
“Killian,” I say quickly. “That’s probably a bad idea.”
No, not probably. It definitely is.
Today feels like one of the most intense and horrible workouts I’ve ever had. My muscles are tight, my body is aching, and my mind is unable to fully make decisions.
No matter what though, I know that staying on the ranch is not a good choice.
“You are going to have to be coming and going all day as we keep digging. Do you really want to stay in the antique store where it smells like mold?”
We spent pretty much five hours going through the notes, dates, paperwork, and anything he had regarding the horses.
After that, he once again made sure I had a meal while I did some preliminary research on Ivy Thorn Farms and Killian, hoping to find some good press here.
I didn’t.
Nothing bad, but nothing like he saved orphans from a fire that I could use in some way.
Killian is just a normal businessman. He has the ranch and his real estate company in Boston that he started with his friend, Nathaniel. Nothing that stood out as a red flag.
As much as I hoped for some good news, I’m glad it’s not bad.
“It doesn’t smell like mold,” I argue. Just dust and feet.
He sighs. “Tessa.”
I should not like the way he says my name, but oh, I do. Because for one night, I was able to not be Tessa Elizabeth Rivers. The girl who never feels whole. The one who fights so hard just to be the total opposite of her parents—a man ruins everything he touches, and woman who takes what she wants without caring about others.
But last night, I was just a girl who met a man at a bar and escaped the never-ending worries I face.
