She glanced at the two horses. She’d been going to take Blossom, but... She glanced back at Flynn.
He gazed back steadily. ‘What?’
‘What are you in the mood for? An easy, relaxed ride or—’ she grinned ‘—something more challenging?’
‘Addie, something you ought to know about me from the get go is that I’ll always choose challenging.’
Right. ‘Then Blossom is all yours.’ She indicated the grey. ‘I’ll take Banjo.’
‘Leg up?’ he offered.
If it’d been Logan, she’d have accepted. If Flynn had been in his business suit she’d have probably accepted—just to test him. But the large maleness of him as he moved in closer, all of the muscled strength clearly outlined in jeans and T-shirt, had her baulking. ‘No, thank you.’
She slipped her foot into the stirrup and swung herself up into the saddle. Before she could be snarky and ask if he’d like a leg up, he’d done the same. Effortlessly. The big grey danced but Flynn handled him with ease. Perfectly.
She bit back a sigh. She suspected Flynn was one of those people who did everything perfectly.
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Pass muster?’
‘You’ll do,’ she muttered, turning her horse and hoping the movement hid the flare of colour that heated her cheeks.
She led the way out of the home paddock and then finally looked at him again. ‘What in particular would you like to see?’ Was there a particular herd he wanted to look over, a particular stretch of watercourse or a landscape feature?
‘To be perfectly frank, Addie, there’s nothing in particular I want to see. I just want to be out amongst it.’
He was tired of being cooped up. That she could deal with. She pointed. ‘See that stand of ironbarks on the low hill over there?’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘Wait for me there.’
He frowned. ‘Wait?’
She nodded at his steed. ‘In his current mood, Blossom will leave Banjo in the dust.’ And without another word she dug her heels into Banjo’s sides and set off at a canter.
As predicted, within ten seconds Blossom—and Flynn—had overtaken them and pulled ahead. Addie didn’t care. She gave herself up to the smooth easy motion of the canter, the cooling afternoon and the scent of sun-warmed grasses—all the gnarls inside her working themselves free.
‘Better?’ she asked when she reached Flynn again.
He slanted her a grin. ‘How’d you know?’
‘I start to feel exactly the same way when I’m cooped up for too long. There’s nothing like a good gallop to ease the kinks.’
He stared at her for a long moment. She thought he meant to say something, but he evidently decided to keep it to himself.
‘Munich,’ she blurted out, unable to keep her thoughts in.
‘What do you want to know?’
‘What would my duties be?’
‘A bit of office support—some word processing, accessing databases and spreadsheets, and setting up the odd meeting. If I want printing done, you’ll be my go-to person. The hotel will have business facilities. There might be the odd letter to post.’
This was her and Robbie’s dream job!
‘But...’ she bit her lip ‘...I don’t know any German beyond danke and guten Tag.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Auf wiedersehen?’
Oh, right. She nodded. ‘Goodbye.’
‘Those phrases will serve you well enough. You’ll find you won’t need to know the language. Most Europeans speak perfect English.’
Wow. Still, if she did go she meant to bone up on as much conversational German as she could.
‘You’ll be doing a lot of fetching and carrying—Get me that file, Addie. Where’s the Parker document, Addie? Ring down for coffee, will you, Addie? Where’re the most recent sales figures and costing sheets? Things like that.’
That she could do. She could major in fetching and carrying. ‘When are you planning to leave?’
‘In a week’s time.’
Oh, wow!
He frowned. ‘Do you have a passport?’
‘Yes.’ She’d had one since she was seventeen. Robbie had wanted one, and even though by that stage it had been pointless, Robbie’s parents hadn’t been able to deny her anything. She’d wanted Addie to have one too. Addie had kept it up to date ever since.
‘Good. Now be warned, when we work the pace will be fast and furious, but there’ll be days—lots of them, I expect—when we’ll be twiddling our thumbs. Days when you’ll be free to sightsee.’
It was every dream she’d ever dreamed.
She straightened, slowly, but she felt a reverberation through her entire being. There was more than one way to get off the farm. If she played this right...
‘Naturally I’ll cover your expenses—airfare and accommodation—along with a wage.’
A lump lodged in her throat.
‘I meant what I said earlier, Addie. I want us to build a solid working relationship and I’m not the kind of man to put off the things I want. I don’t see any reason why that working relationship can’t start in Munich.’
If she did a great job for him, if she proved herself a brilliant personal assistant, then maybe Flynn would keep her on as his PA? She could live the life she’d always been meant to live—striding out in a suit and jet-setting around the world.
He stared at her. Eventually he pushed the brim of his hat back as if to view her all the more intently or clearly. ‘Mind if I ask you something?’
‘Sure.’
‘Why haven’t you said yes to Munich yet? I can tell you want to.’
She moistened her lips and glanced out at the horizon. ‘Have you ever wanted something so badly that when you finally think it’s yours you’re afraid it’s too good to be true?’
He was silent for a moment and then nodded. ‘I know exactly how that feels.’
She believed him.
‘All you have to do is say yes, Addie.’
So she said it. ‘Yes.’
Copyright © 2014 by Michelle Douglas
ISBN-13: 9781460343746
A Diamond in Her Stocking
Copyright © 2014 by Kandy Shepherd
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