by Jeannie Moon
Leah appreciated his words more than she could express because at that moment, his gentle touch was causing a slow meltdown in her system. “Thank you.”
“Come on,” he stood, tugging her to her feet. “Let me walk you.”
“It’s only a couple of blocks, you don’t need to do that.”
“I beg to differ, love. Gentleman, remember. My mum would never forgive me if I didn’t see you safely home.”
There were a thousand things wrong with him escorting her to her door, but damned if she could think of even one of them at the moment. Without question he was a gentleman, and she had to admit, it was charming. He was charming.
And Leah was in big trouble.
Chapter Four
Tristan was still coming to work in a suit every day, and his assistant was starting to tease him for it. A lovely woman named Robyn, she reminded him that if he didn’t loosen up he’d end up like one of his new business partners, Owen Kent. Apparently, the man was wound tighter than a watch spring. It was a good thing he was brilliant and forward thinking or Tris would have been on a plane to London and working long distance.
The former Marine officer was nothing if not challenging.
He’d learned quite a bit about the corporate culture of Reliance and was excited to jump into something so new. He knew managing the day-to-day finances of the company wasn’t going to be an issue, but adjusting to a new business model, new sales force, products, was going to require some time. He was also immersed in preparing for the upcoming IPO, and that was its own special horror because the regulators from the SEC were constantly finding fault with whatever proposal his team put forward.
He’d get around it, but in the meantime, he felt like he was stepping on one regulatory land mine after another. Nate, whose place he was taking, was an immeasurable help as he navigated the company, so he could focus on getting them public.
Nate would probably hang him off one of his horses and send the beast running if he found out Tris had slept with his sister, and that he’d love to do so again.
He wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t hoping for a different outcome when he took her out the other night, but spending time talking and getting to know each other better had proven to be a good time. Since July, they’d been meeting for drinks or dinner at least once a week. But he’d discovered there was still a lot he didn’t know about Leah.
He couldn’t figure out why she was so insecure. Even she acknowledged that it made no sense. Her parents were lovely, she and her siblings had good relationships, but if she felt threatened, or thought her family was threatened, she flew right off the handle.
Amy was Leah’s barometer, often letting her know when her temper was getting the better of her. Tris had seen the sisters together, more than once, and he didn’t know if he agreed with the way Leah had been pigeonholed. Personally, he found her straightforward and refreshing. Amy seemed much more calculating.
And now Amy was not only moving an ocean away, she was looking forward to being on her own. Not very kind of her to say, in his opinion.
Maybe he’d stop by Leah’s place later and check on her. She could probably use a friend.
Such a bloody lie. He wanted her. Just thinking about her and he stiffened in response. He wasn’t supposed to react this way.
Tris and Leah might have been keeping this casual, but there was no reason they couldn’t be casual three or four times a week. He hadn’t been able to get the woman out of his head since she’d left his apartment a little more than a week before. Now they were sharing and confiding . . . being real friends.
God, the way she laughed the other night over burgers and milk shakes—he could still hear it. Full and throaty, it was joy, pure joy when she let loose and enjoyed herself. They’d talked at the diner into the small hours of the night and Tristan had to admit staring at Leah for several hours while she told him about her family was no hardship.
She was a beauty, but most certainly an unconventional one. A solid seven or eight inches shorter than he was, Leah was all curves—gorgeous, delicious curves—in one brilliant package. When he’d first met her, she was raising hell at the family barbecue, pissing off pretty much everyone with whom she spoke, and good Lord, was he attracted to her. She was snarky, smart, difficult, and protective of those she loved. Her red hair and flashing green eyes made her look like an angry wood sprite, straight from Celtic folklore, ready to spew sparks and magic.
He wanted her from the first moment. Hell-raising and all.
However, as he got to know her, and spent more time with her, it was easy to see that there was much more to Leah than her protective outbursts. The woman may have perfected the tough litigator act on the surface, but on the inside she was soft and sweet. She’d pretty much told him as much the other night. He could tell by the way she talked about her family, especially her mum, that she was anything but hard and cold. Driven by strong emotions, this was a woman who didn’t take anyone or anything lightly. But something was scaring her, holding her back, and it was a shame to see that kind of passion bottled up.
It was the passion he saw unleashed in bed, but there was also a strong need to connect with someone. She wanted to be touched, kissed, talked to. Leah said no to a serious relationship, but he was fairly sure that was her head, not her heart, talking.
So much for keeping his heart out of the equation. Tristan had to admit, he liked Leah. A lot. And if she’d give him a chance, he’d try to make a go of something with her. After her attempt to sneak out of his place the one night they’d been together, he’d gotten her to come back to bed, and after making love once more, they slept. It was rather sweet the way she curled her naked body against his, seeking warmth, and refuge. And if Tris admitted it, the way she trusted him, the way she put herself into his hands, was intoxicating.
Rising from his desk, the view from his office window was one more reminder of Leah. The entire north side of the Reliance compound was constructed with large windows facing the waters of Long Island Sound. The great expanse of water was rough today, choppy, with a cold gray-green hue. What he found remarkable was how it changed—one moment being smooth as glass, other times more turbulent.
“You look like you’re a million miles away.”
Turning, he saw Nate had entered the office. A month ago, Tristan and Nate had switched spaces since Nate was starting to ease his way out of the company. One of the founding partners, he was perfectly happy to let Tristan take over the large, imposing office.
“Just watching the boats, mate. I didn’t expect to see you today. I thought Jenna had a doctor’s appointment.”
“She does, but not until later.” Nate put a file on the round table in the corner of the room, looking like a man who had something to say, but who wasn’t quite sure how to say it. Watching him, Tris wondered what was on his friend’s mind.
He and Nate had bonded over horses and polo not long after he arrived to work at Reliance. Nate’s team needed an experienced Number One player and Tristan fit the bill. He took over the lease on some wonderful polo ponies, and jumped right back into being part of a team again. The riding, the competition, was exactly what he needed. He went out to Nate’s farm from time to time to ride a trail or do a course or two, but with his new role, he was finding that time was less and less. If Nate’s first love was horses, he could understand why he wanted to make a change, especially with a baby on the way.
“What’s going on with you and my sister?”
Bollocks. Tris allowed himself a second to process the question. This could go either way. Nate was no grandstander, nor was he a bully, but this was his younger sister, and Tris was still the outsider. If he wasn’t careful, his entire relationship with Reliance could go all to hell.
“What do you want to know? I don’t know Amy that well, so I assume you’re speaking of Leah?”
“Yes. You’re sleeping with her.�
� He didn’t ask—it was a statement of fact. Tristan couldn’t deny that it had happened, only that it was happening now.
“I wasn’t aware that was your business.”
“She’s my sister.” Nate tossed the fact out as if it explained everything.
“True, but you’ve also been rather dismissive of her these last months. In fact, you’ve been downright cold to her. “
“That’s about family. It doesn’t concern you.” Nate was normally very easygoing and affable. But his hackles were up, and Tristan had no intention of making this easy on him. If he was going to be a protective older brother, he had to act like an older brother.
“Well, my friendship with her doesn’t concern you. And we are friends. First and foremost.”
“So, is something going on?” He was still trying to get information.
Tristan walked around the large glass desk and cocked his hip into the edge. “We like to spend time together on occasion. It’s nothing serious. Nothing inappropriate.” That wasn’t a lie. They were two consenting adults.
“Inappropriate? So you’re not sleeping with her?”
This conversation was tiresome. “That question was totally out of line because even if I were, I’d never discuss it. With anyone. I’d like to think I was raised better than that.”
Nate folded his arms and looked away, his expression changing from frustration to sadness. “A few years ago, something happened to her, and we don’t know what it was. She changed. I guess I’m worried.”
“She’s got a good head on her shoulders. Smart, driven. She knows what she wants.”
“Someone hurt her. Sent her into a spiral that she hasn’t ever bounced back from. I guess we’re all . . . concerned.”
“It’s funny,” Tris said. “You’re so concerned about her being hurt, but you’re someone who has done quite a bit of it yourself.”
Nate opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. Tristan should know better than to tread into family territory, but he couldn’t keep this to himself any longer. “She’s sorry, Nate. That I do know. Your sister values family above all else.” He also knew that she wasn’t as “tough” as everyone seemed to think. Why couldn’t they see it?
There wasn’t much else he could say without letting on about what happened between him and Leah, but he was of the mind that brother and sister needed to bury the hatchet. It was the only way either of them could move on.
“I know she is. Jenna’s forgiven her. I suppose it’s my turn.” He picked up his file and stuffed his free hand in his pocket. “I’m sorry about this. I don’t usually have such a heavy hand.”
“No worries. I have a sister, I understand where it’s coming from.” Nodding his agreement, Tris glanced at his watch. “You have anything else on your schedule today?”
Nate looked up, curious. “Nothing pressing. Why?”
“Come on. I think we both need to blow off a little steam. Eh?”
* * *
Fewer things relaxed Leah more than time spent on the farm. She’d been taking statements from clients all day at an office close to her parents’ house, and when the depositions ended early, she took advantage of the time to head to the barn.
Kylemore Farms had been in her family for three generations. The farm, which had one of the best breeding programs in the country, was named for an abbey in Ireland near where her mother’s family was from. There were two properties that were part of the business, the original barn in Muttontown, and a newer facility on the east end of Long Island in Bridgehampton. The entire operation was presently run by her father, but Nate would be taking over the main barn within the next year and her parents would move east.
It was a good arrangement and would give Nate the opportunity to do what he should have been doing all along—working with horses—and her parents would get the quieter life they needed to focus on her mother’s health.
What she didn’t expect when she pulled down the long road leading to the barns was to see Tristan and Nate’s cars parked side by side in the parking area. So much for having a little quiet time to herself.
Awesome, she thought. He’s the last thing I need right now.
When she thought about that particular statement, Leah wasn’t quite sure which “he” she meant. Her brother, who would undoubtedly give her the cold shoulder, or Tristan, who would probably give her a look that would make her want to jump him. Despite their being just friends. Friends. The word was death to her sex life.
Nope. It didn’t matter.
She didn’t want to see either one of them.
But she wasn’t going to leave either. Running wasn’t her style. She’d had a crap day, her mother had invited her to dinner, and she wanted to take her horse out on the trail and forget about how her life had taken a turn no one ever expected. Especially Leah.
Grabbing her bag from the backseat of her car, Leah made her way toward the changing rooms on the far side of the large barn. The farm could accommodate forty horses in the regular barns, where they trained horses and riders, as well as a ten-stall breeding barn on the other side of the road. Da had said one of the mares was ready to drop her foal, and Leah was hoping to be there when it happened. Growing up, nothing was more exciting than seeing a foal born.
Leah remembered the first time she saw a foaling. She was ten and had followed her father and Nate down to the barn in the middle of the night.
It was a tough birth, the vet had come out, and Leah felt like she’d held her breath forever waiting for the baby to be born. It was nerve-wracking, thrilling, and moved her in a way her ten-year-old self didn’t yet understand.
She’d never forgotten it. Years later, Leah discovered that her father knew she was there the whole time. He figured if she’d made the effort to come down in the middle of the night, he wasn’t of a mind to send her back to bed. That was her father to the core. Fair to the end.
Thinking about the upcoming birth, the cold weather was the big concern. It wasn’t the best time of year to be introducing a baby into the barn, but this pregnancy was a surprise. As it happened, Da bought the mare from a farm in Virginia and she arrived pregnant. “A twofer,” her father said. Leah couldn’t have been happier.
Sighing audibly as she traded her high heels for her favorite pair of jeans, Leah thought she might actually be a little bit envious of her brother. He was getting off the crazy hamster wheel that had become his business, and opting for a slower lifestyle. He had a wife. He had a baby on the way. Nate pretty much had everything.
The choice, however, had always been hers. The law fascinated Leah. It was orderly, but required creative thinking to make sense of it. But she was tired. Her brother was making his family his priority, and Leah figured if she ever had the same chance, she might do the same.
Which made it even more important to continue to mend fences with her sister-in-law. Jenna showed her incredible kindness and support at brunch last week, and Leah had no intention of letting it go to waste. The women had turned the corner, now it was time for her big brother to start acting like an adult. Because, dammit, she was going to act like an adult even if it killed her. She and Nate had to make things right between them.
The barn was crowded, as it usually was after school. Kids were gathering for their riding lessons, some were tacking their horses and ponies, cleaning equipment, or goofing around with friends. This was Leah’s life growing up and she missed the camaraderie she had with her barn friends.
When she rounded the corner, she spied a girl who was having trouble picking her mount’s feet. “Is Joey being difficult?” she asked.
“He’s being a pain,” the little redhead responded.
Leah felt the smile break across her face. The girl could have been her at that age. She guessed the child was about ten, maybe eleven. “What’s your name?”
“Elizabeth.”
“That’s my m
om’s name. I’m Leah.” Pulling a hair tie from the pocket of her jeans, Leah got the tangled mess of curls out of her face. “Now, I agree, Joey is a pain in the neck, but he jumps like a dream, so we put up with him. Try this.”
Leah crouched down, positioning herself so her shoulder was braced against the horse. “As you slide your hand down the inside of his leg, put a little pressure against him with your shoulder.” She leaned in a bit, and Joey lifted his foot.
Elizabeth’s big blue eyes went wide. “He never does that! Can I try?”
Leah stood, happy Elizabeth wanted to try managing Joey herself. The little girl set herself up the same way Leah had, ran her hand down the inside of the gelding’s leg, and leaned in with her shoulder. Joey’s foot popped right up.
The look on Elizabeth’s face was triumphant. She happily picked the horse’s hoof, and then moved around to the other side. Leah stayed close by just in case she needed a hand, but it seemed once Elizabeth got the hang of something, she owned it.
Leah had been like that. She still was. Her mistakes, her missteps, and her accomplishments were hers and hers alone. No one got blamed, but she was also pretty stingy giving out credit. If Leah worked for something, she was happy to take the pat on the back.
Without any warning, there was a commotion at the end of the aisle. Moving to see what was going on, and to make sure no one got hurt, she made her way toward the noise. She wasn’t surprised when she saw what had piqued everyone’s interest.
The clutch of teenage girls standing near the main doors of the barn, mouths hanging open, watched as Nate and Tristan, both filthy, walked their horses in from the field. Leah had no idea what they had been up to, but based on the amount of dirt they were wearing, and the sheen of sweat on each of their horses, she guessed it had been a hard ride.
Of course, based on her experience with Tristan last weekend, a hard ride with him could be quite . . . exhilarating. She focused on the two men again, she knew her brother turned heads, he always had. But now, riding in with Tristan, every female in the barn with a pair of working ovaries was paying attention. While Leah had slipped into jeans, a T-shirt, and a pair of half-chaps over her paddock boots, the guys were in full garb. Tristan looked like he’d walked out of a horsemanship magazine. Olive-colored breeches, which emphasized his muscular thighs and his perfect ass, tall black field boots, and a navy-blue polo shirt sent her hormones into overdrive. Combine all that with the scruff of his face, the sweat, and the band tattoo on his wonderfully defined biceps, and Leah would do whatever he wanted.
