by Elena Aitken
Except Eva herself.
~ ~
It had been a busy day and she'd taken care of the dinner arrangements, made sure the decorations were complete, ordered and received the corset for Andi—which she still wasn't pleased about—and with Troy's help, made sure the centerpieces were complete.
Everything was ready. Except for the horse.
Keeping busy all day meant Eva didn't need to think about Jeff, the kiss they'd shared and pretty much all the rest of the drama and questions that seemed to come up whenever she thought about him.
It was easier to keep busy.
Which is exactly what she intended to do. She put the final touches on her makeup as best she could with the use of only one arm. Her sore wrist was feeling better, and with any luck she could take the bandage off for the ceremony in the morning. Eva examined herself in the mirror. She'd never put so much energy into her appearance before and it's not like Jeff would care, even if he did notice.
But he wouldn't be impressed anyway, she thought as she smoothed her good hand over her black pants and assessed her teal sweater. He'd only be impressed if she was in jeans and a flannel shirt, with big clunky winter boots. And that wasn't going to happen. Not for Andi's rehearsal dinner, anyway.
Eva smiled inwardly at the thought of her dressing like a ranch hand. It probably wouldn't be too bad, if Jeff was there to help her get undressed.
"No," she spoke to her reflection. "Not now. Not him. Not happening."
Before she could let her imagination get carried away again, Eva snatched up her purse, leaving her clipboard behind for once, and headed down to Oliver’s, the Lodge’s premier restaurant, where they'd rented out the entire back room for Andi's festivities.
Almost everyone was there by the time Eva pushed her way into the room. Andi's family took up more space than she would have thought. What with the twins running around and her father and mother doing their best to pretend the other didn't exist, the room seemed a lot smaller than it was.
"I'm so glad you're here," Andi said, grabbing Eva by the arm.
"Hey. Sorry I'm late. You look great. Are you feeling better, then?"
When Andi smiled, her whole face lit up. She positively glowed. "So much! I don't know if I just needed some rest, or Colin by my side, or what it was. But I feel fine now. Thank you for putting up with my craziness."
"Hey, I've had years of practice." She winked at her, and then scanned the room again. "Have you seen Troy?"
"Troy?"
"Colin's friend…my date. Tall, blond, crazy good looking. The one you wanted me to date. Have you seen him?"
"Oh him," Andi said, genuinely surprised. "I'd totally forgotten about him."
"Clearly." Eva strained her neck to look over her friend's shoulder and see if she could spot him. "He was supposed to meet me here."
Andi smiled and looked at her strangely. "Really? So you guys hit it off then?" she asked, after a moment. "You know, I always kind of thought he was gay."
Eva snapped to attention but avoided her friend's gaze. "Why would you want to set me up with him if he was?"
Andi shrugged, bored with the topic. "Sometimes I'm wrong about these things,” was all she gave for an answer. "Anyway, I'm glad you found each other then."
Right, Eva thought. They'd found each other all right and it had seemed like such a good idea at the time, but the longer the fake date scenario played out, the harder it would be to come clean to Jeff and see what there was between them. If there was anything at all.
That was the ultimate question plaguing Eva. The one she couldn't let go of. Keeping up the illusion with Troy was easy because he was safe. And Jeff was anything but safe. And everything that she wanted.
"Earth to Eva." Andi waved a hand in front of her and she quickly put a smile on her face, focusing on the situation.
"Sorry," she said. "I was just thinking about some last-minute details."
"You're a terrible liar," Andi said. She giggled and Eva joined in because Andi was right.
Fortunately, Eva was saved from having to explain anything because at that moment Andi's dad clinked on his glass and the entire room hushed to listen to his toast.
"I just want to take a moment to raise a glass to my beautiful daughter and the man lucky enough to marry her."
A murmur of agreement and laughter traveled through the crowd.
"You are perfect together and it does my heart good to see how in love you both are." He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and cleared his throat loudly. "May you have a long, healthy life, filled with happiness and many babies running…"
Eva didn't hear the rest of the toast, because she'd fixated on one word. She turned to Andi, who clearly had come to the same conclusion. "Babies?" They mouthed the word to each other and Eva's eyes dropped to her best friend’s stomach.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Jeff couldn't focus on anything all day. His brain flitted from one thing to the next without landing on one task for more than five minutes. It made getting any real work done next to impossible and after hours of wasted day, he finally gave up, saddled up Clover and took her for a ride.
The sky was gray, and the clouds hung heavy and low on the mountains. A storm was coming, which wasn't surprising for January, particularly since they hadn't had a good dump of snow for weeks.
Not wanting to push his luck with the weather, Jeff rode only far enough to clear his head before turning back. It didn't take as long as he thought. Riding always worked to make him feel better, even if every thought he had was still of Eva.
Only a few more hours and he was going to get to the bottom of whatever it was with her, or more likely, whatever it was that was keeping them apart.
"Women. Hey, Clover?" He patted the horse’s neck and she let out a snort in response. "Maybe if I could get her out for a ride on you she'd see how we can make this work. That is, if she liked horses."
Clover jerked her neck, as if in response to that tidbit of news.
"I know, I know." He patted her neck. "But I think we can change that. Don't you?"
He barely had to lead the horse back to the stables. She knew exactly where she was going and it was an easy ride that allowed Jeff to think about everything he was going to give up by leaving.
He allowed himself to look around, taking in everything and committing it to memory.
"I'm going to miss you, girl," he said to Clover. Anyone listening may have thought he'd completely lost his mind, but he didn't care. Talking to Clover had always been therapeutic. "But you won't be able to get rid of me that easily. I'll be back. And you never know, I might even bring someone famous back with me."
Jeff took the lack of response from his favorite horse as consent for him to leave. As Clover walked through the fence into the yard, Jeff knew he'd made the right decision. At least as far as the job was concerned. Eva was a different story altogether. But he'd figure that out, too. First, he needed to find Marianne, and make things official.
As it turned out, Marianne wasn't too hard to find. After Jeff got Clover back into the stables and gave her some fresh feed, he made his way up to the Lodge, where he found her waiting in the main room. She lounged by the fireplace, looking every bit the Hollywood maven in her fancy clothes and full makeup. Instead of getting up, she raised a finger when she spotted him.
"Hey," he said. "Shouldn't you be getting ready to head back?"
She patted the cushion next to her and gave him a slow smile. "That depends," she said, her voice a low purr. "Are you going to give me a reason to stay?"
Opting to stand, Jeff leaned against the arm of the sofa. "I told you I'd take the job," he said. "And I'm ready to sign the contract. Do you have it ready?"
"Sugar, I'm always ready." She lowered her eyelids and batted them in a way he had no doubt worked for most men. Heck, it'd worked for him once.
"The papers?"
"Right here, sugar." She slid a packet from her attaché case and held them out with two red manic
ured fingers.
Jeff snatched them from her and flicked through them, giving them a cursory look. He already knew what they said. He'd seen a copy earlier.
"Pen?"
Marianne reached into her case again and withdrew a ballpoint pen. "My, my," she said. "You're all business today." She held the pen out.
"I'm very busy." Jeff reached out to grab it, but she pulled it back. He caught himself before he fell onto her.
"Too busy for me?" she purred.
He knew he had two options. He could make it hard, or he could try to minimize the damage.
"You know I'm never too busy for you, Marianne." Jeff gave her the smile he knew would melt her, and sure enough, a smile of her own crossed her face and she handed him the pen.
Before she could snatch it back, Jeff signed next to his name and added the date. "I'm in," he said.
Surprising even himself, a sense of calm washed over him. He handed the papers back to her, and he knew with a certainty he hadn't had before he’d made the right choice. He'd miss the Lodge without a doubt, but it was time to move on.
"I'm so glad you signed, sugar." Marianne pulled herself up from the couch with a fluidity that Jeff wasn't sure was humanly possible and closed the gap between them. "We can pick up right where we left off." She ran a red fingernail down the side of his face, and he fought the urge to shudder.
They'd left off in a rather uncomfortable situation involving each of them entwined in sheets, and only Marianne happy to be there. Sure, it’d been a good idea at the time—wasn’t it always? But waking up next to Marianne felt wrong and he tried to let her down easy at the time. Or at least, he thought he had. Jeff took her hand gently in his own and lowered it. "I don’t think so."
Her face twisted in what could only be considered a grimace. "What do you mean?"
"Things have changed," he said. "Besides, I don’t think it’s a good idea to get involved with people I work with."
"Nonsense." Marianne slid herself even closer, pressing up against his chest until his senses were assaulted by the strength of her perfume. "Everyone in the industry is involved. It really isn’t an issue."
He took a step back and gulped a breath of fresher air. "It is for me. I’m sorry."
Marianne straightened and put one hand on her hip, assessing him. "I see what’s going on," she said.
"You do?" A cross between panic and relief flooded through him. Maybe this would be over without any dramatics.
"You’re married, aren’t you?"
"Married?" Jeff reeled. "No. I’m not married."
"But there is someone else?"
Was there? Of course there was, at least in his mind. "Yes." He nodded. "At least I’d like there to be."
Marianne nodded slowly, and her eyes raked over him. "I see," she said, although Jeff was pretty sure she didn’t. "Well, if that’s the way it is, then that’s the way it is." She picked up her purse and slung it over her shoulder. "I guess I’ll see you on set, then."
"Thank you," he said. "For understanding, I mean. I really am looking forward to working together, and—"
She held up a finger to silence him. "It doesn’t really matter, does it?" She walked away, her high heels clicking on the slate floor, before Jeff could even figure out what she’d meant.
~ ~
As soon as dessert was over and the speeches concluded, Eva said her goodbyes, and under the excuse of tying up the details for the ceremony, she escaped the rehearsal dinner. But not before whispering in Andi’s ear that they would talk in the morning about what they both suspected. Surprisingly, Andi didn’t seem worried or stressed by the thought that she might be pregnant. In fact, the realization seemed to have the opposite effect on her. She’d been smiling and more relaxed than she had been all week.
But then again, why should she be stressed? Andi was marrying the man of her dreams in less than twenty-four hours. A baby would only be an added blessing to them. Not a reason for worry.
"I’ll be by first thing tomorrow to help you get ready," Eva said. "Have a great evening. It’s your last one as Andi Williams."
"Don’t I know it?" Her smile was huge and contagious. "Where are you headed to now? I thought everything was ready for tomorrow?"
"It is," Eva said quickly. She didn’t need the bride concerned about anything. "There’s just one little detail I need to take care of with Jeff."
"Is that right? And what might that be?"
Eva swatted her friend on the shoulder. "Stop it. I need to choose your horse, is all. Besides, you know that Troy is my date tomorrow." The lie felt toxic on her tongue and by the look on Andi’s face, she knew it too.
"About that," Andi said. "Turns out that Troy is gay. Colin got a good laugh out of it when I told him you were dating him." She emphasized the word dating. "So maybe your trip to see the horses tonight is about a little more than just my ride tomorrow?"
Eva looked away, not ready to tell Andi anything. Not when she didn’t even understand things herself. "I’ll see you in the morning," she said, and gave Andi one last hug.
She wasn’t sure what to expect when she arrived at the stables, and she was certainly no more dressed for it than she was the first time she’d ventured down, but there was a nervous anticipation in her belly. And even though Eva wasn’t sure what was going on between her and Jeff, she couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss, and the way it had twisted her insides in a very good, incredibly exciting way.
But she’d have to tell Jeff the truth about Troy, because the other thing Eva couldn’t stop thinking about was the look on Jeff’s face when he’d seen her with Troy’s arm around her shoulders. And he hadn’t shown up for dinner either, so maybe she was wrong about everything. Maybe he really did only want to talk to her about the horse.
"Hello," Eva called out as she picked her way across the yard. The only light was coming from the barn, so despite her better judgment about being so close to a building full of horses, she headed towards them. "Jeff?" she called as she got to the door. The large sliding door was open a crack, so she poked her head in and almost jumped out again.
There were at least six horse heads hanging out of the stalls and they all turned towards her when she stepped inside. But Jeff was there as well. And his presence was the only thing keeping her from turning and running before the horses could hurt her. She knew she was being irrational, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.
"Hey," Jeff said. His face split into a genuine smile when he saw her and something inside Eva calmed. At least he was happy to see her. He stepped forward and held his hand out to her.
She took a tentative step inside and took his hand. She had to resist the urge to close her eyes and savor the sensation of his warmth. There was something protective and safe about his presence and being near him allowed her to relax.
"There’s nothing to be worried about," Jeff said, reading her body language. "I know you said you didn’t like horses, but I can’t believe how tense you are. I promise, they won’t hurt you. Not unless you’re twelve and at summer camp."
She couldn't help but laugh at how silly she was being. "Point made."
"It really is okay," Jeff said. His voice was soothing but the way he looked at her was anything but calm.
"I wanted to tell—"
"Let me show—"
They spoke at the same time. "You first," Eva said. She’d wanted to clear the air right away, but maybe the time wasn’t right. She’d wait. They should probably take care of things with the horses first.
Jeff looked at her strangely, but continued. "Okay," he said. "Come with me. I want to show you how gentle these guys are." He led her down the center of the barn, and stopped in front of a stall with a completely white horse. "This is Snowball."
"Snowball?"
"I know. It’s not the most creative name, but when she was born it fit. She was like a little ball of snow."
Eva looked up at him in amazement. "You were here when she was born?"
He nod
ded. "She’s only a few years old, and she was born right here at the Lodge. So I was lucky enough to be around for the big day. She’s beautiful, isn’t she?"
Eva returned her gaze to the horse, and had to admit, she was a pretty good-looking animal. She nodded. "Is she the one you think would be good for the wedding?"
Jeff patted the horse’s nose. "Don’t you?"
She took a long look at the horse and nodded. "Actually, I think she'd be beautiful. That is, if you’re going to let Andi have a horse in the wedding."
Jeff grinned. "I was always going to let Andi have the horse," he said. "But I needed a reason to get you down here."
"What?" She tried to look mad, but she was pretty sure he’d be able to see through her act.
"I wanted you to see for yourself how amazing the horses could be."
She returned his smile and on her own, reached out to stroke Snowball. They stood in silence for a few moments, and Eva was just about to spill the truth about Troy when Jeff surprised her by asking, "Do you want to ride her?"
"Do I what?" Eva shook her head and instinctively backed off.
"It's totally safe," he said. "She's really gentle."
"I'm sure she is." Eva forced herself to take a deep breath. "But I’m not really dressed for it."
Jeff looked down and took in her outfit. His eyes slowly worked their way up and held hers again. "You look perfect to me," he said softly.
Neither of them looked away and Eva couldn't think of any other objections.
"You said yourself she was beautiful," Jeff reasoned. "And you can see how gentle she is. Here." He took her hand and gently placed it on the horse’s head. Her first instinct was to withdraw and run, but Snowball was soft, almost like velvet, and she felt nice under Eva’s hand.
After a moment, Eva tentatively moved her fingers, surprising herself with how much she enjoyed the feel of the animal. She barely noticed when Jeff took his hand away, and she was touching Snowball on her own.
"She’s so soft," Eva whispered, as if afraid to break the spell.
