Wild Fire (The Fairy Tale Match Series)

by Danielle Rose-West

  “So, what would you like for breakfast?” she asked, letting go of his hand and heading for the fridge to check for ingredients. Jake tried to ignore the bereft feeling that washed over him at the loss of her hand in his. “Would you like a full English breakfast or something more American, like pancakes?”

  “You don’t have to cook for us, you know,” he said, a little abruptly in his discomfort. He gathered hits scattered wits and finished putting the coffee maker on.

  “I love to cook. Really, it’s a pleasure to have people to cook for, rather than just me.”

  “Just do what you feel like cooking then,” he shrugged.

  “Full English it is then,” she decided, grabbing up the things she needed and setting pans on the cooker. The room soon filled up with the heavenly smell of bacon, eggs, fried potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, beans and fried bread. Coffee added to the appetizing aroma, making Jake’s stomach rumble. Once the coffee was ready, he poured himself a cup and sat at the kitchen table watching Laura buzz around the kitchen, completely absorbed in her cooking. He had to smile to himself. When she cooked, it seemed the whole world disappeared to Laura. He was sure a herd of elephants could come through, doing the Can Can and she wouldn’t have a clue.

  “Can I ask you something?” he finally asked as she piled two plates with the breakfast items and brought them over, pouring a cup of coffee for herself and topping up his.

  “Sure,” she replied, sitting down opposite him.

  “What exactly did Kerry tell you in her emails to you?” He dug into his food, marvelling again at her talent, while he waited anxiously for her reply. He’d been up a good portion of the night thinking about the strange turn his life had just taken and worrying about just how much Kerry had blabbed.

  “She didn’t say much,” Laura assured him, seeing the anxiety on his face. “She told me that the ranch has been in your family for generations. That you still have a horse breeding programme here, but that you also run part of the ranch as a tourist attraction, complete with a wagon train experience and you have a riding school. She told me about losing your father when you were still quite young and that you’ve grown into running the ranch as you got old enough to take the responsibility. She also said your mother is currently with your grandmother, but she hoped I would meet her before returning home. She didn’t reveal anything of a deeply personal nature, I assure you. I didn’t even know about your scar until I got here.” This last she said hesitantly, unsure how he would take her reference to it, but he merely nodded and continued with his food.

  Jake was deeply relived that Kerry hadn’t totally betrayed him by telling someone else about his past. He didn’t like revealing anything of himself and was certainly not ready for Laura to know the sordid details of his scar. They finished their meal in silence. Bill came in through the back door before they’d swallowed the last bite, looking shocked to see them both at the table together. He raised an eyebrow at Jake, but he refused to acknowledge the man’s obvious enquiry.

  “Oh, good morning Bill,” Laura smiled. “Have you had any breakfast yet?”

  Bill smiled warmly at her. “I haven’t, as a matter of fact. Was kind of hoping you might be cooking this morning?” he waggled his eyebrows at her, making her laugh. “I nearly ate that apple pie of yours completely on my own last night. Heaven on a plate!” He sighed in memory, patting his stomach.

  Laura got to her feet to get him breakfast. Bill turned to Jake, but he escaped out the back door before the older man could say anything to him.

  *****

  Laura spent a quiet morning sorting out her unpacking and exploring the area close to the ranch house. Kerry had left her after breakfast with a quick apology. She ran the guest side of their business, as well as the riding school and had several jobs that she couldn’t put off. Bill had also needed to leave to help Jake with several horses that were due to foal soon. He’d promised to be free after lunch for a riding lesson/tour of the ranch. Laura had shooed them both away with assurances that she could take care of herself for a while.

  The peace was really what she needed, she decided as she walked outside to view the ranch. There was so much space here, unlike at home in England. For the first time in years, Laura felt like she could breathe. Her life had been too filled up with worry and stress. It felt wonderful to just stop for a while, take stock and make new choices. Smiling happily, she walked along a path that led to the rear of the ranch.

  She found the riding school, where Kerry told her they gave lessons to guests as well as providing classes for serious riders wanting to learn various skills for horse shows. She was very proud that many of their horses bred on the ranch were bought by Olympic riders and they had also trained some of the States finest riders in various competitions, including the Olympics. The riding school was big business for them.

  Laura could certainly see the quality of the school. There were two large areas that had been fenced off; one with jumps set up, the other with simple flat grass that had been trampled down to mud in many places by the horses. There was a class going on in each of the areas.

  She decided to watch the class that weren’t jumping, thinking she might get some pointers before attempting to ride herself later on. She could see about seven horses with riders of various ages riding in a circle. In the middle was a young man around two or three years older than herself, at a guess. He was calling out instructions to the riders in a crisp English accent, circling slowly with them as he watched their movements.

  He cut quite a dashing figure in his tight riding trousers, shirt and knee high boots. His hair was sandy brown and he had a thin moustache which reminded her of a musketeer, but she couldn’t tell what colour his eyes were from the distance. He was very at ease with himself and held a charming smile on his lips, flashing dimples the entire time he was instructing his riders.

  Laura couldn’t help but smile to herself as she climbed up onto the fence to sit and watch the class. Three young women in the group were all working very hard to gain the attention of the handsome riding instructor. The man was quite obviously enjoying the competition, blatantly spreading himself around the three in a way that was fascinating to behold. He bestowed his easy smile in one direction, then another with compliments flowing free and fast. The women preened under his flattering and then glared daggers at each other when he was looking in a different direction.

  The man glanced over to the fence and saw Laura. He sent her one of his huge dimple filled smiles, his eyes gleaming in interest. He gave a small nod in her direction, which she returned. The class came to an end and the group made their way out of the paddock, taking the hot sweaty horses back to the stable for grooming. The instructor made his way over to Laura.

  “Hi,” he called out to her as he approached, flashing his dimples at her again. “I’ve not seen you around here before. Are you a guest in one of the cabins?” He strode up to the fence and casually draped his arm around the post next to Laura’s leg. His dark eyes ran over her form, the admiration in them making her flush, but he didn’t make her heart flip over the way a certain dark haired, blue eyed man did.

  “Actually, I’m staying with Jake and Kerry,” she replied, smiling down at him from her vantage point on the fence. “I just got here yesterday for a visit.”

  “Ah, how wonderful to hear the sound of home. A fellow countrywoman if I am not mistaken?” She nodded to confirm his query. “It is always so lovely to meet up with people from home. I have been here in the US for several years now, working as a riding instructor for various ranches and still sometimes I get homesick. I’m Walter Nobel by the way.”

  “I’m Laura Hamilton,” she replied, with a small laugh. The man was a real charmer. She could see why the women took to him. He had an easy smile and a naughty twinkle in his eyes. “Have you family back in England, Mr Nobel?”

  “Please, call me Walter or Walt. Mr Nobel makes me look around for my father.” He gave an exaggerated shudder. “I left him back in En
gland along with the rest of my family and I certainly don’t miss them. They are the reason I left, actually.” He gave her a cheeky wink, making her laugh. “Have you known the Carters long?” he asked, propping his boot up on the fence near her foot and leaning closer.

  “A while,” she replied evasively. Somehow she didn’t think Jake would appreciate anyone else knowing the circumstances of her arrival here. She quickly changed the subject. “Do you enjoy working here?”

  “I love it. How many people can say they get to earn money doing something they truly love all day long?” He cocked his head to one side as he regarded her with a deep intense look. “What about you Laura? Do you do what you love for work?”

  “Not yet, but I hope to one day,” she sighed wistfully. “One of the reasons I came here was to see if I can settle into a new life in the States. Maybe I can be as lucky as you and find my perfect job here too.”

  “So, you may be sticking around here permanently?” Walter asked, his voice dropping to an intimately low caress. “We must take the time to get to know each other better. Being fellow countryman and all, we should stick together.” He gave her a naughty flirtatious smile.

  “It would be lovely to be friends.” She stressed the word in the hopes that Walter would take the hint and not keep flirting with her. She thought him nice enough, but he didn’t set her pulse to racing or her heart pounding. The last thing she wanted to do was give him the false impression that she was interested in him. From what she’d seen, Walter was interested in all women. She had no desire to become one of his conquests whose name he probably forgot in moments or maybe never even knew.

  “Do you ride?” he asked, running his eyes all over her in a caressing sweep she assumed was meant to make her weak at the knees, but didn’t. Unfortunately, her hint seemed to have fallen on deaf ears or he was deliberately ignoring it.

  “No, but it is something I want to learn,” she replied to his question. “Actually, Bill is giving me a lesson later today.”

  “Why bother him? I’d be happy to teach you. I’m always available for a little……private tutoring.” He gave her a lopsided grin, his eyes full of an invitation she had no intention of taking him up on.

  “That’s very kind of you, Walter but I really don’t think I could take a member of the Carters workforce away from his regular duties.” Laura decided a more direct turndown might be in order. “I’m more than happy to learn with Bill.” She began to climb back over the fence, when Walter snagged her arm, sliding his hand down her arm and gently rubbing his thumb along the sensitive flesh of her inner wrist.

  “It would be no trouble at all, I assure you, lovely Laura. Jake would probably be happy for me to teach you. He relies on Bill heavily, especially when there are horses near foaling. We’d be doing him a favour.” He smiled persuasively at her, tugging on her arm. “We could start now if you want? My next class isn’t for an hour.” His eyes took on a heavy gleam of desire as he looked her over again. Boy, this man had the hide of a rhino serous. What did it take to get him to quit? Laura was about to firmly pull her arm out of Walters grip, when a hand clamped down onto his wrist and yanked it off for her.

  Jake stood over Walter, looking furious. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Nobel?” he demanded. Laura thought he’d looked angry yesterday, but it was nothing to how he looked now.

  “Calm down, Carter. What is your problem? I was only offering a riding lesson to your lovely guest. Thought I’d save Bill the job.” Walter calmly rubbed his wrist where Jake had gripped him, looking remarkably unruffled by Jakes anger.

  “I know exactly what kind of riding lesson you were offering and I doubt it was the one Laura was after. I’ll thank you to treat our guest with respect. While we’re on the subject, I don’t like the way you push yourself at our female clients. Rein it in or I’ll be speaking to Kerry about finding a new instructor. Got it?” Jake’s voice was deadly, his expression hard.

  Walter shrugged, laughing softly but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. The charming air dropped away and his face took on a harder edge. “I never push myself on women, Jake. Quite the opposite if you must know. Can I help it if women love me?” he asked, spreading his hands wide with an innocent expression. “Come on, Carter,” he continued in a friendly voice, winking at Jake in a conspiratorial way. “You knew what that was like once, didn’t you. Before….” He gestured to the left side of his face.

  Jake froze at the implication of Walter’s statement. Rage boiled in his veins and his fists balled at his sides. He was on the verge of punching Walter Nobel’s overly pretty face, the desire to break his perfect nose overriding his better judgement, when a small hand clamped down on his arm. He looked down to see Laura standing next to him. She shook her head slightly as she twinned her arms through his, effectively stopping him from his murderous intentions.

  “Jake, did you come to get me for that tour you promised?” she asked, smiling sweetly at him. “Please excuse us, Walter. I’m sure I’ve kept you from your work long enough.”

  “I have enjoyed our chat immensely, lovely Laura. Meeting you has been the highlight of my dreary day.” Walter declared dramatically, clasping a hand to his chest. “By the way, that offer for a riding lesson is always open to you. Just say the word.” He gave her a suggestive wink, grinning widely. Laura felt Jake tense up beside her, waves of anger rolling off him. She gripped his arm tighter.

  Shaking her head at Walter’s nonsense, which she was sure was just to get up Jakes nose, she sighed hoping Jake wouldn’t attempt to hit him again. “That’s very kind, Walter but I’m sure I’ll be fine with Bill.”

  He gave an exaggerated sigh of despair. “Another time then, fair Laura,” he replied, executing a small bow in her direction, he threw an insolent salute to Jake before he swept off towards the stables.

  Jake growled low in his throat. “I wanted to punch his stupid fake smile right off his arrogant face,” he hissed out in a low voice.

  “I know and if it wouldn’t land you in jail with a huge law suit round your neck, I might have let you,” Laura told him. “He shouldn’t have said what he did. It was wrong of him. I can’t believe he would speak to his boss that way. Isn’t he worried you’ll fire him?”

  “No, because he is one of best at what he does or so Kerry says. She hired him. I don’t really get involved with that side of the business. I avoid him usually. I can’t stand him and as you noticed, he can’t stand me either.” Jake gritted his teeth, unaware his hands were twisting together as if he had Walter’s neck between them.

  “I can see that,” Laura said, letting go of his arm and stepping back from him. She felt the loss immediately, but didn’t want him to feel she was being too familiar with him. “Really, you shouldn’t let him get to you. Surely you could see he was just trying to wind you up on purpose. His opinion of you shouldn’t matter.”

  He couldn’t admit to her that normally he was never bothered by Walter’s pathetic pursuits of women. If they were too stupid to realise the man was a Casanova that was their problem. It had, to his complete annoyance, bothered him to see Walter pursuing her. When Jake had seen the two of them together in what looked like such a cosy position, he’d felt like someone had hit him in his guts. He’d flashed right back to Victoria and every feeling of betrayal had come rushing to the surface.

  He’d had to remind himself that this was Laura. She wasn’t his. If she was interested in Walter, it was none of his business. But his feet had taken him over to them anyway. He’d wanted to rip Walters arm off for touching her. It was totally irrational, but he felt like Laura belonged to him as if they were connected somehow. He tried to keep rejecting the emotions, but they kept springing up. She drew him to her like a moth to a flame. His mind had been on nothing but her all morning; to then see her smiling and chatting, apparently having a wonderful time with that stupid arrogant jerk had been too much. She obviously didn’t feel a thing for him and he’d rather die than let her know Walter’s intere
st in her had got to him.

  “It’s not just his opinion,” he corrected. “He is simply saying what everyone else thinks. I’ve heard the whispers. They all say what a shame it is, what a waste.” He turned bitter eyes to Laura. “He just had the guts to say it to my face.”

  They fell into an awkward silence, each staring at the other. Laura wanted to reach out to him, the hurt she’d seen on his face when Walter had made reference to his scar had cut into her heart like a knife. She wanted to be able to hold him close and soothe that pain away, but she didn’t have that right. She wished she could tell him it didn’t take anything away from his handsome face, but that was too personal. She was too afraid to reveal what he did to her and how he made her feel. They barely knew each other, after all.

  Instead she swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump in her throat. The last thing he needed from her was pity. “Not everyone holds that narrow view,” she finally said. “There are people who think what’s on the inside is far more important than what is on the outside.”

  “What happens when what’s on the inside is broken?” he asked quietly.

  Her heart bled for him. She touched his arm gently. “I believe all things can be healed; given time,” she said sincerely.

  “I don’t.” His soft reply cut her deeply. Whatever had happened to him had left a scar far deeper than the one on his face. She wondered if any woman could touch it. She doubted that she was special enough to even try. Unsure what to say, she decided to change the subject completely, but he was already turning away from her.

  “If you don’t mind, I need to get back to work,” he told her abruptly.

  “Of course.” Laura wished she could keep him with her, but she could see him shutting down in front of her eyes. “Will you be having lunch with us?” Her foolish heart hoped he’d say yes. But he shook his head.

  “I need to stay out with the horses today. Bill will though. He is looking forward to giving you that riding lesson.” He gave her a small smile, making her stomach clench and her heart turn over, then he walked swiftly away.