The True Love Travels Series Box Set

by Poppy Pennington-Smith

  “Sure,” she said, beaming. “When do you want to leave?”

  Thomas glanced at his watch. “An hour? I’ll just make sure everyone knows what they’re doing today, then we’ll head off? It’s not a short drive, but it’s a nice one.”

  “As long as you drive a bit more carefully than the taxi driver who brought us here,” Rose said warily, remembering how woozy she’d felt when she first arrived.

  Thomas laughed. “I’ve lived here a long time, Rose. But I don’t drive like an Italian quite yet.”

  As he walked away, Rose felt herself bob up and down on the balls of her feet. Yet again, she was failing miserably at making herself forget how stupidly handsome Thomas was. And he’d said the word ‘date’.

  Thomas had said ‘date’.

  This wasn’t a good sign.

  12

  “So, how did it even happen? You owning a ranch? I mean, you didn’t ride when we were younger…” Sitting in the passenger seat of Thomas’ truck, Rose trailed off, realising that for the first time in a long time she actually felt at ease. Not uncomfortable. Not awkward. Not worried she’d say the wrong thing. Just – easy.

  “Katie didn’t keep you informed over the years?”

  Rose shrugged. “I guess not. Just in passing.”

  Thomas nibbled the corner of his lip, as if he wasn’t sure whether he should be pleased that his sister hadn’t gossiped about him or disappointed. “Well, obviously, I was kind of different when we first knew each other.”

  Rose tried to stifle a chuckle. She looked at Thomas from the corner of her eye but saw that he was smiling too. Back in school, he had been little more to Rose than Katie’s geeky older brother. He’d been overweight, spotty, and socially awkward.

  “Just a bit?” she said, raising her eyebrows and trying not to look at the muscles in Thomas’ broad shoulders or the way his beard somehow enhanced his jawline.

  “The plan was that I was going to study maths, become an accountant–”

  “Like me?”

  “Yeah, except I’d have been a terrible accountant,” Thomas laughed. “I took a year out before studying and decided that, for the first time in my life, I needed to be spontaneous. I was sick of being the guy who everyone thought of as boring and steady. So, I went to the airport and got on the first flight I could get a ticket for. I ended up in Rome. Met a guy who was going to spend a few weeks on a ranch mucking out horses, and decided to tag along.”

  “And that ranch was Heart of the Hills?”

  “It was.” Thomas left one hand on the steering wheel and rested the other casually in his lap. He shrugged. “And I guess I loved it so much I never left. The owner, Burt, he was this eccentric old American guy. He took a shine to me – said I had a natural way with the horses. So, he took me under his wing, taught me everything he knew, and when he died a few years back he left the whole place to me.”

  “Wow.”

  Thomas blinked slowly, as if it was no big deal. “He had no kids. I guess after being here ten years, I’d become the closest thing to family that he had.”

  “So, it was yours – just like that?”

  “Yep.”

  “You make it sound so easy. I don’t think I could ever make a change like that. Do something so...” Rose looked out of the window, searching for the right word.

  “Bonkers?’

  “Brave!”

  Thomas’ eyes softened and he rubbed the back of his neck. He took his hat off and playfully balanced it on Rose’s head. “Sure you could. Look at you. You’re a lot braver than you think you are, Rose.”

  “I’m really not.”

  “Of course you are! The way you stepped in when Delilah was in trouble. The way you’ve started to face your fears. It’s amazing. I’m in awe of you.”

  Rose began to blush. Katie’s words resonated in her ears and she shook her head, as if the movement would dislodge her friend’s voice from her brain.

  Thomas was a smooth-talker. His own sister had told her so. And yet, when he said these things they seemed genuine. And they made Rose feel... invincible. But perhaps that’s exactly what Katie had meant when she said Thomas was good at getting women to fall for him.

  Rose consciously sat back a little in her seat and gave him back his hat. “So, where are we heading?”

  Thomas drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Pettricci. It’s pretty stunning.”

  “You said you need supplies?”

  Thomas glanced at her. “I do. But also I wanted to take you out.”

  Rose swallowed hard. She didn’t know how to respond, so chose not to. Instead, she leaned forward and turned on the radio. And they spent the rest of the journey singing along to a terrible 80’s music station.

  ***

  Pettricci was tiny. Up on a hillside with spectacular views over the countryside and a huge old villa at its centre, it was everything Rose had pictured and more.

  As they wandered through the village square, Thomas stopped and bought fresh bread, olives and gelato from a small greengrocer’s. Then, after walking for a while, he suggested they stop and eat.

  Rose agreed, and as he magically pulled a picnic blanket from the backpack he’d surreptitiously slung over his shoulder when they left, she smiled to herself; it really did almost, just almost, feel like a date.

  For once, because they were straying away from the ranch, she had chosen to change into a sundress. And when she sat down and stretched out her legs, she noticed Thomas looking at her.

  “Everything okay?” she asked, feeling suddenly self-conscious.

  “I was just thinking how nice you look.” Thomas handed her a gelato and then grinned cheekily. “Dessert first, before it melts.”

  “I never say no to icecream,” she replied, taking her tub from him while trying not to blush. Then, she wasn’t sure where it came from, she heard herself saying, for the second time in the last few days, “So, do you do this with all of your guests? Take them out for picnics and gelato?”

  She was watching him carefully, trying to decipher the way he’d react. But he simply tilted his head and said, very sincerely, “No. You’re the first.”

  “Oh,” she said. “Well, then I feel very lucky.”

  Thomas took his hat off and lay down on the picnic blanket, as if they had all the time in the world and he wasn’t intending to go anywhere for the rest of the afternoon. “So do I, Rose. So do I.”

  They arrived back at the ranch just after supper. Somehow, accidentally, they had spent the entire day together. After their picnic lunch, they’d collected Thomas’ supplies and then he’d purposefully taken a longer route home, stopping every now and then so that Rose could take photographs and marvel at the scenery.

  “We missed dinner,” she said, climbing out of the truck and looking around to see whether anyone had noticed them. For some reason, she felt like a teenager who’d disobeyed her parents’ instructions. Like at any moment someone might jump out and say, “And where have you been, young lady?”

  “Ah.” Thomas raised his index finger and smiled. “No, we didn’t. This way…” He waved towards the swimming pool then took Rose’s hand and led her towards it.

  She was just wondering how to wriggle out of a situation where Thomas would have to see her in her swimwear when they veered away from the pool, towards the enclosed Italian garden with its large pots and sparkling water fountain.

  At the entrance, a space between two neatly manicured hedges, a red rope had been strung across the pathway and Rose stopped. “This wasn’t here earlier.”

  “No, it wasn’t.” Thomas winked at her, lifted the rope and ushered her past.

  When they emerged into the garden, arguably Rose’s favourite spot on the entire ranch, she saw a table that wasn’t usually there. And two chairs. And the smiling jolly chef who’d brought her and Katie their lunch on their first day.

  Leaning closer, Thomas whispered, “I don’t do this for all my guests either.” And then he led her towards th
e table and pulled out a chair so that she could sit down.

  The chef spoke quickly in Italian, grinning at the two of them and waving at the food before leaving and re-tying the red rope behind her.

  A little stunned, Rose shook her head and frowned. “Thomas, why did you do this?”

  Thomas shrugged and looked down at his plate, nudging his food with his finger. “It’s nice to have someone to do nice things for. That’s all.”

  Rose didn’t know what to say. If their trip to Pettricci had felt almost like a date, then this definitely felt like a date. And yet it wasn’t. It couldn’t be.

  Trying to focus on her food, she diverted the conversation back to the ranch’s smallholding and how Thomas had started it. She asked a million and one questions, all the time hoping that if she kept talking she’d eventually figure out how to say, What is this, Thomas? Really?

  But she didn’t. Eventually, she forgot that it was strange. And she forgot that Katie would be furious about it.

  As Thomas laughed at her jokes and asked her about her life back home, she forgot that he was Thomas Goodwin – her best friend’s brother – and she forgot that she absolutely was not the kind of girl who he’d usually date. And she felt, for the first time in a long time, content. Happy. Remarkable.

  13

  “You know, you haven’t asked me what’s in store for tomorrow’s ‘Helping Rose Love Horses’ lesson.”

  As they walked back towards her cabin, Rose breathed in deeply. A few days ago, she’d have been bubbling with nerves at the thought of spending time in close proximity to a horse. Now, though, it wasn’t the horses that were making her nervous; it seemed like every time she tried to distance herself from Thomas, she failed. And after today, she didn’t think she’d be able to resist whatever he suggested. “I’m flying home Tuesday, Thomas, are you sure there’s any point?”

  “Any point?” Thomas stopped dead in his tracks, as if he was utterly confused by what she’d said. “Of course there’s a point! You’re so close, Rose. All you need to do now is–” He widened his eyes and wiggled his eyebrows at her.

  “Oh,” she said, lifting her palms at him. “No, no. I don’t think I can, Thomas. I managed to be close by without falling to bits but riding? It’s–”

  “Going to be an absolute breeze, trust me.”

  “I–”

  Thomas made an ah sound and put his finger to her lips. “You can do this, Rose. You really can.” He paused and took his finger away, letting it linger just below her ear, almost touching her neck.

  He started walking again. His hand was close to hers, but he didn’t reach for it.

  “All right,” she said, resolutely. “I’ll think about it.”

  The next morning, Rose woke long before Thomas came knocking. She had agreed to try riding a horse. Why? Why had she said yes?

  She wanted to back out. But, at the same time, she couldn’t bear the idea of letting Thomas down; when she’d texted him before bed and said Okay, he’d seemed so excited. He’d said she could change her mind, and he meant it. She knew he meant it. But she didn’t want to change her mind.

  She wanted to do it. She wanted to conquer her fear and prove to herself, and him, and anyone who happened to be watching, that she wasn’t the scared little goose that she appeared to be on the outside.

  Unfortunately, her body didn’t agree with her.

  Even as she got out of bed, her legs were shaking. She felt physically sick and as if she might break out in a cold sweat at any moment.

  Trying to ignore the clamour of sensations fighting to make her back out and stay in the cabin, she showered, dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a loose white top, then did a few star jumps in the middle of the room.

  Years ago, when she’d been forced to deliver a series of presentations at work, she’d read a book about public speaking which said that fear triggers a ‘fight or flight’ response in the body. According to the book, if you can trick your body into thinking that you’re fleeing, by moving about and raising your heart rate, then the nasty physical side effects of your fear will fade.

  It hadn’t worked back then – Rose had stuttered her way through five presentations before admitting defeat and asking Rebecca the intern to do it for her – and it wasn’t working now.

  She was simply more sweaty, and out of breath.

  When Thomas tapped on the patio doors, Rose could barely force herself to open them. And as soon as he saw her, his eyes widened with concern. “Rose, you’re as white as a ghost.”

  “I’m okay,” she said, feeling green around the edges and like she might need to sit down before she fell down.

  “Hey...” Thomas put his hands on her arms and smiled. “We don’t have to do this today. I shouldn’t have pushed you. Let’s leave it until your next visit.”

  Trying to ignore the fact that Thomas had just mentioned a ‘next visit’, Rose shook her head. “No, I want to do it. I need to.” She looked up and met his eyes, trying to conjure some kind of magic super-hero confidence from deep in her belly. “I’m sick of being scared of everything. So, I need to do something to help myself. Like you did. When you came here.”

  Thomas breathed in slowly. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but he was studying her face with a softness in his eyes that she hadn’t seen before. “Okay then,” he said. “Let’s do it.”

  They had agreed to head out early, to avoid bumping into any other guests. But the stables were still buzzing with activity – stalls being mucked out, horses being exercised around the smaller paddocks, saddles and reins being prepared for the day’s treks.

  Rose stopped and took a deep breath. She was trembling.

  Thomas put his arm around her and squeezed. “One step at a time, okay?”

  She nodded, unable to speak.

  “See that empty paddock there?”

  Rose nodded again.

  “Go down there and wait under the trees. I’ll fetch Massimo. He’s an absolute sweetheart. Small, gentle... you’ll love him when you meet him. I promise.”

  Rose tried to speak but all that came out was a whisper. “Okay.”

  When she reached the paddock, away from the stables and from other people, she felt a tiny bit better.

  Waiting for Thomas, she tried to remember how she’d felt when she looked into Delilah’s eyes, when she’d stroked Piccolo and given him his name, and when she’d watched Thomas going off on his trek.

  He was completely at ease around the horses, as were pretty much all of the other riders, instructors and stable hands. Not once had she seen a horse kick up on its hind legs, bolt off into the blue with a rider shouting for help, or any of the other things she’d imagined happening when she’d seen horses in the past.

  You can do this, Rose, she whispered to herself.

  And then, she saw Thomas. He emerged from the yard, leading a small sandy brown horse with a blonde mane.

  Thomas was taller than the horse and was smiling and chatting to it as they approached. Slowly, taking in Rose’s almost translucent complexion, he led Massimo up beside her and stopped a few feet away.

  Rose smiled, trying desperately to make her body play ball and calm itself down. “He looks friendly,” she said shakily.

  “He is. Aren’t you, boy?” Thomas stroked Massimo’s nose and the horse nuzzled into him.

  Rose stepped forward.

  “Always approach them from the front, so you don’t surprise them. That’s the only real thing you have to worry about.” Thomas moved towards Rose and took her hand. Entwining his fingers with hers, he lifted her hand and stretched it out so that her fingertips brushed ever-so-gently against the horse’s mane.

  Rose was holding her breath. She expected Massimo to whinny or shake his head. But he didn’t. In fact, he almost leaned into her touch.

  With his hand on top of hers, Thomas guided her fingers down to Massimo’s nose. It was soft and smoother than she’d expected. And when Thomas took his hand away, she let hers stay where it
was, gently moving up and down until the queasy feeling in her stomach started to subside.

  “We use Massimo a lot when we do therapy with local kids,” Thomas said softly. “He’s a real star and he’s very intuitive. It’s like he knows exactly what you’re feeling. When someone’s more confident, he becomes playful and a bit silly. But when they’re nervous, he’s as still as anything. A picture of calm and tranquillity.” Thomas patted Massimo’s shoulder. “Aren’t you, boy?”

  Rose was transfixed. Doing what Thomas said and taking one step at a time was working. All she was thinking about was stroking Massimo’s mane and nose and shoulder. She wasn’t thinking about what came next.

  “We can do this for as long as you like, there’s no rush,” Thomas said, stepping back to give her some space.

  Rose nodded. “I think I’m ready,” she said, quickly, because if she didn’t then she might not say it at all.

  “Really?” Thomas took off his hat and rested it on a nearby fence post. “Take more time, Rose, if you need it.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I think I need to do it now, before I have the chance to get nervous again.”

  “All right.” Thomas gestured to a small wooden stump by the fence. “You can use this to help you up.” He patted Massimo and moved him over towards the stump, then took Rose’s arm and helped her up onto it. It was barely a foot off the ground, but her legs were wobbling so much she felt like she was standing on top of the Empire State Building.

  Patting the stirrup closest to them, Thomas told her to put her left foot into it, hold on to the front of the saddle, and then just swing her right leg over. “Don’t be afraid that you’ll hurt him. You won’t. Use the saddle to help yourself up. Okay?”