But, now, approaching Stella, she actually felt... okay. More than okay – confident.
She’d just finished fastening the saddle and was splashing her face with water from the tap by the barn, because the temperature in the last week had sky-rocketed, when she spotted Thomas and a crowd of recently-arrived riders walking down from the ranch house.
Thomas was at the front of the group, chatting casually to a woman with long dark hair. She was smiling and laughing loudly at his jokes. A few weeks ago, watching them would have given Rose a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
It still niggled a little, in the back of her mind somewhere, but she ignored it. Every day since Thomas kissed her, she had chosen to ignore it. Maybe if he’d been secretive about it, she’d have remained wary. Maybe if he’d told her they should act ‘normal’ around the others, she’d have thought he was trying to hide something. But, far from secretive, he was the opposite.
The first time he put his arm around her in front of Fleur and Mike, Rose had almost jumped out of her skin. But then he’d casually squeezed her into him and kissed her on the forehead and Rose had grinned like the Cheshire Cat.
Fleur had looked surprised but had remained silent and, ever since, Rose had seen very little of her.
So, as they approached, Rose straightened her shoulders, held her head up high, and walked over to the group knowing that Thomas would greet her with a kiss.
Of course, he did. And the brunette beside him immediately stopped fluttering her eyelashes and smiled, almost apologetically, at Rose.
“Everything okay?” Thomas asked her, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Good,” she said, knowing she was flushed from the heat but, for once, not feeling self-conscious about it.
Thomas waved the group towards Mike and Chris, who divided them into two – beginners and advanced – and began allocating them their horses.
“Where are you headed today?” Rose asked, absentmindedly stroking Thomas’ arm.
“Up to the hills, it’ll be a long one. Sorry.”
“That’s okay,” she replied. “Plenty here to keep me busy.”
“Rose, you’ve been working way too hard.”
“Got to earn my keep – you are letting me stay in one of the best cabins totally free of charge.”
“As if I’d make my girlfriend stay anywhere else?”
Thomas kept walking, towards the group of riders who were now waiting patiently to begin their trek, but Rose had stopped in her tracks. Girlfriend?
She should ask him. She should say it, right there: Thomas, did you just call me your girlfriend? But she didn’t. She couldn’t. Instead, she just jogged up to him, stood beside Stella as Thomas swung himself effortlessly into her saddle, and then waved him goodbye.
At lunch time, she joined Chris, Fleur, and the small group of other instructors and stable hands that Thomas had managed to gather together when the volunteers failed to arrive.
Now, she sat at the cool kids’ table. And it almost felt normal.
“So...” Allison, one of the instructors who’d arrived at the last minute, on loan from a friend of Thomas’ at a nearby ranch, smiled at her with wide, interested eyes. “You and Thomas – are you?” She leaned in towards Rose conspiratorially, as if they were high school friends gossiping about boys.
“Oh, we’re...” Rose trailed off, then laughed. “I’m not really sure what we are.”
“Well you look super cute together,” Allison grinned. American with an open, friendly face and freckles on the bridge of her nose, Rose had immediately been drawn to her. In a way, she reminded Rose of Katie, which brought back the uneasy feeling in her stomach.
As Allison went to fetch water for the table, Rose scrolled through her recent text messages from Katie. She’d been more than surprised to learn that Rose was planning to stay on for another two weeks. But had said very little about it. And since then, her daily How’s it going? texts had become more and more sparse.
Katie and Rose had known one another almost their entire lives, and Rose knew that Katie sensed something. Perhaps not the Thomas kind of something. But something that wasn’t quite right.
With only three days left until she was due to return home, the pressure of wondering what she’d say when she saw Katie – it was okay trying to hide her feelings for Thomas by text but in person it would be almost impossible – and the creeping dread at actually having to leave Thomas behind were starting to make her feel tearful.
As she’d done so many times before, almost intuitively knowing that Rose was thinking of her, Katie’s name lit up her phone.
I MISS YOU.
That was all the message said. And then Rose couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. Ducking her head so the rest of the table didn’t see her eyes starting to water, she got up and scurried back to her cabin. Then she buried her face in her pillow and cried.
When Thomas returned from his all-day trek, Rose told him she wasn’t feeling too good and that, instead of drinking hot chocolate with him on the patio, she was going to get an early night.
She could tell by the look on his face that he felt there was something she wasn’t telling him. But he didn’t say anything, just squeezed her arm, kissed her forehead and headed back to the ranch house.
Thomas inhabited three rooms above the main building, which Rose still hadn’t seen, and as she sat watching Netflix on her phone, she wondered what he was doing up there.
She was about to turn off the light and go to sleep when she heard a small tap-tap on the windows. Almost smiling, she opened the curtains and, of course, there he was.
Standing on the other side of the wall, Thomas gestured to the flask he’d put on the wall and as Rose opened the doors he called, “I’ll just leave it. I’m not interrupting. I’m giving you space. I promise.”
Rose smiled. She couldn’t make him leave. Leaning on the wall with his elbows, grinning cheekily at her from beneath his beard – the beard she now knew felt surprisingly soft beneath her fingers – he was the most handsome guy she’d ever seen. Certainly the most handsome she’d ever dated.
“I did also bring you this, though...” Thomas reached behind his back and revealed a large bar of chocolate.
“Thank you,” she said, stepping closer, taking it and opening it straight away. “Would you like a piece?”
Thomas lifted his hands and shook his head. “No, no. I’ll leave you alone. I just–” He paused. “You seem a little down. Are you okay?”
Rose was standing on her side of the wall, her fingers touching Thomas’. “I’m fine,” she said softly.
“Is that a real fine or a saying you’re fine but you’re not really fine kind of fine?”
“The second one, I think.” Rose sighed and looked up, scared to meet his eyes because it always made her want to kiss him.
Thomas’ brow furrowed into a frown. “Okay, I’m hopping over,” he said, jumping over the wall and ushering her towards a chair by the unlit firepit.
Laughing, Rose allowed him to pull her onto his lap and wrap a blanket around them both.
“Right. Tell me. What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing.”
“You literally just said it wasn’t nothing.” Thomas narrowed his eyes at her then tilted his head. “Ah. I think I know what’s going on.”
“You do?”
“Mmm. Is this because I called you my girlfriend?” Thomas paused, searching her face, then spoke unusually quickly – as if he was trying to back-track. “Because it just slipped out. I didn’t mean to freak you out. I just–”
“So, you didn’t mean it?” Rose’s hand was resting on Thomas’ chest and she could feel his heartbeat quickening.
“If I did, would that be okay?”
Rose closed her eyes and breathed out slowly. “That’s the problem, Thomas. I don’t know.”
“Rose, listen, it’s okay. If you don’t like me the way I like you, it’s fine. I’m a big boy. I can han
dle it.”
Rose frowned at him. She felt as if he was speaking Italian because she was struggling to comprehend what he’d said. “Wait. You think I don’t like you as much as you like me?” She almost laughed.
“Honestly, it’s okay. I mean, you’re heading home in three days. I knew that from the beginning. And you’re Katie’s best friend, which obviously isn’t good. I know it’s been on your mind. I just figured...”
“What?” Rose had accidentally slipped her poker-face on and wasn’t giving away the fact that, inside, her stomach was doing cartwheels.
Thomas pursed his lips, then stroked his beard. Was he blushing? “I figured that when you haven’t found a girl you like in about a million years, if one comes along, you go for it. You don’t chicken out.”
“So, you like me?”
Thomas laughed and shook his head, then slipped his arms around her waist. “Yes. I like you. And I called you my girlfriend because you feel like my girlfriend. I look forward to seeing you every morning. I think about you every night. I like you, Rose. A lot.”
Rose felt her lips spread into a giant grin. “I like you too.”
“So why’d you go into hermit mode this evening? Why’d you try and hide away from me?”
“Because I like you too much, Thomas. I’m terrified by how much I like you. Katie explicitly warned me not to fall for you because you’d break my heart.” Again, she felt tears biting at the backs of her eyes. “And I have to leave you in three days, and tell her, and...” She began to sniff as tears rolled down her cheeks. “And it’s all a disaster.”
Thomas laughed. A great big, soft, warm laugh that made Rose want to nuzzle into his neck and never leave him. “Rose, it is definitely not a disaster. I promise. It’s too wonderful to be a disaster.”
And then he kissed her.
And the tears stopped.
19
When Thomas stopped kissing her, he smiled and cupped her face in his hands. Then he frowned. “So, why did Katie think I’d break your heart?”
Rose laughed, remembering all the times she’d worried about Thomas and Fleur, all the times she thought he couldn’t possibly like her and was just being friendly. And then, although she was trying not to, she remembered what Fleur had said about Thomas not being the ‘girlfriend’ type. She looked away, unsure whether she should tell him.
“Well?” He raised his eyebrows at her.
“Well, Katie said that you’re not really the commitment type. She said you have a different girlfriend every week.” Rose winced as she said it, watching Thomas’ face carefully to see how he’d react.
“Wow. Did she?”
“Mmm. And Fleur...”
“Fleur?” Thomas’ eyes widened and a tiny flicker of annoyance crossed his face.
“It was nothing. She just made a comment about you not really being the kind of guy who had girlfriends – serious girlfriends, I mean. And after what Katie said, I guess it–”
“Made you think I’m a bit of a player?”
Rose tried to lighten the mood by smiling and playfully stroking Thomas’ beard. “I think cad was the word Katie used.”
“I thought she was joking about that,” Thomas mused, biting the corner of his lip. He really did look hurt by the idea. “Listen, Rose,” he said, very seriously. “I haven’t been the girlfriend type because I’ve never met anyone I like enough to want as a girlfriend. It’s as simple as that.”
Rose tried to stop herself from grinning as her heart began to race.
“But with you...” He leaned in and pressed his forehead against hers. “It’s different. Totally different.”
There was silence for a moment and then Rose whispered, “It’s different for me too. I’ve never really felt like this before, Thomas. To be honest, it’s kind of terrifying.”
Thomas laughed softly and wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m leaving in three days.” Rose held her breath, waiting for him to reply.
“I know.”
“So,” she said. “What do we do?”
“Enjoy it?” Thomas whispered, nibbling at her ear.
Rose smiled. At least, she tried to smile. But it didn’t quite reach her lips. Deep down, she’d been hoping Thomas would say, We’ll be okay. Long distance relationships can work. We’ll email and video chat. I’ll fly to England and you can fly out here and then one day... But he hadn’t. He’d said, Enjoy it.
“I guess you’re right,” she said, still not smiling. Then she patted him on the arm, trying to brighten her expression. “But if I don’t want to look like a total zombie tomorrow, I need some sleep. So, I’ll see you in the morning?” She slid off his lap and stood up, the blanket that had been wrapped around them falling loosely over Thomas’ shoulders.
“Sure.” He stood up too. “Actually, I’ve got a surprise for you tomorrow.”
“You have?” There was the flicker again. The one that always managed to push her doubts aside or drown them out.
“Mm hmm. I’ll be back at seven with coffee.” Thomas swung his legs over the wall and landed softly on the other side. “Goodnight, Rose.”
“Goodnight, Thomas.”
Thomas’ surprise was completely unexpected, which – admittedly – was the whole point of a surprise. But Rose was usually quite good at figuring them out. The next morning, however, when he arrived at her cabin with a backpack and told her to pack some overnight clothes, she was almost speechless.
“Overnight?”
Thomas nodded. “You, Rose Parker, are going on your very first trek.”
“A trek?” Rose’s mouth hung open. “Thomas, the most I’ve done is ride up and down the paddock.”
“Which is why it is a really special trek. A beginner’s trek with your own personal one-to-one guide.”
“And I need overnight things because..?”
“Because we’ll be riding to one of the most beautiful spots in the whole of Tuscany and camping out under the stars,” he said, gesturing up to the sky and then wiggling his eyebrows at her.
Rose breathed in deeply, trying to figure out whether she was feeling sick with excitement or nerves.
“You’ll be riding Mass, and he knows these routes really well. So, you’ll be absolutely, totally, one-hundred percent safe.”
The mention of Massimo made her smile. “Okay,” she said, resolutely. “I guess I’ve got this far. I might as well push myself one last bit.”
Softening, the way he always did when he was trying to make her feel better, Thomas leaned in. “You will be absolutely fine. And I’ll be with you the whole time.”
Rose nodded. “Okay, how long do I have to get ready?”
“An hour?”
Rose took the flask of coffee he’d set down on the wall and turned back to her cabin. “Right. See you in an hour then.”
As they walked down towards the stables, following the now-familiar path from the ranch house, Rose looped her arm through Thomas’ and leaned into his shoulder. “So, you said you’re going to be my personal riding instructor?”
“Mm hmm.” Thomas smiled cheekily at her.
“Which means this trek is just you and me? For two whole days and one whole night?”
Thomas nodded, clearly trying not to grin too widely.
“But, how? Aren’t you already short staffed. How are they going to cope without you? And I know I’m not a massive help but without me in the stables in the morning, that’s going to be a lot of pressure on the others.”
Thomas squeezed her shoulder. “It’ll be fine. It’s handover weekend so we’ve got a bunch of groups leaving today and a bunch of new ones arriving tomorrow. No treks or lessons, just waving people off and settling them in.”
“Ah, then it’s perfect timing.”
Thomas tapped his forehead with his index finger. “Not just a pretty face, you know.”
Down at the stables, Massimo and Stella were already waiting for them, saddled up and ready to go, and Rose surprised herself by climbin
g up onto Massimo’s back with relative ease and precision.
Thomas seemed impressed too because, sitting beside her, already comfortable in Stella’s saddle, he grinned. “Would you have believed you’d be doing this if I’d have told you three weeks ago?”
“Absolutely not,” Rose laughed. But then she leaned down and stroked Massimo’s mane. “You’ll look after me, though, Mass. Won’t you?”
As if in agreement, Massimo dipped his head and whinnied. And then Thomas said, “Right, are you ready for your first trek?”
Rose breathed in deeply through her nose, counted to three and breathed out again. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
20
From the stables, they headed through one of the larger paddocks and out the other side.
Rose had never ventured into this part of the ranch before and it felt like she was seeing a side of Thomas’ life that he’d, so far, kept hidden.
For at least twenty minutes, they didn’t speak. The path, which ran beside a row of bushes, was narrow and bumpy. At first, Rose felt very uneasy; she was used to riding Massimo around grassy paddocks where the ground was level, so the swaying and jostling of Mass’ body as he navigated his way over the uneven parts of the path made her feel like she might suddenly be dislodged from her seat.
After a while, though, she realised that Massimo knew exactly what he was doing and where he was going. With Stella and Thomas in front, Rose barely needed to direct Massimo. She just needed to sit and hold on.
Every now and then, the horses stopped to nibble at some berries or some grass. And Rose soon realised that this was not going to be a quick march to a camp site but a long and leisurely day.
Glancing back at her, Thomas smiled. “You okay, back there?”
Rose nodded, trying to encourage Massimo to leave his latest berry hoard and move on. “So, where are we headed?” she asked, loudly, so that her voice would reach Thomas.
The True Love Travels Series Box Set Page 50
