Page 13 of Riding High

‘Hello, welcome to Elmsleigh House.I’m Troyden Castle, the owner,’ Troyden said, standing up and laying his serviette beside his plate.‘I am so sorry you had such a horrid time.’

Eden managed a smile of light surprise.‘You’re the man I spoke to yesterday, the one who gave me some pointers on polo.’She had an interesting voice, a little deeper than normal, with a slight rasp, as if she’d swallowed some smoke.It was sexy.Shewas sexy.

Dammit.

Mick snapped her fingers impatiently.‘Troyden, stables?Yes or no?’

He pulled his faded blue eyes off Eden’s to look at Mick.‘You know I always go down to the stables before breakfast, Michaela.’

Mick pointed to the chair furthest away from Troyden.‘Sit there, Eden, so that the dander on him has less chance of reaching you.’She placed her hands on her hips.‘Anyone else?’she demanded.

Jed saw Eden’s embarrassment.‘Chill, Mick, nobody has Ebola,’ he told her and waved at the empty seat opposite him.‘Sit down, Eden.Mick is being dramatic.’

‘I’m a doctor.I am never dramatic,’ Mick shot back.‘Eden is allergic to horses, and until we find out how allergic, and how much exposure she can tolerate, I will protect her from another allergic reaction.’She frowned at Eden.‘Did you take the antihistamine pill this morning?’

Eden nodded.

‘You should be fine,’ Mick said, sliding back into her seat.‘But keep your distance from Troyden.’

Interestingly Jed noticed a flicker of disappointment cross Eden’s far too expressive face.Why?

Diana slid a full breakfast plate in front of Eden, and her eyes widened at the mountain of food.

‘Meet Alistair and Justin.’Troyden said, before pointing at Mick’s kids.‘And those are my monsters, my grandkids, Gemma and Liam.’

Liam pushed out his bottom lip.‘I’m not a monster, Troypops.’

Troyden smiled at him, then laid a fatherly hand on Jed’s shoulder.‘Jed is another stepson, and Michaela is my stepdaughter, but I consider them my children.’

Jed didn’t explain that they’d already met, that he’d held her in his arms.She’d been asleep, but…Shit.Why was he remembering how she smelled of sunshine and sweet lemons, how he loved the dense freckles on her nose and cheekbones, how he’d noticed the lighter ones dusting the rest of her face and chest?How he’d wished he could taste her plump lips, lift her dress up and over her head in the stables… He squirmed in his chair, conscious of the semi behind the buttons of his fly.No.She’d been asleep, covered in welts; she’d been hot and drug-hazy… but all he could think about was getting her naked.

Troyden didn’t bother to introduce Lana, the only other person at the table, who was absorbed in pushing mushrooms around her plate.Jed quietly snorted, so much for being The One.Troyden was being exceptionally polite, but his failure to introduce Lana meant either they’d had a massive fight or that she was on her way out.Jed prayed for the latter.

Unsurprisingly, Lana didn’t notice Troyden’s subtle insult.

Introductions done, everyone looked at Eden and she squirmed in her chair.‘Thank you for allowing me to spend the night, Mr Castle, I appreciate it.’

Troyden reached for the coffee carafe.When Lana lifted hers to be refilled, Troyden’s mouth tightened, but he poured her coffee before topping off his.Yep, there was trouble in paradise.

Jed, who’d finished a second helping of breakfast, pushed his chair back and rested his ankle on his knee.He watched Eden as she picked up the heavy silver cutlery and prodded the black pudding with her fork, her brow furrowing.Cute.

She looked up at Mick, but Mick was refereeing an argument between the kids and wasn’t paying attention.Alistair and Justin were talking to Troyden about a holiday in Spain, and Diana was reading the newspaper.Lana was still staring at her mushrooms.

‘It’s black pudding,’ Jed told her.

She winced slightly.‘I figured.’

‘Have you tried it before?’he asked.Black pudding was an acquired taste, not one he’d ever mastered, but Troyden and his sibs loved it.It was a staple on the Elmsleigh Sunday morning breakfast menu.

‘Um, no.’She prodded it again.‘Also, I’msupposedto be a vegetarian.’

His eyebrows lifted at her statement.Supposed to be?Surely you either were one or you weren’t?

Eden placed a bite of bacon and egg onto a small chunk of black pudding.She popped it into her mouth, chewed, tipped her head to the side, and chewed some more.He guessed being a vegetarian was a fluid concept rather than a life choice.

‘It’s good,’ she told him, going back in for another bite.

Liam rested his elbows on the table and peered around his sister to look at Eden.‘You know that’s made from blood and hearts and yucky stuff, right?’