Page 28 of Riding High

He’d had no contact with their father, and he could live without having any interactions with the Baby Duke.Blood wasn’t, as far as he was concerned, thicker than water.

* * *

Eden watched Jed walk away, his broad back and shoulders stiff with tension.Man, he could rock a pair of Levi’s.The way the denim highlighted his spectacular arse should be declared dangerous.But great looks and shitty attitude aside, beneath the tough guy exterior, he was flustered.His face was also a few shades lighter than it had been earlier.

Under the anger, he’d looked blindsided and a little scared.So, who was theGQmodel who’d managed to rattle the normally unflappable Jed?Dressed in navy chinos and an untucked, white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and wearing trendy trainers without socks, Henry looked ready for brunch at a bistro in Notting Hill.

But she was more curious about Jed’s reaction to him than about the man himself.

Why did a man who’d just called her a gold-digger, who implied that she was using Troyden, intrigue her?Eden rubbed the back of her neck as she watched the two men disappear around the side of the house.

While she didn’t like the assumptions he’d made and the conclusions Jed had reached about her, shedidlike the fact that he was loyal and protective of those he loved.She’d experienced so little of that in her life, and even though he’d insulted her, family loyalty was a deeply attractive trait.

What would it feel like to have a man like that, hard and strong, mentally and physically, to choose you?To have him standing in your corner, prepared to put himself between you and a threat?

Sighing, she turned to face Troyden.‘Who’s the Henry Cavill lookalike?’

‘That’s another Henry, the new Duke of Bythesea.His estate is to the west, and his father died about ten days ago.’

‘I recall a discussion about his funeral at breakfast.’

Troyden rocked on his heels.‘I attended the church service; Jed did not.’

A note of exasperation in his voice caught her attention.‘Was he expected to?’

Troyden’s eyes skittered off her face.‘I believe that funeral services are deeply personal events.If you want to go, you go.If not, don’t.The occasion is for the living, not the dead.’

It was an answer, but it had nothing to do with what she’d asked.It didn’t matter what Jed did or didn’t do; it was none of her business.Whatwasher business was how people saw her and Troyden’s relationship.Her hands landed on her hips again.‘I cannot believe that he thought we were lovers, and that I was after your money!’

Troyden pulled a face.

Eden narrowed her eyes.‘This is the part where you tell me he erroneously misjudged the situation.’

Troyden sat down on the arm of the nearest chair and stretched out his legs.In the sunlight, his hair was more grey than blond, and the deep grooves bracketing his mouth and the fine lines radiating from his eyes looked deeper than before.‘To be fair, I’ve been dating much younger women for a while now.Quite a few of them like the fact that I am rich more than they liked me.’

Ah.Eden dragged the toe of her trainer along the edge of a slate tile.‘You know what Einstein said, right?’

‘Remind me?’

‘The definition of stupid is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.’She closed her eyes as she turned and stretched her arms into the air, enjoying the warm sun on her arms and back.‘Maybe youshouldstart looking for companionship somewhere else.’

Troyden’s faded blue eyes met hers, amused.‘My kids have been telling me that for years, but it’s yet to sink in.’His expression turned serious.‘I’m sorry for what he said.’

‘I don’t care what he thinks,’ she said, ending her sharp statement with a huff.

‘No, of course, you don’t, that’s why you stomped into the kitchen and dragged me out here, steam coming out of your ears.’

Ack.She couldn’t argue the point.‘I dislike being labelled a gold-digger,’ she told him in a cold voice.

‘Naturally.A few women I dated had the same reaction, and two dumped me because Jed had “the chat” with them.’

‘The one where he tells them the best they can hope for is a Gucci bag, Jimmy Choo shoes or a diamond tennis bracelet?’

‘Ah, you got it too.’Troyden pulled a face.‘I’ve asked him not to interfere, but Jed is a protector.He says that if a woman is scared off by him, then she’s not worth keeping anyway.’

Eden reluctantly admitted Jed had a point.She hoped that if she was into a guy and believed in him, nothing anyone else said or did would make her leave him.Not that she had any experience in sticking and staying– she was too much of an emotional coward to date, never mind forge a relationship with a man.

‘You seem to have very good relationships with your stepkids,’ she commented.