Page 42 of Riding High

She was insomuch trouble.

How stupid was she to fall for the son of Tara’s good friend?She’d, carefully, mined Troyden, Diana and Mick for more information about the Bancrofts’ relationship with the Castle clan, and learned that the Bancrofts had met Troyden through Jed’s mum.Jed had spent a lot of time with them after his mum died, and they’d offered to have him live with them.But Jed had chosen to live at Elmsleigh with Troyden, and he’d retained a close relationship with the Bancrofts ever since.

Jed, so she’d been told, was a guy whose loyalty was absolute.He would walk through fire for the people he loved and would fight dragons on their behalf.She instinctively knew that once Jed took you into his inner circle, you were there through everything life could throw at you.And God help anyone who tried to hurt you…

It wouldn’t matter to Jed that she’d agonised over her decision to report them and had spent many sleepless nights weighing whether the good they did trumped embezzlement.He wouldn’t care that turning them in was agonising, but it was the only decision she could live with.

Bottom line: if he learned she was the one who’d snitched, he would never forgive her.And if the police found out she’d told them about the investigation, they’d charge her, and prison orange wasn’t her colour.

Rock, meet hard place.

And that was why one kiss was all they could ever share.They couldn’t have more, not when a maelstrom of secrets churned beneath the surface.So the sooner she stopped thinking about him and lusting over him, the better.

God, she wished attraction was a simple switch she could flip to OFF.

Eden knocked on Mick’s door, heard her harried call to come in, and stepped into a hectic, chaotic mess.Like Jed’s place, the kitchen, lounge and dining were all open plan, with the bedrooms, she presumed, upstairs.

Mick carried a grumpy-looking Liam on her hip.She still wore her work outfit of black pants and white shirt, with a smudge of God knew what across her chest.Liam’s face was streaked with tears.Behind her, Gemma looked mutinous.She held her kitten like a baby, and for a change, it was wide awake, eyes big in its shocking-orange face.

‘Hi, Eden, thanks for coming over,’ Mick said, looking on the edge of tears herself.

‘What can I do to help?’

Mick rubbed her hand up and down Liam’s back.‘I need to get Gemma to a party this afternoon, but she won’t leave Bizzy on her own.’

Ah, so the kitten now had a name.Gemma lifted her deep brown eyes to meet Eden’s.Her expression was part street thug, part heartbreak.‘He’s just a baby, and he’s in a new place.’She glared at her mother.‘How would you feel if someone made you leave your baby alone in a strange place?’

It was a fair question and Eden hoped Mick had an answer for her.But judging by the frustration on Mick’s face, she didn’t.‘She’s acat, Gemma, and we’ve closed every window, and we’ll lock the door when we go.She can’tgoanywhere.’

It was obvious this was an argument she’d tried before, with little success.‘She’s ababy, mum She’ll be alone.’

Mick closed her eyes in frustration and looked at Eden.‘Could you please stay here for two hours max, to keep the cat company?’she asked.‘If I spend another minute arguing about this, I might lose it.’

She was being asked to babysit a cat?This she could do.‘I’ll stay with Bizzy,’ she told Mick.Her shoulders dropped and relief jumped into her eyes.Eden knew that this was probably the last straw at the tail end of a long day, and if she could make Mick’s life easier for a short time doing nothing, then she would.

Eden placed her hand on Mick’s arm and squeezed.‘Can you take ten minutes?I’ll make you a cup of tea?’

Mick looked at her watch and nodded.‘Yeah, we can be ten minutes late, and I’d like that.’

She put Liam on his feet and told the kids to watch TV until she called them again.Eden followed Mick into the kitchen– bomb site!– and bumped her hip when Mick picked up the kettle.‘I’ll make it, you sit.’

Mick slipped onto a bar stool, placed her arms on the island and rested her forehead on her fist.‘Tough day?’Eden asked, quickly making her a cuppa.

Mick’s reply was muffled.‘Tough week, tough month.’She rubbed her hands up over her face.‘Sorry, I hate whining.’

‘It’s okay.’Eden set the mug down on the island counter.‘I have so much respect for single mums, Mick.My mum was one, and it’s hard not having a backup.’

Mick sat and up reached for her tea.‘I appreciate you saying that, but I have more support than most, Eden.Troyden, my brothers, Justin.I feel like a fraud for complaining.’

No, it was still hard, because she carried all the responsibility.‘I remember reading somewhere that when you give birth, a vacuum is created, and guilt is sucked back in.’

Mick laughed, finally.‘That’s it, exactly.’She sipped, closed her eyes and sipped again.‘I needed this.Do you want kids?’

Eden’s eyes widened at the question.She’d never had anyone ask her that before.She nodded.‘I do.Not now, but sometime, I guess.I’d like to be the centre of someone’s world.’

‘Are you talking about a man or a kid?’

She wrinkled her nose.‘Both.I was never my mum’s priority, her first choice, so I guess I’d like to be that to someone.’