15
ANTON
She’s a vision in white as she gets out of the car.
The dress is modest, but still sexy. I’m starting to realize that Jessa could make a potato sack look sexy.
She’s kept her hair loose. It flows around her shoulders in beachy waves. Her eyes are wide and excited as she takes in the manor and the lush green grounds, just like I hoped they would be. There’s no purpose in us being here other than to show her something beautiful. To see the world through her eyes.
But that’s the only purpose I need.
The look on her face is almost enough to make me forget that I’m annoyed with Yulian for taking the so-called “scenic route.”
He gives me a half-hearted wave from where he’s lingering in Jessa’s wake. I can tell he’s still wary of me. Unsure if every simple word is going to turn into a fight.
But I’m not in the mood to fight today. I planned this day for Jessa. So I give him a nod and he gets back into the car and leaves without a word.
Jessa waves and then turns to me. “This is amazing. Where are we exactly?”
“It’s called Worthington Manor,” I explain. “They breed horses. Those are the stables just over there. Once we cross the fields, there’s a huge farm. Tons of land. The owner and his wife run the farm and their son and daughter-in-law run the manor.”
Only Worthington Manor’s stone chimney can be seen from here. Two pinnacles of gray stone rising above flawlessly manicured trees. The sky is scrubbed clean and blue, free of clouds, and the gravel driveway crunching under our feet is music. In the distance, a bubbling brook chatters to us.
“This place is… crazy,” she says, looking awed by it all.
“Want to meet the horses?”
She finds my eyes and smiles. “You read my mind.”
The branching pathway to the stables is flat and Jessa is wearing a pair of low-heeled boots. Still, I stick close in case she needs help. Every tiny falter has me reaching out towards her. Though maybe I’m just looking for an excuse to run my hands across her skin, bury them in the roots of her hair.
I force myself to shove them in my pockets instead.
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
“So much better,” she says. “But I think that has more to do with getting out of the hotel.”
“And here I splurged for luxury.”
She chuckles. “I’m not knocking it. I just needed a change of scenery. This will definitely do.”
I think about asking her what she and Yulian discussed on the drive over here, but I decide to leave that alone. If they discussed me, she’s certainly not going to cop to it. And I don’t want her to think I care.
Though the mere fact that I’m even thinking about it proves otherwise.
“How many horses do they have here?” Jessa asks as we step into the stables.
The smell of dirt and manure and fresh hay is thick in the air, but it’s still refreshing in a weird way. Maybe we both needed a change of pace.
“I’m told fourteen at the moment,” I tell her. “But two mares are pregnant, so that number will grow soon.”
“No way.” She looks around and points out a black horse. “That one there? Is she one of the pregnant ones?”
“I think that’s a stallion.”
“How can you tell?” she asks, turning to me with her nose wrinkled.
I snort. “I’m no expert, but the big swinging dick is a bit of a giveaway.”