33
When Lana left the bathroom, she was surprised to see a plethora of clothes, all laid out on her bed, from satiny underwear to trousers and tops.
She selected a barely-there thong and matching filigree bra, a far contrast from her usual semi-padded seamless variety. The designer pale blue jeans were the perfect size, setting off her shape neatly.
Then she slipped into a bubble-gum pink cashmere pullover that was super soft and luxurious on the skin. Both were a great choice for the cooler late summer afternoon.
Lastly, she opted to wear her own white track shoes instead of picking from the five pairs of boxed shoes at the foot of the bed; after all, he told her to meet him at the stables and she didn’t mind getting her old ones mucky.
She followed the stone-floored corridor to the garden room orangery and gazed out to the motionless lough, perfectly still. The sun had started its slow decent, illuminating the water like a sheet of glass.
To the right, a black horse weathervane rested high on the steeple of a small clock tower and she guessed that’s where the stables were.
A pebbled path twisted and turned through colourful clusters of shrubs, sheltered by towering pine trees. A gentle breeze carried a fresh floral fragrance mixed with sweet cut grass.
Marcus’s tattoo played on her mind, the odd coincidence of the date being a day before she was born. She casually shrugged off the silly romantic nonsense as an unfortunate fluke, even though there was a flicker of hope nestled in the rhythm of her heartbeat.
She wanted to believe in a fairy-tale, to allow herself to consider a man like him wanting more than just a weekend. Those passionate kisses steered her thoughts in one direction, all leading to him.
Whatever would happen over the next few hours was just his idea of fun. Lana knew he wasn’t hers and this would all be over by Monday.
She entered the stone built stable yard through a large archway, paved underfoot with the original cobbles. Arches mirrored each other along the parallel walls fitted with wide stable doors.
In the centre of the rectangular space was a large fountain. A rearing bronze horse spurted a jet of water from its mouth, filling the pool beneath.
“Lana.” Marcus’s husky voice drifted across the yard and settled on her skin with a sizzling welcome.
Catching a glimpse of his handsome face at the farthest stable, she trotted over. The dark stall was relief from the low sun when she stepped inside, wondering why he was in there.
Her eyes narrowed, adjusting to the light and searching the shadows. At the far end she found a large, fluffy dog bed, and him.
“This is, Varia, the love of my life.”
Marcus was sitting on the rubber floor, his long legs stretched out and a small, tubby tan dog lay sleeping on the cushion. He rubbed its ears and swept a gentle hand over the napping mother-to-be.
His eyes gleamed. “She’s going to have a litter any day now. I need to be here to make sure everything is okay. The Vet wants her to rest as much as possible, not that she can waddle too far.”
This powerful commanding man was patting a dog like it was his everything. In that split second she witnessed a different side to him, a softer, gentle side that made her heart swoop.
Lana adored animals and had considered rescuing a puppy many times. Rory had allergies which were mainly brought on by pollen, but she felt it unfair to bring a dog into the house, to then remove it if he was allergic.
She crouched down, keeping her distance so she didn’t startle Varia. “What breed is she?”
“Border Terrier. I had her mother before her and kept Varia from her only litter.”
The heavily pregnant dog resembled a cute otter and she snorted out a contented breath letting her tale bop lightly.
Marcus ruffled the hair on its head one last time and stood. “I thought you’d like to meet her.”
With a light nod towards the dog, he strolled into the sunlight streaming through the open door. Khaki cargo trousers wrapped his muscular thighs and a white casual fit shirt brought out the colour of his golden skin.
She followed behind, gazing at his broad shoulders and strong hands that secured the stable door behind them.
“My yard staff have been watching her day and night.”
When his gaze met hers, she moved closer with a smile playing on her lips. “She’s well catered for, and a very lucky girl to have the undivided attention of Marcus McGrath.” She tilted into him, just a fraction.
He stroked a finger along the curve of her jaw with a light touch and then winked. “There’s another girl who has my attention, too.”