Chapter 4
She was seventeen and a half when she’d first laid eyes on Christian Knightley. Taryn - she’d still gone by her given name back then - considered herself to be mature, sensible, and grown up. She didn”t go out running wild, partying, or underage drinking like many of her friends.
Instead, she studied hard and spent most of her spare time helping out at her parents” horse stud business. She had a keen interest in business, thanks to the early work ethic her parents had instilled in herself and her siblings.
Despite her age, Taryn enjoyed being involved in the day to day running of the stud and spent a lot of time studying spreadsheets, management, and marketing alongside her father, as well as a healthy physical dose of mucking out the stalls.
One look at the wealthy, sophisticated young man, who turned up one day with a beautiful mare he wanted sired, was enough to have all of Taryn”s teenage hormones tripping over themselves in a completely unexpected rush which she had no experience with controlling, since that had, damn certain, never happened before. She found herself bowling backward into a coquettish schoolgirl—which, in reality, was exactly what she had been.
In truth, Christian, six years her senior, really must have found her quite gauche, but he had been charming and fascinating and also very tolerant of the teenage girl who did nothing but simper and giggle around him.
Despite everything, she and Christian had become friends. She spent a lot of time with him, and he respected her knowledge of the industry, regardless of her age—another trait that had Taryn all the more star struck and falling ever deeper under his spell.
Upon graduating high school, she had based her choice of college solely on its proximity to Christian. Not that there was anything between them but an unlikely friendship, but Taryn was completely captivated and infatuated.
There was only one word to describe Christian, and that was beautiful.
Maybe not a description most young men would appreciate, but it was always the one that came to mind. He was just so darn pretty, with his classic good looks—symmetrical features, thick, dark brown hair with just a hint of a curl to it, and whisky rich, hazel-coloured eyes which she could stare into for hours. They were mesmerising, with so many fascinating facets, which reflected luminous flecks of gold if the sun hit him at the right angle.
She had never seen eyes like them, and they might possibly have been her favourite feature. Or maybe it was his full, sensual lips that she couldn”t help fantasising about tasting. Or perhaps it was just the combination of all those features combined in a face that would make angels weep.
Just looking at him made every cell in her body sit up and take notice, and her chest got so tight Taryn sometimes felt like she could hardly breathe because he stole all the air in her lungs so effectively, just by being.
A few weeks after she started college, Christian came to visit, trying to cheer her up after she had admitted in a social media message that she was missing her home and her family, and especially the horses. He drove her out to his own family”s horse ranch on a promise of finding her a suitable mount.
As they trotted together quietly on the cool down from an exhilarating gallop across the wide, flower strewn pastures of the property”s impressive acreage, Christian led her to an idyllic spot next to a small stream, where they tethered the horses to a nearby tree and spread out a blanket to sit on.
To Taryn”s young mind, it was the most romantic gesture in the world. Her heart beat faster in her chest as she imagined Christian might be setting the scene to ask her out on a date.
She quivered a little inside. He was so suave and debonair and mature that she wondered if she could ever manage to match him on that level, but she was certain she”d do her best to try.
Of course, his actual intentions had been somewhat different, and if Taryn had been a little older, a little wiser, then she might have had the sense to bring things to a halt right there and then to protect her vulnerable heart from what pretty much anybody with an ounce of common sense would have seen coming.
But not Taryn, because she was blinded by infatuation and her own stupid desire to be close to Christian, whatever the terms.
”Taryn, I have a proposition for you,”
A proposition? Taryn frowned. That didn”t sound much like the prelude to asking for a date, even to someone with as little experience in that game as she had. But Christian smiled that blow-you-away smile that always made her forget herself, so she didn”t dwell on it any longer. If she had, she might have seen what was coming.
”I need an escort to some of the functions I”m obligated to attend for the business,”
This was it; he was about to ask her out, even if he did sound a little serious and practical rather than overcome with longing. But then, this was just the beginning, after all. Those things didn”t happen straight away, did they? Well, they seemed to for her, but Taryn was sensible enough to accept that some of these matters took time to develop.
”I don”t have the time or the inclination for a girlfriend right now…”
Wait, what?
”…and I can”t cope with random dating. Quite frankly, some women just end up getting too many expectations which I don”t want to have to waste time extracting myself from.” He paused for a moment and frowned as if he were battling with the premise. Then his expression lightened, and he looked at her and laughed, throwing himself down onto his back on the blanket they shared, before rolling onto his side to face her.
”God, that sounds egotistical, sorry. I just mean that Dad is too sick for me to be distracted with a romantic involvement or even the aftermath of having to deal with a woman who wants more than I can give. Mum is literally falling apart because of Dad”s terminal prognosis and all my emotions are tied up in trying to deal with all of that, myself, as well as taking the helm as the public face of the company. I don”t mean to sound like a dick; I just don”t have anything left to give at the moment.”
Christian sighed mournfully and rolled onto his back, flinging his arm across his face, and Taryn”s susceptible heart went out to him all over again.
”God only knows, I don”t want to even attend all the stupid damn functions!” he exclaimed, rubbing his hands across his face and staring up at the cloudless blue sky. ”I”ve got enough on my plate just trying to get through each day with the family falling apart the way it is, but it eases Dad”s mind to know that the company is being looked after because that means that Mum and I will be taken care of after he”s gone.”
He dragged in a ragged breath, clearly choked up by the events that he was mired in, and Taryn”s heart went out to him. He was so young, still only twenty-four years old, and he was having to deal with so much. She couldn”t imagine how she would cope if she found herself in the same situation. There and then, she knew she would do whatever it took to help him out and ease his burden.
”Apart from you, I don”t really have any female friends who are, you know, just friends…”
Taryn”s heart broke just a little bit in that moment, and she swallowed around the huge lump that had formed in her throat. He saw her as just a friend, a friend who happened to be a girl.
”They all seem to have all these expectations.”
Taryn knew a moment of extreme discomfort as she silently acknowledged that she was just as guilty of having ”expectations” as all the other faceless women Christian was referring to. Thank goodness she seemed to have covered it better.
”Whether it”s for my money, or the social standing, or the idea of snagging an influential husband, they”re all just out for what they can get, and I can”t afford to get involved in all that right now. If that sounds harsh, then so be it. At the end of the day, I”m doing us all a favour by not getting involved in a relationship that I know I can”t commit to properly.”
She silently sighed in relief. Well, at least any expectations she had of him weren”t as mercenary and premeditated as those he had just outlined. Taryn only wanted him for himself, because he was beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. His commitment to his family and the fact that he didn”t want to lead any woman on was testament to that.
Taryn leaned over and tentatively touched his tanned forearm, lightly dusted in soft dark hair, and bit her lip at the jolt of electricity that tingled in her fingers, then shot up her arm before settling directly in all her secret places, desperately hoping she hadn”t given herself away.
”I understand, Christian,” she assured him softly. ”And if I can help you out in any way, then I will be happy to.”
Christian”s face cleared, and he gifted her with that panty melting smile which appeared, to Taryn”s impressionable mind, like the sun coming out from behind a cloud. She melted all over again, too immature to realise what she was getting herself into.
Not that it would have mattered. She found such a huge amount of solace in knowing she’d given that to him, and knew it would sustain her for a while.
Jumping up and pulling her with him, Christian lifted her up and twirled her around in a rare show of uninhibited joy. That was when she realised just how much of a toll his family life was taking on what should have been a carefree youth.
”Come and meet my parents,” he declared unexpectedly, gathering up the blanket and leading her back to where the horses were quietly grazing.
Taryn was surprised but secretly pleased that he trusted her enough to introduce her to his family under the circumstances, and she followed him willingly.
Just as she would do for the next five years of her life.