Chapter Ten #3
I moved to Aurelia’s head and ran my hand along her cheek. She was so soft natured for a mare, and her eyes were closing under my touch, content to be pampered. My cousin spoiled her rotten. Said often that she was the only reliable female in his life.
“I don’t know what’s best to do,” I confessed, letting my cousin in a little to how I’d been feeling.
Forrest stopped brushing Aurelia and faced me.
“Go. Fucking hell, Cousin. Give yourself a few weeks away. You won’t settle knowing our riders are over there alone without their leader.
” He smiled sadly. “You were always meant to be on those tours. And it’ll put your mind at ease seeing that everything is in place with the new security you’ve hired.
And that Atticus and the girls are as safe as they can be. ”
I turned to Aurelia and began fussing her again. I was being pulled from pillar to post inside. I had no idea what the right thing was to do. But when I thought about not seeing our riders compete in person, and about not seeing Hallie for weeks on end . . .
I gave up fighting.
Clutching my briefcase in my hand, I practically dived from the car in the family hangar and ran for the stairs to my jet. The engines were on, and I could hear the staff readying for takeoff.
Emma, the lead air hostess, startled when I reached the top step.
She was preparing the drinks. “Mr. Knighton!” she said.
“I didn’t expect to see you on board today.
” Emma had been the leading air hostess for us for years now.
She was in her late fifties, and it was good to see her.
I treasured loyalty more than ever these days.
Emma’s eyes brightened. “Are you competing again?”
I shook my head. I wondered if the pain I felt whenever I answered this question would ever be less agonizing. “No. Strictly here to make sure my team is looked after.”
Emma squeezed my arm and said, “Then please take a seat, sir.”
Pulling back the curtain divider to the main body of the plane, I stepped through. Sage and Hallie were sitting beside one another in the front row. Sage saw me first. She fought a smile, then nudged Hallie, who had her head buried in a book.
“What now?” Hallie asked, clearly pissed off at being disturbed.
Sage nodded her head my way, and I felt strange shivers run down my back as Hallie’s bright eyes landed on me and a blush burst onto her cheeks.
She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
I’d clearly shocked her, and I decided I liked this look on the sexy cowgirl.
Never one to shy away from how she felt, it was good to know I could make her speechless.
“Hallie,” I greeted, something in my chest shifting, some weight I’d been carrying lifted with relief that I’d decided to travel to Doha too. Then I addressed her friend. “Sage.” I didn’t know Sage that well, but anyone could tell that she and Hallie were as thick as thieves.
Atticus must have been in the bathroom, as he walked from the back of the plane and laughed out loud at seeing me standing there—the fucker. “Well, look what the cat dragged in,” he said, humor lacing his voice, then came straight for me. He slapped my back in greeting.
“Atti,” I returned, through clenched teeth. My shitty attitude toward him only humored him more.
Sage and Hallie’s attention was firmly fixed on us when Atticus said, “What changed your mind about coming?”
I was going to murder him. I was. Twenty-five years in prison didn’t sound too bad right now.
Atticus grinned, waiting for my answer, when Emma approached and saved me. “Could you all take your seats for takeoff, please? Our window is approaching soon.”
I walked to the back of the plane and took my usual seat. Atticus, forgoing his normal place near me, sat across the aisle from Hallie and Sage at the front.
“What are you doing up here, dickhead?” I heard Sage hiss at him.
“Just giving you a good view for the six-hour journey, Miller.” I shook my head in exasperation and vowed to talk to my cousin about harassment when we landed.
I slipped my AirPods in and let Chris Stapleton croon through my ears.
When the next song came on, Zach Bryan singing a guttural tune about burning, I found my gaze drifting to the front of the plane.
I wasn’t an avid country music fan. In fact, I’d never really paid it any mind.
But since a certain rider of mine tuned my Range Rover’s radio to a country station, it was all I’d been listening to.
Just hearing these songs made me think of Hallie curled up on my passenger seat, singing along to the music, her sweet Texas twang filling up my car.
Every time I got in the car now, it felt empty.
Retrieving my laptop, I waded straight into my ridiculous workload, only lifting my head when Emma placed a steaming-hot beef Wellington in front of me.
I took out my AirPods and stretched my arms, realizing we were airborne.
“Thank you, Emma,” I said. Before I began to eat, I got up and went into the back section of the plane.
There was a king-size bed in the private bedroom and a full bathroom in there too.
Washing my hands, I stared at myself in the mirror.
I was dressed in my usual checked shirt and jeans with a Knighton Equestrian–branded olive fleece gilet on top.
Even I could see there was a little more life in my eyes here on this plane than there’d been back home.
Forrest had been right. Getting away from Golden Oaks would be good for me.
I would function better after this break.
As I walked out of the bathroom, I immediately collided with someone. Grabbing their arms to stop them from stumbling, a heady rose and vanilla scent burst all around me, and I instantly knew who it was.
“Shit! Sorry!” Hallie said, and I looked down at her, fighting a laugh at her outburst. Her hair was tied back in her usual French plait.
She wore leggings and a long Knighton Equestrian hoodie in pink.
A silhouette of Henry was embroidered on the front of this one.
Hallie followed my gaze, and said, “I have a change of clothes for when we land.” She smirked.
“Atticus wants us all to wear our team jackets to represent Golden Oaks.”
As well as competing individually, Atticus, Sage, and Hallie would be entering the team events. Riding in the Global Champions Tour for the “Knighton Cavaliers,” Knighton Equestrian’s sponsored team. It helped promote our stud farm but was also good for prize money and team unity.
“Of course he does,” I said, humor in my voice. That sounded just like Atticus. He loved to showboat. “I’m surprised he hasn’t given you all full-blown choreography to announce your arrival too.”