Old wounds #5
“I know,” Colleen replied with a smile. “This horse is a huge favourite with all the men around here. He’s certainly a charmer, and I hope he gets to stay and finds a good home. Though definitely not with Aidan.”
“Kendrick really wants him,” Hailey interjected. “Don’t ask me why. I don’t even know if he rides! Even if he does, he’s way too big for a delicate thoroughbred.”
“Maybe he doesn’t want him for himself?” Colleen suggested meaningfully.
“Whatever. I’m going in to see him. Azzedine, not Kendrick,” Shona said, wondering why she was blushing.
“You do that,” Hailey replied and winked.
Shona loved the vibe of the guest stable: quiet and chill, without the hustle and bustle of the main stable.
Granted, the guest stable was half full at the moment with five horses inside and three others standing in the sunny paddocks in front of the boxes.
Then again, the well positioned windows added to the laid-back feel.
They let in plenty of daylight without exposing the animals to too much direct sunlight.
Shona slowly walked along the aisle with a curious Nessie in tow.
Nihal’s stall was occupied, but the mare showed no interest in either the human or the alpaca.
Azzedine one box over, on the other hand, immediately stuck his pretty black head out and gave them an attentive and friendly look.
“Hi, handsome,” Shona said softly and stroked his cheek.
Azzedine really had incredible charisma!
No wonder that both Aidan and Kendrick were downright in love with the black horse.
But she had to agree with Hailey; neither of them seemed made to ride Azzedine.
“Can I come in?” she asked and opened the box gate.
Azzedine readily stepped aside and also allowed Nessie to slip inside.
Shona’s heart skipped a beat as she watched the two sniffing each other eagerly.
Nessie was normally shy and reserved around horses, but this certainly wasn’t the case with Azzedine.
Shona was so focused on the two of them that she was oblivious to everything else.
“What are you doing there?” a gruff voice called out. Shona startled and dropped her phone, which she had just used to snap a few photos of Nessie and Azzedine.
She wheeled round and found herself face to face with Lord Wanker, who looked her up and down with a disdainful frown. But as he apparently liked what he saw, his hostile expression gave way to a repulsively smarmy smile. “Well, well, well, who have we got here?”
He ran his tongue over his lips in a way that made Shona gag.
She would have loved to squeeze past him and run out of the stable, but that wasn’t an option.
Not only because he was blocking the entry and she didn’t want to leave Nessie behind, but most importantly, because there was no way she would let this creep intimidate her.
She squared her shoulders and said coolly, “Good evening.”
“What are you doing and why is that beast in here?” Her frosty response had apparently snapped him right back to his contemptuous tone of voice.
“Just a sick visit,” she replied succinctly, which was the truth anyway.
“That’s what I’m supposed to believe? I reckon this is another attempt at manipulation. You probably just gave the horse an injection to worsen its condition.”
Shona was so taken aback by this outrageous accusation that she stood speechless. The earl was out of his mind!
“You’re not even denying it!” he shouted triumphantly, as if her silence proved his point.
“Why would I? I haven’t done a thing! The entire idea is too absurd to entertain.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest, immediately realising her mistake. The move had pushed her breasts up higher, and thanks to the low V-neck of her t-shirt he now had a perfect view of her cleavage.
“I know you’re all in cahoots and making these ridiculous insinuations out of spite. But let me tell you: you won’t get away with this!”
Shona wasn’t sure whether she should laugh at the craziness of the situation or call for help. She assumed he wouldn’t respond well to either, so she tried to keep her cool. “I really have no idea what you’re talking about,” she repeated, again truthfully.
“Stop pretending! I know this is all a conspiracy to ruin my reputation and drag my horse business through the mud.” His dark eyes felt piercing, and she saw that his hands were clenched into fists.
“I think you’re managing that quite well without our help,” she mocked, unable to hide her irritation any longer.
“Seriously, what were you thinking? You drag three sick, abused horses here and expect – what? A miracle? And if that doesn’t happen, can’t happen, because the training methods in your stable ruined them, then this is all a conspiracy?
” Shona shook her head angrily. She just couldn’t help it, even though an inner voice warned her that she was putting herself in a dangerous position if she continued down this path.
It wasn’t her fight, and she couldn’t care less what this arrogant, rich wanker believed or did.
But people like him who thought they could do whatever they pleased rubbed her the wrong way.
That, along with all this twisting the truth and making unfounded accusations.
“If this were Dubai, you wouldn’t dare talk to me like this,” he growled, and she clearly picked up on the threat in his voice. “My connections there extend all the way to the highest circles.”
“Then perhaps you should have stayed there. Around here, the highest circles tend to treat their horses a lot better,” she countered boldly.
“We can change that quickly enough.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The fact that we’re still here in Scotland. In Dubai, it’s much easier to show an impertinent woman her place.”
Shona snorted and shook her head. This bloke was delusional!
“My car is parked round the back, and who would notice if I took you from the stable ...”
“I suggest you stop talking right now, Jonah,” a stern voice interrupted the earl. Over his shoulder, Shona recognised Kendrick, who had come into the stable unnoticed.
Shona felt a sense of relief flooding her body.
She was pretty sure the earl hadn’t been serious when he threatened to abduct her.
More likely his fragile ego needed an outlet.
But she was still grateful that she was no longer alone with him.
Kendrick didn’t look as if he would let Jonah drag her into his swanky limousine and whisk her off to Dubai without putting up a decent fight.
Turning around, the earl glared angrily at the vet. “I won’t have anyone silence me!”
“Is that so? Then let’s talk. We already have proof of animal cruelty, and now we can add threats to commit a criminal offence against a woman to the list. I suppose that means we cannot only get the veterinary and customs authorities involved, but also the police.”
“I’d like to see that,” Jonah hissed contemptuously, and Shona secretly wondered where he was finding his courage. Kendrick was a lot taller and stronger and seemed to be just waiting for an excuse to clock the earl.
“No problem, I’m happy to call them right away,” Kendrick announced and pulled out his phone.
“Go ahead, but it won’t do you any good. Because I have proof that you hurt my animals to cause me harm!” Jonah’s Adam’s apple bounced excitedly, and his complexion turned a most unflattering shade of red.
“What proof?” Kendrick raised a brow, clearly not worried.
“I’ve had the whole stable fitted with cameras so I can monitor everything. Philip Hillington advised me to do just that when he saw your methods, you amateur.”
“This just keeps getting better and better! Now you’re spying on my stables?” they could hear Rupert call out angrily, and Shona began to wonder who else would turn up unnoticed. These well-oiled, quiet doors definitely had their downsides.
“Of course I am! And I can’t wait for my people to analyse everything and get me the evidence. That’ll be the end of this business and all of you.” By now, Lord Jonah Garbert-Smithe, Earl of Penningcard, sounded like a man who had completely lost his marbles.
“Just a quick question,” Shona spoke up again.
“If you’re so sure we want to harm you, why did you come here in the first place?
Surely you had other options ...” She glanced briefly at her uncle.
“Options where people would have looked after your economic interests more willingly and prioritised that over the wellbeing of the horses.”