Aidan’s hands came down very slowly, and he began to gently stroke the chicken. “Good boy,” he said in soothing tones. “What a massive, amazing creature you are.”
Hei Hei clucked in delight.
WTF?
Harper stared in shock. The only male the chicken could stand was Ethan, and her brother had worked hard to gain Hei Hei’s trust. Something inside her chest loosened, but she had no time to process it, because Mia and Ethan were walking up the path, hand in hand.
“Hei Hei, leave the poor man alone and stop—wait, what is going on? Is he being nice to you?” Mia asked, her eyes wide in shock.
Aidan grinned. “Guess so. What type of chicken is he? He’s absolutely amazing.”
“A Polish chicken. Another one of Harper’s rescues, but he seems to dislike men. I’ve never seen him act like this before with a stranger.”
“Except for Mia,” Ethan noted. “Hei Hei fell in love with her the moment they met. It took him a while to gain her affection, but now I can’t even try to come between them.”
Mia laughed, gazing with adoration at Ethan. “What can I say? You both broke down my barriers with sheer grit, charm, and annoyance.”
Harper’s future sister-in-law was a city girl at heart who’d spent last summer at the farm on business and ended up falling in love with Ethan and the entire town. She now ran her PR firm from upstate and was a beloved fixture in their lives. With her stylish burgundy hair, sleek clothes, and designer shoes, she was not only gorgeous but also brilliant. Harper was lucky to claim her as family.
“I’m Ethan, and this is Mia. Are you a guest here?”
Aidan straightened up, giving the chicken one last pat. “Nice to meet you both. Aidan O’Connor, and yes, I’m a guest.” He shook both of their hands. “I head out in a few days. I was just offering Harper my service on the farm. I’m a horse trainer from Ireland, so I’m familiar with the work, and honestly, I’m bored out of my mind on this vacation. I figured I could help out before I leave.”
Mia smiled. “You sound like me. Vacations only stress me out.”
Ethan’s gaze sharpened with interest. “Horse training, huh? Did Harper tell you about Phoenix? Bet you’d have some good advice for us since—”
“I explained to Mr. O’Connor that we can’t have guests working on the farm,” Harper interrupted. She wasn’t ready to share her plans for Phoenix yet. Aidan might have strong opinions or leap too fast to dismiss Phoenix’s racing chances. This was a personal mission she believed in, and she wanted to be careful who she brought into her inner circle.
Unfortunately, Ethan didn’t seem to notice her forceful change of subject. “Hmm. Usually, no. But with your experience and background, we could make an exception. We could use the help if you really don’t mind. We’ve been a bit shorthanded.”
“Ethan, I don’t think—”
“Good, then I’ll get to work,” Aidan said. He shot her a look, his eyes squinting with mischief. “Any other animal surprises for me?”
On cue, Wheezy and Bolt appeared, running in circles around his legs and barking playfully at Hei Hei. The senior Lab and his best friend had lived at the farm for many years, and the horses enjoyed their company.
Mia laughed. “Just these goofballs. Harper doesn’t usually bring her dogs here, but when she does, it’s a free-for-all.”
Aidan raised his brow. “More rescues at home, huh? How many?”
“Two dogs and a cat,” she answered.
Ethan snorted. “This week. Her home is always open to anyone who needs it. She rescues helpless cases and rehabilitates them on sheer determination.”
“Every soul—both human and animal—deserves a worthy life.”
Everyone got quiet.
Harper shifted her weight, embarrassed at her sudden outburst.
Ethan’s face softened. “Just like Mom used to say.”
Trying not to squirm under Aidan’s intense gaze, she reached under Flower and cinched up the saddle. “Well, if we’re breaking the rules, we better start now. I need all the horses in the first barn prepped for workouts. Barn two needs to be cleaned. Ethan, the fence on the south side needs repair, and I told Allen to come cut the lawn and trim back some of the bushes on the trail. We need to be careful of bee nests, so let’s schedule a sweep. Irish, if you can start with Flower, since she seems to have taken a shine to you, we can get this party started.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Aidan said.
Mia kissed Ethan. “See you later, baby. Come on, Hei Hei, let them get to work. We need to create some new marketing plans.”
Hei Hei scurried over to Mia. With a quick rub of his feathers against her leg, he trotted after her in adoration while Wheezy and Bolt took off behind them.
Aidan scratched his head. “Mind telling me where these crazy names came from?”
Ethan snorted. “I’ll let Harp answer that question. Thanks again, Aidan. I’m going to start on that gate.” He tipped his head and walked off with a slight limp.
“My mother had an obsession with Disney movies,” she said. Fondness threaded her voice. “When she began the horse-rescue farm, she got in the habit of naming all the animals after Disney characters. Ophelia and I stuck with the tradition. Ethan thinks it’s ridiculous, but for us, it’s a fun way to honor Mom.”
“If it’s something happy that unites you, it isn’t ridiculous.” She caught a flash of pain in his amber eyes before he turned from her. “Better get going. Don’t want to get yelled at on my first day. Come on, bláth. Let’s have some fun.”
Flower pushed her nose into his hand, and he led her off to the fields.
Harper watched him, wondering what had caused his pain.
Wondering why seeing it had hurt her, too.
She buried the thought and turned away.
A few hours later, Mia dropped by with sandwiches and called them to the picnic table.
Owen scurried over, looking warily around to make sure Hei Hei wasn’t there, and peered at the pile of food. “Can I take a break, too?”
Harper lifted a brow. “You just got here an hour ago.”
“But I’m so hungry.”
Mia waved a hand, encouraging him to sit. “Of course, Owen, I got plenty.”
“Thanks.” The kid took a hairband from around his wrist and tied his hair back, then happily grabbed a hero and soda. “Man, I had no idea working with horses could be so stressful. Scar almost kicked me and gave me a concussion.”
Harper’s hand froze, sandwich halfway to her mouth. She tried not to bluster her words. “Wait—I told you several times not to walk on his right side. He gets spooked.”
Owen frowned. “Thought that was Maximus. I get them all mixed up. There are too many. Can you make me a spreadsheet? That would be super-helpful.”
Her fingers clenched. She was going to murder him. “Sure. I’ll take a few hours and list every tic and hot spot for all of my horses in alphabetical order for your convenience. Anything else you’d like to request?”
“Maybe put each of their names on the stalls? I’ve seen stables on TV with these brass plaques. Could be a nice touch.”