She ground her teeth together and prayed for patience.
Aidan shot her a look and seemed to catch her frustration. He jumped into the conversation. “Hey, Owen, what are you studying in school?”
The kid shrugged. “Communication. Figured I’d work in television or media. Me and my dudes started a YouTube channel, and we already have thirty subscribers. If we come up with the right stuff, maybe we’ll go viral. That way, I can drop out of college and be a millionaire.”
“What do you film?” Mia asked.
“Things that make people laugh. Once, we did this prank where we hooked up an invisible cable to a bike and put a sign on it that said RIDE ME. When you tried to pedal away, you’d get yanked off the seat. It was pretty funny.”
Aidan bit into his pastrami on rye in an obvious attempt to keep quiet.
“Chloe had a hard time her first year at SUNY New Paltz,” Mia said. “She stayed at the farm last summer for her probation and ended up really loving it. Sometimes college takes a bit of adjustment. Finding the right friends and the subjects you’re interested in. Do you like working at the farm?”
Owen munched on a potato chip. “Well, I kind of got assigned here after my screwup. I got drunk and, as a joke, tried to graffiti my friend’s dorm, but it ended up being my own dorm, and it was either probation or community service. My grandpa was pissed and figured if I did some manual labor, I’d learn how to be a real man, as he put it. But I had this cool job set up at a vape shop that I missed out on, so that’s kind of a bummer. I haven’t met Chloe yet. Is she hot?”
Harper opened her mouth to tell him lunch was over, but Aidan interrupted. “Have you ever ridden a horse before?” he asked Owen.
The kid shook his head. “Nah, I’m scared of them. They’re unpredictable.”
Aidan nodded. “It’s always good to be cautious when dealing with animals, but if you know and respect their triggers and fears, a real bond can form. I’m sure Harper knows which horses would be gentle. If you actually rode, you’d be more interested in what goes on at the farm.”
Owen seemed to consider the offer. “Maybe. Not sure if Harper has time, though. She’s got a lot to do, especially now with the spreadsheets.”
Aidan pressed his lips together. “I can take you after your shift. If it’s okay with Harper.”
Three sets of eyes swiveled to look at her.
Ah, crap. She really didn’t want to get further involved with a kid who didn’t fit in here, or a man who pulled unexpected feelings from her. Then again, Aidan would be gone in a few days. Maybe riding a horse could give Owen a different perspective. “Sure,” she finally said. “As long as it’s in the pasture here, where we can all keep an eye on him. And I’d use Flower. She’s pretty mellow and has a smooth gait.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Aidan said.
Mia got up with a sigh. “I’m going to take this to Ethan before he starves to death. See you guys later.”
“Thanks for lunch,” they all called out.
Owen stood and grabbed the trash. “Thanks for letting me eat, Harper. I’ll refill all the water buckets.” He trudged away, leaving them alone.
The silence seethed with an undercurrent of tension. What was this weird energy between them?
“You didn’t have to offer him riding lessons,” she said, desperate to break the strange mood. “He just wants to do his time here and move on with his life.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. But I don’t think you would’ve kept him on if you truly believed that.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin and regarded her with interest. “You’re a champion of lost causes. You just don’t like to advertise it.”
She snorted. “Trust me, I’m a realist. I don’t believe in unicorns and rainbows.”
“I think you know the odds are high, but you hope anyway. What I find fascinating is why you hate to admit it. Do you think it makes you soft? Or too vulnerable?”
Oh, hell no. He was not going to sit at her table and try to analyze her. She lifted her chin and glared. “You know what I find fascinating, Irish? The real reason you’re taking this so-called vacation. Why are you desperate to work at an unknown horse farm to keep busy? Are you running away from something in Ireland?”
He jerked back. His face closed up, his gaze breaking from hers, and that’s when Harper realized she’d hit buried treasure.
Her belly clenched. She wanted him to tell her the truth. But of course he wouldn’t. They were strangers. There was nothing between them. They didn’t owe each other anything.
It was exactly the way she liked it. Simple. Clean. The only way she knew how to lead her life.
She swallowed back the tinge of bitterness and watched while he stood up, poised to leave. Instead, he surprised her by swiveling his gaze back to meet hers head-on.
His jaw clenched. “You’re right. Something did happen back home. I got my heart broken, so I came here to put myself back together again.” A lopsided smile curved his beautifully defined lips. “Guess I was hoping to distract myself for the next couple of days. Horses are so much simpler than people. They don’t know how to lie.”
His words shattered in the air.
She tried to say something, but her throat choked up, so instead she watched him walk away, leaving her confused and longing for something she didn’t know how to satisfy.
Chapter Five
It was better to avoid him.
After spending the morning introducing Aidan to all the horses in her charge, she’d kept her distance. The conversation at lunch had thrown her off. At this point, she figured she’d take the help he offered but not engage. Each time she did, the bond strengthened between them.
She sat in the small room that served as a makeshift office and groaned. God, she despised paperwork, and running this place was 50 percent administrative. The last three office assistants hadn’t worked out, and she didn’t have any more time or desire to train someone who inevitably left for college, found a better job, or just decided not to show up one day.
Excel sheets filled the computer, letters needed to be written and emailed, and the supply inventory was a tangled mess.
Pushing a hand through her hair, she tried to focus, but her attention kept wandering outside, where Aidan was instructing Owen on the basics of horse riding, walking Flower in circles, getting Owen used to the feel and gait of the horse. Their voices drifted in the breeze.
“Own your space,” Aidan called out. “A horse is looking to be led. Heels tucked down, gaze focused ahead, fingers loose but firm around the reins.”
“What if she gets pissed about something and throws me off?” Owen asked nervously.
“A horse can get spooked at any time, but if you’re calm and aware, it’s easy to regain control. I don’t want you to worry about that now, though. Take a breath. Be aware of the both of you as one, moving together. That’s the only place your attention should be along with your form.”
“My ass hurts.”
A chuckle. “Spine straight, tailbone tucked. Yeah, people who think horseback riding isn’t exercise learn that’s a myth. You work a lot of muscles.”
Harper looked up again from her computer to watch. Lord, the man was hot. He moved like flowing water, smoothly blending one motion into another like a choreographed dance. Confidence oozed from his body, along with an intense energy, especially when his golden gaze lasered in. His biceps bulged and relaxed as he guided the horse, his hair reflecting in the dim shade like a halo.