“Entry fees can get expensive. I’ll also need to hire a jockey, so his salary and mine need to be covered. Vet expenses. And time for Harper.”
She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
He leaned back in his chair. “You’re the heart and soul that drive this farm, but training a horse needs to be a joint effort, especially because Phoenix trusts you. I’d recommend you hire another full-timer or assistant so you’re not overworked.”
“I can step up,” Ethan said.
Mia jumped in. “My PR business has been growing steadily, so I’m going to hire another employee. Ethan helped me out for a while, but he can return his attention to the farm.”
“Plus, Chloe will be helping us out most days this summer on her break,” Ethan added. “We should have enough hands for Harper to focus on what you need from her.”
“How do you feel about that?” Aidan asked. He watched the bloom of pink heat her cheeks and wondered what she’d been thinking about. Was that a flash of guilt in her piercing sea-green eyes or his imagination?
“That’s fine. Ophelia, would he be able to stay at the inn full time?”
Ophelia sighed. “I have weeks completely booked out, but I’m sure we can make it work if you’re flexible, Aidan.”
“I am. We’ll need to put the jockey up, too, but we don’t need much. I’m sure we can find a local hotel to use in a pinch.” His muscles relaxed. The Bishops were on board and fully supportive in this journey, which made his job a hell of a lot easier. Satisfaction settled in.
Was taking a third biscuit too greedy? Definitely. Plus, it was the last one left. He really shouldn’t. He’d already scraped his plate clean, eating every last shred of pot roast. He eyed the remaining biscuit with longing but decided he should be polite.
“Take it,” Kyle urged with a laugh. “My wife makes the best biscuits, and she likes to see people enjoy her food.”
“Aww, you like my biscuits, baby?” Ophelia teased.
“You can butter my biscuits anytime,” Kyle responded with a growl, giving her a quick kiss.
Ethan groaned. “I just gagged. Seriously.”
“You’re just jealous you don’t have the moves I do,” Kyle retorted.
“I don’t think I can do it, Mia. How can this joker be my best man with lines like that?”
“I taught you all the best lines, bro, and—what did you say?” Kyle broke off, staring at his friend with puzzlement. “Best man?”
Ethan gave a mock sigh, but his eyes twinkled. “Yeah, but now I’m starting to reconsider. You’d have important jobs to do. Plan the bachelor party. Get me to the church on time. Hold the ring. Escort Hei Hei down the aisle. You up to it?”
Aidan had never seen a man get choked up when asked to be a best man before. Hell, he’d never stayed put anyplace long enough to be a part of a wedding party. He had plenty of acquaintances. He’d won races with them, gotten fluthered with them, and bitched endlessly about the horse-racing industry with them. But when he moved on, he never kept in contact. Neither did they.
He wasn’t close to his brothers, either. He loved them because they shared blood, but Aidan hadn’t been home for years, and they rarely conversed. They all sent money to their mother to care for her, but no one visited for holidays. She was hard of heart, and the few times he called her, she was always brief and a tiny bit cold. He just didn’t come from a warm, loving type of family.
But Kyle’s reaction came from the heart, and damned if the moment didn’t move him.
Kyle rubbed his forehead. Raw emotion leaked into his voice, which came out half-ragged. “Hell yeah, I’m up to it. I’d love to be your best man. I love you, bro.”
Ophelia got teary eyed.
Mia put a hand over her mouth and sniffed.
Ethan muttered a curse, then got up from the table to give his brother-in-law one of those half hugs that men do to keep their masculinity in check. “You, too,” he muttered, slapping him on the shoulder for good measure.
“While we’re getting all weepy, I might as well finish us off,” Mia said. She turned to Ophelia with a smile. “Would you be my maid of honor?”
Ophelia blinked, obviously stunned. “Are you kidding?”
“No. Do you not want to do it?” she asked worriedly.
Ophelia shrieked, jumping up and hugging Mia with mad glee. “Yes, I want to do it! Oh my God, I’m so excited! I’ll make sure you have the best wedding cake in the entire world!”
Everyone laughed.
Aidan glanced over at Harper and froze.
Longing carved out the features of her face. A smile rested on her lips, and the light in her eyes was real and not fake. She was genuinely moved and happy for them. But he could also see she craved something that danced beneath the surface, trying to claw its way out.
She wanted.
And God knew he understood.
Staring at her from across the table made his insides shift, and he ached to cross the room, tip her chin up, and kiss her until all the empty longing disappeared and transcended into a different type.
A type that was satisfied in bed.
He coughed, trying to break up the moment before he did something he’d regret. “Congratulations,” he said. “When’s the wedding?”
“Next summer,” Mia said, squeezing Ethan’s hand. “You’ll be invited, of course. If things end up the way we all hope, you may be joining this family table as one of us.”
The words hit him full in the chest.
He didn’t really know what the phrase meant. Had never felt he truly belonged anywhere other than a barn. He was closer to animals than people, and it’d never bothered him. God knew the only person he’d cared about like family had been his best friend, who’d ended up betraying him and destroying any type of softer emotion that had once lived inside of him.
He’d learned his lesson. No attachments but the open road ahead. If things didn’t go the way he liked, he left, and no one got hurt. It was a good way to live. He’d always been satisfied and never sought more.
Still, he was touched by the genuine invitation in Mia’s voice.
He forced a smile and stood from the table. “That’s very kind of you,” he said politely. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. Have an important call coming in from Ireland I have to take. Thank you so much for dinner. I can have some contracts initially drawn up, along with an estimate of costs to help you make a decision.”
With a nod, he turned and left.
He didn’t look at Harper.
It was better that way.
Chapter Seven
Harper gave a low whistle and approached Phoenix’s stall. Her usual greeting was rewarded by the horse’s perked ears and immediate attention.
When she’d first rescued Phoenix, he’d been like a hellion, ready to take on anyone who came near. She and Ethan had spent months slowly gaining his trust. Now that the foundation was built, she had a choice to make on the next step.
Should she hire Aidan O’Connor?
Reaching into her pocket, she removed an iced oatmeal cookie, smiling at the horse’s low grunts of excitement and the curl of his lips that revealed his teeth in a goofy grin. He munched as she thought in the still silence of the barn, late at night.