Page 32 of Riding High

She winced.‘I think I should,’ she replied.‘You need to get back to your life.’She managed a small smile.‘You also need to start socialising again, looking for the next MsWrong.’

Troyden pulled a face.‘I’m not going to lie, but my life has been remarkably peaceful lately without one.’He narrowed his eyes at her.‘Do not tell my kids that!’

Eden grinned.‘I won’t.’She wrinkled her nose, wondering how to tell him that she was moving on before she got too comfortable, before this felt too much like home.If she settled in here, if she came to rely on Troyden, on the friendship she was building with Mick, and was made to leave– the Bancroft saga was a sword hanging over her head– she’d set herself up to be emotionally eviscerated.She needed to protect herself by distancing herself from Elmsleigh House and its residents.

‘My ten days are up, and I was planning to explore Croatia,’ she said.Her enthusiasm to do that was not overflowing.‘I’m thinking about… I’m leaving tomorrow.’That sounded convincing.Not.

Troyden briefly squeezed her shoulder.‘Do whatever you want to do, Eden.You’re always welcome here, I hope you know that.’

Troyden, somehow, knew what to say to make her feel most at ease, so Eden nodded her thanks, and uncharacteristically for her, slipped her hand through the crook of his elbow as they walked to the practice field.

Elmsleigh would always be here… That was a lovely thought.But after the Bancroft scandal broke, after Troyden and the clan discovered that she was the one who blew up their friends’ lives, would she be welcomed back?She doubted it.

No, it was better that she left.Her two weeks here was a step out of time, a lovely sojourn away from her normal, too-solitary life.But it wasn’t real, and it definitely wasn’t sustainable.

Troyden veered off and Eden jammed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans, enjoying the sun on her bare shoulders.She should’ve put sunblock on and knew she would curse her new freckles in the morning.But she didn’t care enough to turn back and make the trek back up to her second-floor suite.

‘Eden!’

While Troyden walked in the opposite direction, Eden watched Mick emerge from a small wood, behind which she knew were the cottages where Troyden’s stepchildren lived.She smiled as she took in Mick’s kids; Liam was dressed in gum boots, swim shorts and had a cape hanging from his neck.He also wore dark, wraparound sunglasses.Gemma, wearing shorts and a t-shirt, carefully cradled a tiny marmalade-coloured kitten to her chest.

They reached her and Eden immediately bent to scratch the too-cute kitten behind its tiny ears.‘Oh, he’s gorgeous, Gemma.Or is it a she?’

‘We have no idea,’ Mick cheerfully replied.

‘Aren’t you a doctor?’Eden asked, amused.Mick, once again, wore ripped denim cut-offs, another oversized men’s shirt knotted at her waist, and her feet shoved into battered leather flip-flops.

‘I’m a human doctor and can tell the difference between a penis and a vulva.Kitten bits are a bit more complicated,’ Mick explained, taking a sip from her travel cup.‘To be fair, I could work it out but it’s low on my list of things to do.’

Mick was busy, so Eden understood why it would be.Eden looked at her travel cup, and sighed.‘I wish I’d thought to bring a cup of coffee on my walk,’ Eden said, sending it a wistful look.

‘Coffee?’Mick hooted.‘I’m a single mum, it’s past five and it’s wine time.Chardonnay, darling.’

Okay, then.

They started to walk down the road to the paddocks, with Liam running ahead pretending he was a superhero and Gemma carrying her precious cargo.‘Actually,’ Mick said, sliding her arm through Eden’s, ‘I’m so glad I ran into you.I was going to come up to the house later to check on you, but thought I’d let the kids run off some energy.It’s been a week for them.And me.’

Eden knew there had been an outbreak of a stomach flu, and that both kids had been sick for twenty-four hours.Mick had been run off her feet dealing with her kids and the sick villagers.Mick lifted her mug to her mouth and then offered it to Eden.‘Have a slug, you look like you need it.’

Eden lifted the mug to her mouth and then hesitated.‘Any chance of me catching the stomach bug?’

‘Doubt it,’ Mick replied.‘We were all sick a couple of days ago.Viruses are pansy-ass weaklings; they generally die off quite quickly.’

She was the doctor, so Eden took a healthy glug of the wine, enjoying the way it slid over her tongue and down her throat.‘How’s your allergy?’Mick asked.

Eden shrugged.‘It seems to be okay.I think the daily antihistamine is working.I haven’t been to the stables, but I’ve been going down to the practice field to see how I do in the open air around horses.’

And yeah, she also wanted to see Jed.He was a cynical jerk, but she could still admire the very sexy package that made up the man.There was nothing wrong with a little window shopping.She had no intention of trying him on for size or taking him home.

Eden heard her phone buzz, pulled it out and looked at the message.It was from Troyden.

Eden, love, am heading back to the house, I think I’ve picked up that stomach virus that’s going around.Do you mind an evening on your own?

Mick, who had no concept of privacy, peered at her phone.‘Dammit!’

She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and phoned her dad.Eden listened to her side of the conversation: Troyden didn’t have a fever, he didn’t think, but was nauseous and had stomach cramps, and felt very, very tired.After telling him that she’d check on him in a little while, Mick disconnected the call and wrinkled her nose.

‘He’ll be fine in twenty-four hours,’ she said.‘Listen, it’s Di’s night off so come for supper.We’re having lasagna, super relaxed, super informal.’