Wild Fire (The Fairy Tale Match Series) (6 page)

“I need to stay out with the horses
today. Bill will though. He is looking forward to giving you that riding
lesson.” He gave her a small smile, making her stomach clench and her heart
turn over, then he walked swiftly away.

Laura headed back to the house to
make lunch for three, feeling lonelier than she had in her entire life.

*****

“It didn’t work!” Flo said smugly to
Lotta, waving her wand in her face. “He’s walking away again. I told you it
wouldn’t work! It was too boring and mortal.”

“You must have patience, Flo,” Lotta
told her, gritting her own teeth and trying to practice what she was preaching.
“He was most definitely jealous. You saw the way he flew up to them. He has
feelings for her. I can feel it in my wand!”

“I still think we need something more
dramatic and romantic to get his attention.” Flo fluttered around, her face
screwed up in thought. “Didn’t she say she’s having a riding lesson?”

“Bill is giving her one, not Jake.
Why?” Lotta eyed Flo suspiciously. She didn’t trust the little fairy godmother
one bit.

Flo’s face was starting to go red.
That was never a good sign. She began bouncing on her tiny feet. That sign was
even worse. “What are you cooking up?” Lotta asked, becoming alarmed.

“I have a perfectly wonderful idea!”
Flo announced. “Romantic, dramatic and perfect. This should get a kiss or two
out of our prince. He’ll be declaring his love in no time!” She sighed
whimsically.

“You are not turning anything into
anything it shouldn’t be are you?” Lotta inquired.

“No, no. Of course not!” Flo waved
her wand around as she disappeared in a twinkle of stars.

“Tell me what your plan is!” Lotta
yelled after her, but she’d already vanished. Lotta grumbled under her breath
as she began a frantic search for her bothersome partner. It took her half an
hour to locate Flo in one of the stables, happily patting horses on their heads
with her small plump hand. She was beaming at them and heaving big sighs of
bliss, fluttering her eyelashes in romantic raptures.

“What have you done?” Lotta asked
abruptly, too upset for any finesse.

“Don’t worry. You’re going to love
this idea. You won’t have to undo it. It’s perfect!” Flo exclaimed, patting the
horses all over again. “This will get Laura and Jake together in no time.”

Lotta persisted in questioning Flo,
but she wouldn’t say any more. Lotta decided the only thing she could do was
keep her eyes and ears open and hope she could avert any disastrous
consequences of Flo’s idea. She slumped against the stable walls and wondered
what the consequences were for a fairy godmother that quit!

Sweat ran down Jake’s back as he
cleaned out the stalls in the breeding stables. The hard manual labour helped
to relieve some of his tension, but the events of the morning still ran through
his head. Walter always had been a jerk. He and Jake had got off on the wrong
foot from the first day he arrived. Jake hadn’t like the look of him and the
feeling had obviously been mutual.

In Jake’s opinion, Walter was a
waster. The man didn’t like to work hard and probably never sweated in his
entire life, unless it was in bed with one of his many women. Jake respected
people who worked hard to earn an honest living. Walter liked to do as little
as possible. He trained students, but he’d never brush down a horse or clean a
stall even if his life depended on it. He had far too many airs and graces for
Jake’s liking. How could women find him attractive? More to the point, did
Laura?

He stopped work, leaning his tall
frame against the wall and wiping his face on the towel he’d draped over the
stall door. He took a long drink of water from the plastic bottle he’d left on
the floor outside the stall. Breathing deeply, he realised his feelings for
Laura were already far deeper than he was comfortable with. She was burrowing
her way under his defences and he didn’t seem to have any way of stopping her. He’d
nearly punched Walter for talking to her. He may have made out it was what
Walter had said and partly it had been, but he could be honest with himself
even if he couldn’t be with anyone else. His biggest problem was that he wanted
Laura to want
him
.

He sighed heavily, plunging himself
back into his work. What a mess his life had become thanks to one dating agency
and a meddling sister. It had all been so simple a couple of days ago. Now, he
had a woman he both wanted to push away and hold close, both at the same time.
Had any man faced such a strange dilemma or was it just him? He had no idea
what he was going to do about Laura.

Jake had just finished cleaning out
Royal Blue’s stall, his mind and heart still heavy with confusion, when Kerry
entered. Her face white and drawn, she twisted her hands in front of her,
biting her lower lip in her anxiety. He hadn’t seen his sister since the night
before and their huge fight. It didn’t sit well with him to be at odds with
her; she obviously felt the same. Looking at her stressed face, he realised he
probably should have sought her out before this. He felt faintly guilty that
she’d obviously been thinking over their argument and it had barely flitted
through his mind.

“Jake,” she began nervously. “I’m
truly sorry for the things that I said last night. I was out of line. Please
will you forgive me? I couldn’t bare it if we fell out.” Tears glistened in her
beautiful blue eyes, so very like his own.

He sighed and held his arms open to
her. She ran into them, sobbing. He held her close, stroking her hair. “It’s
okay,” he said gently. “I know in your own annoying way, you were just thinking
of me. You and Mum are the only two women on this planet I trust. Yesterday
hasn’t changed that.”

Kerry stepped back, sniffing and
wiping her face on the sleeve of her light sweater. “I really did hope that you
would meet someone special,” she told him in a watery voice. “At the risk of
you being mad at me again, I wish you would give Laura a chance. I think she
would be another woman you would find you can trust……..maybe even love?”

Jake had wondered that himself after
the Walter incident, but he had no idea where Laura’s feelings lay. She had
seemed to be enjoying Walter’s company, but then again she had stepped in and
stopped him from making a very big mistake. She had offered him understanding
and comfort, but he was too afraid to read anything into it; too afraid to feel
that way about a woman again.

“I’m not ready to give my trust to
another woman, Kerry, let alone my heart. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be ready,”
he told her. “Victoria ripped my heart out and I’m not sure there is anything
left for me to give another.”

“I don’t believe that Jake,” Kerry
said earnestly. “You are still the wonderful man you always were. She never
deserved you. She was a selfish, cold, calculating, manipulative snake! Truly,
if she wasn’t packaged in the body of a Goddess, no man would look twice at
her. She doesn’t deserve to wreck the whole of your life. You have to see you
still have a heart to give to someone that deserves it.”

“Someone like Laura?” Jake asked with
a cynical twist to his mouth.

“Maybe. If you would only try. She’s
a lovely person, Jake. Don’t you like her at all?”

“I never said I don’t like her,” Jake
huffed, grabbing his shirt from where he’d left it. He shoved his arms through
the sleeves and left it unbuttoned, heading out of the stable. “That is a
totally different thing to getting involved with her.”

He glanced over to the riding school
stables. The object of their discussion was standing with Bill as he saddled
two horses. She was beaming with excitement and he could see her mouth going
rapidly as she talked Bill’s ear off. He didn’t seem to mind as he laughed
along with her, tightening the cinch on Daisy’s saddle. Jake silently patted
the man on the back for choosing the very placid Daisy for Laura to learn on.
That horse could have a bomb explode behind her and she wouldn’t budge an inch.
He’d never known such a laid back horse. She’d give a sloth a run for its
money. It made her an excellent choice for complete beginners.

Kerry stood next to him, watching the
scene too. “Perhaps if you just start with being friends,” she pushed gently.
“You might find you develop feelings along the way. Isn’t that how mum and dad
fell for each other? Dad made friends with mum because she kept turning him
down, remember? Mum said she didn’t even know if she liked dad at first. She
thought he was full of himself because all the girls liked him.” She smiled in
fond memory of her mother’s tales. They had filled her head with romantic
ideals at a young age and filled her tender heart with hope when she’d realised
she loved Dan and he only saw her as Jake’s little sister.

“I told you, it’s not that I dislike
Laura,” Jake explained again. “And it’s a completely different thing to mum and
dad. Neither of them went through what I’ve been through. I’m just not eager to
get back on that particular horse.”

“But you can’t want a life with no
family of your own.”

“Right now you, mum and Bill are all
the family I need.” Jake began to walk towards the ranch house when a scream
split the air, making his heart stop.

Looking over to the riding stables,
his mouth dropped open at the sight of Daisy rearing up onto her hind legs,
Laura clinging to her back and screaming in terror. Bill tried to grab the
reins, but he was too late. The horse took off at a speed Jake didn’t know she
had in her. Shock seemed to hold everyone in place, but the terror in Laura
screams for help propelled Jake forward.

He ran at top speed, jumping into the
saddle of Bill’s waiting horse; he kicked the animal into action. He raced
behind Laura, sure Daisy would come to a stop herself at the first sign of a
fence. But she didn’t. To his utter amazement and horror, the horse flung
herself over the fence around the riding school. His heart nearly stopped, the
few seconds it took for Daisy to clear the fence felt like an eternity. He
sucked in a relieved breath when Daisy landed on the other side with Laura
still safely on her back.

As Jake jumped the fence, he could
see Walter’s shocked expression as he whirled his horse around to go after
Laura. His horse, however, had other ideas. It reared back, screaming in anger.
Walter held to his back, but the horse danced around in circles before giving
such an unexpected bucking that Walter landed on his butt in the mud.

Jake had no time to gloat as he
continued his pursuit of Laura, but he made a mental note to give that horse an
extra apple later on. Daisy came to the back fence of the paddock and sailed
over it, Laura’s screams of fright ripping through the air. Jake wondered how
many times his heart could take watching helplessly as the horse took the
jumps. Thankfully both horse and rider safely made it to the other side once
more. Jake followed, relieved they were now on open country and Daisy wouldn’t
have any fences to jump for a while.

Jake leaned over his horses head and
urged him on. Little by little he gained on the horse in front. By now, she was
heaving and he could hear Laura crying, her hair had come down and was whipping
behind her in the wind. Jake secured himself on his own horse before reaching
out to Daisy’s reins. His fingers brushed the leather then slid off as he lost
his balance and nearly fell from his horse.

Gathering his courage, he tried
again. Finally he got a hold on them and pulled back on both his horse and
Daisy. Slowly, they came to a stop. Laura clung to her saddle, her hysterical
sobs tearing into his heart. Getting down from his horse, Jake quickly pulled
her from the saddle and into his arms. He carried her swiftly away from the
horses and sat with her in his lap, his back resting against the trunk of a
large tree.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe
now.” Jake kept up the inane comments, trying to break the hold her fear had on
her. The overwhelming need to protect her and keep her safe flowed through him.
He didn’t know what he would have done if she’d fallen off Daisy and been
injured. His heart finally started to slow, his awareness of her seeping
through his skin.

 He could feel every inch of her soft
body pressed against his and it was causing havoc with his self-control. He bit
his lip, trying to ignore the rising desire holding her was creating. Her sweet
clean scent teased his nostrils, her warm breath fanned the skin on his chest.
Damn, why hadn’t he buttoned up his shirt when he put it back on? He could feel
every inch of her plastered to his bare skin, her soft hair sliding over his
chest like silken thread. It was the most erotic feeling he’d ever experienced.

Jake gritted his teeth against a moan
that threatened to erupt from deep inside him. He was disgusted with himself.
Laura had just had a traumatic experience. The last thing she needed was him
lusting after her. It was the last thing he needed too. He wouldn’t get
involved. He would offer comfort and walk away.

Laura clung to his solid strength,
wrapping her arms firmly around his middle and burying her face in his chest as
she cried out her shock. She’d never been so terrified in her entire life. Her
heart was racing, her mouth had gone completely dry. Her body was shaking so
hard, she felt like she would fall apart at any second.

She could hardly believe what had
just happened to her. One moment she’d been sitting on a sweet placid horse,
the next Daisy had gone wild. Laura had no idea how she’d held onto the saddle,
especially when Daisy had decided to jump fences. She shook harder at the
memory. She’d gone over two fences! Two!

She had had no idea how she was ever
going to stop the horse without injuring herself terribly. The power of the
animal had really hammered home to her in those awful moments. Her mind had
been full of pictures of her broken body after a serious fall from such a
height, well aware she could have been trampled under those punishing hooves.
She might never have walked again if she’d lived to tell the tale!

Little by little, she began to hear
Jake’s strong gentle voice penetrate the fear induced fog around her brain. She
felt his gentle hand stroking her hair, his strong arms wrapped firmly around
her. Slowly she felt herself begin to relax, as her fear drained away.

She felt the warmth of his body
seeping into her bones. She sagged against him, letting his strength flow into
her. This incredible man had saved her. He’d ridden at a break neck pace to
catch her. Slowly it dawned on her that her cheek was resting on the bare skin
of his chest. She felt the dusting of dark hairs pressed against her cheek and
the ripple of muscle under her hands. Desire flowed throw her veins, strong and
sudden. Her breath caught in her throat. The urge to run her hands all over his
torso both shocked and thrilled her.

She looked up into his strong face,
feeling herself drown in his stunning blue eyes. He gazed back at her, an
emotion she couldn’t name reflected in their depths. An invisible thread seemed
to connect them together, as if their hearts beat in one rhythm. Her eyes
fluttered shut, her mouth raised to his. She desperately wanted him to kiss
her.

Jake could see the invitation she was
presenting him with. His heart turned over in his chest. He fought with
himself, indecision warring in his soul. Her soft pink lips beckoned to him. He
tried to ignore the pull, tried not to feel the desperate need to feel her lips
on his. Finally, he could fight the temptation no longer. His head lowered and
he kissed her, moving his lips gently over hers at first, giving her time to
draw back. When she didn’t he pulled her more tightly against him and deepened
the kiss with a groan.

She tasted so sweet, her lips firm
and soft just as he knew they would be. He gently nipped at her lower lip,
causing her to moan deep in her throat. Desire flared up, nearly consuming him.
He could feel her breasts pressed against his chest, branding him clear through
to his soul. He felt like a man starved and thirsty, who’d just found the oasis
he needed to keep him alive. He needed her more than he needed air to breathe.
He couldn’t get close enough to her, his hands raked through her long silky
hair, holding her to him in desperate need.