I nodded and held the new device in my hands as the game came to life in front of us.

  The next two hours went by so quickly that I didn’t realize the time. When Saxon walked into the room, I was surprised.

  “What up?” Trev said as he continued working the remote in his hands.

  “I came to get Maddy. Mom’s home and was asking about her,” Saxon replied as his gaze held mine.

  I glanced at the time and quickly stood up. “I didn’t realize it was so late,” I told him.

  He shrugged. “No worries. She’s not upset. I was just sent to make sure you got back safely.”

  “I was going to bring her,” Trev replied, pausing the game and looking over at Saxon.

  “No need.”

  Trev held out his remote to Saxon. “Wanna play?” he asked.

  Saxon smirked. “Not tonight. I’d hate to whip your ass in front of your student.”

  Trev laughed. “Whatever.”

  I listened to their banter as I slipped my shoes back on and started cleaning up the snacks scattered on the table. I hadn’t thought I was hungry, but at some point, the sour gummy worms had looked appealing. Then, I’d moved on to the chips.

  “You don’t have to clean that up. We have people for that,” Trev told me.

  Of course he did. He had people for everything. This was not my world. Now that I was immersed in it, I needed to remember it was for a brief time. When I could afford it, I would be moving on with my life. A life where this kind of thing didn’t exist. A life where I would be the help.

  “You ready?” Saxon asked me.

  I simply nodded, then looked back at Trevor. “Thanks. This was fun.”

  He beamed at me. I liked his smile, and I realized I’d enjoyed spending time with him. In the future, I’d need to be careful. I didn’t need attachments.

  Ten

  Melanie had misunderstood my being at Trev’s. She thought there was more to it than just the friendship I had agreed to. However, I was finding it hard to explain that to her because she wasn’t open to listening to me.

  The next morning, she chose my clothing, shoes, and accessories for the day. After more than an hour of her preparing me, we left the house to go visit her salon, where my hair was trimmed and highlighted. I didn’t understand that part since my hair was already blonde. The platinum streaks didn’t make much of a difference in my appearance, although Melanie seemed to think it did. Next, I was given a manicure and pedicure. After that, I was subjected to waxing and something called threading, which hurt like hell.

  The afternoon was almost over when we finally left the salon. Melanie talked nonstop about how perfectly everything had turned out. I felt like her doll. One she was obsessed with dressing up to suit her whim. It wasn’t that I was ungrateful. It was just that I didn’t see the need in all of this. The only thing that I did understand was that Melanie had it in her head that I would soon be dating a Hughes. This idea thrilled her, and she appeared almost giddy with excitement.

  I had one thing to be thankful for by the time we reached the Houstons’ ranch. Melanie had to meet Kenneth at a business dinner in two hours, and I would finally get a break. I plucked at the top I was wearing, wishing it were longer instead of stopping just above my waistline. The fact that I would be able to change into comfortable clothing soon was a relief.

  “I’m sure Saxon will be working with the horses until late. With his father busy, he has more work to do. But don’t you worry about going to help. It will mess up your nails, and they look so lovely in that shade of pink. If Trevor comes by or calls, you are allowed to go wherever he wants to take you,” she said as we came to a stop in front of the house.

  I wasn’t expecting a call or visit from Trevor, but I nodded my head. I had given up trying to explain that we were just friends. She didn’t seem to think that was possible and acted as if I weren’t even speaking when I tried to tell her there was nothing more going on.

  Saxon was walking from the stables toward us as we got out of the car.

  “Saxon, honey, I’ve got to hurry and get changed to meet your father for a dinner party at the Royces’. I’ll have Mrs. Jolene make sure you and Madeline have dinner,” Melanie called out to him before making her way up the steps to the front doors.

  I waited on Saxon since he was still headed in our direction.

  He gave me a once-over and smirked. “Looks like Mom had her way with you today,” he said.

  I nodded.

  “Looks good,” he told me.

  I frowned and glanced down at the clothing she’d chosen for me. I didn’t want to say anything that might sound ungrateful, but I wasn’t comfortable being dressed up by someone else.

  He laughed then.

  I lifted my eyes back up to meet his. “What?” I asked.

  “Your face is so damn expressive that you don’t have to speak for someone to know what you’re thinking. Don’t worry; this is all new for her. She’ll move on to something else soon. Just roll with it until she’s over having a girl in the house. She means well even if it doesn’t seem like it,” he said with a smile.

  I had to hope he was right. I couldn’t do this for long. Melanie was turning me into someone I didn’t want to be. The image of Declan made me want to grimace. I wasn’t like them. I never would be. I’d seen life outside of this world of wealth. That was who I was. Not a pampered debutant.

  Before I could think of a proper response, a black truck pulled up the drive.

  “Shit,” Saxon muttered under his breath.

  I turned to look back at him. “Who is it?” I asked, seeing the dread on his face.

  “Not someone I want to deal with,” he replied quietly.

  Curious, I watched as the driver’s door opened, and out stepped Blaise Hughes. I suddenly understood his reaction. Not liking Blaise was something we could agree on.

  Blaise’s gaze cut to me, but only for a brief second. It was clear he wasn’t impressed with my makeover. He tilted the black cowboy hat on his head back with his pointer finger, and the sunlight made his green eyes stand out, even from this distance.

  “I need boarding for Empire. You got room?” Blaise asked Saxon as he approached.

  Saxon’s eyes widened. “Yeah, uh … I mean, I need to call Dad, but we have room. You found him?”

  Blaise scowled. “Yeah, I found him.”

  “Uh, that’s good,” he replied, and I could see he wanted to ask him more, but didn’t.

  “Took my guys all fucking night,” he said with annoyance. “I’ll have him brought over before noon tomorrow. If there is an issue, have Kenneth call me.”

  Saxon nodded. “Sure. No problem.”

  Blaise looked over at the stables. “Do you have a stall farther away from the other horses? More secluded?” he asked.

  Saxon cleared his throat and shifted his feet. Was he scared of Blaise? I hadn’t gotten that impression at the party. But right now, he appeared nervous.

  “We can make one,” he assured him. “The horses are pretty evenly spread out, but I can move things around so Empire has his privacy.”

  A horse that needed privacy? I rolled my eyes and looked off toward the house with a sigh. Blaise was infuriating. This was Saxon’s ranch. He didn’t have to bow down to Blaise simply because he was rude, arrogant, and liked to intimidate people.

  “Am I bothering you, Madeline?”

  Blaise using my name made my head snap back around, and I met his gaze.

  His eyes still held that air of superiority, but there was a twinkle of amusement there that surprised me more than him knowing my name.

  Unfortunately for me, my body liked Blaise more than I did. Blaise Hughes was beautiful—I’d give him that. However, the rest of him I could do without.

  “Your arrogance is,” I said aloud instead of in my head. Oh well, he needed to hear it. No one else around here was going to call him out on his attitude.

  A brief tug on the left corner of his mouth hinted at a smile that didn’t form. He studied me for a moment, and the intensity made me nervous. I didn’t like that he could do that to me.

  Frustrated at my reaction, I turned to look at Saxon. “I think I’ll go inside,” I told him.

  Saxon’s face was tense. He seemed to be more worried than nervous now. All he did was nod his head.

  I didn’t give Blaise another look as I walked toward the front doors of the house, but I could feel his gaze on me. It made the back of my neck warm. My knees felt slightly weak, and I didn’t care for that at all. Not to a man like Blaise Hughes. He would not intimidate me. I had been around dangerous people. He was just some rich, pampered trust fund baby.

  Although the term baby didn’t exactly fit the muscular, six-foot-two, in-need-of-a-shave man with black boots, jeans, and leather bracelets on his wrists.

  Eleven

  Over the next week, life began to fall into a pattern. I woke up and had breakfast with Melanie, who didn’t actually eat, and then I went out to help Saxon with whatever chores he had for me.

  Melanie hadn’t been happy when I voiced wanting to work outside with the horses. She mentioned that my nails would break or chip. However, Saxon had managed to talk her into it.

  Dinner had yet to become a family affair, like Melanie had led me to believe it would be. I wasn’t upset about that and found sitting at the bar in the kitchen with Saxon, eating whatever Mrs. Jolene had prepared for us, was a nice way to end the day. There were even moments that I felt comfortable here—until I felt guilty for it. I missed my father and brother. Living this life felt like I was forgetting them and who I was.

  Twice, Declan had come over after dinner, and those nights, I had gone to my room to read. I didn’t mind reading in my room. I was happy to get the time to do it. I just didn’t understand why Saxon kept seeing Declan. He didn’t appear to like her when he spoke of her. It was weird, and although I didn’t care for Declan, it made me feel sorry for her. She was clearly more into Saxon than he was into her. It seemed unfair of him to make her believe otherwise.

  I heard Trev’s voice before I saw him. He had also become a part of my daily routine. At least, he’d made himself one.

  I gave Jinx one last carrot, then rubbed his ears and head one more time.

  “We’ve got company,” I whispered to him before stepping back and moving down three empty stalls to Firefoot, who was watching me closely.

  He knew I had carrots, and he was trying not to appear anxious, although the way his ears twitched proved otherwise.

  I was just about to pull out a carrot from the bag I carried with snacks when Trev and Saxon walked into the stables.

  Saxon stopped and patted Jinx, who wasn’t ever going to win a race—or at least, that was what Saxon had said—but he was Saxon’s. He’d been there when Jinx was born, and they shared a bond. It was clear that Jinx adored him.

  “You’re getting attached to the horses,” Trev said as he walked past Saxon, his eyes locked on mine.

  I shrugged. “They aren’t as scary as I thought,” I replied. Then, I ran my hand down Firefoot’s neck, which seemed to be his favorite spot to be rubbed.

  “When are you going to let me teach you how to ride?” Trev asked me.

  That was something he had brought up more than once this week. I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that just yet. These were racehorses. They had been bred and trained to win races. As much as I had found myself growing fond of them, I didn’t want to get on their backs. They were massive animals, and I’d watched the jockeys work with them in the arena. That was not something I wanted to experience. The speed terrified me.

  “She’s just started warming up to them,” Saxon said as he left Jinx to come stand with us. “Stop rushing things.”

  I nodded. “What he said,” I replied.

  Trev chuckled. “Fine. I’ll wait.”

  He might be waiting much longer than he anticipated, but I didn’t say that. I went back to feeding Firefoot his snack. He seemed to be annoyed by our having company. He liked to eat his treats without an audience.

  “More important news,” Trev said, grinning. “My dad’s out of town for the weekend. I’ve invited over some people tonight. A small gathering, not like the last one, and Blaise hasn’t been around now that he has Empire moved over here. So, no interruptions.”

  Saxon moved his gaze to meet mine. He wanted to go—I could tell without him saying anything.

  “Okay,” I said when Saxon said nothing.

  “Of course, Declan is invited, if that’s who you want to bring,” Trev said to Saxon, then looked back at me. “And I want you there.”

  Although we hadn’t been alone again since the night I had snuck out of the house with him, he’d been by daily to visit. I hadn’t felt the need to remind him we were just friends because he had been acting like a friend and nothing more. I wasn’t sure if this was his way of saying I would be his date or not.

  “You up for it?” Saxon asked me before he replied to Trev.

  I nodded. “Sure.”

  “Excellent,” Trev said, looking pleased. “I told everyone eight, but if y’all want to come on over early, that’s cool.” He kept his gaze on me when he said it.

  I glanced toward Saxon, wanting him to make the call on when we went over.

  “Okay,” was all he said.

  Trev nodded his head back toward Empire who was further away from the other horses.. “How’s that one doing?” he asked. “Blaise been around much?”

  I continued to rub Firefoot.

  Blaise had been here twice, but he’d not spoken to me—or acknowledged me for that matter. Not that I cared or expected him to. It was a relief when I didn’t have to be around him. He checked on Empire, spoke with Kenneth or Saxon, then left. His last drop-by had been two days ago. Not that I was keeping track or anything.

  “He’s good. Kip has been running him daily,” Saxon told him. “Blaise has been by a couple of times.”

  “Better here than my place,” Trev replied, then looked back at me and winked. “See you tonight.”

  Trev gave Saxon a nod before heading back out of the stables.

  Once he was gone, Saxon turned his attention to me. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” he said, studying me, as if he thought he could read my feelings by my facial expressions.

  I shrugged. “I’m good with it.”

  Although I was questioning that decision. I did my best to avoid Declan, but that was when she was at the house with just the three of us there. At a party, I wouldn’t be forced to be around her. Besides, Trev was my friend. He wanted us there.

  Saxon didn’t seem convinced with my response. It was clear in the way he continued to frown. “You seem to have bonded with Firefoot,” he said.

  I turned my attention back to the beauty I’d been giving treats to and smiled. “He’s a good boy,” I said.

  “Want to ride him?” Saxon asked me.

  I thought about it for a moment. It wasn’t the first time I had considered it, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to trust the horse or myself just yet. Just because he liked my attention and the carrots I brought him didn’t mean he wanted me on his back.

  I shook my head. “Not just yet,” I replied.

  Saxon grinned then, as if he had expected that response from me. “All right. Just let me know when you change your mind.”

  “I will,” I assured him.

  I didn’t watch Saxon head back out to finish whatever he had been doing before Trev arrived. Instead, I gave my full attention to Firefoot before he got annoyed. He was by far the easiest male to deal with I had ever met. All you had to do was feed him carrots and rub his neck.

  After I finished with Firefoot, I glanced over at Empire. He was watching me with his head out of the stable. I wasn’t supposed to give him any snacks. He had a very strict dietary plan that Saxon handled himself. However, lately, he had been watching me with Firefoot. I walked over to him, keeping my distance, unsure of his demeanor.

  “I’d give you a treat, too, but I can’t. You’re on a special diet,” I told him as he studied me. “I’m sure Saxon will be over soon with something for you.”

  He was bigger than Firefoot, and there was intelligence in his eyes. Something about him made me feel as if he understood everything I said. Perhaps that was what made a horse a champion—his ability to understand humans.

  “I’ve been told you don’t want to be touched. That’s why I don’t pet you like I do the others,” I explained to him.

  “He’s not a dog,” a deep voice said, causing me to jump.

  When I looked behind me, Blaise stood there, staring at me.

  “I know that,” I managed to say calmly even though being around Blaise made me feel anxious.

  He scowled at me. “He also does not require you to speak to him.”

  Although he was speaking of his horse, it felt more like he was talking about himself. I straightened my shoulders as my own annoyance grew.

  “I’ll remember that,” I assured him stiffly, then turned to walk away from this obnoxious, infuriating man.

  “While you’re at it, stay away from my brother,” he added, and I stopped walking.

  Anger began to slowly simmer underneath my skin, and I took a deep breath in order to calm my temper. It was rare I showed that emotion at all. But Blaise seemed to stir it to life with ease. I turned back to shoot him my own glare.

  “Trev is my friend,” I said simply. Although I wanted to say more. Much more. Like tell him what a complete asshole he was and that I didn’t care one bit what his elitist ass told me to do.

  Blaise narrowed his eyes as he stared at me. “Is he aware of that?”

  Through clenched teeth, I replied, “Yes.”