Page 44 of The Feud

I move closer to the stall gate before he closes it and Squid drops his head down toward me. I lift a hand but am hesitant to bring it any closer.

“It’s okay. He doesn’t bite, although that can’t be said for all horses.” My blood heats when Ethan circles my wrist to move it closer to Squid’s face. He slides his fingers up and flattens my palm to press it against the big horse’s jawline. “He loves it when you scratch him right here.”

I scrub the tips of my fingers into his fur and lo and behold, Squid turns into a cat. He arches his neck and leans into me as I rub him, and I laugh in delight. “Why… you’re just a big baby, aren’t you?”

“Feed him a few apples and he will love you for life.”

Ethan releases his hold on me and my hand drops away. We both step back from the stall and Ethan closes and latches the door. Squid lets out what sounds like a snort of disapproval that we’re leaving, but Ethan does nothing more than turn around and lean against the wooden gate. He stares down at his beer a moment before lifting his gaze. “Gabe came to the barn the day you took the girls for ice cream. That’s why I couldn’t go. He let me know about the trust and promptly offered me fifteen million dollars to buy Sylvie’s shares.”

“Fifteen million?” I gasp. “That’s a lot of money to turn down.”

“Maybe,” he replies thoughtfully. “But without knowing what it was worth, it was easy to turn down.”

“No,” I say with a shake of my head. It would never be strictly about money where Sylvie is concerned. “You turned it down for some other reason.”

Ethan smiles in such a genuine way that I melt. “That winery was Alaine’s. It was intended to go to Sylvie. It’s part of her heritage. I’m not about to give away Sylvie’s mother and all her memories.”

Heart melting, I realize that Sylvie is exactly where she needs to be. Ethan will protect her at all costs and he knows what’s important. But now I’m more curious than ever. “Her mother owned it? I assumed it was all part of the family holdings. I mean… they own the biggest bourbon distillery in the nation.”

He chuffs down his clear frustration. “I’d assumed the same. I knew there was a trust for Sylvie fed by its earnings, but apparently Alaine owned the majority shares of the winery and left them all to Sylvie. As the majority shareholder, she had the right to dictate how the business was run, and she named Gabe and me as co-trustees. I can’t fathom why she would do such a thing.”

“To keep her family honest?” I suggest.

He blinks in surprise. “You don’t know the Mardraggons that well. You’ve been very careful in your neutrality for Sylvie’s sake. I’m surprised you would suggest such a thing.”

“You’re correct… I don’t know them and I’m only on Sylvie’s side. But when you think about the fact that Alaine revealed you as Sylvie’s father and made it clear that she wanted you to raise Sylvie, I don’t think anyone can doubt that she had some level of mistrust of her own family.”

“A reasonable conclusion.”

“Now you’re forced to play nice with Gabe Mardraggon.”

“So it seems.” He sighs before tipping his beer up. After he swallows, he says, “I have to give the guy a bit of credit though. Sylvie has a dog back home in France and I want to get it sent here. I asked Gabe about it and he said he’d get me the contact information of the winery manager to help facilitate it on that end. Turns out… he went ahead and set the whole thing up. Emailed me the details yesterday and the dog will be flying in next week.”

“That was kind.” I sip my wine, having forgotten it was in my hand. “While it will be difficult for you to forge a working relationship with him, that’s a good start. Sylvie will be watching it all unfold.”

“Yeah, I know. I haven’t told her any of this yet but I’m going to explain it all to her. I need to let her know that they offered money for her shares. I mean… she’s a kid, but she has a say in things. It’ll be confusing for her.”

“And emotional,” I add. “You know I’m here to help you navigate those things with her if you need guidance.” I give him a pointed look. “I’m a child expert, after all. Well, at least compared to you.”

Ethan bursts out laughing and tilts his head in validation. He slides into a chuckle and then his expression turns thoughtful as he stares at me. “There is actually something you can do to help.”

“Sure. Be glad to.”

“Be my date to the charity bachelor auction tomorrow night.”

I feel the insane need to stick my fingers in my ears to see if they’re plugged up because surely I heard him wrong. “Your date to the auction?”

“Yeah,” he replies with a casual shrug. “I don’t necessarily trust my mom not to try to get me on the block and you can be my shield.”

My mouth falls open. “You want me to be your shield?”

He grins. “No, not really. I can handle myself. But I thought if for some reason you didn’t want to actually go on a date with me, you would be more amenable to just helping a fella out.”

“So, you’re asking me on a date?” I’m flummoxed. Ethan Blackburn, confirmed bachelor, asking me out?

His eyes spark with amusement and he teases, “You’re such a sharp, put-together woman. I wouldn’t take you for dense.”

I flush hot but readily come to my own defense, shooting him a very teacher-like look of warning. “I’m incredibly sharp and maybe I’m just a bit wary of you. You don’t seem like the dating type.”

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