Page 5 of Eden's Dom

“Ex-husband didn’t like to have control?” Cain asked.

“No. He wasn’t home a lot, and when he was, he didn’t like to be disturbed.”

“Do you have kids?” he asked.

“Yes. Two daughters,” Eden said.

“Was he good with them?”

Eden started to fidget, which she could tell Cain had caught. All the questions were making her nervous. “Not really. He didn’t have time for them either. He never went to games, or school events, or even the emergency room when one of the girls or I was hurt.”

“What did you do when you got hurt?” Cain asked.

She shrugged. “Drove myself.”

She could tell he didn’t like the answer. Before he could ask anything else, she stood. “I’m going to head out.” She looked at Mary and Clinton. “The food was wonderful.”

Clinton nodded as he ate, and Mary smiled.

“Thank you,” Mary said. “We’ll see you at breakfast.”

Eden turned to Cain and could tell he wasn’t pleased that she was leaving, but he was making her feel things she had never felt before.

“It was nice meeting you.”

“You, too. We’ll talk more later,” Cain said.

It sounded more like a threat than a promise. She just nodded and took her dishes over to a metal cart with plastic bins.

Once she closed and locked the door to her cabin, she was able to breathe normally again. It didn’t take away the desire she felt, but she was able to relax a bit.

God, she’d never felt this out of control and shaky. She’d always been fine around men, but the moment she saw Cain, that changed. Every cell in her body came alive, and it scared her because she didn’t know what she should do.

Now, she would just find ways to stay out of his way. Itshould be easy since the ranch was huge, and she was there only two weeks.

Chapter Three

The next morning, Eden walked out of the food barn with a smile. The man, Cain, hadn’t been there, so she was able to enjoy her food and talk with Mary.

She headed toward the arena in one of the shorter, wider barns. She saw several horses tied inside and people milling around.

Eden looked at the group of students. Three younger women were dressed to kill in new shirts, jeans, and boots, and two men in their late twenties looked like they were ready to jump out of their skins when a horse moved. Eden guessed the women would be feeling some pain with the new boots and tight jeans. They might not even be able to get on the horses.

She stood at the end of the line. Her heart dropped when Cain, the man she wanted to avoid, came to stand in front of them. Damn, she should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. Now, she had to spend the next two weeks and too many hours to count a day with him. Hell, she’d do the best she could. She didn’t want to leave or act like an idiot.

“Guys, my name is Cain Crawford. I own the ranch and teach the lessons. In the next seven days, I’ll get you used to the horses and how to care for them. Those of you who are staying for the last week will learn equine therapy.”

“What’s that?” one of the girls asked.

“After they are certified and I feel they are okay to deal with an animal on their own, they will be able to work with special needs children and military vets with PTSD,” Cain said.

The girl made a face. “I wouldn’t be able to do that.”

“Then I’m glad you’re just going to learn about the horses. It takes a special person to want to help others.”

She could hear the finely veiled disappointment in Cain’s tone, but the girl seemed oblivious to it.

Eden had to hide her smile when the girls flirted outrageously with Cain. They were most likely more than half his age, and he showed no interest at all.