Page 22 of Coming Up Roses

The wedding wentoff without a hitch.

Well, as far as I’m aware. But I haven’t had any irate brides, grooms or family members on the phone screaming at me about it all going wrong, so I’m happy.

I’m smiling and humming as I do a quick inventory of the state of the venue on Sunday morning. This wedding was a venue hire, rather than a full wedding package, which means the couple and their families are responsible for just about everything. And they’ve done a good job. The function room is cleared up and while I’ll do a proper check through tomorrow to make sure everything is in order, I don’t think I’ll have to worry too much.

I breathe a sigh of relief.

First event done. Now it’s time for my next challenge—riding with Sadie and Katie.

I’ve spent more time with Sadie since our first meeting. I love how quickly Dallas has included me in Sadie’s life, andappreciate it more than I could ever express to him. It took us a little bit of time for the initial meeting to take place because I was busy finding a house to rent and moving, and Dallas needed some time to adjust to the idea of me being around again—which I totally understand. But after the first meeting on my first day at Wildflower Ridge, Dallas hasn’t been keeping me from her at all.

I’ve seen Sadie several days after school, and yesterday her and Dallas stopped by to see if I needed any help.

I had just finished setting everything up for the wedding when Sadie skipped into the big old barn in her pink sparkly gumboots and a skirt designed for twirling. She stopped when she saw me, her shy smile creeping over her face.

“Hi, Sadie,” I said. “I heard you’re going riding tomorrow. Do you mind if I come along?”

The shy smile dissolved, replaced with a bright, beaming one. “Yes!” she nearly squealed. “You can ride Paddy.” She paused, turned to Dallas and said, “You’re not coming, are you?”

I burst out laughing at her tone while Dallas rolled his eyes at me. “Nah, Sadie girl. I’ll leave it to you and Katie to give Abi the grand tour.”

“Can we show her where you nearly died?”

My breath caught at her words, but I managed to refrain from shrieking at him. “Died?” I whispered instead.

Dallas shook his head. “I cut my arm. But I was alone and couldn’t ride my bike. Katie had to come and find me. It was all fine.” He glanced around the room then, taking in the mostly set up venue. “Do you need any help here?”

It was my turn to shake my head. “Pretty much all done.Flynn gave me a hand.” I hoped the heat I felt in my cheeks wasn’t obvious to Dallas. I should be used to that heat now, because it crawls across my skin every time I think of Flynn, but somehow I’m not. And unfortunately, I seem to be thinking of Flynn rather a lot. I forced the images of him out of my head and refocused on Dallas. “The groom’s sister will be here any moment to get everything else set up. Thanks though.”

“Alright,” Dallas replied. “We’ll leave you to it. Come on, Sadie.”

“Bye,” Sadie said, following her dad out of the barn. “Don’t forget to bring a carrot for Paddy.”

And now, with the wedding over and my tasks for this morning finished, it’s time to go riding with my daughter.

I close up the function barn, climb into my car and head for the main farm entrance and the real barn. I pull up beside a bright blue ute and grab the carrot off my passenger seat. I tuck it into the back pocket of my jeans as I head towards the horse paddock, keeping an eye out for Sadie and Katie to arrive.

There’s no sign of them yet, so I lean against the fence. A pretty roan horse ambles over to greet me. She starts snuffling at my clothes, obviously looking for treats.

“Are you Paddy?” I ask, stroking the horse’s soft muzzle. I don’t think it is. I’m sure Sadie introduced me to this horse on Monday and its name wasn’t Paddy. What it is, I couldn’t say, but I’m sure Paddy isn’t right.

“No, that’s Aurora.” Flynn leans on the fence beside me. Aurora turns her attention to him. “You should feel extremely honoured. That horse doesn’t approach just anyone.”

“She had no problem with Sadie.”

“Yeah, because Katie and Sadie spend pretty much all their time with her. But when she first arrived, she was in a bad way, and scared of everyone. I think you’re the first person she’s approached without you having gotten close to her first.” He shoots me a smile, then his eyes trail down my body.

Heat sears across me, not just my cheeks this time, but down my throat, across my chest and lower. His look shouldn’t do this to me. But he shouldn’t be looking at me like that right now either. Or ever really I suppose.

I’m wearing old jeans and a pair of boots I bought on Friday afternoon at the farm supply store in town. The jeans fit me like a glove. I chose to wear them today specifically for the confidence boost they always give me, because being beside Katie all day is going to make me feel inadequate enough.

Flynn’s mouth quirks when he notices the boots and he reaches out his foot to tap it against mine. “Nice boots,” he says.

“I figured none of my heels were suitable for riding.”

“Probably true.” His eyes flash, darkening for a moment before returning to their usual clear hazel. A twinge in my belly makes me desperate to know what thought just crossed his mind. Was it anything to do with how I looked on his bike in high heels and a skirt most definitely not designed for motorbike seats? “I, uh, better get back to it.” He gestures over his shoulder to where the tractor is parked near the giant shed. “Have fun on your ride.”

“Thanks,” I say, hoping my smile comes across more confident than it feels.

---