Page 21 of The Billionaire's Baby Betrayal

She nervously made a waving motion with her hand and walked swiftly to the casita door. When she turned to close it, Piper could see from the pathway lights that Andrés was still standing where she had left him.

CHAPTER10

PIPER

As Piper readied herself for the staff meeting, several questions were tumbling in her head, along with one possible answer that she forced herself not to consider. She leaned against the kitchen island with a cup of espresso and relived the time she had spent with Andrés the day before, and it was something she had refused to think about after their goodnights. She was so disconcerted after closing the door that she put in her earbuds, dropped to the sofa, chose a pop-rock playlist she kept on her phone, and promptly fell asleep listening to the music.

A question that had come up for the second time was why Andrés used “we” and “our” when talking about the hacienda and the surrounding land. As far as Piper knew, Andrés was the only owner of Estancia Luis Grande and didn’t have siblings. And if there was a wife hidden away somewhere, he was a mastermind at keeping that a secret. The information he had shared about his past with his grandfather offered very little personal information prior to the four years he had owned the ranch.

Piper saw the time was six forty-five, and she wanted to be early. She downed the last of the espresso, grabbed her jean jacket, and rushed out the door to the stables. A few people were near the horse stalls chatting and drinking coffee. Andrés and Emmett Shepherd were already in the racing secretary’s office, laughing with a striking woman with black hair cut in a chin-length bob. Andrés saw her and motioned for her to come in.

“Piper, please meet our invaluable and extremely efficient racing secretary, Rosamund Sosa. Rosamund, meet our head trainer, Piper Marshall.”

“I am not too modest to agree with him,” joked Rosamund as she came around the desk to shake Piper’s hand. “Bienvenida, Piper. I look forward to working with you.”

“Gracias, Rosamund. I hope to learn some of your efficiency skills. I’m one of those who say, ‘Don’t move a thing from my desk because I know where everything is.’”

Everyone chuckled, and Piper and Rosamund started talking about Piper’s first few days in Uruguay. Emmett peeked out the office door.

“They’re all here, Andrés,” he said.

“So are we. Am I right, Piper?” Andrés fixed his brilliant smile on her.

“You are, so let’s go.”

The staff gathered when Andrés wished everyone a good morning. Piper counted fourteen, including Emmett and Rosamund. Andrés jumped up on a hay bale and held his hand out for Piper to join him.

“I’m proud to say our new head trainer is a win for my recruiting skills,” Andrés said. The group tittered at his self-praise. “She wasn’t looking for a job, but with her winning record at Bankes Farms and compassion for horses, I knew she had to be enticed to join us. Piper has an excellent background in all aspects of horse training and has worked in Argentina and the United Kingdom. She knows the ins and outs of the racing yard, having worked her way up from groom to head trainer. Please welcome Piper Marshall.” He turned and winked at her.

Piper almost toppled over at his wink but kept her composure and acknowledged the scattered applause and shouts of “bienvenida” with a nod to Andrés and her coworkers.

“Gracias and mucho gusto. I am delighted that Andrés’ charms—excuse me, I mean recruiting skills—worked their magic and brought me to this amazing country.” She sent Andrés an innocent smile amid the laughter. “I look forward to getting to know you and working together on training more champions for Estancia Luis Grande.”

The staff showed their support by cheering and whistling, and Piper stepped off the hay bale with Emmett’s help.

“I think you’ve made a good impression. Congratulations,” he said quietly.

Andrés was speaking again, addressing the room. “The kitchen staff have set up a simple breakfast table outside by the corral. Please take a few minutes to get something to eat and drink while you take the opportunity to talk with Piper.” He hopped off the bale and landed next to Piper. He bent down to whisper in her ear, “Good luck.” Before she could say a word, he walked out of the barn.

In addition to the tickle from his breath against her ear, a different sensation coursed through Piper’s body that she couldn’t ignore, and, what was more, she didn’t want to.

* * *

After Andrés left, Piper talked with each of the twelve people she hadn’t personally met. Andrés employed four grooms, a yard manager, a traveling head person, a racehorse pre-trainer, and five stable hands. Each one she spoke with had good work history or training, and all were passionate about horses and greatly respected Andrés. She felt that she would work well with the staff.

After mingling among them, Emmett showed Piper to their shared office. They sat and discussed a schedule that would allow her to work with each horse, particularly Señor Alberto Luis, who was entered in the international race in Kentucky. Afterward, she went to see Rosamund in her office.

Piper knocked on the door jamb. “May I come in, Rosamund?”

“Please do,” invited Rosamund. “Let’s sit together and have an espresso, shall we?”

“You have an espresso machine in here?” asked Piper, glancing around the room.

“No, no, no! I should show you where the dining room is for the staff; the espresso machine is there.”

Rosamund led the way to a small building between the stables and the corrals. When she opened the door, there was a full kitchen and dining area before them, and seven dining tables for four people each were placed around the room.

Piper began to giggle. “I saw this building but assumed it was storage space. It’s just like a kitchen in a home, totally unlike any employee lunchroom I’ve seen.”

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