Blue Midnight (Blue Mountain Book 1) by Tess Thompson

Author:Tess Thompson [Thompson, Tess]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Booktrope
Published: 2014-06-26T04:00:00+00:00

***

Horse stalls lined both sides of the long and high barn. It smelled of hay and manure and dust. Horses occupied three of the stalls: Boo, Peep, and Buttercup. Kevan’s face turned soft as he introduced me to them. “They’re all old and no one wanted them any longer. That’s where I come in. I can’t stand the thought of them being killed just because they’ve worn out their usefulness. Second chances. For them and me.” He picked three apples from a bin in a room with rakes, shovels, buckets, and saddles. He handed one to me “Want to feed it to Buttercup?”

Wanting to say no, I felt my eyes widen. I felt afraid of these large creatures with their loud noises and wide nostrils and dark eyes. “Out of my hand?” The question came out a squeak.

He smiled and offered his arm as we walked over to Buttercup’s stall. “Just hold out your hand. She’ll take it from you.”

I did so, resisting the urge to close my eyes. Buttercup moved her mouth to my hand and with one gushing, sucking motion, grabbed the apple in her mouth and began to chew. She almost looked like she smiled at me, with those big teeth bared and the way her eyes looked at me. After she finished, Kevan stroked her nose, murmuring what I can only describe as sweet nothings, all the wariness he had with people having disappeared completely. I watched him, soaking in the beauty of the man and the horse. Something shifted inside me once again. I was soft, my insides liquid. Was it possible to fall in love with someone at first sight? I dismissed the thought, along with the desire to press myself against his back, slide my arms around his neck, and breathe him in.

With one last pat on Buttercup’s nose, he turned to me. “I have to go deal with my mother. Riona Lanigan cannot be ignored.”

“Riona? It’s so regal.”

“Isn’t it, though?” He laughed. “Come along. Let me walk you back to the guesthouse.”

We did so, walking in silence.

At the door, he tapped his fingertips on my shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner, okay? Five for cocktails. At seventy-three, Riona has remained true to the cocktail hour always starting promptly at five.”

“I’ll be there.”

“Thanks.” He left without another word.

I unpacked my belongings and explored the small house, finding a washer and dryer in the bedroom closet and a surprisingly large bathroom with a soaking tub. The refrigerator was stocked with apples and grapes, cheese and salami. The freezer held stacks of the frozen low-calorie diet dinners I’d mentioned the other night. Did the man remember every detail? The freezer also had a large bottle of vodka. I chuckled over that, knowing it was Kevan’s way of teasing me. A man capable of these thoughtful details—could he be capable of murder? Or did the noticing of these details indicate an obsessive personality, one that couldn’t let go? One that would murder his wife and her lover rather than let them betray him?

My stomach growled.

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