Securing Ava by Anne Shade

Author:Anne Shade [Shade, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2022-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Riding Zorro, Paige glanced over at Ava who sat astride Amina as if she’d been riding for years instead of two weeks.

“You’re getting pretty good at that.”

Ava winced. “My butt would disagree.”

Paige grinned. “Give it another couple of weeks and you’ll be fine.”

Ava snorted. “If you say so.”

They arrived at the back gate of the ranch and halted the horses. Paige leaned over, tapped in the security code, and the gate slid open for them. They rode out into the forest on a well-tread horse trail that led to the mountains in the distance. Over the past two weeks of the three Ava had been on the ranch, this had become a daily trek for them during the week after lunch. After that first week Ava had decided she needed a daily routine to keep her busy. She’d told Paige that she was not a woman of leisure and sitting around reading and watching television all day was going to drive her crazy. To Paige’s disbelief, Ava woke up at sunrise every day for a morning run around the ranch then spent an hour working out in the gym set up across from Paige’s home office. After that she’d make breakfast for both, which Paige happily found out she was as good at it as she claimed, then spent an hour poring through financial newspapers and magazines that Adele regularly brought for her. Ava had also begun helping Adele in the garden and Paige and Willie with the animals. She was still wary of Brutus but was slowly warming to him as he followed her around like a lovesick puppy. Farrah, Jackie, and Hershey had also taken to her, and she and Amina seemed to develop a bond once they began these daily rides. Zorro was the only one who still completely ignored her. Paige figured he saw her as competition for her affection but, despite her growing attraction to Ava over the past few weeks, she assured him he had nothing to worry about.

Paige and Ava had developed an easygoing relationship that leaned more toward roommates than client and protector. Paige had managed to keep the news about Kyle disappearing from Ava but only because they didn’t spend much time together outside of when Ava helped at the barn, during these rides, and during meals. They usually kept to themselves the rest of the time. Keeping such important information from Ava was starting to wear on Paige’s conscious. Willie and Adele thought she should know so that she could make her own decision. Both doubted she would do what her family expected. Paige wasn’t so sure. Ava was very protective of her family and Paige knew she felt guilty about leaving despite knowing it was probably for the best. She’d also noticed that Ava’s mood was more somber lately which Paige chalked up to homesickness and worry about her family. She thought to cheer her up with the picnic lunch she’d packed for their ride. They arrived at a clearing along a stream about five miles from the ranch.

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