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We went into the stables. Only half the horses were inside. The other stalls were empty.

“May I pet one?” I asked.

“Sure,” Felicia said. “Do you have any experience with horses?”

“I used to ride as a teenager.”

I went to the nearest horse—he was mostly white, but his mane was gray. I stretched out my palm, right over his shoulder. Peace filled me instantly. I could completely understand why these noble animals were used in therapy.

“Do you have a vet on call?” Zachary asked.

“Yes,” Felicia replied. “He doesn’t live far away.” She went on about the animals and the checkups they got. I could tell they were very well taken care of.

I glanced out of the stall. Zachary was looking straight at Felicia and Gaston, taking in their conversation. He didn’t particularly show an interest in the horses.Strange.Why did he want to invest in this place, anyway? It wasn’t a big moneymaker and wouldn’t make him the profits he was used to. Was he doing it to look good, for charity reasons? That was entirely possible. Most of the people I grew up with came from old money. They spent most of their time doing activities that made them look good, kind, or generous.

A buzzing sound filled the air, and Gaston took out his phone. “Oh, we need to take this. May we leave the two of you alone for a few minutes?”

“Sure,” Zachary said. “We’ll be right here.”

“We’ll go outside the stable to have some privacy,” Felicia added.

As they left, I focused on the horse in front of me. The silence was peaceful at first but soon changed to uncomfortable. I decided to make conversation.

“You don’t like horses?” I could’ve picked a positive topic, but honestly, I didn’t want to make an effort. There was no reason to pretend that I wanted to be on good terms with Zachary.

“I do. Watching them from a distance is enough, though.”

I scoffed. This man unnerved me to no end. But why?

The horse jutted his head backward. I was getting angsty and he was feeling it, so I stepped away. I didn’t want to upset the animal for no reason.

“What’s your problem?” Zachary abruptly asked.

I turned to him, fighting a scoff. He damn well knew what was bothering me. “I think you know.”

His eyes went wide. “No, I don’t. That’s why I’m asking. You’ve been impolite ever since I introduced myself.” His eyes were steely now yet still so damn gorgeous. Immediately, I looked away from them. “The way you’re acting is bordering on unprofessional, but honestly, that’s your problem. Just know it won’t win you any points with Felicia and Gaston.”

Unfortunately, he was right.

I could feel my blood pressure rising.Breathe in, breathe out. Come on, Grace. You’ve dealt with worse. Why are you letting this guy rile you up like this?

“You took care of that anyway, didn’t you? Tried very hard to bad-mouth me.”

“What are you talking about?” He actually looked like he was confused.Nice act.

I folded my arms over my chest. “They told me that a guy named Marcel called to ask them about me. Very pointed questions and interesting ones.”

Zachary’s eyes bulged, then narrowed. “I asked Marcel to look into you. I thought he was being judgmental, but now I see that he was completely correct.”

“About me?”

“Yes. You are rude, spoiled, and probably doing this as a vanity project.”

My emotions got stuck in my throat. How dare he?

“You know nothing about me!”

Why did my voice sound strangled? Damn it, I wanted to be strong.