ELEMENTAL LOVE: A Second Chance Single Dad Romance Read online

  “I promised her I’d keep him safe,” I recall saying, and Mom had stroked my face.

  “And you do, every single day,” she said. “But you can’t do it at the expense of him having fun, Alex.”

  She was right, and I knew it. So, I finally agreed to Noah having riding lessons. Martin, who’d been with us for thirty years or more, assured me that he would be given only the very best care, and I knew I could trust him. So, that morning, once he finally finished his cereal, I kissed him and sent him off to the stables with Lucinda. Then, I went to the study to deal with the latest crisis.

  I was never one to relinquish control of a project just because all the relevant parties had signed along the relevant lines. Instead, I liked to know exactly what I was putting the Maitland name to. I wanted to be the first to see copies of the blueprints and wanted to ensure I hired the best project managers for the job.

  The call I made now was to such a manager; Jennifer had been hired to take on the new Skyline Lounge, a project where rather than demolishing an old tenement building to make way for new apartments, we’d simply built on top of it, instead. We were blasting away the old facade and remodeling the whole place while adding twelve new stories. The new block commanded not only luxury hotel rooms, a jazz bar, and movie theater, but also amazing views over the Hudson River.

  She picked up on the first ring. “Hello,” she said. “Punctual as ever.”

  “Absolutely,” I said. “I think we have plenty to get through.”

  I opened the file that had been delivered to me the previous evening. From it, I took out several large photographs, layered onto thick copy paper. “The first thing is that this scheme has to go,” I said. “It’s awful.”

  “It’s bold, I’ll give you that,” Jennifer said.

  “Bold?” I retorted. “It looks like an acid trip in a tulip field.”

  “Henry’s really at the top of his game right now, Alex. Having him as the designer is going to be a massive draw to Skyline.”

  “I have no idea what game he’s playing,” I said, “but if he’s at the top of it, I hate to see who’s on the bottom. The colors are terrible. I’d never want to see olive green in any of my buildings.”

  She sighed. “I know it’s not easy to envision it from the photographs, but I promise it’s going to look better in person.”

  “Shall I tell you which design of his I thought was the best?”

  “Go for it.”

  “The elevator. I liked the elevator, Jennifer. And you know why? Because it’s so small, it’ll be the one room the guests will be in for the least amount of time before they develop arc-eyes.”

  There was silence on the other end. “At this late stage, we’re going to struggle finding a decent designer.”

  “Whatever it takes, it’s got to be better than that shit.”

  “I hear you, Alex. I really do. But—”

  “Sorry, but I’m going to have to stop you there,” I said. “There are no ‘buts’ in this. Either you find someone with taste, or I find someone who can find me someone with taste.”

  “Leave it with me,” Jennifer said. “In the meantime, I need to talk with you about the parking areas. We’ve had some issues with the city and the areas they’re saying are going to be off-limits in terms of parking.”

  We were on the phone for another thirty minutes, in which time we hashed out parking regulations, dates of permits, and issues with contractors. All issues were resolved but the first. I couldn’t believe that the designs had even been sent to me. They were fucking ghastly.

  When I hung up, I looked at my watch and saw that Noah would soon be ending his first lesson. I left the study, walked out of the main door of the house and strolled to the east side of the estate, toward the stables.

  It was a walk I didn’t take often enough. Sometimes it was easy to forget just how beautiful the land surrounding the house truly was. Now, at the height of summer, everything seemed as if coated in a hazy sheen of sunlight, reminding me of days gone by.

  At the stables, a few of the staff nodded toward me and smiled. I must have looked strange to them, walking through strands of hay and dust in a smart dress shirt and pants, wearing a tie. I saw Martin and looked over at the stunning horses in the yard before stopping a young guy who was pushing a wheelbarrow full of what looked like oats.

  “Can you tell me where Noah’s having his lesson, please?” I asked.

  The young man nodded and pointed to the far end of the yard. “He’s out in the back paddock,” he said.

  “Thank you.”

  I strode in the direction he mentioned, and Martin saw me and tipped his cap. “Sir,” he said.

  At the paddock, I stood back for a few moments and watched with pride as I saw Noah, sitting high up on a stunning chestnut-colored mare, holding onto the saddle for dear life with both hands. The horse was walking around slowly, led by a woman with her back to me. I couldn’t help but notice a very nice, round ass in tight-fitting riding pants.

  “That’s it,” she said, as Noah concentrated on her words, eyes wide. “Sit up tall and keep your shoulders back. No, don’t slouch over, Noah. Now, with one hand, I want you to reach out and stroke Bonnie’s mane.”

  But my son wasn’t quite ready to do something so daring, and I leaned on the fence, folded my arms, and watched as both rider and teacher were absorbed in the lesson. Then, Noah saw me and cried out. “Daddy! Look at me!”

  I grinned and waved, and then, suddenly, the teacher turned around, and I realized that I was staring into the eyes of none other than Rachel Evans.

  My first thought was annoyance, not because she was here, but because it meant that Tom had been right all along. She was back, and she was gorgeous. The awkward teen of ten years ago had completely disappeared and had been replaced by a tall, straight-backed woman with curves exactly where I liked them. Her frizzy hair was now a tumble of dark curls, and she stood with all the poise and grace of someone who knew her place in the world.

  She seemed a little taken aback for a second until her lips curled into a tight, polite smile that I could see didn’t reach her eyes. “Mister Maitland,” she said, brusquely. “I’m just finishing up the lesson.”

  “Carry on, by all means, Miss Evans,” I replied, but she didn’t move.

  When I asked her what was wrong, she blinked but didn’t lose her composure. “I’m afraid that if you stand there, Noah isn’t going to be concentrating, and I need him to concentrate for his own safety. I’ll bring him to the house when the lesson’s over.”

  I had no idea why I didn’t simply put her in her place then and there. I’d never known any of the staff on the estate to talk to me in that way before. But what she was saying made sense at that very moment. I didn’t want Noah to be distracted, and he clearly wouldn’t pay quite as much attention if he knew I was watching him.

  “How long will you be?” I asked.

  “Ten more minutes,” Rachel replied, and she turned her back to me and led the horse away again. Noah turned in the saddle to watch me, but Rachel reprimanded him. “Eyes front, Noah,” she said.

  And my son, too, did exactly as he was told. With little else for me to do but leave, I walked away from the paddock and headed back to the house.

  Chapter 13

  ________

  RACHEL

  “What did he say?” I asked Martin, as I led Bonnie back into the yard.

  Martin looked puzzled. “What did who say?” he asked.

  “Alexander Maitland.”

  “Oh, nothing,” Martin replied. “He walked back to the house, smiling in fact. I figured you’d told him you’d bring Noah back when he was ready.”

  “Well, I did,” I said. “And he was happy with that?”

  “He seemed to be.”

  “Right.”

  I was somewhat surprised. I could have sworn that Alexander would walk straight up to Martin and instruct him to immediately get rid of me and to never set foot on his land again. I was su
re that I’d certainly never be allowed to give Noah another riding lesson. And yet, it appeared that no such conversation had happened.

  My short, sharp response to Alexander’s questions had flown out of my mouth before even I’d realized what was happening. My replies had surprised me as much as I was sure they’d surprised him, too. But after seeing him for the first time in ten years, all I felt was irritation.

  The memory of that night, when he so callously made me feel like a fool, came rushing back. I had no idea until that moment that I was still angry with him. He’d embarrassed me and then he humiliated me and left without a second thought.

  To tell him, on his own land, to go back to the house and wait for me to finish the lesson made me feel good. Perhaps it was a hollow victory, but it was a victory nonetheless.

  In the meantime, I was still in charge of his son, and seeing Alexander standing there, watching me, had reminded me just how precious the little figure atop the horse really was. He was a cute little thing, and unlike his father, Noah was fair-haired. He had the same large, blue eyes, the unmistakable Maitland eyes that Tom also owned.

  I wondered if Noah’s mother had fair hair. He had long, sturdy legs, and was going to be tall. It didn’t come as a surprise to me; his father was six foot two, at least.

  The biggest difference between father and son, however, was that the younger Maitland was an absolute sweetheart. He was the cutest kid I’d ever seen and considering he was being raised in a life of unquestionable wealth and privilege, he was incredibly polite and friendly. Initially startled by the size of the huge horse, he was soon relaxed enough to ask inquisitive, and often, intelligent questions.

  I started Noah in the same steps I’d begun when I was about his age. The first job is never to get a child onto a horse straight away but to bring them close to the animals, to learn to recognize certain parts, and to know what animals like and what they don’t like.

  Standing Noah up on a bale of hay, we peered together into Bonnie’s stall several minutes after he and I were first introduced. “Can you see the way she’s sniffing you?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Noah said. “She’s smelling my hand.”

  “Well, she wants to know if you’ve got any treats for her,” I said. “Here, take this piece of apple.”

  I showed him how to open his hand out flat so that Bonnie wouldn’t accidentally nip his fingers. He giggled as the horse took the apple cleanly, giving it a loud crunch. “She likes that a lot,” I said. “Whenever you come for a ride, always bring an apple or a carrot. That way, Bonnie will know that you like her, and I can already see that she likes you.”

  “She likes me?” Noah asked. “How do you know?”

  “Because you can always tell when animals are happy around people,” I said. And I showed him how to look for relaxed nostrils, and ears that weren’t pinned back in fear. I showed him how the swish of her tail could tell him if she was startled or alert, and I told him how to hold out his hand and stroke her soft, velvety muzzle.

  Then, it was time to get her out of the stall, and we talked about how he should never approach a horse from behind, but always come from the left. And Noah, of course, wanted to know why.

  “It’s so she doesn’t kick you,” I said.

  “But she likes me,” Noah replied.

  “But how does she know it’s you if she can’t see what’s behind her?” I asked. “It’s an instinct.”

  “What’s an instinct?”

  “It’s something you’re born with,” I said.

  “Like a birthmark?”

  I smiled. “No, not exactly,” I replied. “It’s like a feeling. Something that happens in your brain without you thinking about it. And if Bonnie feels frightened, her instinct is to kick, which is very dangerous.”

  “Has she ever kicked you?”

  “No, because I’ve always been very careful.”

  “Did you ride this horse when you were five?”

  “No. Bonnie is only eight years old.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty years older than Bonnie,” I said.

  He counted on his fingers, frowning. He lost count and went back to the beginning. “How many is that? Forty?”

  “No!” I cried. “I’m a long way from forty, you cheeky thing. I’m twenty-eight.”

  “My Uncle Tom is twenty-eight!” Noah shouted, with delight.

  “Is that right?” I asked. “Here, hold this brush and gently brush it down Bonnie’s neck, carefully.”

  “Yes. I asked him and he told me. Do you know my Uncle Tom?”

  “No, not really.”

  “Do you know my daddy?”

  “Come on,” I said. “Brush her downwards and then I’ll show you how to put on the tack.”

  He was so sweetly innocent, and I didn’t mind his incessant questions one little bit. I felt sorry for him, and I wanted to tell him that I understood what he was going through, that I had grown up without a mommy, too, and that he was going to be okay. But how on earth could I do such a thing? It was his first riding lesson with me. He surely would have thought I was crazy.

  Besides, I’d grown up okay because I had a wonderful father. I wasn’t sure I could say the same about Noah’s, despite the surprisingly good things I’d heard since returning. Initially, I was pretty sure that Alexander was the same obnoxious, entitled asshole he’d always been. Yet he’d walked off without arguing with me, and now it was time for me to take Noah back to the house.

  ~~~~~~

  I’d never been through the main door of the Maitland home. Life on the estate was spent in our little apartment, and if there was ever any need to go up to the house, then it was through the back door, rather than the front. But Noah took my hand and insisted on taking me up the sweeping drive to the front door. There, he jumped up and grabbed hold of the loud, clanging bell, which he rang with glee.

  Alastair, the butler, opened the door, and he seemed surprised to see me. “Miss Evans,” he said, with a little bow of his head. He’d never called me anything but Rachel before, but now I was entering through the front door, a guest of young Master Maitland.

  “Hello, Alastair,” I said, and Noah ran ahead of me, tearing down the main hallway. “I’ve come to return Noah from his riding lesson.”

  “Of course,” he said. “Please come in.”

  I stepped inside and Noah beckoned for me to follow him. “Come on, Rachel!” he called. “Come and see my daddy. He’s working in his study. We have to knock before we can go inside.”

  I had absolutely no desire to see Alexander again, but it would have been rude to simply dump the child inside the house without giving his father the courtesy of knowing his little boy was back, safe and sound. So, I agreed to go into the study with Noah, who rapped on the door with his little fist.

  “Come in!” came the booming voice.

  We entered the room and Noah ran towards the desk. It seemed Alexander was having a meeting with someone, and I didn’t want to stay. But then, the other guest turned around in his chair and my heart began to beat just a little bit faster. It was Thomas Maitland. Yesterday, I only saw him from a distance as I left the house, but now he was there, only a few steps in front of me.

  “Rachel!” he said, and he smiled, got up and walked over to me. He took my hands in his and kissed me on each cheek, which I was sure were burning as hot as the noonday sun.

  “Hello,” I said, awkwardly. “Sorry, I smell like horses.”

  What an absolutely idiotic thing to say, I thought, but Thomas only chuckled.

  “I love that smell,” he said. “I miss riding every day. Are you coming to the tournament in the fall? It’s only a couple of months away.”

  I was so flustered that I was speechless. In jeans and a white polo shirt, the collar folded up against his neck, he looked as hot as ever. His chestnut brown hair had been lightened by the sun, and he seemed to have a tan. On his wrist, he wore a chunky gold watch and he hooked his thumbs loosely into the
pockets of his jeans. He looked cool, confident, and as charming as he had when we were eighteen. If anything, he looked even better now he was ten years older.

  “Uh, I’m not sure about the tournament,” I said. “I have a new job in the city, and I start next week, so I don’t know.”

  “A new job?” Thomas asked, smiling at me and slowly shaking his head. He truly seemed interested in what I was saying. I’d dreamed of this sort of interaction with him all of my young adult life, and now it was finally happening, I had no idea what to say.

  “Yes, as a designer.”

  “Designer? Like a graphic designer?”

  Why on earth was he taking such an interest when I was wearing outdoor gear, didn’t have much makeup on and smelled like hay? “No, an interior designer,” I replied. “You know, houses, studios, that kind of thing.”

  “Fascinating. So, who’s the lucky new employer?”

  “Kate Rose at Elemental Design. I met with her yesterday. It’s a great opportunity for me.”

  He nodded and smiled broadly. He looked as though he was about to ask me another question when, from the corner of my eye, I saw that Alexander had stood up and was walking over to join us. He slapped his brother on the back.

  “Can you take care of things for me?” he asked his brother. “I’d like the forms to be filed by the end of today.”

  Thomas seemed irritated that we were interrupted and, to be honest, I was a little annoyed about it, too. I wanted to tell Alexander to keep quiet and leave us alone. Couldn’t he see this was the conversation I’d wanted to have for the past ten years, for God’s sake?

  “You said you needed them done by the end of the month,” said Tom. “Not the end of the day.”

  “Well, why have a mind if you can’t change it, right?” Alexander said; his lips set in a thin line. He looked at me, a predatory gleam in his eyes. “Thank you for bringing back my son, Miss Evans. That’ll be all.”