Page 15 of Puck and Prejudice

“I’ll never get over Germany. If I enjoyed going almost two hundred miles per hour in a car, I’d be an F1 driver.”

Chad shakes his head. “You don’t know how to have fun. Fine. You can drive.”

* * *

IZZIE

I’m sitting on my favorite chair in the living room, trying to read a book, but Jane’s pacing back and forth in front of me and it’s distracting.

“Will you relax?”

“I can’t relax. Chad will be here at any minute.”

Lydia comes into the room. “When is your fiancé getting here? Mom is losing her mind in the kitchen.”

Jane whips her face to her. “Why is she losing her mind?”

“She decided to add another dish to the menu.”

My brows arch. “There’s already so much food.”

Plus they splurged, getting the bone-in Jamon Iberico that costs a fortune. Five hundred dollars is a lot of money to spend on an appetizer when things are tight.

Mom joins us in the living room, wiping her hands on her apron. Despite the fact that she spent the entire morning cooking, she looks ready to have tea with royalty. Her hair is as neat as a pin, and her makeup is flawless.

“Is he here yet?” she asks.

“No, Mom,” I reply.

She frowns. “What are you wearing?”

I glance at my tight jeans and the cute white top with cap sleeves I borrowed from Jane. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”

“You look like a slob. Go put on a nice dress.”

I wrinkle my nose. “I don’t look like a slob.”

The sound of tires on gravel grabs everyone’s attention.

“He’s here!” Lydia shouts.

“Oh my. I need to get your dad.” Mom starts removing her apron. “John!”

I jump from the couch. “He’s in the stables. I’ll go get him, Mom.”

Her eyes widen in horror. “Oh no. I told him not to go near the horses before lunch!”

Like Dad ever listens to her when it comes to his beloved horses. I use the back door to reach the stables faster. Dad bought the property the year Jane was born, when there was nothing around for miles and miles. We’re west of Miami, and the area has become more populated since then. Mercifully, most of the new developments are ranches with large acreage. This is a great area for horse lovers.

Our stables have room for six horses, but currently, we only have three—one thoroughbred, and two Argentinian polo ponies. They’re getting old, and when they die, Dad won’t be able to replace them. It makes me sad, not only because those horses have been a part of my entire life, but also, I can’t imagine Dad not having any horses to tend to.

I find him brushing Cicero, the thoroughbred. Dad’s sweaty, and his once pristine white button-down shirt has smears all over. Crap. Mom will have a cow.

“Dad, what are you doing? Chad Bingley just arrived.”

He looks at me, and his eyes seem vacant. It’s not the first time he’s stared at me with that unfocused expression. It’s starting to worry me. “Who?”

“Jane’s fiancé.”

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