Page 83 of The Last Saturday In July
Adam turned to her. ‘Speaking of horses, how about riding out before dinner?’
‘Really?’ She glanced down at her clothes.
‘You could borrow some stuff from Mam.’
Jess beamed. ‘You’re on.’
As Jess and Adam brought the horses back into the yard later, Jess realised she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this happy. They’d ridden out across his parents’ land, starting slowly with the horses to let Jess get used to the mare, before finally letting the two animals canter for a while. Adam had stayed beside Jess, pointing out various landmarks as they skirted the farm’s boundaries, but mostly they’d ridden in contented silence and Jess had let herself forget about everything except Adam’s easy company and the joy she always felt on horseback.
Almost reluctantly, they’d circled back around to the stables. ‘Do you always come out for a ride when you’re visiting your parents?’ she asked, as they gently slowed the horses down again.
Adam flashed her a smile. ‘As often as I can. I find it’s the perfect antidote to corporate burnout. And the horses need to be ridden. Mam takes Sable out when she can, but Dad hasn’t been riding for a while. What about you? Do you ride often?’
‘Not now, but I took lessons as a teenager.’ Jess slowed the mare down even more to match Adam’s pace. As the two animals fell into step beside each other, her leg brushed continually against Adam’s and little bolts of electricity sparked deliciously through her. To distract herself, she added, ‘It kept me out of trouble.’
‘Maybe I should be grateful you don’t ride that often now.’ Adam gave a wicked smile and as Jess caught his meaning, she looked away, glad of cool air on her face.
They got back to the yard and Adam quickly dismounted, then steadied Jess’s mare as she dismounted moments later.
‘So, what did you think of her?’ Adam patted Sable, Jess’s mare, as he led his own towards the stable.
‘She handles beautifully, I love her.’
‘Sable prefers women, in general, but she doesn’t respond the same way to everyone. You did well.’
Jess smiled and shook her head.
‘What?’ Adam gave her a curious look.
‘Nothing, it just feels good to talk about horses.’
Adam nodded. ‘I thought the break would do you good. Let’s clean up. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.’
Jess scraped her boots on an outside mat, and followed Adam back into the house, feeling strangely comfortable as she left the riding boots in the mud room, before collecting her own clothes from the bedroom where she’d changed earlier.
‘You can freshen up in here.’ Adam opened a door further down the hall, to reveal a small, pristine shower room. ‘Take your time.’
Jess locked the door behind her and gave herself a few moments to take stock. It felt a bit surreal being in Adam’s family home, about to have dinner with him and his parents. Weirder still was how natural it felt. Maybe if things had been different, she and Adam could be friends. She sighed. Who was she kidding? If things were different, she’d either be single and free to date Adam, or Adam would know about Simon and none of this would be happening. She tried to tell herself that it was okay: Adam would be returning to Switzerland soon, and then she could forget about him and move on.
Leaving the clothes she’d borrowed from Anna in a neat pile, she turned on the shower and stepped in under the hot spray. It struck her that she’d hardly thought about Simon all day. But realistically, who thought about their partner the whole time? Even if they weren’t on a break from each other. This evening, she just wanted to forget about everything.
‘Have you and Adam known each other long?’ Declan Rourke sat down beside his wife at the kitchen table.
Jess had been momentarily stunned into silence after he’d introduced himself, terrified she might let something slip about how Adam had used the same name on the Isle of Man. Careful to avoid Adam’s eye, she’d simply smiled and shook his hand.
She supposed it was common for eldest sons to be named after their father, but clearly Declan Adam Rourke had had his own ideas.
‘Er,no, not long.’ Jess cleared her throat. ‘Just a couple of weeks, since Adam came to work in the Dublin office.’
‘A couple of weeks?’ Declan exchanged a glance with his wife. ‘Tell us now, where are you from, Jess?’
‘Dublin. I grew up in Dun Laoghaire.’
‘Oh, do you sail at all? Or swim? Anna’s brother, Frank, was only telling us recently that the Forty Foot is full of people diving into the sea in all weathers. I think he’s a bit of a regular there, himself.’
Jess couldn’t imagine Frank Charleston diving into the Forty Foot, or anywhere else. ‘I’m a fair-weather swimmer, to be honest.’
‘Jess rides very well, Dad,’ Adam said. ‘She handled Sable beautifully.’
