Nic Moretti grinned at her. ‘Hi! Beautiful day, isn’t it?’
‘You came!’ The words shot out before she could catch them back, revealing she’d been on the lookout for him, missed him, given up on seeing him here at the gymkhana, and now that he had come, he shouldn’t have because she’d settled in her mind that he wouldn’t.
‘Great spot for a picnic,’ he enthused, ignoring her accusatory tone. ‘Wonderful trees. Plenty of shade. Lush grass. I brought a rug with me. Thought I’d relax and watch the riders go through their paces.’
‘Where is…?’ She looked down and there was the silky terrier under the trestle table which held the buttered rolls, bread and condiments, chomping away on a cooked sausage, oblivious to anything but food.
‘She didn’t want to wait for onions,’ Nic said offhandedly. ‘Didn’t want mustard or sauce, either. Cleo likes her meat straight.’
Serena took a deep breath and moved behind the trestle table, blinking rapidly to clear the stinging moisture from her eyes. Nic Moretti had brought the dog. He couldn’t corner her here. Not seriously. Too much public interference. So she had nothing to worry about. The only problem was in fighting his attraction.
‘What have you ordered?’ she asked, trying not to notice the way he filled his red and white checked sports shirt and blue jeans.
‘Two rolls with the lot,’ he answered, his dazzling grin sabotaging Serena’s attempt to remain cool and collected. ‘I’ve just been chatting with your sister…’
Shock slammed into her heart. What had he wormed out of Michelle?
‘Met your niece, too. Charming girl.’
Serena gritted her teeth. Charm was undoubtedly what he’d used to get what he wanted out of her family.
‘They told me Erin would be riding in an event at two o’clock.’ He checked his watch. ‘One-fifteen now. Will you be finished up here by then?’
‘Sure she will,’ Gavin chimed in. ‘My daughter’s riding in the same event.’
‘Ah! Double interest!’ Nic pounced, his eyes twinkling a challenge at Serena. ‘Will you join me then and explain the finer points of the event?’
If she didn’t, he’d come looking for her again, imposing his presence anyway. ‘Okay,’ she agreed, thinking her best defence was to get a few things out in the open with Nic Moretti. In private.
He chatted on to Gavin about the pony club until the onions were cooked and he was served with the sausage rolls he’d ordered. The moment he was gone, Gavin turned to her with a knowing grin. ‘Nice guy!’
‘More a master of manipulation,’ Serena muttered darkly. ‘I’ve got to go and see Michelle. Can you manage on your own?’
‘No problem.’
There were problems aplenty in Serena’s mind as she hot-footed it to the pony yard beyond the amenities block, hoping to find her sister and niece there. She needed to know just how much they’d blabbed to Nic Moretti before she tackled him herself. Luckily they were both there, along with Gavin’s daughter, Tamsin, who was Erin’s best friend.
Serena briefly reflected on how very chummy the two families were, and since Gavin was a widower, maybe there was no reason to be concerned about her sister’s single state continuing for much longer. Right now, however, she was more concerned about her own entanglement with Nic Moretti who was definitely pursuing a coupling.
Michelle spotted her approach and moved to meet her, leaving the two girls to look after their ponies. ‘You’ll never guess who came and introduced himself to us,’ she said, eyes sparkling with speculation.
‘Cleo’s keeper,’ Serena answered dryly.
‘What a nice guy! As well as gorgeous!’
‘Did he happen to ask about me?’ Serena pressed, ignoring both accolades since the gorgeous part was only too evident and it suited Nic’s purpose to be nice.
‘Only where to find you.’
‘No questions about my past?’
‘None at all. He did say you’d been great with Cleo. Mostly he asked about the gymkhana and chatted to Erin about how long she’d been riding. No really personal stuff.’
No reason for it if his only quest was bed. Serena was ruminating on this—her mind torn between relief and disappointment—as her sister rattled on.
‘Gavin has asked me to dinner at his place tonight. And Erin will want to sleep over with Tamsin. Any chance that Nic Moretti will ask you out?’
Serena frowned at her. ‘What happened to the warning about the big bad wolf?’
Michelle grinned. ‘He has great teeth.’
‘All the better to bite me with.’
‘Come on, Serena. You’re attracted. He’s attracted. Might be just the man to get you over Lyall Duncan.’
‘They’re two of a kind,’ she flashed bitterly.
Michelle shook her head. ‘He wasn’t patronising to either me or Erin. Not like Lyall.’
‘You didn’t tell me that before. I thought you liked Lyall.’
‘At the time you could see no wrong in him. I just let it pass, hoping you’d wake up to what you were getting before you married him. And you did.’
Thanks to Nic Moretti!
‘Anyhow, what you choose to do is your business, Serena. I was just letting you know Erin and I won’t be home tonight. Okay?’
‘You liked Nic?’
‘Yes, I did.’
It didn’t prove anything. Angelina Gifford’s observation just seemed more pertinent—There wasn’t a female alive who didn’t love Nic.
Michelle reached out and squeezed her arm. ‘You know, I’ve learnt it’s wrong to judge everything from a hurt that someone else has inflicted. Sometimes it’s good…just to follow your instincts.’
She was referring to her own life—how the tragedy of her husband’s death had cast a long shadow on her thinking, making her ultra-cautious and reluctant to let people get close.
Serena leaned over and kissed her older sister’s cheek. ‘I’m glad Gavin came along. Must get back to the sausage sizzle now. I’ve left him managing on his own.’
For the rest of the afternoon, the conversation with Michelle kept popping into Serena’s mind, even though she rejected it as not applicable to her situation with Nic Moretti. She knew he was a snob, even though she couldn’t once accuse him of being patronising in either speech or manner while they watched the riding events together. To make matters worse, being with him stirred instincts that waged a continual war with her brain, because following them meant abandoning all the common sense she was trying to cling to. In fact, most of the time they prompted things she had no control over.