By the time the horses were saddled up and ready to go, the Thelwell scene from the indoor arena had disappeared, leaving us the freedom to do as we pleased. The Olympic sized space had eight jumps in varying stages of demolition with poles and wings knocked all over the place. I took Roxy down the bottom end, keeping out of the way of Charlie who had a look of determination on her face that Jake was going to love this way of riding.

For twenty minutes, I worked the lovely mare, my smile growing with each minute that passed. She looked at nothing, completely unphased by her new country and strange surroundings. Her focus was solely on me and that was worth more than a winning lottery ticket. By the time I settled back into a leisurely walk and headed up towards Charlie, Jake was sat atop Doc doing left handed spins at a rate of knots.

After a lope and a sliding stop, Jake's beaming grin told me he'd been sold.

"Go on," Charlie said, smirking. "Go for a ride around the fields like some cheesy romantic film."

Jake glanced over at me, his eyes twinkling with amusement. A red-hot blush swept straight up my neck and across my face. I pushed Roxy towards the gate that lead out of the arena and onto the picturesque countryside beyond. John's family owned nearly two thousand acres, eight hundred of which was just for the horses. Riding across it was just pure heaven.

As we meandered along the grassy land, I put my reins in one hand and relaxed completely. I had no doubts this mare was as safe as houses. It was a liberating feeling for me to allow myself to chill out to this degree; where I felt nothing could hurt me in any way.

"So," I said, grinning at Jake. "The verdict is?"

He leaned forwards and patted Doc's chestnut neck. "I'm pleasantly surprised. Definitely not what I expected."

"Is that code for you want to do it again?"

He smiled at me and leaned on the horn. "It's code for I may have to introduce some elements of this training to my own horses."

"I told you you'd get bitten by the bug."

Laughing, he nodded. "Just don't tell Charlie that—yet."

We carried on at a steady pace, swapping stories of horrid ponies, painful falls, and triumphant victories. I was so calm and happy, it seemed like years ago rather than two hours ago that I'd been facing Adam at my front door.

When we arrived back at the stables, the pony clubbers were having their lunch which served some sort of peace over the fantastic setting. Dismounting, we led the horses back inside, unsaddling them in a comfortable silence.

Charlie crept up behind me, making me jump. "You nearly gave me a heart attack," I said, leaning against Roxy as I calmed my racing heart.

She sighed, crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Jake hosing down Doc in the wash bay.

"You're married," I said, giggling. "John? About six-two, fifteen stone, bushy moustache..."

"Doesn't mean I can't look," she said, laughing. "Anyway, what's the deal with you and him? Is it a fling, hot sex, just friends...?"

"No," I said, dropping my voice to a whisper. "We've done nothing more than go out for dinner. That's it."

Her jaw dropped open. "Are you freaking kidding me, woman? You are aware of how hot that man is?"

I blushed and giggled. "Of course I am. Doesn't mean I'm...you know...ready."

A look of sympathy flashed across her face. She put an arm around my shoulders and hugged me to her side. "I know," she said. "I'm proud of you though with how far you've come. You're doing great and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

I nodded. "Thanks. Still a long way to go though."

"Who cares?" she said, patting my shoulder. "With that rather tasty stallion waiting in the sidelines, it may not be as long as you think."

"He's only in town for a few weeks, Charlie. It won't get that far."

"Stop being so blasé. You don't know what could happen." She gave me a mischievous grin and headed back outside.

I spent the next hour showing Jake around the rest of the farm, introducing him to the pregnant mares, the yearlings, and John's impressive room which housed his collection of trophies and rosettes. When we reached the picture gallery, he gave a low whistle and nodded his head in approval. The photographs of the horses gleaming and laden with exquisite western tack whilst performing agile moves were breath-taking.

"Alright, I admit it. I've been bitten by the bug," he said, grinning.

I smiled back. "Then my job is done."

We wandered back outside, surprised to see the pony clubbers packing up and the yellow sunshine turning orange on the horizon.

"Crikey," I said, looking at my phone. "It's six o clock. I didn't realise it was that late. I'm so sorry."

"For what?" he said, frowning slightly.

A warm flush started to spread across my cheeks. "For taking up your whole day."

We said our goodbyes to Charlie and headed back to his car. As we walked side by side, he slipped his fingers between mine and took my hand in his.

"I had no plans today so don't worry about that. You know what they say—time flies when you're having fun and I've had one of the best days in a long time."

I smiled and tried to settle my pounding heart. Had he really enjoyed himself or was he just saying that?

Don't try to second guess everything, Louisa. It's not healthy and not everyone has an ulterior motive.

We reached his car and he opened the door for me, which was becoming like second nature to accept. Would any future guys do this? Make me feel all giddy like a teenager again?

He lifted my hand to his mouth and brushed a delicate kiss across the back of it. I peeked up at him from beneath my lashes to see his deep blue eyes sparkling with joy. My heart skipped a beat, a heady fuzz swimming through my veins. This man was threatening to break down every defence I'd ever built and that scared me more than anything.

***

"Louisa, calm down. Take a deep breath for me and just step back for a moment."

The placid tone of Dr Strawson's voice trickled down the phone, easing me into a state of semi-calmness.

Jake had dropped me off at home with promises to return after he'd showered and changed. When he'd asked me what I wanted to do for the rest of the evening, I'd stuttered and shamefully admitted that my Saturday evenings consisted of films and a takeaway. He'd given me a dashing smile, a tender kiss on the cheek, and said he'd be back around eight.

In my sheer panic of feeling more than caught up in the moment, and the fact that Jake had figured out my horrific past, I'd rang Dr Strawson, screeching at her that I was in a situation I couldn't handle.

"What can't you handle, Louisa?"

I paced around my bedroom, running my free hand through my hair. "He knows. He figured it out—about Adam. Only because he turned up this morning whilst Adam was trying to throw a spade through the window at me. Then he threw up everywhere. It was horrible. Then I ended up taking up all of his day with horses, and now he's coming back tonight for a film and a takeaway. I mean, we're talking a celebrity here—someone who goes to film premieres dressed up to the nines on a Tuesday night. Why on earth is he wasting his time with me?"

"Take a deep breath and count to ten."

I shut my eyes and followed her instructions. When I opened them and put my thoughts into process, I felt a little more grounded.

"Ok," I said. "Slightly calmer."

"Good," she said. "Now, looking at everything directly, there is nothing you can't handle after what you've been through. You've caught the attention of a potential suitor which you knew would happen one day. His social status and career have nothing to do with the possible relationship which could result from here on out."

"But I didn't expect it this quickly. I was thinking in another years' time or something."

"And when that year came around, would you then be pushing it back by another year and then another? You're trying to run away from the inevitable. There's no specific law or textbook to follow when it comes to moving on with someone new."

I thought about her words for a moment. She had a point. It was kind of like falling off a horse—if you didn't get back on straight away, the excuses to keep putting it off would keep coming—until it eventually happened that you never did get back on.

"Ok," I said. "I understand. That makes sense. But how can I expect him to sit in on a Saturday night? That's not exactly his usual scenery, is it?"

"Now you're making presumptions. You don't know for certain what he usually does any night of the week. Even if he is used to high rolling parties, what's to say he won't appreciate a different kind of entertainment for the evening? You're panicking over nothing, Louisa. Just breathe and stay calm."

I closed my eyes and took another deep breath. "And what about the whole Adam thing? I know he knows."

"He's obviously not stupid, Louisa. Going on that basis, I would hazard a guess he won't ask any questions at this point. If you feel comfortable telling him yourself, then do so, but don't worry about it otherwise. You need to remember that he hasn't got where he has in life by skirting around things and doing what others want him to. If he didn't want to sit in with you tonight then he wouldn't, same as if he wants to know details about Adam, he'll ask."

I nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. "I can live with that."

"Good. Now, relax and enjoy your evening. We'll discuss this in more detail when I see you on Wednesday."

I said my goodbyes and hung up.

I could do this. It would all be just fine.