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Chapter 3

A short time later, Hillary had completed the few jobs on his list and went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. As he entered the room, he saw the gangling figure of Bryce Turing lounging against the kitchen table, grinning from ear to ear.

"Well then," Bryce began. "Want to tell me what that little clinch in the corridor was all about?"

"I'm sorry, Bryce, I'm not in the mood for questions, and if you know what's good for you, you'll refrain from pestering Lara." Hillary's reply was a little more curt than he intended, but he was in no mood for games.

"Oh, come on!" Snorted Bryce. "I catch you and Lady C in a lip lock and you're not going to give me any details?" He took the kettle and filled it with water. "How long have you been…how shall I say, performing services under your new remit?"

Hillary was torn between anger and the desire to laugh-an irrational combination of emotions that had him momentarily questioning his own sanity. In the end, anger won out.

"Just give it a rest, Bryce," Hillary snapped. "Now isn't the time." He took a large gulp of the glass of water he'd poured and placed it into the sink.

"Alright mate, but you're going to have to own up to it sometime!" Bryce reached for the coffee jar and a clean mug.

Hillary shook his head, feeling more uncomfortable by the second. How could he tell Bryce what was going on if he didn't even know himself? Hurriedly, he washed up his glass and strode from the room, leaving a grinning but still curious Bryce behind him.

Before he came to Croft Manor, Hillary had never been near a horse, much less sat on one while it was moving. However, in the fifteen years that he had served Sir Richard, and now Lara, he had had plenty of opportunity to learn to ride. Now, as with the other skills he had learned to be able to help Lara in her training, he was an excellent horseman. He didn't have Lara's natural fearlessness; after all, she had been put in the saddle almost before she could walk, but he made up for it with calmness and determination.

While he wasn't complacent enough to define Arrow as "his" horse, he was the one who rode the fourteen year old gelding most often, and horse and rider had developed an instinctive rhythm. The chestnut horse was patient with other riders, but Hillary sensed that he preferred him best. Arrow was also rather fond of Lara's recent favourite, the four-year-old Midnight, and, as far as horses went, he had taken the youngster under his wing. The two were virtually inseparable; an irony that was not lost on Hillary.

It was a relief to shrug out of the butler's uniform and into his comfy old riding clothes. The black jodhpurs that had seemed so ridiculous when he'd first put them on all those years ago now were well-worn and comfortable, and the ivy green cable knit jumper was a favourite that Lara had given him a few Christmasses past. His scuffed old riding boots completed the ensemble; irresponsible though it was, he hadn't worn a riding hat for years.

It came as no surprise to Hillary to see Lara talking nonsense to Midnight as he entered the stables. She had tacked him up and was checking his girth, all the while chatting away to the vast dark gelding.

"Let's get out there and blow some of those cobwebs away, old son," Lara was saying as she did the final checks on the horse's tack. "After all, a little bit of fresh air is what we both need, isn't it? Isn't it just, old boy? That'll help send those dreams packing, won't it? Yes, it will…"

"I bet you're the best conversationalist that horse has ever had!" Hillary joked as he reached forward to pat Midnight. "He's missed you," he continued, more seriously, as the dark horse turned its head and gently butted Lara with his soft nose.

"I've missed him," Lara said, cuffing the horse affectionately. "He's put on a bit of weight since I've been away," she continued, heaving the horse's girth strap up another hole. "He's going to need taking out a bit more now I'm back!"

"He's probably been comfort eating!" Hillary replied. "Bit like Bryce, when you're out of the country."

Lara laughed. "And you?"

"Quite the opposite," Hillary responded. "I hardly see the point of cooking when it's just Bryce and I-and eating with him does tend to put me off my food!"

"Naughty!" Lara chided. "Well, give me a leg up?"

In very little time, they were trotting companionably across the back end of the Croft estate. The weather was all hazy sunshine and light breeze, and Hillary was relieved to see a little more colour in Lara's cheeks as she rode. This gentle ride out was far removed from her gun-toting side saddle training sessions, and Hillary could see from the contented expression on her face, that this was just what the doctor ordered.

"I forget how lovely it is out here," Lara said. "Every time I come back, I'm reminded of just how lucky I am." She kicked Midnight on a little more. "Come on, old boy, pick up your feet!" The horse made a sound like he was blowing a raspberry at her, but complied and the trot became a little faster.

"I think he's reminding you that you haven't taken him out for a while!" Hillary laughed. "Unless the 'old boy' you were referring to was me, of course."

They were both hatless, and as Lara turned in her saddle to look back at Hillary, who had dropped behind, owing to Arrow's slightly shorter stride, her plait swung over her shoulder.

"You're hardly old, Hilly," she grinned. "You don't look a day over, say, fifty!" Knowing that Hillary was a long way from that age, she kicked the horse again before he could respond.

"Get down on the ground and let me hear you say that!" Hillary called after her retreating back. Kicking Arrow a little harder, he felt the horse's rhythm change from trot to canter, and adjusted his gait accordingly. In very little time, despite Arrow's shorter legs, he had overtaken the slightly overweight Midnight.

Had Hillary chanced to look behind as he passed Lara, he would have seen desire written all over her face. It was something to do with his thrusting hips in the saddle, driving the horse further on, past her own. She would never tell him in a million years, but the sight of his firm thighs gripping that powerful horse was an instant aphrodisiac.

Unfortunately for Hillary and Arrow, it was also enough to spur on Lara's competitive streak, and she gave Midnight a powerful kick. Midnight, even though he was feeling his own weight a little, was more than happy to gain the ascendancy and began to stretch his legs. It wasn't long before horse and rider, tail and both raven manes flying, had outstripped Hillary and Arrow.

Arrow, sensing his rider's surprise, caught back up with Midnight, and both horses cantered side by side for a while, until Lara and Hillary pulled them up gently.

"A few more rides like that and Midnight'll be back on form in no time!" Lara said, herself slightly breathless, not entirely from the exertion of the canter.

Hillary smiled. This time he had seen the way Lara had looked at him, and desire had begun to flare inside him at her expression. She had obviously intended for him to catch her staring, and just for a moment he enjoyed the scrutiny of her gaze; from his eyes, down his body, across his thighs and further.

"Arrow could do with a break," Hillary said, his voice a little husky. "It's not easy for him to keep up with a youngster like Midnight." He stroked along the horse's neck, ruffling his mane with his long fingers. "Why don't we give them a rest?"

Lara could feel herself getting aroused just watching Hillary caressing his horse, and she was relieved to see the Croft folly just over the hill.

"Why don't we tether them up at the folly for an hour or so?" Lara suggested. "That'll give us a good place to…rest, as well." She threw a sultry, lazy smile in Hillary's direction.

Chapter 4