Chapter 12

~The next day~

"The answer is no, Edwina," Mary said firmly.

"But why not?" Edwina whined, her beautiful brown eyes wide as she pleaded with her mother. It was a look that often worked, but she hadn't had much success with it today. "Dogs are great! And you won't even have to do anything – Kate and I would feed it and take care of it and everything."

"We are not getting a dog, Edwina," Mary stated, her voice final as she walked toward the kitchen. "We've gone over this a thousand times. Dogs constantly need to be fed and trained and cared for, and they make a mess everywhere. Not to mention they're expensive."

"But that's why Kate and I will take care of it," Edwina insisted, following her mother. "We'll pay for it and everything. There's a breeder down near London that just had a new litter of corgis – Kate and I are willing to pay the adoption fees, and we'll also pay for food and toys and vet visits."

"But what about when you and Kate are out of the house?" Mary asked reasonably. "You're going off to university next year, Edwina, and Kate probably won't be living at home much longer. Where will the dog go then?"

"Well, if Kate finds her own place, then she'll just take him," Edwina said, just as Kate walked downstairs and entered the kitchen. "Right Kate?"

"If you're talking about the corgi again, then yes I will take him," Kate smiled, glancing over at her stepmother. "Is she making any headway with you yet, Mary?"

"My answer is still no," Mary said firmly, placing a hand on her hip. "Kate can get a dog once she moves into her own place. The same goes for you too, Edwina."

Edwina pouted. "But I want a dog now. Specifically a corgi."

"Maybe we can still get one and just keep it at the farm," Kate suggested, walking over to the fridge and grabbing a soda. "He can just hang out in the barn with all the horses."

"If you can manage to sneak him by Mrs. Danbury, then I'm all for it," Mary smiled humorously, knowing that Agatha Danbury was notoriously astute and knew pretty much everything that went on at Aubrey Farm.

Kate's phone suddenly buzzed with an incoming text, and she smiled to herself, knowing who it was. After glancing over at Edwina and Mary to make sure they weren't looking at her, Kate discreetly took her phone out of her pocket.

Kate and Anthony had been texting each other all last night and most of today, and every new message from him made Kate's heart pound with happiness. She checked his message:

Anthony: Bet you wish you were here ;)

His words were accompanied by a photo of a wooded grove with a dirt path, and in the distance was the familiar red barn of Aubrey Farm. Since it was currently six o'clock in the evening, Kate could see the sun setting in the sky while casting beautiful orange light across the trees.

Kate raised her eyebrows in surprise and a little bit of jealousy: Anthony was currently going on a solitary horse ride at Aubrey Farm. The place was closed to visitors after five, so she knew nobody else was there, meaning now was the perfect time for a little alone time with the horses. She texted back:

Kate: I do! So jealous :(

Anthony: Join me then

Kate felt her heart catch in her throat. Should she join him? She couldn't deny that she was sorely tempted: she wanted to see him again, even though it had only been a day since their date at the book fair. She realized with regret, however, that it probably wasn't feasible tonight – she only had her bike, and Mary would probably ask questions if she took the car.

Kate: Sorry, don't think I can get away tonight. Rain check?

Anthony: Sure ;) How about tomorrow morning at 7?

Kate smiled to herself. She was scheduled to work at 8 tomorrow, so she and Anthony had the perfect excuse to see each other again before the farm officially opened.

Kate: Perfect :) Prepare to get beaten Bridgerton

Anthony: I look forward to it Sharma

"Ooh, Kate's smiling at her phone," Edwina teased, causing Kate to blink and look up at her. "She's texting a boy."

Kate blushed, knowing Edwina probably wouldn't be teasing her like this if she knew who she was texting. "No, I'm not," Kate lied, quickly sticking her phone back into her pocket. "I was just looking at something funny."

"Sure you were," Edwina giggled. "So funny that you're blushing?"

Kate didn't know how to respond to that, so she simply stuck her tongue out at her sister before turning and heading back toward the staircase.

Kate was painfully aware of the fact that she was going to hurt her sister by sneaking around with Anthony in secret. They weren't doing anything wrong, she knew objectively, but that didn't do much to ease the knot that formed in her chest at the thought of Edwina finding out that she and Anthony were spending time together.

Kate knew that she was going to have to have a conversation with Edwina at some point soon, and she was dreading it, to be perfectly honest. She had no idea how to bring up something like this since nothing like it had ever happened before – perhaps Anthony could be the one to talk with her, but Kate knew that this information would be best if it came from her.

Perhaps tomorrow, Kate thought. That way she could spend her morning riding with Anthony, and then when she came home after work, she could sit down and have a talk with Edwina.

Yes, that would probably be best.

Kate took a deep breath, feeling resolved in her decision. It wouldn't be a pleasant talk, but it needed to happen. She only hoped Edwina wouldn't be too upset at her.

~/~

The following morning dawned bright and beautiful, and Kate woke up before everyone else so she could head over to Aubrey Farm and meet up with Anthony at their agreed-upon time. Kate could see the sun peeking up over the treetops as she biked her usual route to Aubrey Farm.

Once Kate arrived, she didn't see anyone else around, though that wasn't surprising considering how large Aubrey Farm was. Kate simply parked her bike at the rack and headed over to the stables so she could find a horse to ride for awhile.

She decided on High Flier again, since he had quickly become one of her favorites, and as she led him out of the stables, she couldn't help but notice Nectar was gone from his own stall. Kate smiled to herself as she saddled High Flier and mounted him, squeezing her heels in order to spur him forward in a fast trot.

Kate basked in the cool morning air and the beautiful sunrise as she and High Flier galloped toward the woods in the distance. Nothing in the world made her feel more exhilarated than horseback riding, and before she had met Anthony, she didn't think she would ever meet anyone else sharing her passion for horses.

And speaking of Anthony…

Kate instinctively smiled when she saw a familiar horse and rider galloping near the tree line about a quarter of a mile away. With a determined glint in her eye, Kate snapped the reins, and she and High Flier sped off toward Anthony and Nectar.

High Flier was going fast – fast enough for Kate to feel the wind blowing through her hair and beating against her eardrums. High Flier's hoofbeats were pounding against the ground, loud enough for Anthony to hear them approach. He looked over and grinned mischievously at Kate before turning forward again and snapping Nectar's reins, surging forward.

The two of them were in an all-out race, and Kate couldn't fight the grin on her face as she galloped after them. Anthony was still ahead of her, but Kate was gaining on him quickly.

"A bit slow this morning, are we, Bridgerton?" Kate called after him as she and High Flier approached from behind. Anthony laughed.

"You wish, Sharma!" he yelled back, urging Nectar forward.

The two of them continued to race each other, galloping through the trees and along the dirt paths. Kate was gaining on Anthony, and once they had broken the tree line, their horses were neck-and-neck. They sped alongside one another as they headed back toward the barn, laughing as Kate and High Flier began to inch ahead.

"C'mon Nectar!" Anthony urged his horse, gripping the reins tightly in his hands. However, Kate and High Flier had just surpassed them by a few inches, and they managed to beat Anthony and Nectar past the paddock fence by a split second.

"YES!" Kate celebrated, pulling on the reins so High Flier slowed down. Anthony did the same with Nectar. "I won! I'm the best rider!"

"You got lucky," Anthony retorted, though he was grinning. "Nectar was clearly ahead for most of that race."

"And yet High Flier still beat him," Kate gloated happily, slipping her foot out of the stirrup and hopping down from the horse. Anthony did the same. "Admit it, Bridgerton – I'm the superior rider."

"I suppose I could concede you are very good," Anthony teased, walking up to her so he could reach for her waist and pull her to him. "So what should your prize be, then?"

Kate's heart fluttered in her chest, and she smiled up at him. She placed her hands against his chest, enjoying the feel of his warm body beneath his flannel shirt. "Why don't you decide?"

Anthony's eyes practically lit up, and the next moment he leaned down and captured Kate's lips in a sweet kiss. Kate didn't hesitate to kiss him back, sliding her hands up so her arms wound around his neck. Kate's heart soared as Anthony opened his mouth against hers, practically worshiping her mouth with his own, and she wished that this moment didn't ever have to end…

"Kate?"

Kate and Anthony quickly separated, Kate's heart pounding with nervousness at the realization they had been caught making out. But the moment she looked over toward the barn entrance, her heart dropped to her stomach.

"Edwina," Kate said, her eyes wide as she stared at her little sister standing barely twenty feet away, watching the two of them with shock written all over her face. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

Edwina blinked several times, her expression more than a little hurt. "I… I wanted to come to Aubrey Farm with you again this morning, but you had already left," she muttered. "I took Mum's car… but I guess that was a mistake."

Without another word, Edwina turned around and rushed back inside while Kate could only watch helplessly.


A/N: Welp, looks like the cat's out of the bag…

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