Wild Fire (The Fairy Tale Match Series) by Danielle Rose-West Page A

musketeer, but she couldn’t
tell what colour his eyes were from the distance. He was very at ease with himself
and held a charming smile on his lips, flashing dimples the entire time he was
instructing his riders.
    Laura couldn’t help but smile to
herself as she climbed up onto the fence to sit and watch the class. Three
young women in the group were all working very hard to gain the attention of
the handsome riding instructor. The man was quite obviously enjoying the
competition, blatantly spreading himself around the three in a way that was
fascinating to behold. He bestowed his easy smile in one direction, then
another with compliments flowing free and fast. The women preened under his
flattering and then glared daggers at each other when he was looking in a
different direction.
    The man glanced over to the fence and
saw Laura. He sent her one of his huge dimple filled smiles, his eyes gleaming
in interest. He gave a small nod in her direction, which she returned. The
class came to an end and the group made their way out of the paddock, taking
the hot sweaty horses back to the stable for grooming. The instructor made his
way over to Laura.
    “Hi,” he called out to her as he
approached, flashing his dimples at her again. “I’ve not seen you around here
before. Are you a guest in one of the cabins?” He strode up to the fence and
casually draped his arm around the post next to Laura’s leg. His dark eyes ran
over her form, the admiration in them making her flush, but he didn’t make her
heart flip over the way a certain dark haired, blue eyed man did.
    “Actually, I’m staying with Jake and
Kerry,” she replied, smiling down at him from her vantage point on the fence.
“I just got here yesterday for a visit.”
    “Ah, how wonderful to hear the sound
of home. A fellow countrywoman if I am not mistaken?” She nodded to confirm his
query. “It is always so lovely to meet up with people from home. I have been
here in the US for several years now, working as a riding instructor for various
ranches and still sometimes I get homesick. I’m Walter Nobel by the way.”
    “I’m Laura Hamilton,” she replied,
with a small laugh. The man was a real charmer. She could see why the women
took to him. He had an easy smile and a naughty twinkle in his eyes. “Have you
family back in England, Mr Nobel?”
    “Please, call me Walter or Walt. Mr
Nobel makes me look around for my father.” He gave an exaggerated shudder. “I
left him back in England along with the rest of my family and I certainly don’t
miss them. They are the reason I left, actually.” He gave her a cheeky wink,
making her laugh. “Have you known the Carters long?” he asked, propping his
boot up on the fence near her foot and leaning closer.
    “A while,” she replied evasively.
Somehow she didn’t think Jake would appreciate anyone else knowing the
circumstances of her arrival here. She quickly changed the subject. “Do you
enjoy working here?”
    “I love it. How many people can say
they get to earn money doing something they truly love all day long?” He cocked
his head to one side as he regarded her with a deep intense look. “What about
you Laura? Do you do what you love for work?”
    “Not yet, but I hope to one day,” she
sighed wistfully. “One of the reasons I came here was to see if I can settle
into a new life in the States. Maybe I can be as lucky as you and find my
perfect job here too.”
    “So, you may be sticking around here
permanently?” Walter asked, his voice dropping to an intimately low caress. “We
must take the time to get to know each other better. Being fellow countryman
and all, we should stick together.” He gave her a naughty flirtatious smile.
    “It would be lovely to be friends.”
She stressed the word in the hopes that Walter would take the hint and not keep
flirting with her. She thought him nice enough, but he didn’t set her pulse to
racing or her heart pounding. The last thing she wanted to do