LOL: Laugh Out Loud (After Oscar, #2)(16)
At least his rejection confirmed Scotty wasn’t impressed with my celebrity status. Though it also meant he wasn’t impressed with me as a person either. Not enough to want to spend a few weeks in a secluded cottage with me.
Which was a shame. Because Scotty’s personality was big enough that it would make the house feel less empty. Plus, it would have given us ample time to get to know each other. And by get to know each other, I meant fuck each other’s brains out.
Because I’d been spending a lot of time fantasizing about that as well. Every bedroom I peeked my head into in Oscar’s manse, I imagined Scotty on the bed naked and waiting. Every shower I pictured him beckoning me to him with a crooked finger. And forget what the sauna had made me imagine—it involved a lot of sweat-slicked skin.
Thanks to his little stunt wearing just a towel as he sauntered around my kitchen that morning, I had a very good idea what Scotty would look like naked. The memory of it had kept me half-aroused for most of the six-hour drive up here.
I groaned. I needed a cold shower to cool my libido and clear my head. Instead I opted for a walk outside, figuring I should probably check to make sure Nugget arrived safely and was settled in to her new home.
The transportation company had texted me to confirm delivery of Scotty’s horse a couple of hours earlier, but I wanted to see her with my own eyes. The last thing I needed was for something to happen to Nugget, especially under my watch. I’d seen how important that horse was to Scotty, and I took my responsibility of taking care of her seriously. Oscar had assured me a local man would come in every day to feed and care for her, but just to be safe I’d asked him to track down a local vet who would come check on the horse once a week as well.
Bundling back up in my coat and yanking a wool hat down over my ears, I left the “cottage” to go in search of the barn, trying desperately not to think about how I was going to pass several weeks of solitude like this without anyone to talk to.
I wondered if Nugget would be open to a little conversation.
As I walked down the snowy path through a stand of evergreens, I began to feel the tension in my shoulders recede and my pace slow. I breathed deeply, reveling in the sharp, cold air that filled my lungs. It was beyond silent here. Every now and then, I heard a clump of snow fall from a tree or the rustle of a small animal under a bush somewhere, but compared to the city? It was heaven.
This was exactly what I’d wanted, I reminded myself. Peace and quiet. Room to breathe. And not a single paparazzi camera anywhere in sight.
Thankfully, finding the barn wasn’t that difficult. It was painted red and shaped like any stereotypical barn out of a children’s book, and I imagined Oscar designing his “cottage” on his “farm” and ordering a “barn” to go on it.
From the hoofprints and tire tracks in the snow, I could tell there’d been recent activity here. I pulled open the heavy wooden door and peered inside. Sure enough, a familiar brown horse nose poked over the gate to one of the stalls.
“Hey there, Nugget,” I called softly. “You made it here okay? Did you get carsick? Well, I guess it would be trailer sick, wouldn’t it?”
I approached slowly and gave her time to get used to the idea of me being in her space. I wasn’t really a horse person, but I knew better than to do anything near a large animal that might take them by surprise.
“Do you miss your daddy, hm?” I asked, spotting a pail of raw carrots hanging from a nearby hook. I took one out and offered it to her. “I hope he’s found a good job already and has a nice warm place to sleep tonight.”
The horse nibbled the carrot out of my hand and nudged my arm with her nose for another. I rubbed the short hair on her forehead. She reminded me of the horses my sister, Diana, and her husband, Earl, had on their farm back home.
“Maybe I should have brought Scotty with us,” I murmured. “He could have kept you from getting lonely. Kept me from getting lonely.” I chuckled. “I’ve been here less than two hours and I’m already talking to the animals. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”
Nugget made some scoffing sounds and continued bugging me for more treats. I gave her another carrot and scratched the side of her neck. She looked good—healthy and clean—and I reminded myself that next time I visited her I needed to bring my phone so I could snap a photo of her to email to Scotty. It would put his mind at ease to see her so well cared for.
“G’night, sweet Nugget,” I said before turning around. As soon as my back was to her, Nugget somehow managed to pull my wool hat off. I turned and stared at her before barking out a laugh. The beanie hung from Nugget’s front teeth.
“You thief!” I said, lunging to grab for it. “Give me back my hat.”
Nugget jerked her head away before I could wrap my hand around it. Laughing, I tried again, but the horse took several steps deeper into the stall as if deliberately trying to play a game of keep-away.
When I slid open the door to the stall to wrestle the hat back, out tumbled a man—a very familiar and adorable man I hadn’t been able to get out of my mind all day.
He landed on his back and blinked up at me for a moment before offering a smile. “Surprise?”
“Scotty? What the fuck?”
He scrambled up onto all fours before standing up and leaning casually against the side of the stall as if to chitchat. “Oh, yeah, hey.”