“You’re not helping to sell him in a good light,” her cousin muttered, turning in her seat to stare straight ahead.
Isla inhaled. “Are you kidding me?”
“Yeah.” Emily turned to Lyndsey and blinked. “Did you miss the part where he placed himself between me and a thousand pounds of aggressive horse flesh?”
Lyndsey shook her head. “No. I’ll admit that was very brave—stupid but brave—and I’m grateful, but the fact the horse was afraid of him is telling.”
This time Emily sighed. “The horse wasn’t exactly afraid. That was just me trying to be funny. He was more startled than anything.”
“Oh,” Lyndsey said then nodded. “Yeah, I could see that. It makes more sense.”
Isla sighed inwardly. Good. Now maybe her cousin wouldn’t be so negative about her talking to him.
“Sinjin is a miracle worker, though,” Emily said as she turned off the road onto the long drive that led to Shadow Rock Shelter. “Not only with horses.”
“What do you mean?” Lyndsey asked. “What else has he done?”
Emily snickered. “He’s managed to wake Isla up.”
“Wake me up?” She chuckled. “Sure, my studies are tough, but trust me, I haven’t fallen asleep other than when necessary.”
Her friend parked the car in front of the shelter and cut the engine. “Wake might be the wrong word. I’m batting a thousand today.” She laughed. “I mean he’s garnered a reaction from you.”
“Oh.” She nodded, her face doing that stupid heating thing again. “Yeah. It’s weird. I’m not too bad until I look into his eyes, then things kind of get foggy…”
“And your body tingles and you lose control of your tongue,” Lyndsey finished for her.
She blinked at her cousin. “Yes! Exactly. Is that what happened to you with Gabe?”
Her cousin nodded. “Yes. And it pissed me off because I didn’t like him.”
Emily snorted
Isla laughed. “Good thing you married him, then.”
“I know, right?” Her cousin laughed too. “I thought he was too hard-nosed, but after a while, I realized I may have been too quick to judge. He followed rules to help people like I did to help animals. I was wrong about him.”
“Then perhaps you’re wrong about Sinjin too,” she suggested.
After a second, her cousin shrugged. “Perhaps. Just promise me you’ll be cautious.”
She nodded. “But it doesn’t matter. You’re talking as if he and I are a thing, and we’re not. Just neighbors.”
“Neighbors with benefits?” Emily snickered.
Heat flooded Isla’s belly. “I wish.”
Lyndsey sucked in a breath, but Emily’s bark of laughter soon drowned it out.
“Shoot.” She shook her head. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
“Yep.” Emily nodded, getting out of the car.
Great. She was only adding to her cousin’s concern.
Thankfully, the subject was dropped as Emily disappeared into an office and she helped her cousin bottle feed several piglets, two kittens, and a duckling.
After an hour of helping out, Isla walked into the canine area with her cousin and Emily in tow. Even though it had only been a few days since her last visit, she was hopeful that her “rescue” was currently on the premises.
