Shit. His face hotter than the mid-afternoon sun, he shook his head. “No, pumpkin. Faith came to the Ridge because she wanted to go riding on the beach with you.” He would have to check if Faith had overheard his daughter and explain.
“I knew Natasha was wrong.” She slipped her hand into his. “Are we going to talk to Faith now?”
He would much rather avoid Kristy, who was the last parent talking to Faith, but he wasn’t a quitter. As they joined the group, Natasha sidled around so she was next to Lara. Darcy placed a hand on Lara’s shoulder in support as he smiled at Faith. “Could I have a word with you when you’re finished speaking with Kristy?”
“Of course. We’re done now, aren’t we?” Faith asked the woman.
“Yes. I’ll be back next week to make sure you’ve listened to my suggestions.”
Faith’s smile was forced. “See you then.”
Natasha murmured something to Lara and his daughter stiffened. “Faith does not want to have sex with my Dad,” Lara shouted. “She likes me.”
“Your own mum didn’t like you,” Natasha sniped.
Outrage filled Darcy. Lara trembled under his hand and he wanted to throttle the smug smile from Natasha’s face. Instead he channelled his father, the expression conveying his disappointment and anger while he kept his tone calm. “Natasha, it’s not nice to spread rumours.”
Her smile vanished, and she rushed to her mother’s side. “Mum told me it was true.”
He raised his eyebrows at Kristy.
She flushed and hushed her child. “What nonsense. Come, we’ve got to go.” She dragged her protesting daughter over to the car.
Darcy wrapped his arm around his still trembling daughter.
“What are these rumours?” Faith asked lightly.
“Natasha said you only came riding with me on Saturday because you wanted to get into Dad’s pants,” Lara said. “I didn’t understand what she meant until Dad explained it. But you wanted to go riding with me, didn’t you?”
“Of course.” Faith squeezed her hand. “I had a wonderful time planning our treasure hunt.”
Lara nodded as if she’d known it all the time. Then she leaned into Darcy’s side. “It’s OK if you like my Dad too.”
Faith grinned. “Well, that’s good, because I do like your dad.”
“He’s the best,” Lara assured her.
Heat filled his cheeks, and he cleared his throat. “As much as I love hearing you praise me, I wanted to ask if you could read through the contract we talked about on the weekend.”
“Sure. Do you have it on you?”
He took it out of his back pocket and handed it to her.
She moved closer to the spotlight where the light was better and flicked through it. “It will take me a few minutes to go through it. If you’ve got time, we could get dinner in town and I’ll go through it then.”
“Yes!” Lara said.
Darcy hesitated. It would fuel gossip. Would it affect Lara further? He sighed. Funds were tight, but he’d be paying a lot more if he got another lawyer involved. “All right, my shout. Can I leave Starlight in the stables?”
Faith nodded, handing him back the contract. “I’ll finish packing up here.”
She strode away, her hips swaying, and his eyes lingered on her behind until Lara dashed in front of him to let Starlight out of the float.
He sighed. Faith wouldn’t be staying in town, but maybe she could help him out of the mess he’d got them into while she was still here.
Chapter 6
On the drive to the country music themed restaurant in town, Lara was unusually quiet. She stared out the window, her expression serious. Concern filled Darcy. “You all right, pumpkin?”
