Hux Rawson was tall and broad through the shoulders like his son, with neat steel-gray hair, complete with a widow’s peak. He dropped a kiss on his daughter’s cheek before he hooked an arm through hers and escorted Lanie on her way.
Right toward Veda.
Her head began to spin. From the way Lanie had described her dad, Hux would be gracious, even in welcoming Drake Darnel’s daughter. In similar circumstances, she doubted her father would be as polite. Although he was aware that she and Lanie were friends now, Drake still disapproved of all the Rawsons. Always had.
Always would.
Red carpet ready in a tiered canary-yellow tulle gown and smelling like rose petals, Lanie gave Veda a hug and exclaimed, “You look positively gorgeous.”
Veda was never good with compliments, so she simply passed on her best wishes, adding, “I left something on the gift table.”
A glossy hard copy of the history of women in equestrian sports. Nothing Veda would ever want herself, but coming across it in a Princeton bookstore, she had known dressage champion Lanie would love it.
Lanie saw to introductions. “Veda Darnel, meet the most important man in my life.”
An easy smile lit her father’s bright blue eyes. “Glad you could make it, Veda. I’m Hux.”
For a man in his midsixties, Hux Rawson cut a fine figure in his pristine tuxedo. The tanned face and smile lines bracketing his mouth suggested a long run of good health and personal happiness. Veda’s father only ever looked annoyed—unless he was in his stables. Nothing against the horses, but there was more to life than work and stewing over the past.
Tacking up a smile, Veda replied, “It’s great to be here.”
“Hard to believe my little girl is twenty-seven today.” Hux gave his daughter a wink. “So beautiful and conquering the world.”
Lanie pretended to wither. “Pressure much?”
“You know I’m proud of you,” Hux said, obviously referring to more than her riding achievements. “I know your mother would be proud of you, too.”
Lanie’s expression softened before something over her dad’s shoulder caught her eye. Bouncing up on her toes, she signaled to a couple entering the tent.
“Will you two excuse me?” She snatched a champagne flute from a passing waiter’s tray. “A hostess’s job is never done.”
Hux smiled as he watched his daughter hurry off, then returned his attention to Veda. There was a moment of uncertainty about kicking off the conversation again, which wasn’t uncommon between newly introduced people. Except this man wasn’t exactly a stranger. His decisions before Veda was even born had affected her life on so many levels, in ways he couldn’t possibly know—in ways that could still leave her feeling a little lost.
Like now.
Looking directly into her eyes, feeling the weight of the past pressing in…
She wasn’t surprised when a chill scuttled up her spine, then slithered around her throat—and squeezed.
The sensation wasn’t new. It went back as far as elementary school when she had tried to learn her letters; they looked more like squiggling tadpoles in a white sea, no matter what her teacher had said. In later grades, whenever she was pushed to read in class or was feeling stressed, her ears would begin to ring and her throat would close. Feeling everyone’s eyes on her, she would literally freeze, unable to speak. Whispers and open snipes followed her everywhere, even in her dreams.
Lazy.
Dumb.
Weirdo.
After a diagnosis of dyslexia in her teens, Veda had worked hard on herself. Not only was she determined to walk back all the damage that came from hellish anxiety, lack of confidence, few friends and less hope, she had vowed to be stronger for it. And looking on the brighter side, finding ways to reclaim her self-esteem had laid the foundations for her career as a life coach, the most rewarding job on the planet. While she still battled nerves and always would, Veda could speak in front of an auditorium full of people now. She hadn’t suffered one of her attacks where she strangled on her words in years.
Until now.
Ringing ears…closing throat…freezing brain.
“This has been weeks in the making,” Hux said, looking around at the tented pavilion and its high-end fairy-tale trimmings. “Lanie and Susan’s efforts, of course, not mine. Have you met Susan yet? She came down early to make sure everything was set.”
As Hux waited for a reply, Veda’s throat remained squeezed shut. Cheeks flushed, she forced a smile and shook her head.
“Susan’s a godsend,” Hux went on. “Been with us for such a long time. She’s phenomenal with the house and meals and, well, everything family.”
Focused, trying to relax, Veda managed to squeak out, “I see.”
Hux’s smile dipped before he tried again. “When she arrived here, Susan knew nothing about horses or this kind of life. She loves the place now, of course, but she doesn’t get much involved with that side of things.”
Veda’s mind was stuck. Words refused to come. And deep in her gut, tendrils of panic were spreading.
Lazy.
Dumb.
Weirdo.
Hux’s eyes narrowed the barest amount before he tried a different approach. “I suppose you like horses, Veda? You’ve been around them most of your life.”
“I… Horses are…beautiful.”
He nodded like he hadn’t worked her out yet and maybe didn’t want to. “How’s your dad doing?”
“Good. Busy.” Breathe, Veda. Just breathe. “I’m staying there…this weekend.”
“Right. The Darnel Stables aren’t so far from here.”
When she nodded again and took a sip from her champagne flute, Hux searched her eyes and then threw a look around. “Well, I’ll let you get back to the party. Nice meeting you, Veda. Enjoy the night.”
As he walked away, Veda let her smile and shoulders sag. Knowing next to no one here hadn’t fazed her. She could even deal with seeing Ajax again, however that turned out. But being left alone to talk with the man who years ago had let loose a storm of demons that had ultimately torn her family apart…
Veda didn’t like to dwell on how much she’d cried when her parents had split, let alone the bombshell that had landed after that. But now, snapshots of events leading up to her mother’s death broke through. And with the music getting louder and the crowd starting to press in—
She needed some space, some air, and she needed it now.
Setting her glass on a nearby table, Veda escaped through one of the pavilion’s back
