Chapter 3

Evelyn stepped out of the impressive period house that she was going to call home for the next several months as the sun was just coming up, although it was hidden by a blanket of clouds. The photos of both the house and the scenery hadn't done either any justice, and after she'd had her driver unload her suitcases from the car and bring them inside, she wanted to start exploring her new home.

Her head was still foggy from the long flight and the time difference, but she didn't let that stop her from taking a walk around the grounds, breathing in the damp, earthy scent as her ankle boots crunched over the gravel.

She'd arrived in the middle of the night, her private jet landing at a small airport in the west of Ireland, and it shouldn't have surprised her how different it was from LAX or JFK. The airport had a single runway and a modest building. A light drizzle had fallen as she'd slid into the backseat of the car, the driver she'd hired taking care of her bags.

Now, Evelyn's eyes swept over the Irish countryside stretched out before her, a patchwork of vibrant greens, and she stood with her hands on her hips, debating whether or not to take a jacket with her, but the forecast had been for a cloudy but dry day. The air was damp yet muggy, so she went without it, knowing that she'd be walking for several miles if she explored the entirety of the grounds, and she didn't want to have to carry around a jacket that she wasn't going to wear.

She didn't know if it was the smartest move, but she planned on trying to stay awake for as long as possible today and having an early night with one of the bottles of wine from the impressive collection that the owner of the house had welcomed her to.

It had been almost a week since she'd officially booked the house, but she'd had a few loose ends to tie up at home, and Rick insisted on taking her out to dinner before she left. He hadn't exactly tried to talk her out of going, but he didn't hide his disappointment. Turns out, he fully expected her to take whatever roles came her way, grandmotherly or otherwise. That was a problem for her to deal with when she got back to Los Angeles and not a moment sooner.

Evelyn wandered across the short but lush grass taking in the views, still not quite believing that she'd wake up to this every day. She went towards the high perimeter stone wall that looked like it'd been here for hundreds of years, walking along side it. She'd done plenty of press over the years for movies, but that only ever really brought her to cities, so even though she'd been to Dublin, she'd never experienced this part of Ireland.

It was so quiet. The only noises she could hear were the birds hidden away in the trees along the long, windy driveway that led to the house, or cows in a distant field. The occasional neigh of a horse or the bark of a dog were the only other noises that she noticed as she left the grass to follow the gravel path that would bring her to the woods.

She'd only been here for a few hours, and she already knew she'd made the right decision. Yes, she'd be without her private chef who knew her food preferences better than she did at this point, and she wouldn't have a cleaner or her personal assistant at her beck and call, but she almost welcomed that. It had been so long since she'd lived a normal life, she nearly forgot what it was like.

Yes, she could hire a personal chef here or a cleaner, but Evelyn wasn't going to risk it. Whatever else happened during this trip, privacy was the most important thing. The second word got out that she was here, even in the country never mind this area, her dream of escaping the world would be over, and then she might as well go back to the safety of her own home and security team.

She'd probably been walking for almost a half hour, and when she read the listing for this property, that was one of the things that stood out to her. That if she never left the walls of this estate, she would have hours of walking just on the grounds. She wouldn't be cooped up in a house with a modest backyard.

Evelyn reached the edge of the wooded area just as a few drops of rain began to fall. It was just a drizzle, but once she was under the branches, she didn't feel it. She looked around her as she entered the forest, and there was something almost magical about it. The trees looked ancient, their trunks knotted, with massive roots covered in moss. The forest floor was blanketed in ferns, and she couldn't take in all the shades of green. She paused along the path and stood there for a few moments, taking it all in, loving the scent of the damp earth and the sound of running water coming from a stream somewhere in the distance.

When she emerged from the forest her eyes were drawn to the stables tucked away at the back of the property, and her feet were bringing her there before she could even think about it. It was one of the things she missed the most about her childhood. She'd never been a Girl Scout or taken ballet lessons. Her life, up until she'd turned eighteen and moved to California, had revolved around horses whether it was 4-H shows or going on trail rides. It had been a constant in her life when she lived with her family in Colorado.

She stared out across the rolling green fields, light raindrops landing on her arms and face, but her mind was back in Telluride. She could almost feel the wind whipping through her hair as she tore across a meadow full of wildflowers. Somehow, in all her years in the business, she'd never played a part that had required her to ride a horse, and she hadn't been on one since she left Colorado.

Within seconds, the raindrops fell faster and before Evelyn knew it, she was standing out in the open, caught in a heavy downpour. She cursed under her breath and started to jog towards the stable, the rain falling harder, drenching her long before she could reach cover. She ran hard for the last few yards and her momentum carried her through the stable doors, and colliding directly with a solid, warm body.

The person grunted, staggering from the force of Evelyn barreling into them, but their hands were around Evelyn's waist, keeping them both upright.

Evelyn looked up, her heart still racing from exerting herself, but also from finding someone else here on the property. She blinked as she met the woman's striking blue eyes, her black hair tied back in a ponytail with stray wisps falling across her face.

For a moment, they simply stared at each other, the woman's hands still on her waist, and Evelyn's heart beat faster again, the heat of the woman's skin seeping through her drenched clothing. Her breath caught in her throat, but she swallowed down that feeling, taking a step back, causing the woman's hands to fall away.

"Sorry," Evelyn said with a exhale as she raked her hand through her wet hair, and then she saw that look she'd seen so many times, although this woman was doing a decent job of hiding her shock and recognition.

"No." The woman's hand was on her chest, as if trying to still her own heart. "No. It's fine. You emm… You were just trying to get out of the rain." She visibly swallowed as she held Evelyn's gaze. "You're the new guest. I hadn't realized that you'd arrived."

The woman was probably in her late twenties, and looked like someone you'd find in a stable. She wore a simple black t-shirt and well-worn jeans along with work boots that had seen better days.

"Well, I didn't mean to run into you like that," Evelyn said, looking away, needing to break the intense eye contact. "And yes, I'm staying here for the next few months, but I wasn't aware that anyone else would be here." Although the second she said it out loud, she knew that didn't make sense. Someone had to take care of the horses.

"I'm Claire. I work here." She slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.

Evelyn nodded as she took a deep breath. "Evelyn," she said as her mind drifted off. How had she not put two and two together? She'd seen the photos of the grounds and the stables. Of course, there would be someone back here, taking care of them. And would she have chosen another property because of that?

"How many people work here?" Evelyn asked, trying to temper her irritation.

"Full-time? Just me." Claire shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Trish who you've probably met lives a few miles away, and we do have staff that would come and go between guests. You know, cleaners, landscapers. But I'm the only one who lives on the grounds. In the guest house," she said, sliding her hand out of her pocket to point over shoulder.

Evelyn pressed her lips together, a shiver running through her. At some point she'd have to let the landscapers in at the very least or she'd be living in a jungle in no time.

Claire cleared her throat. "Do you want to come around the back?" She looked past Evelyn, and the noise of the rain had faded. "It looks like it's stopped, and I can get you a change of clothes for your walk back. It's not even a five minute walk away."

"Okay," Evelyn said, nodding as she followed Claire out of the stables. In her rush to book something, she'd missed the part where she'd be sharing the grounds with someone else, but then again, it was probably to be expected with the level of upkeep an estate like this would require.

Claire's reaction hadn't been awful, but she had recognized her, and Evelyn knew she'd have to talk to her. All it would take was one post on social media, one text to a friend, and then the whole world would know exactly where she was.