The Royal Show Affair Read online

  “Your dad passed?”

  Ben paused. He hadn’t realized how casually he’d managed to talk about his dad just now. That was just it. He felt too at ease with Raven by his side. And by being at the show the last few days, his grief had lessened so much, he wasn’t quite used to being without the burden.

  “Last year. He took the tractor out when it was really wet, and it slipped down the hill.”

  He felt her hand on his arm, compassion radiating from her. “I’m sorry.”

  “So many accidents happen on the farm, it was unlucky. Part of the gig, I suppose.” He took a deep breath. Now it was getting hard. But he’d never shared this with anyone before. He looked at Raven. Her eyes reflected genuine compassion. Raven wasn’t just anyone. It was becoming more and more obvious that he had fallen in love with her.

  “I would’ve loved to have met him.”

  Her comment gave him hope that she too felt the same way toward him. Early stages yet, very early stages. He had a habit of getting ahead of himself. This was one time where that wouldn’t be a good idea. He didn’t want to scare her off by being too enthusiastic that they were meant to be together forever.

  “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” She rubbed his arm sympathetically. He’d felt so alone with his grief for the last year, but having Raven here was a good change.

  “Nothing wrong with what you said. It’s only just been a year, and there’s so much change.” He took a very deep breath. “But onto more exciting things. There’s about to be one more addition to my herd. Let’s see how she’s doing.”

  Raven’s smile eased the turmoil of feelings related to his father’s death. “Can I watch the birth?”

  “Sure. I have to warn you, it might be a long wait.”

  “Well…” she gave a fake cough. “Resting will be good for me right now.”

  Ben laughed. He had to admit, she had a way of making him feel good and not just in the bedroom.

  “Okay, now we need to be quiet.” He lowered the tone of his voice. “There she is.”

  “Bloody hell, she looks… normal? Like she just maybe ate too much and got a big belly.”

  “Don’t tell her that.” He motioned to the bales of hay. “We can sit here.”

  “And we do nothing?” Raven sat down on the bale.

  “Yep.” Ben positioned himself next to her making damn sure his leg was well and truly touching hers. She didn’t pull away. He liked being this close to her.

  “It seems a bit odd to do nothing.”

  “Nothing is good. It means things are progressing well. If I have to do something, that’s not good because there’s nothing happening.”

  “How long do we wait?”

  “As long as it takes.”

  “Hours.”

  He nodded. “But if there’s no baby this afternoon, I’ll call the vet.”

  “So, you will call the vet?”

  “It will mean things are going wrong, but yes, I will. This baby is important, and so is the mom. I want to keep them both alive.”

  “You would do this at home on the farm?”

  “Not like this. I’ll do a job or two and keep coming back to check on her. But here, there’s nothing else to do, and I want to make sure no one from the public comes too close and frightens her.”

  She rested her head on his shoulder. He didn’t want to move.

  “I don’t know how you stay so cool?”

  It took him a second to realize she was referring to the labor. He was a mix of excitement and hope with Raven so close to him. It felt natural, and like they’d somehow known each other for years, like really known each other for years.

  “I’ve done this all my life.”

  “She moved.” Raven bolted upright. Straight away, he missed the closeness that had been brewing between them.

  “She’s fine.”

  “Oh. Good. I mean I don’t want anything to go wrong.” She put her head back on his shoulder snuggling in a little.

  Ben ached to put his arm around her. He was about to move and do just that when he noticed Jason approaching. Dammit.

  “Ben, I’m about to go to the meeting. And it looks like you’re about to be the new president.”

  With a twist in his gut, he realized that he was about to lose the bet. “No way, I can’t do it, mate.”

  Raven lifted her head from his shoulder. “What meeting?’

  “One for the Alpaca breeders and your boyfriend here needs to step up and do his duty and be the next president.” Jason had a very cheeky grin on his face, one that Ben wanted to remove, probably with his fist if he were inclined that way. He wanted to say I’m not her boyfriend, but his mouth dried. He so wanted to be her boyfriend, not her lover. How could something that was meant to be simple, adult fun turn into anything more?

  “I got to stay here, though. Evie needs to be watched,” Ben finally managed to say.

  “That’s fine. I’ll nominate you. Dan said he’ll vote for you, and you’re going to be president without even being at the meeting.”

  “I’m sure that’s not constitutional.”

  “Doesn’t matter. It will be done and dusted in about an hour.”

  Ben shook his head. He was all for being part of the community of alpaca breeders, but he needed more time. There was so much he needed to get used to doing by himself on the farm, and he didn’t need the extra responsibility of being president of the alpaca breeders.

  “What about I stay here and watch Evie?”

  “Your girlfriend has a good point.”

  “His girlfriend is called Raven,” she piped up. “And I’d be happy to sit here to make sure Evie is all right.”

  “But what if something happens? You don’t know what to look for?” Ben ran his hand through his hair. She referred to herself as my girlfriend. Fuck the meeting, they needed to bloody talk right here and now. Maybe she’s playing along with Jason. He wasn’t sure what to think anymore.

  “Give me your phone.” Raven held out her hand.

  “What?”

  “You need my number, though technically, I need yours. I’ll ring you if there’re any problems.”

  “How will you know?” He knew she was clueless. “Have you seen an alpaca born before?”

  “No. I haven’t seen any animal or human born. But I reckon if she starts looking upset, like maybe pacing, I’ll call you. Bloody hell if she flicks her ears, I’ll call you. You said she’s got this, and she looks calm. And if anyone comes near her, I’ll stop them.”

  Ben wasn’t so sure. Her response was good enough. There was no sign that anything was going wrong. If he got back in an hour, and the baby wasn’t birthed by then, he would still wait a little longer before calling the vet. There were a few hours before he needed to get worried.

  “Go on. Trust Raven.” Jason piped up.

  Ben took out his phone. This was one way to get her number. So maybe things were working out just as they were meant to. “What’s your number?”

  “Here.” She took his phone and punched in her number, then rang herself. “Now I’ve got yours.”

  “You’re all set. Come on, Jason, we’re going to be late.”

  “I’ll be fine. Evie will be fine, and you’re only a phone call away.”

  Ben took back his phone and stood up. Against his better judgment, he went along with this bloody plan. “Just call, no matter what. If you think something is happening, then you ring me. You got it?”

  “I have.” She smiled confidently. “Now, boyfriend, go. I expect you back in an hour.”

  Boyfriend. Now she was calling him her boyfriend. It was just what he wanted.

  Jason whistled. “Come on, lovebirds, hurry up with your goodbyes.”

  Ben flushed red. Fuck it. He could play along too. He bent down and kissed her slowly on the lips. Fuck, she tasted good. And he didn’t care about any bloody meeting. He held on to his resolve, just, and pulled away. It would only be an hour. Not much could happen in that time. He swallowe
d hard. A lot could happen.

  Ben glanced at Evie. She looked more relaxed than he felt. He sighed heavily. The thing about being a farmer was that sometimes you needed to accept help from the most unlikely people.

  He put his hands on Raven’s shoulders and looked into her dark eyes.

  “Ring me.”

  “I will.”

  He left before he changed his mind.

  Why did I call him boyfriend? It had been worth it to see the reaction on his face. The glimmer of shock, then of approval was priceless. The way it rolled off her tongue was natural. It felt like this was the next step between them—to start a relationship.

  She looked around her. The smell was no longer an issue. She was somehow used to the animal earth smell and how the straw smelled fresh. There was a calmness in the shed that she wasn’t used to. The alpacas were quiet, the goats bleated every now and then, none of them were bothered that they were on show here. People came in, walked around, and left. There were lots of kids looking at the animals.

  Could this sort of be my life? That was what it meant if she did agree to a relationship between her and Ben. Well, it was the closest to farm life that she could get to. She leaned back resting against the bale of hay behind her. A life that had previously scared her was starting to call to her. What about my life plans? All she’d really focused on now was her graphic design experience, and that wasn’t working out anywhere near how she’d planned. Sure, she hoped to get married and have kids, like in five years or even a bit longer, once she’d established her own business as a graphic design artist. Her thoughts were interrupted as her phone vibrated.

  It was a message from Ben. The hour was nearly up. This was the longest she’d sat in one place without doing anything.

  Ben: How’s Evie doing? How are you doing with it all?

  That was sweet that he was also asking about her. It made her smile. She typed her response.

  Raven: I’m good. And Evie is too.

  Raven couldn’t believe that Evie was in labor and simply standing there as if it were no big deal. Guess animals don’t get the support like humans do? She didn’t think she could be calm about it all.

  Ben: Great. Finishing up. Will be there soon.

  Raven tried to think of what to type back. This year, she’d really hoped to have his phone number, and now that she did, she was at a loss for words.

  She looked up. Evie had something coming out from her. There was a whoosh, and the baby was pushed out in a mess of liquid and blood.

  Fuck. When did this start to happen? She’d only glanced at her phone for a moment. And that was to answer Ben’s text message.

  With trembling hands, she rang Ben.

  He answered straight away.

  “It’s born. I mean I just blinked, or something, and fuck, the baby’s here. There’s blood everywhere. Fuck. What do I do?”

  “Nothing. I’m coming.” He hung up.

  She stood up. Should I go near the new mom and baby? She didn’t think so. The baby was moving at least. And so was mom. Fuck. She didn’t know how to process what she’d just seen. It was fucking amazing. She wanted to ring her parents and tell them she’d just witnessed a baby alpaca being born. That would knock their socks off. But then, of course, she couldn’t as then she’d have to explain why she wasn’t at work. This was way better than being at work. Maybe I could be a farmer’s wife? After all, she had gone along with Jason’s teasing that she was Ben’s girlfriend. She liked being referred to his girlfriend. But then, I nearly missed it.

  Hurry up, Ben. She’d feel much better if Ben were here. The baby alpaca was a wet mess in the straw. At least it’s moving. Should I help it? She had a strong stomach so the blood didn’t bother her. Fuck, I wish I knew what to do. It was then she decided that there was no way she could live on a farm. Her stress levels were ramping up. She felt helpless. I couldn’t deal with this every day. No way. She twisted her hands around her phone. There were no more messages, and it seemed like Ben was taking his time. She looked around. There was no one around who even looked remotely like they were from a farm. She figured they were all at the meeting anyway.

  Thank God. She saw Ben rushing down the row. He slowed down as he approached. He took one look at Evie and the baby and smiled.

  Raven exhaled with relief. If Ben was smiling, then all must okay. He stood at the edge of the pen, not too close to disturb them.

  She moved to stand by him. “She’s fine?” she whispered.

  Ben grinned. “Yes.”

  “Phew. I thought, well, I don’t know how you can stand there so calmly.” Her eyes welled with tears. The little fellow was trying to stand. He was very wobbly on his legs. His mom licked him encouragingly.

  Ben slipped his hand around her waist and pulled her into him tightly. His strength enveloped her. “You were fine. I’ve had a lifetime of this. And you did exactly what I asked you to do. You rang me.”

  He kissed her on the top of her head. Warmth flooded down her body. It was so different now between them—less affair-like and more relationship. It didn’t need the words she was struggling to find.

  “Look, it’s trying to stand.” The sight took her breath away. There in the flesh, a new life was standing for the very first time. She got to experience it all because of Ben. It felt like she was just taking her own first steps with him. And she was very wobbly just like the cria.

  Ben couldn’t believe that he was standing here, Raven resting against him, watching the cria stand and take his first drink from his mom. That was the critical part. It needed that drink of colostrum to give it the best chance at life.

  “It’s a boy.” He smiled. That was a good sign. A male would be worth stud prices and could be sold. He had enough breeders for now. And he planned on working in a new bloodline, so he had his eye on some females to buy from another breeder, one from interstate. The little fellow looked solid, tall, and very healthy.

  “That’s good?”

  “I can sell him as a stud.” He realized Raven probably needed more explanation. “He’s worth a lot of money to me.” It was the best he could do right now. There was so much he needed to explain to her about his life, about farming life, and he couldn’t wait to do so. Will she really want to know? So far, seeing the birth hadn’t put her off, and he couldn’t help but see that as a very good positive.

  “What about we go get something to eat and let these two bond in private?”

  “Are they okay to be left alone?”

  “He’s had his fill of colostrum, he knows what he’s doing, and so does Evie. Best to give them a bit of space. I’ll need to clean away the straw later, but for now, they don’t need anything but each other.”

  “Sure, let’s get something to eat.”

  “I hope you don’t mind Show food.”

  “I’ll eat anything. In fact, I saw some dagwood dogs that looked delicious.”

  “Eeew! They don’t look delicious.” He squeezed her tight, looking down at her grinning to see her reaction. Her smile sent a ripple of desire through him. While she was very hot, and he very much wanted to get her naked in the bedroom, this moment right now was something so much more.

  “Well, you don’t have to eat one.”

  “I won’t. But if you want to eat that crap, I won’t stop you.”

  “Good to know.” She paused and looked him square in the eye in a way that sent a few big flutters of nerves moving in his belly. “Boyfriend.” The emphasis on the word sent a mix of emotions through his body.

  “I wouldn’t make my girlfriend do anything she didn’t want to.” His heart was skipping beats, and he didn’t know how he managed to respond so cheekily.

  She pulled out of his embrace. His heart sunk. That was it. I’ve pushed too quick too soon.

  “So… you don’t mind being called my boyfriend? I mean, well, we agreed on something else entirely.”

  Do I just say it? The emotions were so strong within him, the connection was there, he was sure that
he wanted to get to know Raven more. Fuck it was more than that. But one step at a time. First, they needed to see if they were on the same page and that it was more than a fling that was now going on between them.

  “Fine, then.” She went to turn away. He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her back.

  “Sorry, I was too slow to respond. I want to be called your boyfriend. And I want to call you my girlfriend. And I want to know you more because somehow, I feel connected to you.”

  “Good, because I feel the same way.”

  “You don’t know how much I wanted to hear that.” He kissed her gently on the lips, enjoying how her sweetness exploded in his mouth. A thought flickered into his mind. How did he bring up that they were from different worlds? Then it dissolved as she kissed him back. Her hands wrapped around his waist and embraced him. It was a relief to get this out in the open as such. How she felt toward him had been eating away at him during the meeting, and the whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing had been too. He hadn’t been sure if that was just a bit of teasing started by Jason or not.

  “Hey, you two get a room.”

  They pulled away. Ben saw Jason coming toward them.

  “That’s not the behavior expected of our new president,” said Jason.

  “You did get the position?” asked Raven.

  “Yes, they all ganged up on me.”

  “You’ll be fine, mate. Right, you two off you go, and I won’t ask any questions if you take your time.”

  “We’re just getting food,” said Ben defensively.

  “Sure, sure. Now go.” He shooed them away.

  “Come on, it will be good to have a quick break. I’ll have to spend some time watching out for this little fellow and his mom.” Ben took Raven by the hand and guided her out of the shed. It felt great having her by his side with the prospect of a future together.

  Raven couldn’t believe that she ate a dagwood dog. It was disgustingly delicious. It was a whirlwind. She’d started the week expecting to enjoy a fling with Ben, and now she was at the Show helping him clean out the dirty straw from Evie’s pen. Lunch was fun talking, getting to know him, and finding out details about his life that she had longed to know. This was the last thing she’d been expecting to be doing this morning when she left Ben’s hotel room.