Tadhg was in the stall with Soxie when he heard the sound of a muscle car pull up, the driver had the nerve to spray gravel when they stopped and that instantly irritated the mare. He spent a moment calming her then stepped out to see what the commotion was. He had a feeling he knew who it was and he\u2019d been waiting a moment to have words with the man, Chad. He kept it close to his chest as he walked out, a bored expression on his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He found Ivy standing in the barn aisle gripping a dressage whip like a weapon. Mutlu stood in her stall, snorting like a dragon. She looked like she was ready to stomp the fool in the parking lot, but Ivy looked scared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tadhg touched her shoulder softly and then gently pried the dressage whip from her hands. \u201cIt\u2019s okay babe. I\u2019m here\u201d he said softly and then took the whip and went to lounge against the wall near Soxies\u2019s stall. \u201cHe won\u2019t do it again, I promise\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mare hung her head out of the stall, wild blue eyes staring down the aisle as everyone waited for the disaster that was coming. Mutlu snorted at her herd mate, clearly conspiring to kill whatever it was that was making Ivy so nervous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then Chad came swaggering into the barn with a smirk on his face. He was so focused on Ivy that he seemed not to notice Tadhg or the two dragonesque Tekes even though Mutlu smashed one hoof against the stall door with a bang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood morning, Genevieve. How are you doing today? Been to see your parents lately? I\u2019ve heard you\u2019ve still been a bad girl.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hateful words spewed from Chad\u2019s face and Tadhg instantly wanted to smash it, and hard. Then, he decided to go on the low road. He stepped out in front of Ivy and faced Chad. \u201cDo you have business here at the farm?\u201d he asked cordially, but Ivy could see the muscles across his back tense and the loose fists. \u201cBecause unless you keep a civil tongue in your head you might discover this is not the best place for you to be.\u201d And then the cattiness slipped out \u201c Did you leave your Nanny in the car?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chad glared at Tadhg. He was exceedingly pretty, this acidic young man, and outweighed Tadhg by twenty pounds of muscle. It was his mistake clearly did not see the threat. Tadhg was happy to let the boy be mistaken. The surprise was on his side<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeahhhh, I have business here at the farm.\u201d His voice dripped sarcasm. \u201cIvy here has been an errant daughter, and I\u2019m just trying to show her the error of her ways.\u201d He turned back to the woman. \u201cYour first mistake was spurning me, you ignorant twat, and your second was running away from your family. They are your best hope for a life worth living, and you\u2019re too dumb to fucking see it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tadhg stepped between them again. \u201cI certainly hope you do not kiss your mother with that mouth. My mother raised me better, I\u2019m sorry yours didn\u2019t. I have just the thing to remind you about civility\u201d he then stepped in and with his whole body decked him, just under his chin on his left side. The right hook took Chad off his feet and laid him out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He went down with a thud and a small poof of dust. A small surprised whimper pushed out of him as he hit the barn aisle. Tadhg walked over to him and grabbed his arm and dragged him to his feet to escort him out of the barn. The garbled protest came out of his piehole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe name you\u2019ll want to give when you decide to file a report is Tadhg Barclay. Make sure you get it right\u201d That was when the asshole took a swing at him. He telegraphed the swing so badly that Tadhg just stepped to the side and brought another right hook up to catch him in the chin for a second time, and followed it with a jab to the nose. The blood spurted and sprayed across his shirt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTadhg Barclay. And No one speaks to my girl that way. Get off this farm and don\u2019t come back and if her parents have an issue with her dating a Barclay they can take it up with me, personally.\u201d He was pissed off more than he\u2019d been in a very long time. \u201cTake your sad excuse for a sports car and your sadder excuse for a personality and get the fudge out of here.\u201d He shoved him and then booted him in the ass when he turned his back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cfudge you!\u201d He shouted \u201cI\u2019m gonna file a report. You\u2019re going to jail. You don\u2019t know who you\u2019re fucking with!\u201d he shouted on his way to the car. To emphasize his assholery he peeled out in the lot, spraying gravel everywhere and sending every horse in the barn on edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When he returned, Ivy still stood in the barn aisle. \u201cWhy do I freeze like this? I feel so helpless.
She focused on Tadhg. \u201cThank you for\u2026 that. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018\u201cNo one gets to talk to you that way, ever. It was my pleasure to put him in his place. I guess it\u2019s safe to say that your parents will know we\u2019re dating. Ivy, You had trauma. Your brain and emotion ran into each other and you got stuck. It\u2019s okay now.\u201d He wrapped his arms around her. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be okay.\u201d After hugging her tightly he said \u201clet’s get the horses settled, they want to know you\u2019re okay too\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While she was looking in on the horses, Tadhg called his father for some advice. Of course, when he told him what happened he had to admit to dating Ivy Allerton. His dad was pleased as punch and told him to invite her to dinner. Then he said to admit nothing, don\u2019t apologize for anything and to let him know if he needed council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ivy returned as he hung up \u201cDad wants you to come to dinner on Sunday. I called him for legal advice. Just in case.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you kidding? You humiliated him, and he couldn\u2019t touch you. He\u2019s not going to cop to that. Pretty sure you\u2019re fine.\u201d She sighed heavily. \u201cSo. Do you think it\u2019s time to meet the parents?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, it is time\u201d he agreed as he walked to the office. He came back out of the office with the blanket off the couch and swathed Ivy in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet\u2019s sit in the office for a bit till everything settles, then we can get back to it. You\u2019re white as a sheet.\u201d Ivy just nodded and headed to the office, trailing the blanket. \u201cGods she was adorable,\u201d he thought to himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDinner at your parents can be a practice run, huh? Unless \u2013 \u201c She shrunk into herself a bit, and then straightened. \u201cI can always go to see mine alone. I should probably go alone. But I have to go.\u201d She said firmly<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have to go alone. I honestly don\u2019t think you should. If they have such low regard as to air their family business with Chad, then they can deal with it while you have moral support. Trust me, I\u2019m familiar with families that are so caught up in the appearances they forget to attend to the people that are in it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, they consider Chad the son they never had. He\u2019s practically a son-in-law to them. He\u2019s a big-shot financier, so he\u2019s right up their alley.\u201d She snorted derisively after she spoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a while, they got back to work and were more than a little surprised at the sound of tires on the drive again. Tadhg wasn\u2019t up on a horse so he went out to see. Shit, it was the police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfternoon,\u201d he said, cordially, to the officer. \u201cCan I help you?\u201d He had an excellent poker face, it had won him more than a little money throughout his life and he had it on right this minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWeeelll,\u201d started the officer, \u201cI had a man call in and say you assaulted him\u201d He wasted no time getting to the meat of the issue. The guy that had called it in had been a jerk on the phone and a self-entitled twit in person. More than once, he\u2019d subtly insulted Officer ___ who took the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe came here and spewed filth and hatred at my girlfriend officer. I was afraid he was going to assault her so I took him down a peg. He swung at me and I swung back. I honestly don\u2019t recall who swung first\u201d he lied, \u201cI just know when I came out to see what was going on, Ivy was nearly frozen in fear\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was at that moment that Ivy walked out of the barn. She shook her head when she saw the cop. He tipped his hat to her, \u201cMorning Ivy. Did you have a spot of trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA Bit.\u201d She smiled at the familiar law officer<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c Did the man, chad, make you feel threatened and in fear for your own safety?\u201d the officer asked her with sincerity. Ivy could only nod slowly with wide eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes. The Jerk\u201d Ivy gave a simple answer<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI see,\u201d said the officer \u201cOrdinarily calls like this come in with everyone still on the premises. I\u2019m supposed to arrest both of y\u2019all,\u201d he said as if he was loath to do it. \u201cSince this was a defense situation and the man verbally accosted Ms. Allerton first, I am inclined to let the ordeal go, that is unless Ms. Allerton would like to press charges against the other man for assault?\u201d the officer raised an eyebrow as if he was half hoping she would.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, thank you.\u201d Ivy found her voice, \u201cI would just like the whole thing to be over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJust so\u201d the officer tipped his hat to both of them. \u201cThen I\u2019ll consider the case closed and say so when I write the report. You have a bit of time to change your mind.\u201d He offered, again with the half hopeful tone. \u201cYou folks have a good afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And with that, the officer hopped in the car and drove away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tadhg turned to Ivy and raised a shoulder. \u201cI guess he wasn\u2019t that humiliated\u201d and then he laughed. \u201cThat\u2019s the closest I\u2019ve ever come to being arrested, believe it or not.\u201d He\u2019d never seen himself as the great protector. Most of his life he\u2019s spent as a lady\u2019s man, but he has a rule not to fight over a woman. He\u2019d walked away from them before when times got out of hand. So much had changed, he wasn\u2019t sure what kind of man he was anymore. Even at his worst, he was never one to shirk his emotions, nor was he afraid of them. There were very few people he\u2019d defend with physical violence, and today Ivy became one of them. He was no longer Ronin Barclay, man about town, now he was Tadhg Barclay a good man with a good heart. He\u2019d be sure everyone saw that, not just Ivy. It was a goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ivy for her part was not surprised. She knew the kind of man he was.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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