"SHE is not naming the foal."

"Of course she's naming the foal! She has to." Chihiro looks up at me. "You found Maiko first, didn't you?"

Akai's voice reeks of disapproval. "If you let Miss Iris name the foal, she'll be giving him silly names like ... like Ferrari, or Prada."

"Those are perfectly respectable and proper names!" I protest.

"Case in point," Akai mutters.

Chihiro's face lights up as she claps her hands together. "You know what we should do? We should let the foal decide. Come on!"

Outside the stable, Maiko and her three-day colt are romping around the grass. Chihiro makes Akai and I sit six feet apart on opposite sides.

"It's easy. Whoever calls the foal over successfully gets to name him," the little girl declares.

The truth is, I'm not really that bothered about whether or not I get to name the foal. I've never been good around kids, human or not. It's not that I dislike them; I just don't know what to do with them. When Heather first asked me to hold Millie, I was debating if she meant hold as in like a pot or tucked under the arms like an LV bag. (The answer, it turns out, is neither. You should never tuck a baby under your arm like an LV bag. Or any other bags for that matter).

But I also know that naming the foal will annoy Akai to no end.

Akai scoffs. "That's ridiculous. The foal doesn't even – "

"Well, aren't you the charming little prince?" I coo. Reclining on the grass, I offer the colt a good view of my better side. "You know what's better than one good-looking person? Two good-looking persons. I'm talking about you and me."

Akai stares. "Are you ... are you actually flirting with the horse right now?"

Swishing my blonde hair over my shoulders, I click my tongue. The sound catches the colt's attention, and he regards me with bright, curious eyes.

"I'm not playing this game," Akai declares.

"That's fine by me," I say, keeping my attention on the foal. "You forfeit; I automatically win."

"You are not naming the foal, Miss Iris. If anyone should name him, it's me. I've been handling him for the past three days."

"Then you should have no problem calling him over."

"Of course." Akai sounds extremely confident. "However, I find this game to be entirely childish, so I am not participating."

"That's what a sore loser would say." Reaching behind my back, I pull out the red ball the colt's been playing with for the past few days. He's now viewing me with a lot more interest.

"Objection!" Akai proclaims immediately. "The usage of props is forbidden!"

"Since when did you make the rules?" I scoff. "Besides, I thought you weren't participating?"

The colt starts walking toward me. Akai sits up straight, and will full authority, commands,

"Boy. Come here."

The colt pauses to give him a look – then proceeds to ignore him entirely. I snort. "Seriously? That's how you're going to call him?"

"Training and handling of animals must be done with discipline."

"Maybe." I whistle, sweet and low. "But I think this little guy just wants to have fun."

The colt's eyes track every movement of the red ball as I quietly place it on the grass right in front of me. I can see his hesitation to close the distance. Holding my breath, I stay absolutely still. After a moment, he trots up and puts a tiny hoof on the toy.

"Miss Iris is the winner!" Chihiro cheers.

I whoop, jumping up and pointing a triumphant finger at Akai. "So much for being his handler – oh, eek!"

For the colt has ignored the toy in favor of nuzzling up against my leg. I remind myself that I shouldn't swat him away like I would a fly.

Chihiro giggles. "I think he likes you."

"A horrible decision," Akai says testily.

There's a very wet lick against my palm. "Maybe too much affection," I say. The colt nibbles experimentally on my shirt. "Okay, definitely too much affection. Go find your mom now. Shoo!"

I toss the ball and the colt springs after it. Akai's sour face is a sight to behold, and I narrow my eyes as a thought slowly blooms.

"Are you jealous?" I ask.

"No."

"Oh my gosh, you are." There's a special kind of glee that comes with besting Akai, I realize. Especially when it's at his own game. "You're jealous the colt prefers me over you."

"I am merely sorry for the colt's extremely poor judge of character. You'll regret this, Chihiro," he warns. "Miss Iris is going to name him after some luxury dress."

The colt has lost interest in the toy and is now going after a butterfly. Google tells me that horses have distinct personalities exactly like people do, and this colt looks ready to steal the spotlight anytime. Just like that star-shaped mark on his forehead.

"What's Japanese for star?" I ask aloud.

"Hoshi," Chihiro replies.

I like the sound of it. "Hoshi he is, then," I decide. "Born with a star, to be a star."

Chihiro tries the name out. "I like it! It fits him, I think."

I raise a challenging eyebrow at Akai. "Well? Still think I'm a bad pet-namer?"

"... You cheated in the game."

"That wasn't my question."

"It's probably a good thing oniisan didn't name the horse," Chihiro says, matter of fact. "You're great with animals, oniisan, but you really don't have imagination."

I burst out laughing so hard that I double over. Meanwhile, Akai's cheeks have gone a delicate shade of pink.

"That is untrue," he says, in a much dignified tone.

"Akai used to name the animals on this farm before I had to take over," Chihiro tells me. "Do you know who he named?"

I shake my head.

The little girl holds up three fingers and rattles off, "Gacho, Inu, and Riku. They're Japanese words. Do you know what they mean?"

Again, I shake my head.

"Goose, dog, tortoise."

I stare at Akai. "You named your dog dog and your goose goose?"

He lifts his chin stiffly. "Is a dog not a dog, and a goose not a goose?"

I shake my head in disbelief. "Tell me, if you won just now, what would you have named the colt?"

Akai looks shifty. "Maybe ... Kouma."

Chihiro tells me what it means. I roll my eyes. "Little horse? What happens when he grows up?"

"I wasn't thinking that far!" he snaps.

"He wasn't thinking at all," I whisper to Chihiro, but Akai catches it. The look he fires at me is scorching.

Chihiro giggles. "You two fight like an old couple."

An awkward silence instantly descends upon us like a thick blanket.

Akai brushes off dirt from his sleeves. "Don't you have lessons this morning, Chihiro? Mrs. Satoh must be waiting for you. You better get going."

Chihiro groans, but trudges off obediently back to the house. The awkward ambience doesn't leave with her.

I really can't place what he's thinking. We haven't discussed at all about what happened in the barn the other day, and I don't know if I should bring it up or not. Maybe he's forgotten. Most likely he doesn't even care. He doesn't seem capable of feeling anything for anyone besides his animals.

I should say something. Shouldn't I?

Akai solves the problem for me by walking off briskly. "Get to work, Miss Iris. We're late."

Work, yes. I give myself a mental shake. These three days have allowed me to do quite a bit of thinking, and I've re-sorted my priorities.

It's clear by now that my mission to pursue Satoh Akai is taking quite a longer amount of time than previously thought. He's about as dense as a block of wood and equally emotional. It's like chipping away at marble, and it could be months until I see the shape that I like. If I was in London I would have turned my sights on another, but seeing as how I'm currently restricted to Ryefair, Akai is my best option.

I frown at the back of his departing head. Really, I cannot picture him as the CEO of a rich company. In the one week I've been here, all he's deigned to talk about is the farm – and the farm.

Alarm twinges as an idea pops into my head. Maybe he's one of those rebel heirs. With secret plans to abscond his position and live out a hippie lifestyle in the countryside. Mental note to self: ask Satoh Akai about what he wants to do in life.

Secondly, there's still the tiny issue of me being legally married. The heart may go on, but until I'm officially divorced from Jared, I can't think about marrying other men, and I can't be divorced from Jared if I can't keep Martha Fielding as my lawyer. Therefore, earning money has officially displaced marrying rich as priority numero uno.

Of course, the dream solution will be to have a rich boyfriend foot the divorcing bills. I look again at Akai.

Yeah, that's not happening anytime soon.

£

"I thought I taught you this yesterday."

I rub the bridge of my nose, ashamed. "Yes, but um. I forgot."

"Hold the handlebars for control. Foot pedal for the brakes. It's a lot like driving your regular car."

I cough. "I uh, don't know how to drive a car."

I'm getting pretty used to Akai's sardonic looks by now. "That explains a lot," he remarks drily.

Somehow, I feel like he's not just referring to my inability to drive this ATV. Akai gets up onto the vehicle behind me and places both hands over my own.

"This is your throttle. Over here you can change gears. Buttons for lights." When Akai speaks, I can hear his voice rumble low in his chest and against the back of my cotton blouse. It sends delicious tingles up my spine.

Focus, Iris. He's nothing more than a stony-faced man made of stone. Probably couldn't cry even if his life depended on it. What is emotion? Satoh Akai wouldn't know.

¥

akai 👁

She smells like orange blossoms and coffee. With just the lightest touch of vanilla.

I feel dazed.

£

iris 👁

I tap the key. "Turning this will make the engine start?"

Akai doesn't answer for a second. Probably too busy marveling at my idiocy and wondering whatever possessed him to let me stay. "That's usually how it's done, yes," comes his caustic reply.

I turn the key and the engine roars to life. Akai's grip tightens around my right hand. "Thumb off the throttle!" he barks.

Taking my thumb off, I mumble an apology. The stubble on Akai's face grazes my cheek as he leans forward to shift the gear into drive.

"Now throttle, but gradually. And keep it smooth. I don't want you jerking us around like rocks in a blender."

Tentatively, I press my thumb down. The ATV moves forward a little, so I add on just a bit more pressure, and then we're off, trundling at a steady pace across the bumpy ground.

Excitement bubbles in my chest. I'm doing it! I'm driving a vehicle for the first time in my life!

"This is so cool," I breathe.

"Focus on the road, Miss Iris."

"There aren't any roads," I point out. "It's just grass and more grass."

We're coming up near the lake. To my alarm, Akai leans forward suddenly to peer out into the distance. His breathing coasts over my ear as he murmurs, "Some days you can see an osprey here."

Sweet Jesus. This sensation. I can feel myself unravelling. If this keeps up, only two things can happen – either I'll elbow him in the face and run away, while screaming get away from me, you pervert! Or I'll turn around, grab him by the collar, and kiss him full on the lips.

Akai pulls away. "Guess it's not today. Take a left here, Miss Iris, and we should see the tortoise enclosure up ahead."

My heart rate slowly stops trying to shoot through the roof. Of course. Here I am, freaking out about our physical proximity, and all he can think of is his beloved tortoise. I might as well be a part of the furniture, for all he cares. Just another fixture on this ATV.

Akai has already disembarked and is now standing at the gate of the enclosure with a box of carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Riku is the last member of the farm I haven't met, and Hayate's words about how he nearly bit off the previous helper's fingers aren't very heartening.

Standing on tiptoes, I peer inside the enclosure. Fenced by a sturdy wall two feet high, it's a plot of dirt dotted with sparse grass and three tiny sheds that have been painted red, yellow, and blue. I have a feeling the colors were Chihiro's handiwork. The size of the enclosure surprises me – 100 square feet of land is too big for one little tortoise, surely?

Lifting the latch, Akai enters while rattling the box. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the door of the blue shed push open. Riku the tortoise steps outside.

"Holy shit!" I exclaim. "He's gigantic!"

"25 years old, 195 pounds." Akai tips the box of vegetables over and Riku makes a slow beeline toward him. "He's an African desert sulcata tortoise, with many years left to keep growing."

195 pounds! He's one and a half times my weight. "Where did you guys get him?"

"About a year ago, from a rich man's house. He was supposed to be the main dish of dinner."

I stare. "You're not serious."

"Mr. Satoh was a guest." Akai dusts off his hands. Riku is halfway through his veggie meal already. "When he heard the host had plans to cook a tortoise live, he stood up and left. But not before he made a quick trip to the kitchen."

"The host was okay with that?"

"The host didn't know."

I'm fascinated. "How do you even smuggle out a large tortoise?"

"With an even larger backpack."

Pulling out a bottle of disinfectant, Akai starts wiping down the red shed. I join him.

"Do all the other animals have such exciting rescue stories?"

"No. This wasn't meant to be a rescue farm. When Mrs. Satoh was diagnosed with her illness, Mr. Satoh became concerned about her diet. He wanted to keep her food as organic as possible, so he decided to grow it on his own. There's a small vegetable plot on the other side of the lake that Anita maintains. The chickens and cows were bought for their eggs and milk. Mrs. Satoh doesn't eat meat that much."

This is the longest Akai has ever spoken to me. And he's continuing.

"Gacho and her partner were meant for the dinner table. According to the doctor, goose meat is good for health. I was put in charge of fattening them up." Akai hesitates. "But then I gave Gacho her name. And when the day came ..."

"You couldn't kill her," I finish.

Riku moseys over, inserting himself between us to see what we're doing. Akai pats him lightly on the head. The tortoise's wrinkled face seems to scrunch up in a smile.

"After that, Mr. Satoh stopped buying animals. Maiko and Kuroo were given by relatives as a gift, and Shou was rescued from abandonment."

"What about Inu?" I ask. "Was he rescued as well?"

Akai's tone is dry. "No, he was the result of a six-year-old screaming I want a puppy all throughout December."

We move on to the blue shed. "Is Mrs. Satoh very ill?" I inquire.

"She has a compromised immune system." Akai's voice has gone quiet. "Little things that we brush off can take her life."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I say, sincere.

"She stays strong. Both her and Mr. Satoh. Chihiro too."

I wonder why he speaks like he's an outsider to the family. "Do you always call them Mr. and Mrs. Satoh?"

"Of course." Akai sounds scandalized that I'm suggesting otherwise.

"You don't call them Mom and Dad?"

"Absolutely not," Akai states firmly. "Calling them Mr. and Mrs. Satoh is a sign of respect."

Oh. I twirl a lock of hair shyly. "Is that why you put Miss in front of my name too?"

"No." Akai stands up, looking down at me. "Yours is a sign of indifference."

He walks away, leaving me alone to splutter next to the tortoise.