Chapter 865 Were You a Little Moved?
"No," Seraphina quickly denied.
After a pause, she added, "He probably doesn't like me."
Nora asked, "Why do you think that?"
Seraphina replied, "Because every time I ask him something, I can tell he's annoyed."
Nora was curious. "Really? How does he show it?"
"He always pats my head and says I'm not smart."
Noe really got himself into trouble.
Nora laughed internally but kept a straight face. "Seraphina, maybe he's not annoyed; that's just how he is."
Seraphina smiled slightly but didn't seem convinced.
Nora teased, "So, if he proposed to you now, would you say yes?"
Seraphina was stunned and shook her head.
Nora pressed, "You wouldn't?"
"It's not that. He just wouldn't propose," Seraphina said confidently.
"But what if he did?" Nora persisted.
Seraphina's face turned red, and she looked down, staying silent.
Was Seraphina feeling shy? It really showed how much the environment could change someone. Seraphina used to talk about marriage all the time and would openly say she wanted to be with Noe. But now, she had learned to be more reserved.
"Dr. Smith, here's the horse I picked for you."
Aisha led over a short mare.
"Thanks."
Nora thanked her and then said to Seraphina, "You should pick one too."
"Okay."
Seraphina went to pick a horse, and Nora headed to the riding arena with Aisha. A horse trainer followed Nora, but she couldn't understand him, so Aisha had to translate.
Soon, everyone had picked their horses and gathered at the riding arena. Nora glanced around and noticed that everyone else had chosen adult horses, while she was the only one with a short mare. She felt a bit embarrassed but reminded herself that safety was more important than pride.
"Dr. Smith, get on the horse," Aisha said, mounting her horse gracefully and smiling at Nora.
Nora wanted to mount her horse as gracefully as Aisha, but she could only dream of it. With the trainer's help, she got on the horse, holding the reins tightly. She followed Aisha's instructions, riding slowly alongside her.
"Mommy, Aunt Aisha, look at me!" Millie's voice called from behind.
Nora turned to see James riding a horse with Millie, galloping towards them. Millie was beaming with excitement, her joyful laughter echoing in the air. Nora smiled and waved at Millie, watching James's horse speed past, and sighed inwardly.
'If only Millie's parents were normal,' she thought. 'Then we wouldn't be struggling with whether to take Millie away. She seemed so happy. Maybe letting her grow up here isn't so bad. But James definitely wouldn't agree. Who knows if he could make Jasmine fall in love with him and go with him.'
Nora instinctively looked for Jasmine. At that moment, Seraphina rode by, her face beaming with a bright smile, looking particularly handsome. Nora waved at Seraphina, and after she passed, Nora continued to search for Jasmine.
Jasmine was riding a horse, looking a bit nervous. It looked like she wasn't very good at it. Nora raised an eyebrow; Jasmine wasn't good at riding but had picked a tall horse.
"Dr. Smith, I've noticed James has been paying a lot of attention to Jasmine these past few days. Does he have feelings for her?" Aisha suddenly asked.
Nora's eyes flickered; she couldn't reveal James's true intentions for approaching Jasmine. "Maybe Jasmine looks like the late Emmeline, and James hasn't forgotten Emmeline, so he often seeks out Jasmine."
"So, James sees Jasmine as a replacement for Emmeline?" Aisha asked.
"Probably," Nora said.
Aisha glanced at James galloping in the arena and said, "He doesn't mind that Jasmine used to be Hugo's mistress?"
Nora laughed dryly. "If you really like someone, you probably wouldn't mind."
Aisha nodded. "That's good. If they can really become a couple, I can be at ease."
Nora understood what she meant. If James and Jasmine got together, Aisha wouldn't have to worry about Jasmine anymore. Nora didn't say anything else, her eyes on Jasmine, watching her speed up on the horse.
Maybe due to improper handling, the horse suddenly neighed loudly and started to gallop. Jasmine was startled and screamed, "Stop, stop!"
Seeing this, Nora and Aisha's faces changed. Aisha quickly told the trainer to get on a horse and chase after Jasmine. At that moment, James, who had just stopped his horse, quickly put Millie down, then leaped onto the horse and spurred it towards Jasmine.
Jasmine was terrified, screaming for the horse to stop. But the horse wouldn't listen and ran even faster. Jasmine's face turned pale with fear, the wind stinging her cheeks, making her cry.
Suddenly, a shout came from behind. "Jasmine, hold the reins tightly."
It was James's voice! He had caught up!
For some reason, Jasmine's tears flowed even more. "I'm holding them!"
James spurred his horse to catch up with hers, riding side by side. Then he reached out his hand and said, "Give me your hand; I'll pull you over."
Jasmine looked at him, choking up, "I'm scared."
"Don't be afraid; I won't let anything happen to you."
James's calm and steady gaze made her want to trust him. Jasmine swallowed, took a deep breath, and slowly extended her hand. James grabbed it and, with a strong pull, brought her onto his horse.
Jasmine's heart was pounding uncontrollably. She was sitting in front of James, hearing him stop the horse. As the horse slowed down, her racing heart gradually calmed. James's chest was solid and broad, exuding a sense of security.
Jasmine realized she was tightly hugging James's waist. She quickly let go and looked up at him. "Thank you."
James just nodded and said nothing. He dismounted and extended his hand to Jasmine. She placed her hand in his, and James held it firmly, helping her to the ground. But Jasmine's legs were still weak from the scare. James held her, letting her lean against him. His strong arm around her made Jasmine's heart flutter.
Nora and Aisha caught up. "Jasmine, are you okay?" Nora asked with concern.
"I'm fine." Jasmine nodded.
Nora looked at James and then at Jasmine, her lips curling into a smile. "As long as you're okay."
Nora remembered when she first met Aaron at the riding arena, she was terrified, and it was Aaron who came to her rescue. At that time, she had already started to have feelings for Aaron. And now, was Jasmine starting to have feelings for James?
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