Page 100 of The Holiday Cottage

Maybe he could, because he tucked the hat and gloves she’d handed him under his arm, gently nudged her hands aside and carefully zipped her coat for her.

“You’re talking to the guy who once left a woman in a restaurant to go and deal with a difficult calving, so I don’t think you need to feel anxious.” His hands lingered on her jacket, and for a wild moment she wondered if he was going to pull her in and kiss her.

And she wanted him to.She really wanted him to.

“That sounds like a legitimate reason for date abandonment.” Maybe she was misreading the whole thing, which was entirely possible. “Were the cow and calf okay?”

“Yes, thankfully.” He let go of her jacket. “But my date was not. She questioned my priorities.”

“What were you supposed to do? Ask the cow to hold on for a few hours?”

“Perhaps I should have tried that. I’ve never found cows to be great listeners, but maybe I just don’t have the knack.” He retrieved her hat and eased it onto her head. “Would it help if I confessed that this is unusual for me too? I haven’t really dated since my last disaster.”

“So why are you doing it now?”

He smoothed the stray strands of hair away from her eyes. “I don’t know, but I think it’s probably a measure of how much I like you.”

His words and the light brush of his fingers made her dizzy. “You do?”

If it had been hard to breathe before, it was almost impossible now. She was soawareof him. Her skin tingled where he’d touched her, and the air around them was charged with an almost unbearable tension that was wholly unfamiliar.

She was in the process of trying to work out what to do next when he stepped back.

“Yes, I do.” He handed her the gloves he’d been holding. “And we should probably get out of here or this date isn’t going to happen.”

She almost told him that she didn’t care what form their date took as long as they were together, but she didn’t. He’d clearly given a lot of thought to today. And either he’d feel the same way about her by the end of it, or he wouldn’t.

But if he did—

She smiled to herself as she tugged on her winter boots.

There was something deliciously exciting about anticipation.

She locked the cottage and together they headed to his car.

The sky was a perfect blue and the snow sparkled under the winter sun.

Miles headed out of the drive and onto the narrow country road that ran past the Winterbury Estate.

“I’m assuming you haven’t done any Christmas shopping yet?”

“You mean shopping for gifts? No. Apart from the usual Secret Santa at work, which is always a painful experience, I’ve never had anyone to buy presents for. I should probably take a look online for inspiration.” She felt a flicker of panic as she realized how close Christmas was and dug in her bag for her phone. “I should have thought of it sooner.”

“You didn’t know you were going to suddenly acquire a family. And don’t worry, I have a plan, so you can put your phone away.” Miles drove confidently along the narrow road, occasionally raising his hand to passing motorists.

“Do you know everyone around here?”

“Quite a few people. That’s what happens when you’ve lived in the same village for most of your life.”

They drove along small winding roads through countryside, past snowy fields and farms and the occasional church. Trees were frosted with white and stone walls were coated with a layer of snow. It felt a long way from London.

She tried to imagine what it must be like to live here and be part of this community.

“You never moved away?”

“Only to do my vet training. It was an interesting experience, but I missed this place. We’re here.” They’d reached the edge of a village and he slowed down and swooped into a vacant parking space next to a picturesque pub. The roof was dusted with snow and tiny lights had been strung along the eaves. “This place serves great food, as you will discover later.”

The pub looked so inviting, Imogen wasn’t sure she wanted to wait until later.

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