Page 13 of A Fresh Start on Crumcarey
‘What’s option two?’ said Maggie.
‘You could stay the night here,’ he said, wondering why the back of his neck was suddenly prickling.
Luke suddenly wished he wasn’t sitting down. He felt like he needed to be on his feet – pacing – or at least doing something.
‘I mean, you’d be slumming it!’ he added quickly. ‘This definitely isn’t the Ritz! But I was about to start making some food, and there’s a bottle of wine hiding around here somewhere. I think I left it in the bath.’
‘The bath?’ she laughed.
‘It’s not technically a bath yet,’ he said. ‘As in… there’s no tub. I’ve just got a box sitting where a bathwillbe… and I think it’s in there.’
It was a ridiculously long explanation for a ridiculous topic, but somehow, Luke felt like he needed to keep talking just to delay her inevitable request to be driven over to the Tally. He wasn’t looking forward to that drive, and not just because the weather was so grim.
‘Okay,’ he said, forcing himself not to let out a sigh when she didn’t speak for several long seconds. ‘Okay…’ he started to get to his feet. He’d need to put something warmer on if he had to go out in the storm. And some wellies…
‘I’ll stay here with you.’
Maggie’s quiet voice stopped him in his tracks.
‘If you’re sure that’s okay?’
Okay?
‘Sure.’Do not start grinning like an idiot. Do not air punch.‘That’s okay with me.’
CHAPTER 7
MAGGIE
Maggie blinked.
Had she really said that?
She couldn’t believe she’d had the balls.
Maybe she was still in shock from the walk? If she was being honest, it had been more like a crawl – the wind had simply been too strong for anything else. It had been very wet, very loud and very scary – a true sensory overload.
By the time she’d reached Luke’s door, there had been tears mingling with the rainwater dripping from her face. With any luck, the gorgeous guy across the table from her might not have noticed. Then again… she didn’t really care if he had. She had nothing to prove… did she?!
Either way, her rather firm decision to stay put had everything to do with not wanting to head back out into the storm, and nothing at all to do with the opportunity to hang out here with a gorgeous man in his lovely, cosy home. If she kept telling herself that, she might eventually believe it.
Was it worth turning down The Tallyaff – where there was carpet, and a bar… and probably even a bath that worked? Absolutely.
‘I like what you’ve done with the place,’ she said, glancing around at the clean walls, simple furniture and twinkling golden lights.
Howhad he turned this old cow shed into a home in just a few short weeks?
‘Thanks,’ said Luke, running his fingers through his hair and looking a little bit lost. ‘Had you seen inside before?’
Maggie shook her head. She’d definitely seen the building from the outside though. Russell had always slowed down whenever they’d driven past Mr Harris’s farm. He’d enjoyed sneering at the state of the place and crowing about the fact that the old farmer was bound to ask him for help once he saw what a beautiful job he was going to do at Pear Tree Cottage.
‘What did my place used to be called?’
The question popped out of Maggie’s mouth before she’d realised that her brain had wandered down a random rabbit hole.
‘Brae Byre,’ said Luke, cocking his head curiously. ‘At least, that’s what Uncle Harris told me.’
‘Better than bloody Pear Tree Cottage,’ she huffed.
