Page 20 of A Fresh Start on Crumcarey
‘That’d be great!’ she said, popping her water down on the table. ‘I’ll just grab them?’
Luke nodded and watched her make a dash for the bathroom before turning to stoke up the fire. Then, he closed it back to keep going through the night and set up his wooden clothes racks around it.
Straightening up, Luke cast a longing look at his bed. He was quite pleased with how it had turned out. Mr Harris had given him the mattress – which had barely been used – and Luke had built the base using rafters from one of the old barns. The roof had fallen in years ago and now it was just used as a sheltered spot for growing rhubarb.
Luke didn’t mind sleeping on the sofa one little bit… but he’d love nothing more than to curl up with Maggie under the covers and doze off to the sounds of the crackling wood burner.
Shaking his head to dislodge the rogue thought, Luke started to shift the cushions around on the sofa.
‘All sorted?’ he asked, looking up as Maggie re-emerged from the bathroom.
‘It’s all yours. I snaffled a bit of your toothpaste,’ said Maggie with a smile, holding her pile of wet clothes at arm’s length. ‘Don’t worry… I used my finger, not your brush!’
‘Grand,’ said Luke. ‘Erm… I’ve put a pair of my boxers and another tee shirt on the bed… for you to sleep in.’ He paused, suddenly wondering if that particular move was a bit weird. Maybe he’d managed to go one step too far in his wine-fuelled haze. ‘They’re clean!’
‘Oh,’ said Maggie, biting her lip and looking like she was having a hard time not giggling. ‘Great. Thanks.’
‘Night then,’ said Luke. ‘I’m just going to use the bathroom and I’ll grab the lights on my way back.’
‘Okay… okay,’ said Maggie. ‘Erm… night Luke. And – thank you.’
Luke grinned at her. It didn’t feel like enough. He wanted to kiss her… on the cheek… or… somewhere else. Maybe he should at least give her a hug?
No, maybe not!
Instead, Luke gave her a strange, stiff salute then rolled his eyes and shot off towards the bathroom before he could make any more of a prat out of himself.
CHAPTER 11
MAGGIE
Maggie lay as stiff as a board. Her muscles were coiled, and she was ready to bolt upright at the slightest sound of movement.
It wasn’t the bed’s fault. It was warm and cosy, and she’d love nothing more than to curl up in an exhausted ball and float off to sleep underneath the soft mound of blankets. But… until those lights went out and she heard Luke settle on the sofa, she was on high alert.
It wasn’t because she didn’t feel safe – because she did – absolutely. She might not know him very well, but she trusted Luke. Even so… there was something in the air she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
Possibility.
A spark of electricity.
She didn’t think she was imagining it.
Shehopedshe wasn’t imagining it.
Of course, it didn’t help that she was surrounded by the scent of Luke. Warm, spicy. Delicious.
Maggie wriggled her toes.
The room suddenly went dark, and she strained her ears to catch the sound of Luke’s padding footsteps as he made his wayover to the sofa. There was a creak, the rustle of a duvet being pulled up to a bristly chin, and then complete silence other than the crackling of the wood burner and the sound of rain still beating against the roof.
‘Night Luke,’ she whispered into the darkness of her little curtained cave.
‘Night Mags,’ came a soft whisper from across the room.
Maggie turned onto her side and grinned into the pillow as she finally relaxed in the cosy warmth of the bed. Reaching out, she pushed the curtain aside. The dim flicker of the wood burner’s flames danced on the whitewashed walls. It was barely enough to illuminate the space, but she could just make out the outline of the sofa, and the soft mound of duvet nestled in its depths.
Maggie knew she should feel weird, invading someone else’s bed like this. Hell, the whole evening should have been weird. That couldn’t be further from the truth, though. She felt strangely at home in Luke’s company. As for this little barn… it was exactly what she’d hoped Pear Tree Cottage would have turned into by now.
