Page 4 of A Fresh Start on Crumcarey
‘Get a grip!’ he tutted, turning and heading straight back out into the bar before he could think himself into a hole.
‘Your coffee…’ said the woman, gesturing at a steaming cup.
Luke raised his eyebrows as he sat down. Next to the cup was a plate bearing two pastries. There wasn’t any butter – just a small pot of tawny marmalade and a knife instead of a spoon.
It was perfect. Breakfast just the way he would have ordered it… except…
‘Double espresso?’ queried Luke.
‘For your uncle,’ said the woman.
‘But he’s not—’ he started.
‘Behind you!’ she said with a grin.
Luke peered over his shoulder just as a scruffy little dog came scurrying into the room – all wagging tail and wiry hair and twitching whiskers.
‘You old scruffbag!’ said Luke, leaning down to give the little dog’s ears a ruffle.
‘That’s not a very nice way to greet your Uncle!’ puffed Mr Harris, bringing up the rear.
Luke grinned at the old man. ‘Well… if the shoe fits…!’
‘Cheeky so-and-so!’ huffed Mr Harris, sinking onto the stool next to him and picking up the espresso seamlessly, as though he’d ordered it in advance. ‘Thanks Maggie, just what I need!’
Huh, so his Uncle clearly knew the mysterious Maggie. Excellent – that meant he’d be able to get all the info from him without having to make an idiot out of himself in front of her.
‘You look done in!’ said Luke, grabbing the marmalade and smothering his first croissant with the entire contents of the tiny pot.
‘It’s these blasted tourists!’ huffed Mr Harris. ‘Who’d have thought we’d have rush hour traffic on Crumcarey?!’
‘Really?’ said Luke with a grin. ‘You got stuck in a traffic jam?’
‘Two of those idiotic campers in a row, nonetheless,’ said Mr Harris, bristling. ‘Just a shame I didn’t put my foot down and get that petting zoo off the ground. I’d be raking it in by now!’
Luke glanced at Maggie just as she popped a fresh pot of marmalade in front of him. She smiled at him again, her eyes dancing with humour, and Luke felt the bottom fall out of his world.
Who was this woman?!
CHAPTER 3
MAGGIE
Maggie had to admit, she was having a brilliant first morning with Olive. Not only was her new boss kind, but she also had a wicked sense of humour.
To that end, she’d taken Maggie over to a window and pointed out Luke as he was working on the hire cars. Then she’d filled Maggie in on his regular order, the way he preferred everything, and the fact that he was bound to need an extra pot of marmalade. He also always needed to be prompted to wash his hands.
‘It’ll scare the willies out of him!’ chuckled Olive.
Maggie was game. Anything to hear her new boss’s infectious laugh. Besides, she was more than happy to have an excuse to talk to the handsome stranger when he finally appeared in the bar.
Luke clearly had no idea who she was, and Maggie was having a grand old time winding him up. If the slightly freaked-out expression on his face was anything to go by, he’d clearly come to the conclusion that she was some kind of witch.
Of course, they might not have met in person before, but Maggie knew exactly who Luke was. Her house wasn’t that far from Mr Harris’s farm, and she shopped in The Tallyaff oftenenough to have picked up on the grapevine that Mr Harris was expecting a house guest.
As she dried and stacked clean coffee cups on the ledge above the machine, Maggie took the opportunity to shoot regular glances at the newcomer as he chatted away with his uncle. He was wearing overalls covered in oil and goodness only knew what else… but even so, he was a striking bloke. Short, dark hair, tanned skin that seemed to glisten with health… and those eyes. They were like two ice chips. Bright and almost unnaturally blue. They could have made him look slightly foreboding if it wasn’t for the fine fan of wrinkles at the corners – hinting that his gorgeous smile was a regular feature.
Maggie swallowed as her eyes dropped to his large hands wrapped around his almost-empty coffee cup. If ever there was a pair of hands that looked like they knew what they were doing, she was looking at them.
