Page 48 of A Fresh Start on Crumcarey
Russell had hated it when she’d gone through this process for Pear Tree Cottage. He’d resented the fact that she had the ability to imagine the project as a finished whole. For all his talk about wanting to work on their home together, he’d turned out to be a weird mixture of control freak and completely useless when it came down to anything practical.
Maggie paused for a long moment, frowning as she lifted her nib from the drawing of the final cottage they’d visited. Did shereallywant to get involved in this? To tie herself up with yet more dilapidated parts of Crumcarey that needed more care and attention than she could possibly give them? What if she ended up with it all landing on her shoulders? She couldn’t take that again.
‘No. This is Luke,’ she muttered, shaking her head. ‘He’s not Russell. He’snothinglike Russell.’
Reaching for a sip of coffee, Maggie laughed, realising that she must have drained the mug hours ago. She really ought to think about going to bed… but she wasn’t quite finished yet. She had a decision to make before she could go to sleep, and it wasn’t something to be taken lightly.
Did she want to dive into this hair-brained plan with Luke – a man she barely knew?
‘But Idoknow him!’ she muttered. She might not have known him long, but she knew his heart. There was no side to Luke Harris. He was adventure personified… and kindness, hard work, and warm kisses on the sofa.
Maggie shivered and let her eyes drift over the table bearing page after page of drawings, full of plans and ideas. Every single cottage had its own special character. These places were more than a sum of their slightly decrepit parts. The views, the mountains, the coastlines, the gardens – each cottage had its own unique blend of all these things. Maggie could just imagine them coming back to life and delighting anyone who visited.
Yawning widely, Maggie scrubbed at her eyes and glanced at the clock on her kitchen wall.
Wow… midnight?!
No wonder her stomach was growling - she’d completely lost track of time. She’d also run out of paper.
She needed something to eat.
She needed to sleep.
She needed to talk to Luke!
CHAPTER 22
LUKE
Acool breeze kissed Luke’s cheeks, and he let out a long, blissed-out sigh. He must have forgotten to close the curtains around the bed last night. He turned over on his mattress with his eyes still shut fast. The fresh air seemed to be coming from that direction, and it smelled decidedly like autumn… and something else… something sweet…
Twitching his nostrils, he took a deep breath and then yawned. Maybe it was time to get up…? Then again… maybe not quite yet. Ten more minutes.
Snuggling down into his duvet, Luke let out another contented sigh as he kicked one long leg free of the bedding… and then went dead still as a strange sound caught his attention.
Was that… a giggle?
Opening his eyes a crack, he spotted a slender silhouette framed against the morning light flooding in through the barn’s open front door. Long, dark hair framed a look of admiration on Maggie’s lovely face.
‘Mags?’ he mumbled.
‘Yep!’ she said, sounding decidedly cheerful.
Blinking away the last traces of sleep and slipping one arm beneath his head, Luke peered at her, not quite believing shewas actually there. But no, it was definitely Maggie… looking as stunning as usual. She had a pen tucked behind one ear and a grin fixed firmly on her face.
‘How long have you been there?’ he said.
‘Long enough to learn that you don’t wear anything to bed!’ she said, wiggling her eyebrows at him.
‘Hmm,’ said Luke, wondering if he should be embarrassed about this discovery. Then he decided against it. After all, shewasstanding in the open door ofhishome! ‘Just for the record,’ he said, ‘it’s Saturday morning. That’s the only reason I’m still in bed.’
‘Day off?’ said Maggie. ‘I didn’t know Luke Harris understood the concept!’
‘I’ve barely had a break since I arrived.’ Luke gave an exaggerated huff, feigning a grump that he promptly spoiled by breaking into a wide smile. ‘You know, what with all the uninvited guests turning up in the middle of the night, looking like drowned rats and then forcing me to sleep on the sofa…’
‘You definitely weren’t forced,’ she chuckled. ‘Besides, if I’d have known there was plenty of room in that bed of yours for two people…’
Maggie trailed off, and Luke felt the magic of her words light a fire in him. He gulped, making sure the duvet was still firmly in place and covering him properly.
