What was I thinking,was Nora’s first thought when she opened her eyes to a bright and sunny Sunday morning.
Was it morning?
She checked: only just. There was enough time for a shower and some brunch before she needed to set off for The Forever Home and her rendezvous with Biscuit. And Elijah, because he would no doubt be there.
Thinking of Elijah brought her smartly back to questioning her own sanity.
What had she been thinking, traipsing around Picklewick in the middle of the night? She should have stayed at home and done a hundred star jumps or something.
She hadn’t been thinking at all. She’d been panicking. At least she felt okay this morning, and as she tucked into a three-egg omelette a short while later, she vowed never to be as silly again. No more pigging out on foods that she knew weren’t good for her, and no more midnight walks.
Not on her own, anyway. It was lucky it was Elijah she’d bumped into and not some weirdo.
She wondered how he was feeling today. Not good, she suspected. He’d looked defeated last night, and her heart went out to him. Despite not being able to understand his passion for running, she could sympathise. Her world had also been turned upside down recently.
When a cloud of self-pity threatened to loom over her, Nora blew it away with a determined huff. She wasn’t going to let this thing, thiscondition, define her. The meal out last night was simply part of the new learning curve she was on, as she worked out how to live with it. Just focus on getting the weight off, she told herself, as she locked her front door and set out. On foot, obviously.
Rather than walking along the main road, then turning off it to go up Muddypuddle Lane, Nora aimed for a kissing gateon the outskirts of the village, beyond which was a path leading through some fields that belonged to the stables. It was a far gentler and prettier walk up the hill than traversing the lane itself, which was quite steep, and since she was determined to walk it, the gentler the incline the better. Until she was a bit fitter, anyway. Hopefully, with Biscuit as an incentive to get her out the door, it wouldn’t be too long before she was bounding up hills and trotting down dales.
As soon as she squeezed through the kissing gate (she’d had to suck in her stomach), she paused for a moment to take in the scene.
The field rippled as the breeze waved through stalks of feathery grass, and here and there wildflowers bobbed and nodded as insects hummed, buzzing busily from bloom to bloom.
A sense of peace settled over her. Why hadn’t she done this more often, she asked herself, tilting her face to the sun and closing her eyes. The rays were warm on her cheeks and if she’d had time she would have sunk down into the grass and stayed there for a while.
The neigh of a horse in the distance and the call of a bird overhead were the only sounds.
Until…
‘Nora? Wait up.’
Nora opened her eyes to see Elijah walking briskly towards her, and her heart gave a lurch.
Tanned and slim, he strode effortlessly along the path, and she was hit by a desire so strong it stole her breath.
‘Are you alright?’ he asked, his blue eyes peering at her. ‘You look like you’ve seen a ghost. I’m not that scary, am I?’
She cleared her throat. ‘I’m fine,’ she replied hoarsely. ‘I didn’t expect to see anyone up here, that’s all. I thought I’d check it out in case—’ She stopped, her cheeks colouring.
‘In case you adopt Biscuit?’ he finished, pursing his lips when she nodded.
He looked regretful that she’d mentioned it, but it was the truth and for a while she’d forgotten theenemypart in frenemy. He wasn’t her friend, but under different circumstances she would have liked him to be. If she was honest, she would have liked him to bemorethan a friend.
Typical! She hadn’t looked at or thought about a man in that way for quite some time, and it was Sod’s Law that when she did fancy the pants off someone, they were sworn enemies.
No matter which of them ended up adopting Biscuit, the one wouldn’t be able to forgive the other. At least,shewouldn’t be able to forgivehim, so it was probably safe to assume that Elijah would feel the same.
‘Recovered from your midnight adventure?’ he asked after a while, and Nora was glad of the change of topic.
‘Haveyou?’
‘My leg still aches.’
Was that another attempt to gain her sympathy? She said, ‘Do you often run in the witching hour?’
‘Not usually, but I couldn’t settle, and whenever I can’t settle, I run. I guess I’m going to have to walk instead, now. It could bethe start of a midnight walking club.’ His chuckle was regretful and sad.
‘To be honest, I prefer to be tucked up in bed at midnight,’ she replied. Not too long ago, she’d have preferred to be in a bar or a club.
