Page 54 of A Fresh Start at Bramble Cottage
Vicky sighed with relief as she turned the car round and drove back up the hill to the cottage. Instead of a potential disaster, that had turned out pretty well after all. Bez seemed really enthusiastic about going to university, and hopefully her mother wouldn’t nag her quite so much.
And she had a piece of very valuable jewellery in her pocket. Tomorrow she’d go up to London, to the jewellers that Mr Digby had recommended — she was too excited to wait any longer.
She turned through the gate, parked on the drive and climbed out, and reached into the back for her bag...
“Hi.”
Her heart thumped and she turned sharply, banging her head on the car roof. Tom. “Oh...” She managed to fix a smile in place. Standing there with his thumbs hooked in the pocketsof his well-worn jeans, he could have stepped straight out of one of her hot dreams. “Hello. You... made me jump.”
“I’m sorry. I’m looking for Rufus. He often comes into Molly’s garden. He’s been gone since before breakfast — it isn’t like him to miss his food.”
“Oh . . .”And breathe. . . “Sorry, I’ve been out — I haven’t seen him.”
“It’ll serve him right if he misses his supper too, the little rat.”
Numbly her mind sought for something casual to say. “Does he run away often?” Did her voice sound a little too bright?
“Quite often, but he never goes far.”
She took a moment to steady herself. The sensible part of her brain was warning her to freeze him out; temptation was whispering to her to stay.He’s married. She was struggling to remember that, to conjure the image of him at the cricket match with his wife and his little boy.
But when he smiled like that . . .
“Um . . . how old is he?”
“Almost eighteen months. Still a pup, really. I’m hoping he’ll grow out of the habit.”
“You can’t shut him in?”
He laughed. “Are you kidding? Houdini had nothing on him. Anyway, it isn’t really practical on a farm. At least he knows not to bother the cows. And he’s a great little ratter.”
Oh, dammit, that laugh. Low and slightly husky, it sent a shimmer of heat over her skin. And the glint in those dark eyes, the slight lift at the corner of that beguiling mouth.
That mouth... it would be warm and firm on hers, sure and confident, easing her lips apart as those strong arms drew her against his hard body...
Careful, she warned herself sharply. She suspected that Tom Cullen was far too perceptive to miss the effect he had onher. Which could make things difficult if they were going to be neighbours.
But if they were going to be neighbours, even if only for a short time, she ought to try to establish some kind of friendly relationship. She just had to ensure that she kept that simmering sexual attraction under control. She could do that.
“Have you looked in the back garden?” she asked.
“I was just going to, if that’s okay.”
“Of course.” She led the way down the side of the cottage. “It’s a bit of a jungle back here.” She tried for a note of light humour. “There are probably elephants hidden in the grass.”
He quirked one dark eyebrow in amusement. “I didn’t know Molly kept a herd of elephants.”
“Well, she was pretty eccentric.” She laughed. “I wouldn’t put it past her.”
He stood with his hands fisted on his hips, surveying the area. “You’re going to need a lawnmower on this.”
“There’s one in the garage — a petrol thing. It looks pretty ancient though, so I don’t know if it still goes.”
“Let’s have a look at it.”
The garage door creaked in protest as they dragged it open. “Needs a drop of WD40 on those hinges,” Tom suggested.
Vicky flicked on the light — a single naked bulb swinging from the roof, casting weird shadows among the random junk. “It’s a bit of a tip. I think there could be a whole new species of spider evolving in here.”
