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Danni nodded, but the heat of her anger hadn’t completely faded from her eyes. ‘Attagirl.’ She finished off the last of her wine and set down her glass, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. ‘Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet someone tall, dark and handsome while you’re on your Cotswold adventure.’
Tasha tried to ignore the way a mental image of Rhys jumped immediately into her head. Work and pleasure never mixed. She’d seen it often enough at the office and it nearly always ended in disaster. Now, if Rhys had a friend who was cut from a similar mould… ‘Maybe.’
9
‘Sit down, will you? You’re making the place look untidy,’ his mother teased as Rhys wandered over to the kitchen window and peered outside.
He wasn’t sure what he was expecting to see other than the usual view out over the square yard and the high Cotswold stone wall that enclosed it. His Border collie, Samson, jumped up to rest his paws on the edge of the counter as though he was trying to look out of the window as well. His other dog, a pampered miniature dachshund called Delilah, had barely raised her head from her enormous pillow in front of the radiator when he’d walked through the door, but Samson was his ever-present shadow. Rhys gave the dog’s head a scratch before gently nudging him down with his knee and turning to face his mum. ‘I thought Tasha would be here by now. It’s not much more than an hour’s drive from Reading and traffic shouldn’t be bad on a Sunday.’
Rowena rose from her usual seat at the table and came over to give him a quick hug around the waist before moving away to flip the switch on the kettle to boil it again. ‘Relax, will you? It’s not even lunchtime so perhaps she’s taking her time.’
Rhys found himself checking his watch even though his mother had just told him to relax. ‘I suppose you’re right. I just hope she’s okay. I wonder if I should’ve given her more time to sort things out before she started. Do you think I should give her a call?’
Rowena set an insulated mug full of coffee down in front of him. ‘I think you should stop flapping. She’s got your number so I’m sure if there’s a problem she’ll contact you when she can. Now take your coffee and go somewhere else. I’m trying to sort out the rota for next week because I’m a therapist down and you’re distracting me.’
‘I thought you wanted me to sit down?’ Rhys teased.
‘I changed my mind. Now shoo!’ She flapped at him with the ends of the vibrant orange scarf she’d teamed with an even brighter pink jumper dress that hung past her legging-clad knees.
Laughing, Rhys caught one end of the scarf, tugged it free and wrapped it around his own neck. ‘Thanks for this, it was a bit chilly earlier.’
Rowena rolled her eyes, but she was laughing as she sat back down. ‘Silly boy. When Tasha gets here, ask her if she wants to join us for dinner tonight. I’m making a shepherd’s pie once I get this rota sorted out. There’ll be more than enough for an extra one at the table.’
‘I’ll see what she says. Thanks, Ma.’ Rhys bent to kiss his mother’s cheek before picking up his coffee and heading out across the yard, Samson at his heels.
He’d just drawn level with the gate when he heard the familiar sound of car wheels trundling over the cattle grid and he turned to see a shiny red car pulling up. Setting his coffee mug down on the gatepost, Rhys placed one hand on Samson’s head to keep him close as he unhooked the gate and walked backwards to pull it open to its fullest extent. Tasha drove in, stopped next to him as the passenger window slid down. ‘Hello! I hope you haven’t been hanging around waiting for me?’
‘No,’ Rhys lied, because telling her the truth felt too awkward. ‘I just nipped inside for a coffee and was heading back to check on the cows.’ The cows he’d looked over not ten minutes earlier. Goodness, what had got into him? ‘How was your drive down?’
Tasha pulled a face. ‘Nightmarish. I don’t seem to be having much luck with journeys lately. There was a burst water main two streets from my flat and the diversion took me halfway around the town. I nearly gave up at one point, but here I am.’
Crouching on his haunches, Rhys rested his arm on the open window. ‘Not a great way to start your day, but you got here in one piece and that’s the main thing.’ He reached into the pocket of his gilet and pulled out a key ring. ‘Here’s the key for the lodge. Do you want me to escort you down there?’
She shook her head. ‘I should be okay, thanks. It was easy to find from the car park when you showed me before.’ Her brows drew together. ‘Besides, I thought you need to check on your cows?’
And that was why lying was a bad idea, especially when you were terrible at it. ‘Oh, yeah. Well, I’ll leave you to it if you’re sure you’ll be okay.’ Rhys dropped the key ring onto the passenger seat. ‘I’ve left a list of useful information on the table in the lodge, Wi-Fi password and that kind of thing. Plus there’s a few things in the fridge and freezer to get you started. If I’ve forgotten anything just give me a shout.’
Tasha smiled. ‘That’s so kind, thank you.’ A little glint shone in her eyes as that smile widened. ‘Nice scarf, by the way.’
Rhys glanced down, having completely forgotten he’d stolen it from his mum. ‘Do you think it’s my colour?’ He flung one of the loose ends around his neck and struck a pose, delighted when she laughed. ‘I’d better let you get on,’ he said reluctantly, because he would’ve liked this chance to get to know her a bit better. Oh well, there’d be plenty of time over the next few months for that. ‘Can’t keep the cows waiting.’ He stood up, then bent forward to peer back through the window. ‘By the way, Mum wanted me to invite you for dinner tonight.’
The smile wiped from her face. ‘Oh. Umm… that’s very kind, but I don’t think I brought anything suitable to wear.’
Rhys threw his head back and laughed. ‘One thing you need to learn about us is that we don’t stand on ceremony. Our idea of dressing for dinner is putting on a clean pair of jeans. Whatever you feel comfortable in will be fine.’ She still looked unsure and Rhys did suppose he’d rather sprung the invitation on her. Deciding he’d better offer her a way out, he added, ‘If you’d rather take the time to settle in then please don’t feel any pressure to join us. Like I said, there’s food in the fridge at the lodge so if you’d prefer a quiet night then I’ll leave you to get on with it and we can meet up tomorrow when you’re ready to start. There’ll be plenty of time for you to get to know everyone.’
Tasha seemed to relax back against her seat. ‘It’s very thoughtful of your mother, you just took me a bit by surprise. Can I let you know a bit later once I’ve had a chance to unpack?’
‘No need. It’s open house here at the weekends. We usually have a drink around six-thirty so if you do decide to join us then come by any time between then and seven.’ He patted the edge of the open window then straightened up, holding the gate wide until Tasha had reversed out of the yard. She paused to wave and then headed off down the main road towards the campsite car park.
Rhys watched her go for a minute before giving himself a shake. He secured the gate then glanced down at Samson, who was sitting patiently staring up at him. ‘Come on, boy.’ Rhys retrieved his travel mug from the gatepost then strolled across the yard towards the barn. The cows might not need checking, but there was always work to be done around the farm.
10
‘Knock, knock!’ Ben, Rhys’s cousin and Hope’s older brother, called out as he opened the kitchen door just before six forty-five.
‘Hey, Ben. Good to see you.’ Rhys tried not to feel disappointed that it wasn’t Tasha, but maybe she hadn’t felt comfortable in accepting the invitation.
‘You too.’ With a smile, Ben closed the door behind him then set Pepper, his little Dalmatian, down. The puppy yipped and made a beeline for the cushions piled beneath the radiator and snuggled in between Delilah and Hercule, Zap’s elderly Brussels Griffon terrier. Delilah rested her head on the puppy’s back and his eyes were drooping in contentment seconds later, safe in the protection of Juniper Meadows’ own little pack.
