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‘It’s one of your father’s cordials. You can tell him I’m already forming an addiction!’ Her smile fell. ‘What happened to your arm?’
Rhys switched his glass to his other hand then twisted his arm back so he could glance down at the rear of his forearm. A livid red scratch about three inches long marred the tanned skin. ‘I had a bit of a disagreement with the fence earlier.’
‘It looks nasty.’ Setting her own glass aside, Tasha took his hand and turned his arm so she could study the scratch. ‘It looks quite red around the edges. Have you put anything on it?’
He was always nicking himself on something or other. It was just a fact of life working on the farm. ‘It’s fine.’
‘Aren’t you worried about tetanus?’
‘My vaccinations are all up to date. I don’t take any risks about stuff like that.’
She looked somewhat mollified. ‘Still, I think you should let me put something on it. I’m sure I saw a first-aid kit around here earlier.’ She released his arm and started rummaging in one of the cupboards. Rhys was going to tell her it would be okay, but he was enjoying the attention and decided to keep quiet.
Returning with a tube of antiseptic cream and a large plaster, Tasha set them on the counter beside him then went to wash her hands. Amused, Rhys watched as she squeezed a little bit of cream onto the tip of her finger then lifted his arm with her other hand. ‘Aren’t you going to ask me if I’m allergic to anything first?’ he asked when her finger was barely an inch from the cut.
She raised her eyes to look at him. ‘Are you?’
‘Nope.’
‘Then be quiet and hold still.’ Rhys bit back a laugh and did as he was told. Her touch was gentle, but the cream stung a bit as she dabbed it along the cut. Funny how he’d barely registered it earlier in the shower. She smoothed the plaster over the wound, frowning when one corner creased slightly.
‘It’s fine,’ Rhys assured her when she tried to flatten it out. She rubbed her thumb over the crease before stepping back with a dissatisfied tut. ‘Thank you,’ he said, pulling his sleeve down to cover it.
‘You’ll keep an eye on it?’
Rhys held out his hands to show her the array of scars, including the odd nail on his little finger that wouldn’t grow properly since he’d trapped it some five or six years previously. ‘It comes with the territory.’
‘So I see. You should take better care of yourself.’ It was an order, not a suggestion, and Rhys knew he’d get a scolding the next time she saw he’d hurt himself. Which would probably be tomorrow the way things were. She moved back to lean against the opposite counter and retrieved her drink. ‘What did you say earlier about Amelia?’
The abrupt change in topic threw him for a moment. ‘Oh, nothing, I was talking to myself.’ When she held his gaze over the top of her glass, he relented. ‘She and I were close when we were younger, and it used to annoy her when I tried to take care of her. She said I was a control freak.’ He’d laughed it off at the time, but those words still had the power to hurt even so many years later. ‘I tend to act first and think later.’ He held out his arms with a smile of apology. ‘And then I wind up barging into people’s kitchens unannounced when they’re in the middle of an exercise class.’
‘Technically it was at the end of the class,’ she said with a teasing smile. It was sweet of her to try and make him feel better.
He scrubbed a hand through his hair. ‘It’s been a bit of a tough day and I let my imagination get the better of me.’
‘In what way?’
‘I got it into my head that you might have slipped over in the shower or had an accident on the stairs because I haven’t had time to add non-slip strips to the edges of the steps. I even worried that you might have got lost in the woods.’ It was hard not to blush as he admitted to the outlandish thoughts he’d let take him over.
‘Yes, that very straight path from the car park to here is very difficult to negotiate.’ Her tone was dry enough to make him cringe with embarrassment.
‘Did I mention I was sorry?’
Tasha laughed. ‘I’ll let you off this once. I should’ve thought to call you when I finished for the day. I’m used to being independent and I suppose I wanted to prove to you that I could handle everything without you holding my hand. I’m sorry that I made you worry. I guess it’ll take us a while to find a middle ground, but I’m sure we’ll get there.’
Rhys set down his glass and straightened up. ‘Right, I’m definitely going to leave you in peace. Are you sorted for tomorrow or is there anything we need to discuss? In office hours, I mean, not now. I can pop over again in the morning.’
She shook her head. ‘I think I’ve got enough to keep me busy for the rest of the week. Graham and I are going to finish marking up in the morning and he’s going to use his supplier to order the fencing and put together some planting designs for me. Other than that, I’m going to walk down to the village and introduce myself to Martha and Joe in the shop and maybe the chap who runs the pub… His name escapes me, but I’ve written it down somewhere.’
‘Iain.’
‘That’s it! And then after that?—’
Rhys held his hands up. ‘I get it, I get it, you’ve got everything in hand.’
Tasha grinned. ‘Or maybe I’m just really good at bluffing. I’ll try and remember to keep you in the loop, and I promise to call you if I have any questions.’
They moved towards the door. Tasha reached to unlock it and then hesitated. ‘You said earlier it had been a bit of a day. Is everything all right?’
