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‘Okay, okay,’ he grumbled. ‘I’ll back off and give you space but I expect an update once a week.’
Once a week? Tasha locked her teeth against a protest. ‘I’ll drop you an email every Sunday evening, how about that?’
‘That’ll have to do, but if you pick up anything of interest, call me straight away.’
‘I’m here to do a feasibility study, not spy on people and pass on gossip.’ There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone. ‘That’s not what I signed up for.’
‘You haven’t learnt anything since your arrival? Not one thing?’
She’d learnt that Hope was funny and kind and full of ideas for the future of the estate and that beneath his confident exterior Rhys was a worrier. She’d learnt his parents were charming and kind, that the entire Travers family had a warmth about them that made you feel as if you’d known them forever within five minutes of sitting down. None of that was any of Simon’s business, though. ‘Lambing season started today.’
‘You what? What the hell do I care about poxy lambs?’
‘I’m just pointing out that that’s the most interesting thing that happened today. Oh, unless you count the two hours I spent with a measuring wheel mapping out plots at the campsite. Later in the week I’ll have some planting designs to approve, would you like me to tell you what colour scheme I decide on?’
‘I’m hanging up now,’ Simon said. Though there was no mistaking the amusement in his tone, there was also an edge that warned she wouldn’t get away with fobbing him off forever when he added, ‘Email. Sunday. Don’t forget.’
‘I won’t. Bye, Simon!’ Tasha hung up and tossed the phone back into the drawer. She shoved it closed with her knee a little harder than was necessary. Simon might want her to dish the dirt, but he was going to be disappointed. Tasha would keep her reports strictly to facts and figures. Whatever he might think he’d sent her there to do, Tasha had lines that she wasn’t prepared to cross. Not even for Simon and the sake of her career.
An hour later Tasha was sitting at the table, finishing off the last couple of mouthfuls of a chicken stir-fry she’d knocked up from the contents of the fridge and the well-stocked cupboards. Pushing her bowl to one side, she tucked one leg under her and sipped at yet another glass of Zap’s delicious fruit cordial as she reviewed her notes from the day. It was a ritual she’d come to rely on, taking stock of what she’d achieved and revising her plans for the rest of the week. Some people couldn’t wait to flop down in front of the television after work, but Tasha’s brain didn’t have the right kind of off switch to be able to do that. She needed a plan for the next day before she could unwind. Maybe Rhys wasn’t the only control freak.
With her shiny new to-do list done for the morning, Tasha settled down in the cosy depths of the sofa and switched on the TV. It had access to all the usual streaming apps and she was soon logged in and browsing her watchlists. Nothing in particular caught her fancy so in the end she clicked on a romcom she’d watched often enough she could join in with an embarrassing amount of the dialogue.
She was about halfway through when the urge for something sweet became too much of a distraction to ignore. Leaving the film running, she padded into the kitchen area and opened the fridge. There was a bar of chocolate on the top shelf, one of the massive ones designed for sharing. She broke off the top row and closed the fridge, nibbling at one corner, and her eyes closed as the velvety rich chocolate melted on her tongue. She’d flirted with many different brands over the years, but at the end of the day there was nothing better in her opinion than good old Dairy Milk. She found herself wondering if it was Rhys’s favourite as well, because he’d been the one to fill the fridge ready for her arrival.
Thinking about him made her check the time. It was just after nine and he’d said he was going to be watching over the lambs until midnight. Tasha might work long hours, but nothing compared to what he put himself through, and he wasn’t sitting around on his bottom most of the day. No wonder there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. Not that she’d paid attention to such things… well, not much.
Tasha fixed herself a mug of tea and took the rest of her chocolate back to the sofa to enjoy. The characters on the screen bickered and joked their way towards their familiar happy ending, but she found her mind straying more and more from the action. Was it cold in the barn? Did it have any heating? She supposed that sheep had their wool to keep them warm, but what about the babies? A ridiculous image popped into her head of a pile of tiny lambs curled up on cushions next to a radiator the way the dogs had been the previous night and she tried to forget about it and focus on the film. Rhys knew what he was doing and he’d have plenty of warm clothing if that was what it required, probably a blanket or too.
He must be tired though.
She glanced back towards the recently boiled kettle, wondering if he’d remembered to take a hot drink with him. There was a flask in one of the cupboards, maybe she should pop over there, take him some tea and the Dairy Milk as a peace offering. Not that they’d fallen out, of course, but she knew he’d still felt bad about disturbing her earlier. She glanced at the clock again. It’d take her five minutes tops to walk to the car, another five to drive down to the farm and the same in reverse. Half an hour maximum for the round trip so she’d be back well before ten. Or she could just message him like a normal person.
How’s the lamb-sitting? Managing to stay awake?
The phone sat silent for a few minutes before a reply came through:
All quiet so far
Rhys had added a fingers crossed emoji.
Dad brought me a vat of coffee so I’ll be awake for the next week. What are you up to?
Tasha nestled into the corner of the sofa and drew her feet up beside her. Of course his family were looking out for him. They would be used to the unpredictable hours he worked and would make sure he wasn’t stuck out in the cold on his own. It had been obvious the night before that everyone knew everyone else’s business and they’d be all up in hers given half the chance.
Watching a movie. Eating too much Dairy Milk.
Sounds a lot better than my evening! Oh, hang on
Tasha set the phone aside and idly watched the last half an hour of the film. When Rhys still hadn’t replied, she decided to head up to bed. She’d just finished her night-time routine and was reaching to turn out the lamp when her phone flashed. Clicking on the message revealed a photo of a tiny lamb wrapped in a towel, its wool still damp. The hand holding it up to the camera had an odd nail on the little finger.
Glad to see you’re making new friends!
she typed.
Goodnight. And, hey, don’t forget I want my umbrella back!
I’ll think about it.
