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He felt a light but distinct pressure on his toes and looked down to see Tasha had stepped on his foot. She put more of her weight into it, holding his gaze for a steely second to make sure he knew she’d done it deliberately. ‘Rhys had to walk the dogs and then we got caught up with the activity packs for the weekend. I meant to bring a sample to show you. Amelia’s done such a brilliant job.’
‘Oh, I can’t wait to see them!’ Hope replied. ‘Will you drop one off with me in the morning?’
‘Yes, of course. Now, what was that about Declan?’
A loud honk-honk of a lorry’s horn sounded outside and Declan and his two groundworkers appeared. Cam started to clap and soon everyone joined in. The three men looked embarrassed but pleased as Rhys’s father made his way towards them with three cold bottles of beer balanced between his hands. Rhys leaned down and spoke to Tasha. ‘Declan and his team have parted ways with the construction firm they’ve been working for. Hope’s agreed to employ them directly to supervise the dig site and operate the heavy machinery and I’ve got some other stuff that needs doing around the farm I’m going to send their way. I thought you could use them for the groundworks for the glamping sites in due course.’
She gave him a sharp look. ‘I had my own firm of contractors in mind. Someone I trust who I’ve worked with before.’
‘And we trust Declan. He’s shown a considerable amount of loyalty to the family today and I’d like to be able to reward that as much as I can. Talk to the man, that’s all I’m asking.’ He’d said he’d give her as much free rein as he could, but some things were too important to let go. ‘Please.’
Tasha nodded. ‘I understand. Of course I’ll talk to him, you just took me by surprise, that’s all.’
‘I’ll try not to do it again.’ Rhys let a smile play over his lips. ‘Unless you ask me to.’
‘I thought we’d agreed to think about things,’ she muttered under her breath.
‘I have thought about it, and I want to be with you.’ He held up his hands to show he wasn’t going to pressure her into anything. ‘Ball’s in your court, Tasha. Just let me know if and when you’re ready to let your hair down.’
22
Even on a night when they were gathered to celebrate there were still jobs that needed to be done. Rhys returned from checking the animals to find the party still in full swing, though it had shifted to a relaxed, more mellow atmosphere. The music spilling from the speaker was a quieter mix of ballads and instrumentals and everyone clutched mugs of tea and coffee, conscious of the work awaiting them in the morning. Still they seemed reluctant to depart, perhaps knowing that once they did it was unlikely they’d all be together again for a while.
He looked around for Tasha, smiling when he spotted her sitting on a bench beneath a string of fairy lights, Delilah curled up on her knee. Samson was lying next to them, his head resting on Tasha’s feet. It looked as if she was going to have to accept his dogs even if she decided not to take a chance on him. In the opposite corner of the bench Declan was waving a mug around as he talked. Rhys didn’t think he’d seen the man so animated before and he put it down to Tasha. Though one hand was stroking gently over Delilah’s back, the rest of her focus was entirely on Declan, nodding along with whatever he was telling her.
As though she sensed someone watching her, Tasha turned and scanned the group and when she spotted him she grinned and pointed at the dogs. He held up a couple of fingers and mouthed the words ‘two minutes’ before heading to the kitchen to clean up from being in the barn. The room was empty, though someone had been busy because dirty plates and glasses were stacked on the table next to the dishwasher. Having washed his hands, Rhys realised the dishwasher was silent and pulled the door open, yanking his head back as a cloud of hot steam greeted him. He shoved the door down and pulled both trays out slightly to let the heat dissipate. Might as well empty and reload it while he was there. He was halfway through when he heard the skitter of claws and turned to see Samson trotting across the tiles towards the pillows beneath the radiator. Tasha was behind him, Delilah in her arms. ‘You’ve made a friend, I see,’ Rhys teased.
‘I was a bit worried someone would step on her when it started to get dark.’ Tasha gave Delilah a quick cuddle then set her down next to Samson. She touched the big sheepdog on the head before straightening up and Rhys felt something shift inside him at her show of care towards them. ‘Can I help you with that?’ Tasha asked as she approached him.
‘You can start loading if you like while I put the clean stuff away.’
They worked in tandem, both laughing when Rhys reached to open a cupboard just as Tasha stepped in front of it. ‘Sorry, you first,’ she said.
‘No, you carry on. I saw you chatting to Declan just now. What did you think?’
Tasha paused, still clutching a couple of dirty glasses. ‘I like him a lot and he had some really good ideas. He’s got a lot of relevant experience, and he had some great suggestions for greener products I can incorporate. I’m going to bring him on board after the Easter rush is over and get his input from the start.’
‘Thanks for giving him a chance. I appreciate it.’
‘I like the way you do things here, the way you invest in people and want them to flourish. It’s my preferred way of doing things as well. My, ah, previous boss always said I was too soft and needed to focus more on the bottom line.’
Rhys shrugged. ‘If you make people a part of something then I think you get the best out of them. It’s a philosophy Ziggy started and I hope to carry on in the future. He’s set up a bursary fund for local young people who might not otherwise get a chance to go on to further education. One of his latest success stories is graduating from the agricultural college in the summer. I’m hoping to tempt him to come and work for me so I can step back a little from the day-to-day chores and develop some of the ideas I’ve been thinking about.’
‘Like what?’
‘Maybe opening up the farm as a training and education centre. It’s quiet around here during the school term time so I’d like to make the most of the facilities we have and arrange some organised trips for children who might not otherwise get a chance to be around nature. Too many of them grow up not understanding where their food comes from.’
‘That’s a very admirable goal and you’ve clearly given it a lot of thought.’
Rhys nodded. ‘That’s why I need all the new business ventures to be a success, so I can secure the revenue we need to bring it about.’
‘I thought things were going okay? You’ve given me a decent budget to develop the glamping business.’
‘We’re doing okay for now, but we need to bring in a lot more money for the future. My grandfather won’t be around forever.’
Tasha frowned at him. ‘I thought he didn’t have anything to do with the estate.’
‘He doesn’t, but he still owns everything and when he dies the tax man is going to absolutely hammer us with death duties.’
