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But this wasn’t a fairy tale, and at some point she was going to have to tell him the truth about why she was at Juniper Meadows – or at least what had brought her here in the first place. There was no going back to SJW. That conversation with Simon had made things clear to her, but she still had no idea how to extricate herself without him taking revenge for what he saw as her betrayal and revealing to Rhys and the rest of his family all the lies she’d been telling them.
‘I know, but there’s no need to be. I love you, Tasha.’ Rhys leaned into her, pressing her back against her pillows until she was caged beneath his body. He braced his weight off her with his forearms and she knew with the slightest push he’d let her go free.
But she didn’t want to go free, she wanted to stay right where she was in the comfort and safety of his body. And his heart. Oh, that big, beautiful heart of his that was hers for the taking. She reached up and pushed a lock of hair that had fallen over his eyes out of the way, turning the gesture into a caress. ‘I love you, too.’
His weight settled over her like a hot, silken blanket and his lips slanted across her own. She melted into the kiss. A few more weeks, just give me a few more weeks. Once she’d done a good job with the glamping installations she’d be able to prove to Rhys where her loyalties lay. She’d talk to him about everything then, explain how she’d pushed back against what Simon had tried to make her do, even to the point of losing the job that had once meant everything to her. She’d given it all up for Rhys, for the future she hoped they’d still be able to build together here at Juniper Meadows.
Somehow she’d make him understand.
29
‘I didn’t think this day would ever arrive,’ Rhys said as he and Tasha stood off to one side watching Declan issue some last-minute instructions to Paul and Tony, his two groundworkers. They were breaking ground today on what would be the first of the new glamping plots Tasha had earmarked and he wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Putting an arm around Tasha’s waist, he thanked his lucky stars once again that she’d come into his life. She’d taken the vague plans he’d had to expand the business and was turning them into something better than he could ever have imagined. This area would house a number of luxury bell tents, each separated by clever planting that would blend in with the natural surroundings while providing privacy and a windbreak for each individual plot.
‘I never thought I’d get this excited about watching someone dig a hole in the ground,’ Tasha said, smiling up at him from under the hard hat Declan had insisted they both wear. The sun was already hot and he could feel his hair growing damp beneath the hard plastic, but this was Declan’s domain and Rhys wasn’t about to argue with him when it came to matters of safety.
‘We’re ready to start,’ Declan said as he came over to join them.
‘Just one more thing.’ Pulling away from Rhys, Tasha fumbled in her pocket then held out her hand. ‘We have to mark the occasion properly.’
Laughing, Rhys helped himself to one of the three party poppers resting on her palm. Declan raised an eyebrow, but took one of the other two without a word. ‘Are we doing a countdown?’ Rhys asked as he pointed his popper up into the air and gripped the string.
‘Of course. Three… two… one!’ They pulled their strings in unison and the poppers went off, each releasing colourful paper streamers into the air. Tasha gave a little cheer, her enthusiasm so infectious that even the usually taciturn site manager was grinning as he bent to gather the little strands and tuck them away in a pocket before heading back to giving his team the thumbs up. The digger roared to life and as it aimed its toothy bucket towards the ground Rhys put his arm around Tasha again. They were on their way.
They watched Declan and his team for about fifteen minutes before Tasha sighed. ‘As much as I’d like to stay here all day, I don’t want Declan to think I’m watching over him. Besides, I’ve got another meeting this afternoon to prep for.’
‘More biodegradable toilets?’ Rhys teased as they waved goodbye to Declan and walked towards where they’d left their vehicles. ‘Make sure you get some more brochures, because I’ve never slept so well.’
Laughing, she poked him in the ribs. ‘When else am I supposed to show you all these things?’ She had a point. They were both so busy during the day that their bed had turned into an impromptu office. Rhys had told her more than once that he trusted her to make whatever decisions she thought best for the business, but then he’d realised his input was important to her so now the cabinet on his side of the bed was piled high with brochures, leaflets and quotations. ‘I’m meeting the bus guy for a progress update.’
‘Fingers crossed they are on track.’ Though Rhys knew the bell tents would appeal to those who wanted a touch of elegance, he couldn’t wait for the next phase of the development when Tasha planned to install half a dozen different vehicles that were currently being converted into quirky camping hires. The one he was most looking forward to seeing was an old red double-decker. Though he hadn’t mentioned it to her yet, he was hoping it would be ready in time for her birthday next month. She’d been working so hard, it was only right that she got a chance to try out one of her new additions before they opened them up to paying guests. Though he’d thought to surprise her, maybe he should check whether she had made other plans to celebrate. Before he could say anything his phone rang. ‘Hey, Hope. What’s up?’
‘You need to get back to the farmhouse,’ his cousin said, sounding upset. ‘Mum just called me and it’s all kicking off.’
What the hell? ‘Hold on, Tasha’s here. I’ll put you on speaker. What’s kicking off?’
He jabbed the button on his phone in time for them both to hear Hope saying ‘Monty’s home and he and Ziggy are having a godawful row. I could hear them yelling at each other in the background and Mum was nearly in tears. I’m on my way now, but you’d better come too.’
Rhys exchanged a worried look with Tasha. ‘I thought Monty and Alice were still in South America.’
‘So did I,’ Hope replied. ‘Please hurry, Rhys. I’m really worried. Mum said Grandpa is talking about selling the estate.’
‘Jesus Christ! Okay, don’t panic, I’m on my way.’ Rhys shoved the phone in his pocket and ran the last few paces to his car. When he looked back, Tasha was rooted to the spot, her face as white as a sheet.
‘C… can he do that?’ she asked.
Rhys shook his head. ‘No. Well, technically the estate is entailed to whoever holds the title, so I suppose he could if he wanted to. But that’s not going to happen. There’s always drama when my grandfather shows up. He’ll stomp around the place and drive us all mad then once he gets bored he’ll hop into his camper van and disappear off into the sunset for another few years. It’s what he does.’
Tasha nodded, but she still looked close to tears. Remembering her sensitivity to family difficulties, Rhys jogged back and gave her a hug. ‘Monty’s bark is always worse than his bite. Don’t worry, I’ll sort it out. Go and have your meeting, and I’ll call you later.’
When he arrived at the farmhouse a few minutes later, it was to a scene of absolute bedlam. Someone had put the dogs out in the yard and Hope’s pair of black Labradors were making their protests known with loud barks. Rhys paused to shush them and gather up Delilah, who had crawled under the bench beside the wall. Samson had squeezed his big body under there next to her, but she was still shivering when Rhys coaxed her out. Beyond the door, the sounds of raised voices could be heard and the puppies began to yip and scratch at the wood again. Telling Samson to stay, Rhys squeezed past the puppies and let himself into the kitchen, Delilah still cuddled close to his chest.
Hope was standing at one end of the kitchen, her arms around Stevie as she shot a filthy glare at their grandfather, who was sitting at the head of the table, arms folded across his chest. His white hair hung in a loose ponytail down his back and his faded denim shirt stretched tight over a belly that had grown several inches since the last time Rhys had seen him. He was fixing his own death glare on Zap, who was sitting in his usual seat, a protective arm around Rhys’s mum’s shoulder while she sobbed into an already shredded tissue. ‘You selfish old bastard,’ Zap snapped, his own dark eyes flashing with rage. ‘After everything Ziggy’s done for you! After everything we’ve all done for you, this is how you think to repay us?’
‘I’m still the Baron and Stourton Hall is mine to do with as I wish.’
‘It’s Juniper Meadows now. We changed the name after you and Mum pissed off and left us in the lurch.’
‘Mind your language, Zappa.’ Rhys had almost missed his grandmother sitting quietly at the other end of the table, but at her soft words the whole room fell silent. ‘He’s still your father.’
