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“I’ll have a look at the well for you now.”

“The well?”

“Yes, the water to both houses comes from a well in the backyard of your cottage.”

“So have you got water?” she asked.

“I do.”

Megan laughed and her whole face came alive. He couldn’t stop looking at her. Her eyes were suddenly bright and for the first time he noticed the fleck of gold in her green irises. Unable to resist, he lifted both hands so that her face was framed in his fingers. She held his gaze and smiled.

“What? What’s so funny?” he asked.

“I was starting to believe the stories of the woman in the village shop.” She shook her head and he dropped his hands away. “She had me convinced it was something to do with the solstice.”

“Nah, more to do with the cottage being empty and the pump seizing up. Jules is an old hippie. She’s been here since the first Glastonbury festival.” He turned his head away, realizing he’d given away too much with that simple observation. He had to learn to hold his tongue, as well as keep his hands off her. She hadn’t moved when he’d held her face. Now, he sniffed appreciatively and glanced across at the stove. “I’ll go down and check the pump for you if I can share your dinner. How’s that for a deal?”

“Sounds fair to me.”

“Pizza?”

“Sorry, just spaghetti sauce.” Her face was guarded and his heart did a strange little jump as she dropped her gaze.

Whoa, what was that? I haven’t felt a rush like that for a long while.

Pushing the feeling away, he flickered a glance across the papers on the table as he turned to head down towards the well. “Your research?”

“Not really, just a problem I have to sort out.”

***

Megan had gathered the sheets of paper together when David arrived. It had been demoralising reading the e-mail from Tony about supposed dates that she had allegedly opened, read, and deleted the e-mails from the vice-chancellor containing the allegations. With it was an audit trail of marks changed in the grade centre under her log-in name. Statements from two students who were prepared to say she had accepted money from them for high marks. And it went on and on…

She shook her head as she followed David, touching her face where his fingers had held her so gently. Her skin was tingling and alive, and the warmth of his fingers on her skin still lingered. For some strange reason, his touch had been welcome and it had been hard not to turn into his hand and put her lips against his fingers.

The grass was soft and cool beneath her bare feet and the dusk light was fading. A small measure of calm stole over her as she padded along behind him. David wore his usual black T-shirt and she had to strain to see where he was heading.

“Oh, look!” She smiled when a white rabbit hopped across the grass in front of her and stopped to nibble at the long grass close to her bare feet.

David stopped in front of her and she cannoned straight into him. He grabbed her arms to stop her from falling. She’d been focused on the small white fluffy creature and hadn’t been watching where she was going. His hard chest was warm against her cheek and for a moment, she rested her head there, listening to the steady thump of his heart. Megan closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she pulled away from him.

What the hell am I doing?

“Sorry, I was looking at the rabbit,” she muttered, feeling a bit like Alice in Wonderland. “So, where’s this well?”

David stood looking down at her and when he spoke his deep voice sent a ripple curling through her stomach. “Why are you so sad, Megan?”

“I’m not,” she said tersely. “I’m just keen to get the water fixed so I can get settled and get on with my work.” There was no way she was sharing her worries with a stranger. And he was a stranger, no matter how kind he was being now, and how much his touch stirred her. Since he’d lost the macho rock-star act and been civil to her, he’d been a different person. And his resemblance to the idol of her dreams still threw her every time he spoke to her. It would be very interesting to hear him perform and see if he sounded anything like his uncle.

She stepped away. “So where is it?”

Chapter Nine

Fixing the water had been a simple matter. No one had told Megan about the switch on the pump on the side of the well. In fact, she really knew nothing about the cottage apart from the fact that it belonged to Beth’s family. Despite being old and using a well, it turned out there was a surprisingly modern electrical setup to send water through the yard to the house.

Letting the icy cold water run into the sink until the rust cleared, Megan turned to David but looked away immediately, not wanting to meet the piercing dark gaze that was fixed on her face. Her skin prickled and she ignored the rapid beat of her heart.

His resemblance to Davy Morgan unnerved her.