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Hope looked at him in surprise. ‘What did you expect me to do? Sob into your shoulder because my plans have gone awry?’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t do self-indulgence, I’m afraid.’
‘Don’t get me wrong,’ Cam said, quickly, worried he’d offended her. ‘I like it. I wish I could be a bit more decisive myself sometimes.’
Hope sat back, bracing her arms behind her, her toes hanging over the edge of the shallow excavation. ‘Well, now’s your chance. Come and work for me this summer. Help me figure out what’s going on here.’
He wanted to say yes so badly, he could all but taste the word on his tongue. Spending the summer at Juniper Meadows would be no hardship. Having the chance to put together his own team and run a dig was a dream come true, and could be the next step forward in his career – especially if the site turned out to be something significant. He glanced at the woman beside him, feeling once again that instant tug of attraction he’d felt when she’d appeared in his office doorway. The chance to get to know Hope a bit better would be the icing on the cake. She raised her eyebrows, a challenging look in her eyes, and he knew she thought he was going to bottle it and turn her down again.
‘Okay. I’ll do it.’
‘Good.’ Hope jumped to her feet and brushed off her jeans. ‘Make me a list of what you think you’ll need in terms of equipment and accommodation and send it over. I’ll speak to my contractors and see if they can help with site clearance. They have the professional skills and training to dig trenches and make sure everything is safe. I’d prefer someone I trust, if that’s okay with you?’ Cam nodded, slightly stunned at the barrage of words. She was already a dozen steps ahead of him, it seemed. She proved as much when she continued speaking. ‘We might as well hang onto the cabins as you’ll need welfare facilities. I’ll speak to Rhys and see if we can allocate an area of the campsite for you and your team – I assume you’ll be wanting to stay on site rather than traipse backwards and forwards every day?’ Without waiting for a response, Hope pulled out her phone and started tapping notes. ‘I’d better go and speak to Ziggy and get his sign-off, and I’ll ask him about the family records while I’m at it as I’m sure you’ll want to have a look at those.’
Cam stared up at her, getting the distinct feeling he’d been played. ‘Do people always end up doing what you want?’
‘Not always.’ The grin she gave him suggested otherwise. ‘Are you staying here for a while, or do you want me to drop you back at your car?’
Cam put his tools away and stood, hooking his rucksack over his shoulder. If he was really going to do this, then he needed a plan – and fast. There wasn’t much more he could do here today. ‘I think we’ll head back.’ He glanced around for Barnie and was relieved to see him already making his way towards them.
‘What did I miss?’ his friend asked as he lifted his hat long enough to ruffle a hand through his damp hair.
‘Cam’s coming to work for me for the summer,’ Hope replied, that same cat-that-got-the-cream gleam in her eyes.
‘Are you now?’ Barnie’s grin was far too knowing for Cam’s liking.
‘We’re coming to work here for the summer,’ Cam corrected, delighting in Barnie’s shocked expression. Before his friend could come up with an excuse, Cam dangled the bait he knew would get Barnie on board. ‘And Hope is going to arrange for us to have full access to the family archives.’
Barnie’s face brightened immediately. ‘Does that come with a guided tour of the Hall?’
Hope grinned at him. ‘You’d probably need to stay there while you are going through them.’
‘Hang on a minute,’ Cam interjected. ‘He gets to stay in Stourton Hall, and I get a pitch on the campsite?’
‘Those are the breaks, my friend,’ Barnie said, clapping him on the shoulder. ‘Those are the breaks.’
‘So what is your family connection to the Hall, exactly?’ Barnie asked as Hope was driving them back to collect Cam’s car.
Cam caught Hope giving Barnie a puzzled look via the rear-view mirror as she steered them back along the winding estate road. ‘What do you mean?’
It was a valid question. What did Barnie mean? Cam tugged his seat belt loose so he could half-turn to face his friend as Barnie elaborated. ‘Well, unless I’m mistaken, isn’t Stourton Hall named for, well the Stourton family? How do the Travers fit into that mix?’
Hope laughed. ‘Ah, I see why you might be confused. We are the Stourton family – the Stourton-de-Lacey-Travers if you want to be exact. My grandfather, Montague Stourton-de-Lacey, married Alice Travers and he took her name.’ She cast a quick glance between the two of them before she turned her attention back to the road. ‘Monty has never been comfortable with his legacy and has done everything he can to distance himself from the rather large silver spoon he was born with. He refuses to use the family title and would’ve sold the estate off if my uncles and mother hadn’t intervened and taken it over.’
Family title. Cam had already thought Hope a lady because of her manner, perhaps he should’ve considered her more as the Lady of the Manor. He shot a quick look at Barnie – he would probably know the correct terminology.
Hope pulled into the same parking spot behind the distillery and turned off the engine. She unfastened her seat belt and turned to face them, a wry but affectionate smile upon her face. ‘The responsibility gene in our lineage definitely skipped a generation with my grandfather.’
Cam released his own seat belt, thinking about everything he had seen that day, how many diverse income streams there seemed to be on the estate and knowing they’d only scratched the surface of what the Travers family did. ‘It seems like everything is in safe hands now.’
Hope nodded. ‘Ziggy is the glue that holds us all together. Without him, none of this would exist and Stourton Hall would either still be mouldering and neglected or taken over by the National Trust. It’s strange, really. He’s the one most devoted to the family and yet he’s never married or had children. The title will be his when my grandfather passes as he’s the older of the twins by all of ten minutes. Unless he has a sudden urge to procreate, it’ll pass to my cousin afterwards.’ She shook herself, an embarrassed little smile quirking her lips. ‘Goodness, you don’t need to know the ins and outs of all of that.’
‘If you want us to do a thorough job of things, then I’m afraid we’ll be rooting around in all your family’s secrets.’ Cam knew Barnie was making a joke, but he didn’t miss the slight flinch from Hope.
‘Anyway, if you’re sure you are finished for the day, I ought to get back and see how Zap is getting on in the distillery.’ Without waiting for a response, Hope let herself out of the car, leaving them no choice but to do the same.
‘Nice one, Barnie,’ Cam hissed under his breath, using the noise of closing his door to muffle his words.
Barnie gave him a ‘what did I do?’ gesture which only irritated Cam more. He had a heart of gold, but his tendency to speak before thinking was not one of his best traits.
Leaving his friend to sort himself out, Cam rounded the car and held out a hand to Hope. ‘I’ll get back to you as soon as I can with a proper plan of action.’
