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Hope reached for another stack of plates, but Cam intercepted her hand and tugged her away from the table. ‘Where are we going?’ she asked as he continued to draw her further away from the party area and into the darker shadows of the yard. ‘What about the clean-up?’
‘It’s under control.’ Cam halted around the corner of the farmhouse. They could hear the chatter from the open kitchen window, but tucked against the wall, it was easy to pretend they were alone. ‘Come here.’ He slid his arms around her back, pulling her against his chest.
Hope found herself grinning from ear to ear. ‘Aren’t you afraid of setting a bad example to your students?’
‘No.’ His face was half-hidden in the shadows, but the light spilling out of the window was enough for her to catch the humour around his lips, the banked heat in his eyes. ‘There’s an old saying you might not have heard of – what happens on a dig, stays on a dig. Now put your arms around my neck,’ he urged.
‘I’m not sure I like this new bossy version of you,’ Hope lied as she slid her hands up over the firm contours of his chest, earning a sharp indrawn breath as her reward. Good. He should feel as unsteady as she did, as foolish and giddy and ready to tumble headlong into whatever the future held for them both.
Cam ducked his head so his next words were a whisper over her lips. ‘I think you like it just fine.’
As she opened her mouth to welcome his, she had to admit he was right.
18
Cam woke the next morning with a smile on his face and the memory of the sweet kiss Hope had given him when they’d said goodnight. They’d smooched against the kitchen wall like a pair of teenagers until Stevie had come looking for them. He hadn’t been sure who was more embarrassed, himself or Hope, but her mother had just said ‘Oops!’ and disappeared with a laugh. At least there’d be no chance of them being interrupted when Hope came over this evening… The alarm on his phone went off and there was no more time for daydreaming.
Ten minutes later, he was showered, shaved and just pulling on his T-shirt when he heard a bark outside. Hurrying to the balcony doors, he pulled them open and stepped out into an already warm morning. Holding the rail of the balcony, he looked down to see a grinning Hope standing in the little garden below, Sooty and Sweep sitting expectantly at her feet. They were being suspiciously well-behaved until Cam noticed the large paper bag Hope was holding. ‘I brought breakfast,’ she said, holding the bag a little higher.
‘I’ll be right down.’
Cam took a quick diversion into the kitchen to switch on the coffee machine before he unlocked the patio doors and pushed them wide open. The dogs pattered in and settled in what had already become their regular spot on the cool tiles. Hope, on the other hand, remained on the patio. ‘Are you waiting for an invitation?’ he said with a smile.
‘I was waiting for you to say hello,’ she said, with a teasing glint in her eye.
Stepping through the door, Cam folded her into his arms and gave her the kiss he’d just been thinking about since he’d woken up. ‘Hello,’ he said when he settled her back on her feet with a pleasing flush on her face. ‘Do you want to come inside now?’
‘You just want your breakfast,’ she accused him with a laugh that was just a touch unsteady. Good. He wasn’t feeling all that steady himself.
‘Maybe?’ He stroked her cheek with his thumb. ‘Although what I want even more than that is to kiss you again.’
Her lashes lowered then flicked up to reveal pupils grown wide. ‘I’d like that too.’
Cam bent his head and their lips were less than a breath apart when the phone in his back pocket started ringing, startling them both. He wanted to ignore it, but the moment was gone. ‘It might be important,’ he said, with an apologetic smile as he pulled it out and checked the screen. Seeing the caller’s name, he answered immediately. ‘Hi, Declan, everything okay?’
‘I’ll sort breakfast out,’ Hope whispered, and he gave her a nod in reply.
‘Have you been up to the site since we locked up last night?’
Declan’s gruff question chased all thoughts of a relaxing breakfast and perhaps getting that kiss from Hope. ‘Nope. No one has, as far as I’m aware. We all walked back from the farmhouse last night and straight to the campsite.’ The only person who hadn’t been with them was Barnie, but he’d sloped off early with a giggling Meena, so Cam doubted they’d been headed anywhere other than straight to bed. ‘What’s happened?’
‘I’m not sure, but the pedestrian gate is unlocked and I can see the door to the site office is open.’
Something inside Cam went cold. ‘Hold on, I’ll be there in five minutes.’ He turned the phone away from his mouth to speak to Hope. ‘We’d better make that coffee to go, there’s a problem up at the site.’ He missed what Declan had been saying in the meantime. ‘Sorry, say that again?’
‘I said I’m going to have a look around and check things out,’ the site foreman repeated.
‘I’d rather you waited for me. I’m sure it’s nothing, but let’s not take any chances.’ He expected Declan to argue with him, but when he agreed to wait, the unsettled feeling in Cam’s gut increased. ‘Five minutes,’ he promised, then hung up.
‘What’s happened?’ Hope had filled a couple of insulated travel mugs and was clutching them and the bag of pastries.
‘Not sure. Declan just arrived and found the pedestrian gate unlocked.’ The only people who had the code were the members of the dig team. Had someone made an early start without letting him know? It didn’t seem likely. ‘I’ve asked him to wait for us before he goes in.’
‘Good idea. I’ll call Ziggy and get him to come up as well.’ She handed Cam their breakfast and he stowed it quickly in his rucksack and slung it over one shoulder, then grabbed the dogs’ leads and clipped them on their collars. ‘He’s on his way – he’ll probably get there before us.’ Cam didn’t mind that because at least it meant Declan wouldn’t be on his own if he did lose patience and decide to go investigating. Cam wanted to tell himself that he was overreacting to the situation, but something didn’t feel right.
By the time they’d reached the car park, Cam had disturbed a still-sleeping Barnie, who confirmed Cam’s suspicions about his nocturnal activities. His next call was to Adam, who promised to do a quick check around and call him back. They were just climbing into Hope’s Range Rover when Adam called back. ‘No one’s left the site all night other than Scott. He wasn’t at the shower block when I came back ten minutes ago, so I’m not sure where he is.’
‘Okay, well, you guys sit tight until we’ve checked things out,’ Cam told him as Hope reversed out of their parking spot.
