My lips twitched, wanting to laugh. ‘So,’ I continued. ‘You said I was ladylike, which apparently can’t mean tough.’
‘Nope. That’s not what I said. You’re really not going to let this drop, are you?’ The glance at me as he spoke confirmed the question was rhetorical. ‘From first glance, you’re petite and slight and look like a strong gust of wind would blow you over, but,’ he hurried on as he sussed I was about to interject, ‘clearly none of that is true. I know from first-hand experience that you can swing a piece of timber with heft.’ He touched the faint scar my unintentional swipe had left.
‘I refuse to apologise for that again.’
Jesse grinned and this time, I turned away as my brain was once again waving the box of matches with enthusiasm, threatening to light a fire I was worried I might not be able to put out.
‘But, seriously, the way you handled yourself the other day with the storm. That takes guts. And then today. You just got stuck in, hauling stuff out of that shed.’
‘Garden room, please,’ I teased.
‘My point is,’ he said, stopping and catching my arm, his touch gentle, ‘that although coming here was clearly not a considered and thoroughly researched decision, you’ve taken it all in your stride, refusing to give in even when a ruddy great tree comes through your roof.’
‘Thank you,’ I replied, the sentiment genuine. ‘You’re very kind, but the truth is I’ve not really had much option but to get on with it. What choice do I have?’
‘You could have sold the house the moment you got here. Developers are always keen for sites like this. From what I understood, my cousin was negotiating something, which is why all the stuff in the house was only half done. It was too much like hard work and he decided just to sell it on to builders. Obviously it fell through and by that time, he’d got bored, as is his way, and just sold it on. You could have done that.’
‘To be honest, it didn’t cross my mind that there may be that sort of opportunity available.’
He tilted his head. ‘Is it one you’re considering now?’
Was it?
‘No. Although perhaps developers would find it difficult to get a change of use permission for the land anyway?’
‘There’s people around here who’ve got the money to make it happen if they want.’ His expression had darkened as he spoke.
‘That sounds like a story.’
He continued without elaborating. ‘But what I am saying is that I’m glad you didn’t decide to do that.’
‘Don’t like the thought of a swanky spa hotel in your neck of the woods? There’s certainly plenty of mud available for their treatments.’ I’d wiped the worst of it off but I was in no doubt I still looked a fright.
‘It’s not that. Sometimes, people get talked out of land, or into decisions that they aren’t necessarily 100 per cent behind.’
‘And you think I’m at risk of that?’
‘God, no!’ His laughter was sudden and rich, curling itself around me and teasing a smile onto my face with ease whether I wanted it to or not. Although, right now, I didn’t mind in the slightest. ‘I find it hard to believe anyone could talk you into doing anything you didn’t want to.’
‘I’m not entirely sure how to take that, bearing in mind how amusing you find it.’ I tried to squash down the smile and give Jesse a considered look instead but my brain was having none of it. ‘However, I’m going to take it as a compliment.’
‘It was meant as one,’ he replied, easily. With some others of my acquaintance, the smooth reply might have had me suspicious but, from the short time I’d known this man, it seemed that he had no issues about calling a spade a spade and no inclination to butter people up.
We walked on and as we got closer to the house, Jesse veered off, heading towards another gate into yet another field I apparently owned. He unhitched the latch and pushed it forward, closing it after me and giving it a little wiggle to make sure it was secure.
‘Are there any animals in here that might get out?’ I asked, watching his movements then casting an admittedly nervous glance back towards the field in case a herd of bulls – do bulls live in herds? – appeared on the horizon.
‘Nope,’ he replied, turning. ‘You can relax.’
‘I’m completely relaxed!’ I batted back, in a very much not relaxed voice.
Jesse threw me a look that told me, even if there weren’t bulls in the area, he could smell BS all the same.
‘Fine.’ I fell into step beside him. ‘But you have to understand all this countryside stuff is new to me.’
‘More croquet and Champagne on the lawn than heifers and sheep, eh?’
‘I think that’s what one would call reverse snobbery.’
