Once the three of them had gone, Melody waited for Lettie to tell her what she needed doing next.
‘We can finish up here by putting the cleaning utensils away in the back room,’ Lettie suggested, leading the way to a small room to the rear of the barn. ‘I think we’ve done well today.’
‘I think so, too,’ Melody agreed, looking forward to taking a shower and washing her hair.
‘Brodie and I are going to fetch Spud and take him and Derek for a walk on the beach.’ She thought for a moment. ‘You’re welcome to come with us, if you’d like.’
Aware how busy Lettie and Brodie were most days, rarely getting time alone, Melody knew her friend was only being polite inviting her to join them, so quickly tried to think of a reason not to. ‘Thanks for the offer but I’m going to take a shower then thought I’d take my sketch pad and sit in the meadow down by the stream and draw for a while.’
Melody knew she had been right to decline when Brodie returned to the barn and took Lettie’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. ‘Ready to go?’ he asked, kissing her.
‘See you later,’ Melody said, noticing the subtle movement between the pair. ‘I’ll finish tidying up in here. Enjoy your walk.’
She watched them go hand in hand looking very much in love. From what she had gathered they had only been seeing each other for a couple of months and it didn’t seem fair to interrupt their time together.
Once she had finished, Melody left the small room at the back of the barn and closed the door, bolting it behind her.
She hadn’t intended going to spend time by the stream but it had been a hot, tiring day and now she thought about it there was little she would rather do than go and sit with her sketch book and draw with her bare feet in cool running water.
Twenty minutes later, as she lay back on the warm grass enjoying the sensation as the running water cooled her feet, she closed her eyes, covering them with her forearm against the bright sunlight. ‘This is the life.’ She sighed deeply.
‘It certainly is.’
She gasped, not expecting to hear Zac’s voice, and sat up.
‘Sorry.’ He laughed, sounding apologetic for surprising her. ‘I thought you could hear me coming. I didn’t mean to give you a fright.’
She slapped his arm. ‘Well, you did.’ She wasn’t really annoyed, just surprised and extremely happy that he had found her there and was about to join her. ‘Are you here for the same thing?’
‘Er, and what might that be?’ he asked, sitting on the grass next to her. He took off his trainers and socks, slung them to one side and slid his feet into the water. ‘Ah, this is bliss.’ He lay down and closed his eyes.
‘Taking a moment to relax and cool down.’ Melody studied his dark brown lashes as they rested on his tanned cheeks. He really was adorable to look at.
‘Are you staring at me?’ he asked, opening one eye and peering at her before she had the chance to deny it.
‘No,’ she lied, laughing because it was such a silly thing to say. Wanting to change the subject, she said, ‘Your family are going to have a battle on their hands to get me to leave at this rate.’
‘Is that because this pretty island has won you over, or…’ He made a point of pretending to think. ‘Maybe you’ve fallen in love with Hollyhock Farm like the rest of us.’ He closed his eyes again and smiled. She could tell he was amused at something. ‘Could it be that I’m the appeal for you here?’
Melody laughed, realising how that must have come across when his smile disappeared. ‘I didn’t mean that was funny,’ she said hurriedly.
‘It’s fine,’ he said, opening both eyes. ‘Lie down and rest. You deserve the break and I have interrupted your peace.’ She did as he suggested then saw him turn on his side and rest his elbow on the grass and his head against his palm. ‘I was teasing you, by the way.’
Enjoying their banter and wanting to keep it going, Melody said, ‘What, about falling in love with the farm or about you being the main attraction?’
He fell backwards laughing loudly. ‘I never said that about myself.’
Melody couldn’t help giggling. ‘You did say something like that though.’
‘I noticed a sketch pad next to you when I got here,’ Zac said, turning to face her again. ‘I didn’t realise you were an artist.’
‘I’m not really. I’ve only ever sketched as a hobby, for relaxation mostly. That was until Gran needed someoneto illustrate her books.’ She felt her cheeks heat slightly, embarrassed in case he thought she might be showing off. ‘Gran insisted my work was professional enough and kindly employs me to sketch then paint specimens for her books.’
‘Specimens?’ he asked. ‘Hang on, did you say your gran’s books? How many has she written?’
She could tell he was intrigued, and she realised she liked telling him something new about herself. ‘She’s had three published so far. Gran’s a botanist and it’s been a dream of hers to have books published and two years ago she realised that dream.’
‘That’s impressive.’
