His words were perfectly neutral, but Skye was certain she sensed a tone in his voice that belied his words. Whether he admitted it or not, she believed Joe was unimpressed about sharing the farm and duties with her. Well, she mused, that was just too bad.
9
JOE
Joe pinned Lettie’s list onto the noticeboard in the kitchen. ‘I’m putting this up here to be sure we don’t lose it.’
‘Good idea.’
Skye seemed a little uncomfortable and Joe wondered guiltily whether he could have been a bit more welcoming to her on her arrival. Maybe, though, she was as anxious as him about their first couple of days.
For now though he would help Skye settle in. The better the pair of them got along the more chance they had of working well together. This wasn’t about him or Skye, this was about Lettie and helping her when she needed him most.
‘I thought we could go and see to the damaged gate on the upper field, then feed the animals, if you’re up for it,’ Joe said, wanting to get some of the work out of the way before he needed to start his next shift in a few hours.
‘Sure.’
He fetched the tools he expected to need to fix the catch on the gate and, as they walked up the field, he explained that he would be out for most of the night. ‘I hope you won’t mind being here alone on your first night,’ he said. ‘I know it’s not ideal but you will have Spud and Brodie’s rescue Derek with you, and it’s a safe place.’
‘I’ll be fine,’ Skye insisted. ‘I’m used to travelling alone and I’ve got Brodie and Lettie’s numbers if I need to call them.’
‘I’ll give you mine, too,’ Joe said. ‘I won’t be able to answer if I’m out on call but will always phone you back as soon as I can.’
They reached the gate and, after checking what exactly needed to be done, Joe picked up two new heavy screws and a battery-operated heavy-duty screwdriver.
‘You weren’t pleased to see me here,’ Skye said as soon as he finished fixing the damage. ‘I’m not sure why, but I hope there’s no hard feelings now we’re stuck here together for the next few weeks?’
Surprised that Skye was voicing her concerns so directly, he put down the tools and folded his arms. ‘I have to admit you’re right,’ he said, feeling badly for making her feel this way. ‘And it was wrong of me. All I can say in my defence is that I had just woken up and was still tired from a long shift at work.’
She went to say something, but Joe continued, ‘I know that’s no excuse for bad manners.’
‘I wouldn’t call it that exactly,’ she said, and he wasn’t sure whether she now felt guilty for bringing the matter up in the first place.
‘I would,’ Joe said. ‘I’m not usually unfriendly and I’m sorry that I came across that way.’ He rattled the gate. ‘Shall we take this lot back to the barn?’ he said, indicating the tools at their feet.
As they carried everything down the hill to the yard, Joe did his best to explain the situation with his mother and his need for some peace and quiet. ‘None of which is your fault, of course.’
Skye sighed. ‘I see. Well, that explains a lot.’ She laughed. ‘Your mother sounds a bit of a character.’
Joe groaned. ‘That’s one way of describing her.’ He felt mean talking about his mother in a derogatory fashion. ‘I shouldn’t be unkind. Faye is lovely really, but she mostly sees things from her point of view and can be a little overbearing at times.’
They walked on for a few steps and Skye bent down to pick up a lone daisy. ‘Did you live in France with her for long then?’
‘A long time, yes. I loved it there, but needed to go and do my own thing.’ He didn’t mention his relationship breaking down being a bigger part of wanting to get away and return to Jersey. He’d had several relationships, but Aurélie was the one he thought would be his wife. She had said that was what she wanted many times during their relationship. It still hurt to think that she had told him those things while secretly having an affair with the man she eventually left him for. ‘I love it here and, like I mentioned before, I spent some time assisting my uncle on his farm when he needed the extra help, so coming here seemed like a no-brainer.’
‘I see.’ She thought for a moment and he wondered whether Skye was going to share a little about herself.
When she didn’t say anything, he decided to ask her. ‘So, what brings you here then?’
He listened while she explained about being away travelling, how she and Zac’s fiancé Melody were best friends and how she and her grandmother had been there for each other when her mother had died when she was fifteen.
‘You’ve been through a lot,’ he said feeling bad for her.
She shrugged. ‘No more than most people,’ she said.
He didn’t agree, but it wasn’t for him to say so. He could tell Skye didn’t want his pity and he understood that. Hadn’t he felt the same way after his relationship ended? Wasn’t that a big reason for leaving France and returning to Jersey?
He checked the time on his watch and saw he had just over an hour before he needed to leave for his shift at the fire station. ‘Shall we go and start feeding the animals now?’ he suggested. Skye nodded. ‘We can start by bringing in the ones who are kept in overnight.’
