‘How’s it going?’ Joe asked.
Startled to hear his voice, Skye she stood up straight, hitting her head on the wooden bar at the top of the entrance and dropped one of the eggs. ‘Bugger.’
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you like that.’
‘It’s fine, I thought you’d left for your shift, that’s all,’ she said, turning to see him stride across the driveway from the yard to join her. Skye’s voice caught in her throat at the sight of Joe in his trousers and shirt, which although it wasn’t tight still outlined his muscular arms, and for a moment all she could do was stare at him.
‘Anything wrong?’ He frowned, misunderstanding her expression, which was an enormous relief. She tore her eyes away as he quickened his pace.
She rubbed her sore head and pointed to the broken egg. ‘That’s a great start, isn’t it?’
‘It was my fault. Anyway, don’t worry about it. I’ll clean this up.’
‘No, you’ll be late. I’ll do it,’ she said.
‘I should check there’s no damage to your head first.’
‘No, it’s fine,’ she said, mortified. So much for appearing capable. ‘It’s just a bit of a bump.’
He stared at her for a couple of seconds. ‘You’ve got the right feed, if that’s what’s bothering you.’
Relieved Joe had assumed her stunned silence was related to what she was doing, she decided to go along with it. ‘Thanks. I started feeding them then worried that you might have already done it, or that I was about to give them the wrong food.’
He frowned. ‘No, I haven’t fed them yet, so you’re all right there.’ Joe then picked up a handful of the pellets and corn and let it run through his fingers. ‘Nope, this is the right stuff.’
She continued feeding them, aware he was still watching her. ‘You’d better get going,’ she said, hoping he would leave and give her a chance to gather herself. When he didn’t speak she looked up at him again. ‘What?’
‘It’s just that… Well, are you sure you’ll be fine here tonight? I know it’s a safe place, but it’s probably a good idea if you lock the front door. If you take the key out, I’ll let myself in with the spare one Lettie handed to me.’
It hadn’t occurred to her not to lock up before going to bed, but it was good to know he had a key to get in when his shift ended. ‘I’ll do that then.’
‘Great.’ He smiled. ‘I won’t be back until the early hours of tomorrow, but when I am we can probably have breakfast together.’
‘Yes, sure. I’ll see you in the morning then.’ She smiled, only too aware of his close proximity and the appealing scent of whatever soap he had used to shower, only minutes before, going by the dampness of his hair. ‘Really, I’ll be fine. I’m used to looking after myself. You go and don’t give me another thought.’
He shrugged. ‘Will do.’
‘I hope you have a peaceful shift,’ she said, hoping that was the right thing to say. ‘I’ll see you for breakfast in the morning maybe.’
He gave her a nod, then walked back to the house. He might be a bit annoying at times but it still took all Skye’s control not to watch him. Minutes later she heard him drive away but didn’t look up to wave in case she made things any more awkward than they already were.
After finishing with the animals, Skye fed Spud and Derek, then made herself a cheese and tomato omelette from two of the eggs Lettie had collected that morning. It was a treat to have eggs this fresh, she thought happily as she ate the first mouthful. Spud was lying in his bed snoring, with Derek dozing nearby. She couldn’t help thinking how lucky she was to have landed such an exciting new job, especially in such a beautiful place. She couldn’t wait to go for a wander around the nearby area and to the beach. Maybe she could take the dogs for a walk in the morning after getting some of her chores out of the way. She would have to see whether she had time.
After finishing her food, Skye tidied the kitchen and washed up the pan and utensils she had used to make her supper. Yawning, she decided that it would be a good idea to get an early night and, having checked she had removed the key after locking the front door, Skye then refilled the dogs’ water bowls. She left the kitchen door open for them to wander around the house, not sure whether that was the right thing to do but not wanting to close him in the kitchen overnight in case he wasn’t used to being shut in there.
After showering and changing for bed, Skye went into her bedroom, closed the door and got into her bed. It was incredibly comfortable, she was relieved to discover. The downy pillows and duvet were soft and dreamy. Realising she had left the window open and hadn’t drawn the curtains, she decided to leave everything that way and make the most of being woken naturally with the dawn.
Skye lay down and stared across the room through the window at the night sky. She wasn’t used to seeing the sky so inky black, nor so many stars. She closed her eyes and after a few seconds wondered what the slight rumbling noise was in the background. It didn’t sound like thunder, but it wasn’t like anything else she had ever heard.
She sat up and then getting out of bed walked over to the window and leant out slightly, straining her ears to try and fathom what it could be. Deciding it was far away and that neither Spud nor Derek were barking and didn’t seem distressed in any way, she went back to bed and closed her eyes. She would ask Joe when he got back to the farm after his shift, she mused before falling into a deep, blissful sleep.
11
JOE
Joe drove straight back to the farm as soon as his shift was over. It had been a quiet night with no incidents and he was glad of it. At least he would have more energy to help Skye on the farm, although he sensed she was happy when he left her in peace to get on with things. He still wasn’t sure how the pair of them would be kept busy enough with just the animals to look after. There weren’t even that many of them. They were going to have to agree to certain jobs so that they didn’t get under each other’s feet. He sighed. He would have preferred to be kept busier and have less time to think. Maybe he could find some other way to keep himself occupied?
As he drove through St Peter’s Valley it occurred to him that he was looking forward to seeing Skye again, which was unexpected after his initial disappointment at discovering he wouldn’t be alone on the farm. During his shift, when he’d had time to reflect on the day’s happenings, Joe decided the only thing he could do was try to make the best of the situation.
