‘I will. Bye, Gran.’
Skye ended the call and sat back on her bed. She felt much calmer now, having shared the events of the morning with her grandmother. It was time to go downstairs and continue her work on the farm.
She bumped into Joe as she entered the barn, catching him as he was about to exit.
‘Oof, sorry,’ Skye said as she slammed into his chest. ‘I should learn to look where I’m going.’
‘It’s fine. Anyway I could say the same thing.’
She sensed something was a little off and realised he didn’t seem as cheerful as he had done earlier. ‘Is everything all right?’
Joe leant against the doorframe, resting the palm of his hand on the top of the broom he had been using to sweep the cement floor. ‘It is really.’
‘You don’t look fine.’
He sighed. ‘I suppose I’m aware that as each day passes this bubble you and I are living in is closer to bursting.’
She folded her arms. ‘I know what you mean.’
His expression brightened. ‘You mean, you’re dreading Lettie and Brodie returning to the farm as much as I am?’
Skye narrowed her eyes. ‘I’m not much of a mind-reader so don’t quite know how deep your dread is and even though me not looking forward to them coming back here makes me feel guilty I also don’t wish what we have going on here to end.’
He gazed into her eyes for a couple of seconds, then said, ‘And what do we have going on here?’
How to put it into words, Skye wondered. ‘I’m not sure,’ she replied honestly. ‘But just being here with you and the animals has been amazing. I’ve loved every second of it and…’ She wished she could just say how she felt. How much she fancied him, wanted him to kiss her. ‘Oh, you know what I mean,’ she added hopefully.
He lifted the hay bale he had just filled, flipped the end of the rope through a ring and tied it securely, causing his T-shirt to rise and expose his toned stomach. ‘I think I do,’ he said, checking the net was secure.
Her stomach did several somersaults and she couldn’t tear her gaze from him.
He lowered his arms and pulled his top back down automatically. ‘Is everything all right?’
Realising he wasn’t sure why she was staring at him like she was, Skye closed her mouth. ‘Er, fine. Sorry, were you saying something?’
‘No.’ He seemed unsure.
Her heart racing, Skye decided one of them needed to make the first move and, feeling brave after such a challenging yet incredibly surprising morning, she reasoned that now was as good a time as any to take a chance. It wasn’t as if they had time to waste if they hoped to make the most of being here by themselves. Anyway she would rather be rejected than regret missing the opportunity to move her friendship with Joe to a more romantic level.
The image of his toned stomach fresh in her mind, Skye stepped forward and slipped her arms around his waist. Hearing Joe’s sharp intake of breath before he smiled down at her, Skye didn’t need to wonder if she had made the right choice to go with her instincts.
‘So we are on the same page then?’ he said, taking her in his arms.
‘It seems so.’ When he didn’t say anything else, or make a move, Skye wondered why not. ‘Are you going to kiss me then, or not?’ she whispered, taken aback that she had voiced the words instead of keeping them in her head.
Joe didn’t speak but, putting one of his hands behind her head, pulled her gently towards him as he lowered his lips to hers.
31
SKYE
Skye felt a surge of excitement as she thought about their kiss. She tried to focus on refilling the honesty box with freshly harvested carrots, broad beans, beetroot and bags of Jersey Royals she had picked after leaving Joe grinning in the barn. She felt a warm glow as she recalled how it felt to be in Joe’s arms, his lips against hers. He was a great kisser. She couldn’t wait to kiss him again.
‘I said do you have spring greens yet?’
Shocked to hear an elderly man’s voice, Skye spun round, cheeks flaming from being interrupted as she reminisced about Joe.
‘Sorry, I didn’t see you there. No, I’m afraid not. I think it’ll be a couple of weeks yet before we have any of those to sell.’
