‘Thanks.’ She took a polite step away from him and handed over a five-euro note.
‘You want some change?’ he said, making it sound more as if he was asking her if she wanted a good seeing-to.
Her skin crawled at the thought.
‘No. Keep it,’ she said, backing away further and holding up a placatory hand.
‘How about a drink before you go?’ he asked.
She was feeling really uncomfortable now. It wasn’t as if she’d never been indirectly propositioned, but she was acutely aware of how alone she was here. He was probably just being friendly, she told herself, but she didn’t want to hang around and find out. Her heart was firing like a piston in her chest and she felt dizzy and disorientated in the heat.
‘No, thank you. I have to get back. Connor’s waiting for me.’ Nerves made her tone snippy.
Guy looked affronted by her rejection of his hospitality, but shrugged and turned and walked away, leaving her there feeling like the rudest woman on earth. Her people skills clearly needed some work.
Not that she didn’t already know that. Abi had made it abundantly clear that she was becoming increasingly difficult to work with. The heavy sinking feeling she’d been dodging for the past couple of days landed squarely on her shoulders. She shook it off. It would all be fine once she got back to London. She’d make sure it was.
She started walking back the way she’d come. The trouble with this place was it looked the same for miles around. There was a tree she thought she recognised in the distance so she made her way towards it, pulling off the heads of some lavender as she went and pinching them between her fingers to release the scent. Lavender was supposed to be good for helping you relax wasn’t it? She was going to need a tonne of it at this rate.
* * *
After an hour of stomping through the fields she began to regret not taking better notice of which way she’d come. She still hadn’t found the farmhouse and she was baking in the fierce heat of the sun.
There was very little shade—just the odd small olive tree dotted here and there. Her mouth felt uncomfortably dry, and the more she thought about it the thirstier she got.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d experienced such intense heat. Her last holiday had been a skiing trip three years ago, which she’d had to cut short because of a crisis at work. Her job had taken her abroad a couple of times, but she’d always been ferried from air-conditioned plane to air-conditioned office. There had never been time for any sightseeing, so she’d just been left with the impression of heat and humidity as an abstract concept.
In short, she was well out of her depth.
* * *
Connor knew there was something wrong as soon as he pulled up to the front of the farmhouse. The heavy oak door was ajar and when he cautiously pushed it open he was greeted by the sure signs of a robbery. All the drawers of the hall sideboard were lying tipped upside down on the floor, surrounded by their contents. It was the same story in the kitchen. The digital radio and a couple of his grandmother’s old ornaments were missing from the snug, but they hadn’t bothered with the ancient TV.
He stood listening for a few seconds, his heart racing from a mixture of anger and fear in case they were still in the house, but it was silent. Luckily there wasn’t anything much of value they could have taken, but he was furious about the violation of his property and the mess they’d made.
Taking the stairs two at a time, he checked each of the bedrooms. They’d had a go at opening a couple of his boxes of books and climbing equipment, but had obviously abandoned them as not worth the time. In Josie’s room the drawers spewed her underwear and linen. The only thing he couldn’t see was her laptop. Maybe she’d taken it to be repaired? No, she couldn’t have done. Her car was still in the driveway.
Where was she?
A thread of fear twisted through him. Surely she’d been out when they’d broken in. Maybe she’d gone to the farm as he’d suggested? He really hoped so.
After making a sweep of the garden and the garage, and thankfully not finding her trussed up with her head bashed in, he went to phone Guy at the farm to see if she’d turned up there. Blood thumped through his veins as he waited for him to pick up.
‘Allo?’
‘Guy, it’s Connor Preston.’
‘Bonjour, Connor. Ça va?’
‘I’m great, thanks, Guy. Listen, did a woman come and buy some eggs from you?’
There was a pause. ‘Oui. She left about an hour ago. I offered her a drink, because she didn’t have one with her, but she wasn’t interested in being friendly.’
Connor let out a long, low breath, finally allowing himself to relax. That sounded exactly like Josie. Guy was clearly unimpressed by her naivety. ‘An hour ago, did you say?’
‘Oui.’
‘Okay. Thanks, Guy.’
‘No problem.’
Connor replaced the handset and stood there thinking. She couldn’t have been here for the robbery, then, but if she’d left the farm an hour ago she should be back by now.
The sun was beating down relentlessly and he knew she’d be having trouble finding shade out there. The flat French landscape didn’t provide such a luxury. If she hadn’t had a drink for a while she’d be pretty dehydrated.
He ran his hands through his hair in agitation. The last thing he needed right now was to have to babysit some stupid townie with no sense of survival. She was stubborn and self-involved, and would no doubt be angry with him for chasing after her, but he knew he couldn’t leave her out there in this heat. He’d deal with the break-in once he knew she was safe.
After grabbing a bottle of water from the kitchen, he strode off in the direction of the farm.
* * *
Josie was drenched in sweat. Her dress stuck to her legs and her hair fell in clumps around her face.
A while back she’d slowed down to look about her, and had realised she could no longer recognise any landmarks. Lavender fields stretched out on all sides of her, each direction seemingly identical to the others. Panic lay heavy in her stomach as she realised she was lost. Logically, she should be able to retrace her steps, but the heat was making her head fuzzy, and she’d taken a few turns without marking them in her mind, and now she wasn’t sure if she could remember them.
She turned back, but wasn’t sure she was heading in the right direction.
Oh, God...oh, God.
Blood pounded through her veins as her body struggled to keep cool in the relentless heat. Her skin was boiling to the touch and her head thumped under the bright glare of the sun. She was exhausted. Her muscles screamed at her to stop and rest, but she was too panicked. She needed to keep going.
What she wouldn’t give for a drink of water right now. Or just a bit of shade.
What had she been thinking? How could she have been so stupid? She’d been so desperate to show Connor she didn’t need his help with a map she’d put herself in danger.
Struggling on slowly, she fanned her hands in front of her face in a vain attempt to cool herself down. There wasn’t a breath of wind in the air. It was like walking through soup.
Her foot hit a bit of uneven ground and her legs went from under her. She lay there, sprawled out on the dry earth, willing her body to move, but it refused. The blood pounding in her ears was keeping time with the sharp ache in her head.
Boom, boom-boom, boom.
All she could do was concentrate on the sound; it was taking over everything else.
* * *
She didn’t know how long she’d been lying there when she became aware of a gentle vibration in the ground and a shadow fell across her. Forcing her aching head to turn and look at its source was agonising. All she could make out was a large silhouette blocking out the sun.
‘Josie, are you okay?’ Conno
r’s voice sounded urgent.
Her mouth wouldn’t form the words she needed; it was so dry her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. She managed to shake her head, sending off a fresh wave of pain, forcing her to close her eyes against it. She was vaguely aware of Connor putting a bottle to her lips and liquid pouring into her parched mouth. She could barely swallow, but he kept it there until he was satisfied she’d taken some down. She felt him wrap something wet around her head and shoulders before lifting her up into his arms.
Laying her head against his bare chest, she closed her eyes and relaxed into the gentle rocking motion of his body as he set off walking. She could feel the muscles moving under his skin as he held her to him. She snuggled tighter, like a cat rubbing in for a stroke.
‘What were you thinking?’
His voice rumbled in his chest next to her right ear. He sounded more worried than angry, which surprised her. She could smell a mixture of suntan lotion and the musk of his skin and inhaled deeply, glad of the distraction from her pounding head. Despite the pain, she felt almost euphoric. She took little sips from the bottle he’d given her, relishing the coldness of the water as it slipped down her throat.
Josie had no idea how long it took them to get back to the farmhouse. Her thoughts swam in and out of focus as she fought the desire to fall asleep; it was so peaceful here in his arms that she didn’t want to miss a minute of it.
FOUR
The next thing she was aware of was the cool darkness of the farmhouse as Connor stepped in through the door. Getting out of the bright glare of the sun was a huge relief, and her spirits soared as the reassuring sounds and smells of the place filled her senses.
He carried her straight upstairs and put her carefully down on the bed. Being hugged against his hard body had been so comforting; she couldn’t remember when she’d last been held so close for so long and she missed his touch as soon as he released her from his arms.
Lying back on the cool sheets, she opened her eyes to see Connor standing over her, his body gleaming with sweat. Before she could utter a word he removed his damp shirt from around her head, then moved down her body to slip off her shoes.
‘What are you doing?’ Her voice sounded strangely languorous to her ears and he stopped what he was doing and looked at her, his gaze raking her face. For one mad moment she thought he was going to bend down and kiss her. Her insides burned hot with anticipation.
‘We need to get you in a cool bath.’
To her disappointment his voice was brisk and professional. Her heart sank. He wasn’t going to kiss her. Not that that would have been in any way appropriate, she reminded herself sternly.
‘We have to get your body temperature down. You’ve got heat exhaustion.’
Josie bit her lip and nodded her agreement. Heat exhaustion. He must think she was such an idiot. ‘Okay.’
Connor helped her slowly ease the soaked sundress over her body. She lifted her pelvis off the bed, then her shoulders, so it could be pulled up and over her head. She watched his face the whole time, her heart thudding erratically in her chest. He seemed to be concentrating hard on his task, but she noticed his gaze flitting up and down her body, resting for a second on her breasts, which were barely concealed by the thin lace of her bra.
Thank God she’d put her decent underwear on that morning.
There was a pause, as if he was going to say something, and they both hung there, suspended in the moment. Heat flooded between her legs and instinctively she arched her back towards him, pushing her breasts higher, a burning need for his touch overtaking all rational thought.
Connor tore his eyes away from her body and ran his hands roughly through his hair. ‘I’ll run you a bath.’ Turning away from her, he flung the dress onto the chair at the far side of the room and strode out, leaving her lying there with her cheeks burning.
She heard the sound of running water in the bathroom and rocked her head back on the pillow, pinching her eyes shut. She felt like such a fool. What must he think of her? She was acting like a wanton hussy after he’d been forced to come out and rescue her.
Was it possible to sink any lower?
Connor returned a minute later and gestured for her to open her mouth, so he could put a thermometer under her tongue. Kneeling down beside the bed, he took her pulse, his fingers cool against the hot skin of her wrist.
She forced herself to turn and watch him, fighting down the sting of her humiliation. His gaze was fixed on his watch, his jaw tense, as he counted the beats of her heart. With a sinking feeling she acknowledged that she was responsible for that deep crease of concern on his forehead—and for the look of exhaustion in his eyes. The realisation that his quick thinking and superior knowledge had probably saved her life hit her like a punch to the solar plexus.
‘How do you know how to do all this?’ she asked, her voice wobbly with humility.
He looked up in surprise. ‘I’ve had first aid training. It’s important to know what to do in an emergency when the nearest hospital is a hundred miles away.’
‘Yes, of course, that makes sense.’ Perhaps she’d underestimated him when it came to his travelling. This cool efficiency was a whole side to him she hadn’t even glimpsed before.
‘Okay, time for your bath. Want me to carry you? Or can you walk?’
He was looking at her so intently a small shiver ran down her spine.
He’s only looking at you like that because he’s worried he’s in the company of a lunatic. Pull yourself together.
‘I can walk,’ she said, desperate now to appear more confident than she felt, even though she wasn’t sure she had the strength even to get up. Willing her body to function, she sat up unsteadily, then managed to roll off the bed and onto her feet. There was no way she’d ask him to carry her again. She still had some vestige of pride.
Her legs were like jelly. Moving slowly to the bathroom, she imagined she could feel Connor’s gaze burning into her back and she willed him to leave her to lick her wounds in mortified isolation. It was so undignified, shuffling across the floor in just her underwear, but she kept her head high and didn’t look back.
She didn’t realise he’d followed her until she turned to close the bathroom door.
‘I said I’m okay.’ This came out more harshly than she’d intended, and she gripped the door handle hard in frustration, feeling the metal bite into her hand. Taking a steadying breath, she smiled, trying to soften the effect of her response, but Connor just shrugged.
‘I wanted to make sure you didn’t get dizzy and bash your head,’ he said, obviously battling to keep the wry expression off his face and failing spectacularly.
She would never live this down. Never. She knew it. He was going to remind her of her stupidity at every opportunity he could find before he moved on. ‘Well, as you can see, I made it okay,’ she said, her tone snappy and defensive.
‘Why are you so cross with me?’ He seemed genuinely surprised by her anger.
She wasn’t being fair, punishing him for things he hadn’t even done yet. Sighing, she rubbed a hand over her eyes and sat on the edge of the bath before her legs gave way. ‘I’m angry with myself for being such an idiot. I can’t believe you had to come out and rescue me. It’s pathetic.’ She looked at him directly and frowned at his reaction. ‘Why are you smiling?’
‘Because I knew you’d act like this. You don’t strike me as the sort of person who’d tolerate being a damsel in distress.’
Her shoulders slumped. ‘Let’s put it down to a lapse in judgement. I don’t know what’s got into me lately.’
‘Those mistakes just keep happening, huh?’
‘Yeah.’ She took a deep breath, blinking back tears that had come out of nowhere.
He frowned and took a step backwards. ‘Right, well, I’ll go and make up a salt solution for you to
drink while you’re in there. You need to replace your fluids.’
Turning briskly, he marched out, leaving her staring after him.
* * *
Connor took the stairs two at a time in an effort to get away from Josie as fast as he could.
His hands shook as he measured out the salt and water for her rehydration drink—half a teaspoon to one litre of water, and a dash of orange to disguise the taste.
The vision of her in just her underwear was still emblazoned on his eyes and no matter where he looked there the image was.
The sight of her breasts practically spilling out of that see-through bra had nearly sent him over the edge. He’d wanted to touch her. To release her from the restricting cups, slide down that scrap of lace that passed for her knickers and leave her totally exposed to his hungry gaze.
Under the circumstances, he knew how inappropriate his reaction had been, but he hadn’t been able to help himself. He was a red-blooded male who hadn’t been near a woman for the past nine months. Surely it was to be expected?
He sighed, low and long, exhausted from the walk back with Josie in his arms and the monumental battle to keep his libido under control. He was desperate for a nap, but he knew he needed to get fluids into her before she slept. Dehydration was a dangerous beast.
It had been a shock to find her in such a state. When he’d first seen her for one awful minute he’d thought he was too late. She’d been lying in a heap, as if passed out, her sundress splayed around her, a splash of white in the surrounding lavender fields. The relief at finding her still conscious had been acute, and the adrenaline rush had stayed with him for most of the walk back.
Just now, when her face had fallen and she’d looked close to tears, he’d had to make a sharp exit. If he’d moved towards her instead of out through the door who knew what would have happened?
Tossing the spoon into the sink, he took another couple of seconds to compose himself. He was so unused to actively battling his reactions it had him freaked, and he didn’t want Josie picking up on it. They were already walking a very fine line between friendly acquaintance and something dangerously intense. Just one tiny push from her would have him in free fall, and this was not the time for him to lose his fragile grip on control.
Holiday with a Stranger Page 6