by Maggie Fox
Faith finished topping up the last of the salt-shakers for the tables.
Sophie nodded encouragingly. “Thoughtful and kind and no death-wish? Sounds good to me. Not to mention romantic by the sound of things. And he’s super-fit as well, if in a sexily dishevelled kind of way. Do you know how lucky you are? Meals out at the Royal and all sorts. The best I get from Dave is take-away fish and chips and a mind-the-gear-stick snog in his car. He shares a flat with two other lads and I still live at home with my parents, seeing as you pay me such a pittance that I can’t afford a place of my own.”
“I know, I know,” Faith replied, ignoring Sophie’s little dig about wages. “Zane is great. It’s just that sometimes a guy being so nice puts me on alert. Is he too good to be true? Is this all a show that he’s putting on for my benefit?”
“What? And then you find he’s a con-artist-cum-axe-murderer in real life? Don’t be daft. Zane’s lovely, a real sweetheart from what I’ve seen and heard. He isn’t putting on an act. Stop being paranoid.”
“I did wonder if it had anything to do with Matt,” Faith mused.
“How so?” Sophie asked, taking the salt-shakers back to their tables.
“Well, you know Matt’s a huge flirt and he seems to delight in flirting with me in front of Zane. It’s like he wants to deliberately wind him up. I just can’t help feeling Matt’s flirting is pushing Zane to continually be on his best behaviour, it’s almost like he’s trying to keep in my good books all the time.”
“You reckon Zane thinks you might be tempted to go back to Matt, and he’s doing all this wooing to try to keep you with him?”
“It might be something like that. Or maybe you’re right and I am just paranoid – looking for problems with Zane where there aren’t any.”
“Speak of the devil.” Sophie nodded towards the door. “Hi, Zane!”
“Hey, Sophie. How’s it going? Managed to corrupt our Dave yet?”
“I’m working on it.”
Zane laughed and scooted round the side of the counter to kiss Faith. “Hey, you.”
“Hi. I didn’t expect you in here at lunch today. Thought you had meetings and bookings at the Centre.”
“I have. I’m just on my way back from the bank then I’m teaching a climbing lesson at two this afternoon. On my way through the village I thought I’d stop by, say hi, and grab some lunch to go, and maybe a quick kiss if I’m in luck.”
“You’re in luck.”
Faith stood on tiptoe to link her arms around his neck and return his kiss.
Sophie flicked a tea-towel at them. “If you’re going to snog like that you’d best go through to the kitchen. You’ll be putting people off their food!”
Chapter Twenty
“Need a hand with anything?”
Faith turned to see Matt walking into the kitchen of Zane’s cottage, pushing the door closed behind him. “Thanks, but I think I can manage topping up my apple juice.”
“OK. Need a hand with anything else?”
He was standing next to her, a little too close for her liking.
“Such as?”
Matt shrugged. “Whatever you might want a hand with. You know, I’m amazed he let you out of his clutches long enough for you to escape to the kitchen to get another drink.”
They were having a Games Night at Zane’s cottage. Emily and Matt, Dave and Sophie and herself and Zane were enjoying a game of Trivial Pursuit over nibbles and drinks.
“Meaning?” she asked, topping up her glass.
Matt leaned against the counter and lazily stretched his arms above his head. “Meaning Zane really can’t keep his hands off you, can he? It’s almost as though he thinks if he lets you out of his arms you might be tempted by somebody else.”
“And that someone else would be you, would it?” Faith asked as she closed the fridge. There was more than a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
“It could well be. Look, if you do fancy a change, you know I’m more than open to the idea. You could come round to my cottage and nobody would be any the wiser. I’m just outside town, so people wouldn’t see you. And of course I wouldn’t breathe a word of it to Zane. It would be our little secret.”
Faith sighed. “Don’t you ever give up? You’re with Emily. I’m with Zane.”
“So?” Matt laughed. “Emily and I are just having some fun, nothing serious. What do you say?”
“I say you’re still as crazy as ever.” Faith stepped away from him.
“And you didn’t answer my question. How about it?”
“I’m not interested. I’m with Zane and I’m committed to him and our relationship.”
Matt lifted a hand and gently caressed her shoulder. Faith jerked her arm out of the way and glared at him.
“You were my girlfriend first.”
“That was a very long time ago. And we were a disaster, because you found it impossible to be faithful. It seems you still do.”
“What if you hadn’t met Zane eh? Would you be tempted to give the two of us another go? See if we could recapture some of that magic between us from years ago?”
“Never going to happen,” she replied vehemently.
Matt grinned at her confidently. “Don’t be so sure.”
“I am sure. I told you I’m with Zane. I wouldn’t cheat on him.”
Matt shook his head, an incredulous expression on his face.
“What?” Faith demanded. “What’s that look about?”
“Have you ever thought Zane might not be the Mr. Wonderful you think he is?”
“Meaning?” Faith watched him closely, trying to work out what he was up to.
“I’m just saying. Be careful, that’s all.”
She shot him a disparaging stare. “I’m getting back to the game and I think you should too.”
“Right. Of course. Any second now Zane will have figured out I haven’t gone to the loo like I said and that I’m in here with you and he’ll be in like a shot to check what we’re up to.”
No sooner were the words out than the door opened and Zane strode into the room.
Faith jumped away from Matt, who gave her a told-you-so smirk and took a swig from his lager bottle.
“Everything OK in here?” Zane’s voice was light and friendly, but the look he was giving them was filled with suspicion.
“Yeah, mate. Everything is just great. Faith and I were just chatting about old times.”
Matt slapped Zane on the shoulder as he walked past on his way back to the lounge.
“What were you guys doing in here with the door shut?” There was a cold edge to Zane’s voice now.
“Getting some more drinks.” She felt oddly guilty, even though it had been Matt doing the flirting and she hadn’t reciprocated at all.
“Coming back through?” he asked.
“In a minute.”
She reached for Zane’s hand and pulled him towards her. She thought he looked worried and wanted to do something to reassure him. “First I want to kiss you.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“So, you’re sure you and the lads can cope OK for this afternoon and tomorrow morning?” Zane asked, as he threw his camping gear in to the back of his 4x4.
“Absolutely,” Matt sighed. “You know the bookings are fairly light. We’ve got a climbing lesson any time now, a group white-water tubing this afternoon, and then two small corporate team-building groups tomorrow, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. That’s why you chose today to clear off on a wild camping trip with Faith.”
“Yeah,” Dave chimed in. “You’ve been working all hours and weekends at the Centre. And according to Sophie, Faith has been just as bad at the café. We can manage here. You two deserve a bit of time out. Go and have a good time!”
“Just not too good a time.”
Zane ignored Matt’s comment and turned to Dave. “You and Sophie are becoming quite the item, aren’t you?”
Dave blushed. “Maybe.”
“Who are you kidding?” M
att laughed, nudging Dave teasingly. “You’re as besotted with Sophie as Zane is with Faith. I’m beginning to think I’m the only one around here with his head screwed on.”
He knew that Matt was struggling with a lot of personal demons at the moment, and it was obvious he was using burying himself in work, along with his usual fall-back distraction of chasing women, as his way of coping with all that was going on in his life. This was his way of doing his best to try to forget about things, and people, over which he had no control.
Zane had tried to get Matt to open up and talk about things, but hadn’t had much success. Matt was a good friend and Zane knew that he owed him a lot. Somehow Matt had got through to Zane all those years ago. He’d made him talk through his problems and had helped him to cope. Matt was still the only one who knew the whole truth about Zane, what he had been through, and the issues he still battled with. Now Zane wanted to return the favour and try to help Matt come to terms with his own problems.
Which was why he was careful not to flaunt his relationship with Faith in front of Matt. Not that he was a flaunting kind of guy; he liked to keep his relationships private. But he knew sometimes he forgot the situation when he was around Faith, kissing and hugging her, holding her hand or slipping his arms around her waist from behind then nuzzling her ear. On one particular occasion, a group of them – the two lads and one girl who helped out at the Centre, along with Matt, Dave, Sophie, Faith and himself – were hanging out in the rec room. He’d slipped his arms around Faith and pulled her close, kissing her neck. She’d laughed and looped her own hands over his, then Zane had glanced across the room and spotted Matt glaring at them. For a brief moment Zane had wondered if Matt did still have feelings for Faith.
No, he’d decided. The look was just because at that particular moment Matt was angry with the world, with women and with relationships in general, and, of course, the people who were actually happy in them.
That was all.
Wasn’t it?
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Are you sure?” Faith was standing in the kitchen of her flat. “I don’t need to bring any food or anything?”
Zane took the carton of soup out of her hands and put it back in the cupboard.
“I’m positive. You just need to bring yourself and a rucksack of your essentials.” He kissed her on the tip of her nose. “Now, are you ready? We should get going if we want to climb up to this place and set up camp before it starts getting dark.”
“OK, fine. Just my rucksack and me it is then. You’re the expert, you know what you’re doing.” Faith reached for her bag and waterproof coat.
“According to the MWIS you shouldn’t need your waterproofs. But it’s probably best to take them anyway, just to be on the safe side.”
Faith frowned. “MWIS? Oh right, of course, the Mountain Weather Information Service. So the forecast is good for the next twenty-four hours then?”
“Yep. Clear, calm, dry and sunny today. Coolish tonight but not frosty, and then clear again tomorrow. Perfect.”
Faith threw her rucksack into the boot of Zane’s Freelander and climbed into the passenger seat. Zane pushed the button on the stereo. The music was a rock CD that Faith had taken a shine to. He kept meaning to buy her her own copy.
As Zane waited for a gap in the traffic he glanced across at her and put a hand on her thigh. “Ready for your first ever camping trip?”
She nodded. “As much as I’ll ever be. Sleeping on the floor under a flimsy bit of tent canvas in November. You do realise I wouldn’t do this for anybody else don’t you? Only you, Zane Ferguson, could entice me to try camping at this time of year.”
He thought how he’d made sure their trip would be the exact opposite of what Faith was expecting. “You’ll love it.”
Faith paused for breath and reached for the bottle in the outside pocket of her rucksack.
“You OK?” Zane asked, reaching for his own water bottle. “We’re nearly up near the tarn now.”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Faith answered, a dribble of water running down her chin.
Zane leaned forward and kissed the water away. “It’s quite warm in the sun when you’re climbing like this.”
“Come on then. Let’s get going so we can sort a camp out well before dusk.”
Faith cast a curious eye at Zane’s rucksack. “I know I’m a camping novice, but the equipment must be really compact and lightweight nowadays if you’ve got our tent and all the gear in that backpack.”
Zane reached for her hand. “Trust me. I’ve got everything we need.”
Checking his watch Zane figured they were about half an hour from the place he’d chosen as their campsite for the night. Faith was quite right. There was no way on this earth he could have got tent, groundsheets, sleeping bags and all the other camping necessities into his one medium-sized rucksack. But he hadn’t needed to, because all of that was already taken care of.
Just over twenty minutes later Zane stopped near the tarn on the edge of the forest and turned to Faith. “This is it.”
Faith looked around her. “It’s a beautiful spot. So, let’s get the tent sorted.”
“Close your eyes.”
“What?” Faith eyed him suspiciously. “Why?”
“Because we don’t need to set up a tent. I’ve arranged a little surprise for you instead.”
A smile spread slowly across Faith’s face. “What have you done?”
“Close your eyes and you’ll find out.”
“If I close my eyes I can’t see where I’m going!”
Zane took her hand. “For a few moments you won’t need to. I’ll guide you.”
“OK.”
Faith closed her eyes and allowed Zane to lead her a few paces forward.
“Open your eyes.”
Faith stared straight ahead, not saying a word.
“Don’t you like it?” Zane sounded worried.
Still holding her hand he led her forward a few more paces so she could see right inside the den he’d created for her on the edge of the woodland overlooking the tarn. He’d enlisted Dave’s help to get all the gear up to this spot yesterday. They’d used his car and a trailer and navigated their way via the forestry tracks, then he’d come back up on his own first thing this morning to add the finishing touches. The den was mostly hidden on the outside by branches, making it look as though it was constructed from the woodland itself, but inside it was a large, full-height tent made of brown canvas. The tent was the type used for upmarket glamping holidays – camping, yes, but in style and a lot more comfort.
“I love it!” Faith exclaimed as he led her up the wooden veranda step and into the edge of the tent. “It’s amazing! How did you do all this?”
“I have my ways and means.”
Zane led the way into the little hideaway where they would be spending the night. Inside was a proper raised platform that acted as both sofa and a bed, covered with sleeping bags, throw and pillows. Off to one side stood a camping table and two chairs, and in the other corner was a small camping kitchen. On the opposite wall was the pièce de résistance: a proper log-burning frontier stove. The stove was, Zane thought, a brilliant piece of camping kit. Light enough to be carried by hand, it provided loads of warmth and could be safely used indoors with the proper ventilation.
Faith walked around the tent, taking it all in, before flopping onto the edge of the bed and beckoning for Zane to join her. She kissed him lightly on the lips.
“I’m extremely impressed. Is that what creating this was all about? Trying to impress me? Or do you only ever camp with this kind of luxury? And here I was thinking you were used to rough camping with nothing more than a sleeping bag under the stars!”
Zane laughed, then returned her kiss. “I have done that too, and my camping trips are usually pretty basic. But on this occasion I thought we deserved a bit more luxury.”
“Thank you. It’s perfect.”
“I’m glad you like it. Now, sit back, relax. I’ll ge
t a camp fire going and make us some lunch.”
“Fancy a swim?”
Lunch was done and dusted and they’d been lying on the picnic rug taking a nap in the surprisingly warm sun for an hour or so.
Faith rolled onto her stomach and pushed her hair out of her eyes. “In there?” she pointed at the nearby tarn. “In November?”
“Yep to both. You’d be surprised. At this time of year the water holds the heat of the sun better than the land, so it actually won’t be as cold as you’re thinking.”
“Mmm.” Faith looked unconvinced.
“Anyway, the weather today is more like late summer than early autumn. So with the sun on the tarn all day it should be just right.”
He got to his feet and offered her a hand. “Come on.”
“You’re sure about this?”
Faith was standing on the shore of the tarn wearing shorts and a vest top. Zane was already in the water.
“Yes. Just walk right in. Get it over with. It’ll be cold at first but fine after that.”
She hovered on the edge of the tarn, staring at him, before cautiously dipping a toe into the water.
“It’s freezing!” she shouted, about to turn and make for the tent again. Moving to stand in front of her, Zane took both of her hands in his and started to walk backwards slowly, leading her in. She hesitated and looked at him.
“Do you want to wimp out?” he teased.
She shook her head, a determined look on her face now. “No. Let’s do this. What’s the best way from this point? Do I just launch myself into the water or what?”
“This is the best way.”
He scooped her off her feet into his arms, then let himself fall backwards into the water, taking Faith with him.
She squealed and then laughed, splashing water at him. “You pig!”
He flicked water back at her.
“In my defence, I did make sure you wanted to do this before I threw us both in.”
She stopped splashing him, tilted her head on one side. “True enough.”
“Come on, let’s swim, it’ll warm you up a bit.”