New Bay

by Nell Dixon

  Posy hurried after him as he moved swiftly along. She noticed Jessica ‘s furious expression and wondered what had happened in the past between the cool blonde and Noah.

  She caught up with him as he reached the Land Rover. “Hey, wait for me.”

  “Sorry, Posy. I needed to get away.”

  The depth of the glimpse of anguish she caught in his eyes took her by surprise. “That’s okay. I take there’s history between you and Jessica?”

  Noah wrenched open the door of the car for her. “You could say that. Jessica is my ex-fiancée.”

  Posy’s heart beat a rapid tattoo against the wall of her chest as she climbed inside the car. Of all the things he could have said, she hadn’t been expecting that. “Awkward.”

  Noah gave a wry smile. “Slightly.” He started the engine and took the road back to New Bay.

  “How long ago did you guys break up?” It was clearly still very painful for him.

  “It’s been a year. We were engaged for six months then Jessica decided she didn’t want to be a farmer’s wife.”

  “I’m so sorry.” She didn’t know what to say. She hated the other girl for hurting him.

  “I didn’t expect to see her tonight. She moved away to live in Bristol; New Bay was too quiet for her. She wanted more than New Bay, or I, could give her.” His mouth twisted.

  “Is she back now?” Posy didn’t like to explore why she cared so much about his answer. It was ridiculous to feel so protective of a man she barely knew.

  He shook his head. “No, she’s only home for Easter to visit her parents.”

  She longed to ask who had broken up with whom but kept quiet and concentrated on the road ahead instead.

  “I’m sorry we had to cut the evening short.” She felt rather than saw the glance he gave her as he spoke.

  “That’s okay, I understand.”

  “Jess always resented the farm. It puts a crimp in your social life when you have to always get up early and not stay out late seven days a week.” The line of his mouth tightened.

  “I suppose it’s a lifestyle that wouldn’t suit everyone.” Posy couldn’t imagine the glamorous Jessica rising at the crack of dawn to cook Noah’s breakfast or to help him around the farm.

  “It’s demanding certainly and not much free time.”

  Posy wondered if he wanted to get out of his offer to take her to the egg rolling at the Manor House. “If you’d rather not take me to the egg rolling tomorrow, it’s okay.”

  His eyes widened in surprise. “Don’t be silly. I’d love to take you. I can spare a few hours.”

  “I guess being your own boss has a few benefits then.” She couldn’t resist the mischievous remark and was rewarded by laughter from Noah.

  “Yes, there are a lot of other compensations.”

  Noah swung the Land Rover onto the private drive leading to the campsite. Instead of stopping on the track to drop her off, he continued on into the farmyard. It was the first time she’d seen that part of the farm although she knew Emma took some of the children from the campsite to see the animals.

  She gave him a questioning look.

  “I thought you might like to come in for a while. It’s early for you to go back to your tent.”

  He led the way inside the pretty stone built farmhouse. Posy found herself inside a large square kitchen. A ginger cat lay stretched out on a faded rug in front of a range cooker and the air smelled faintly of home-baked biscuits and fresh coffee. A large table filled the centre of the room and the windowsill was crowded with plant pots, which on closer inspection, appeared to contain herbs. Pony club rosettes red, blue and green adorned a dark oak beam running across the centre of the ceiling.

  “This is a lovely room.” She stroked the top of one of the pine chairs. There was a homely feel to the house. She decided that if a building could reach out arms and give hugs then this room would do it.

  “Thanks.” He drew out a seat for her.

  “Who lives here?” She knew the farm was a family business and Emma had mentioned they had relatives living nearby.

  “My parents, Emma and me. I have one wing of the house and Emma has the other while my parents live in the main part. We’re lucky it’s such a large house. My uncle and aunt live in a tied family cottage on the other side of the estate.”

  “That’s nice, to have all your family together. My parents divorced when I was eleven. My mum lives in London. My dad remarried a couple of years ago and he lives in Spain now.”

  She sat for a while longer while Noah made a pot of tea. It was warm and comfortable to sit chatting with him in the quiet intimacy of his family home.

  “I should go if you need to get up early.” Reluctantly she stood and picked up her bag.

  “I’ll walk you back to your tent.”

  Noah placed his arm around her waist as they walked back to the campsite. Overhead small clouds scudded across the face of a moon that shone like a silver coin. They halted in front of her pink tent.

  “Thanks for a lovely evening.” Posy looked up at him, her heart rate quickening at the tender expression in his eyes.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.” He lowered his head and claimed her mouth with his.

  Posy gave herself up to the sweetness of his kiss. He tasted male and delicious and she wanted more. She ran her fingers through the close cropped hair at the nape of his neck relishing the feel of the silky strands against her fingers.

  Her pulse was still racing as he raised his head. “Goodnight Posy, sleep well.”

  “Night, Noah.” As she watched him stride away across the field towards the farmhouse she doubted if she would manage to get a wink.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Emma was sat at the table in the kitchen when Noah returned.

  “Have you been out with Posy tonight?” She demanded. Her eyes were bright and high spots of colour stood out on her cheeks.

  “Yes, we went for a walk and a drink at the pub on the quay at Trevean Sands. Why? What’s wrong?”

  His sister groaned and ran her hand through her hair, making it stand up on end in crazy little clumps. “I know who Posy is and why she’s here.”

  Noah’s spirits plummeted and cold gripped his heart. “What do you mean?”

  Emma held out a magazine towards him. “Look at the name on the by line.”

  He took the paper from her. “The Outdoor Life, junior feature writer Posy Carmichael.”

  “She’s a journalist. That’s why she’s here, to write a piece on our campsite.” Emma’s eyes shone with unshed tears. “If she gives us a bad report in her magazine it’ll be awful. All our hard work will be for nothing.”

  Noah’s mouth compressed into a hard line. He could still taste Posy on his lips, and smell the faint scent of her perfume on his shirt.

  “There’s no reason why she would write anything bad about the site.” He was still reeling from Emma’s discovery.

  “Then why wouldn’t she have said who she was? Has she said anything to you about working for a magazine?”

  Noah shook his head. “No, she said she worked in an office, that’s all.” So, she hadn’t lied to them but she hadn’t been honest either.

  “What do we do?”

  Noah sighed. He wasn’t sure what they could do. “I don’t know. I suppose we just have to carry on and then wait and see what the article says, or if Posy tells us what she’s doing before she leaves.”

  Emma drummed her fingertips on the tabletop. “You’re right. If we let on that we know who she is then she might turn against us or something, or not write the piece at all.” She frowned, looking sad and dismayed at the same time. “I really liked Posy, I thought she was fun.”

  “It would do us a lot of good if she writes something positive. The magazine has a big readership.” He hated the idea that they had to stay silent about knowing Posy’s real identity.

  “We’ll have to carry on showing her how lovely New Bay is and how good our site is. I hope you had a nice t
ime with her tonight,” Emma said.

  Noah flushed as he remembered exactly how nice a time he’d had with Posy. He should have followed his first instincts and stayed well away from the city girl.

  “I liked her too. I promised to take her to the Manor tomorrow for the Easter events.” In some ways he’d far rather never see her again. After Jess he’d sworn he’d steer well clear of dishonest women.

  Emma nibbled on her lower lip. “Please make sure it goes well.”

  Now he had no choice but to be around Posy until she packed up her bright pink tent and went back where she'd come from. It promised to be very awkward. “I’ll do my best.”

  Later, when he was alone in his room, he had time to reflect on the strange turn of events the evening had taken. Meeting Jessica again had shaken him more than he cared to admit. He’d only seen her once since they’d ended their engagement and that had been by chance when he’d gone to a friend’s wedding. Seeing her at the pub had bought all those old feelings of anger and heartbreak back again.

  Jess had fooled him into thinking she wanted the same things he did and it had taken him a year to recover from her deception. Tonight, like a fool he’d opened up to Posy only to discover she wasn’t all she seemed to be either. He didn’t seem to ever have much luck where women were concerned.

  Noah turned out his light and closed his eyes. Somehow he had to get through tomorrow with Posy, and he would. Emma was depending on him.

  * * * *

  Posy woke late the next morning. In the distance she could hear music from someone’s radio and children laughing. She rolled over on her airbed and unzipped the flap of her tent to peek out. Another sunny spring day greeted her with a rush of fresh country air.

  She lay back on her bed, a contented smile playing about her lips. Today she would get to spend all afternoon with Noah. She hugged herself with delight. The visit to the Manor house and some information on Easter traditions should enable her to put the final touches to her article.

  It had been a magical end to the previous evening. The last thing she’d expected when she’d accepted the assignment from Aggie was that romance would come her way. If Posy had been in Jessica’s shoes, she would have been more than happy to settle into life as a farmer’s wife. Especially if that farmer had silky dark hair, bright blue eyes and was called Noah.

  She’d felt so at home in the kitchen last night with him, the cat on the hearth and the old grandfather clock ticking peacefully in the corner. It had been like a lovely dream. Then, when they had kissed… She hugged herself again hardly daring to believe that it hadn’t been some fanciful dream.

  Posy took advantage of the weather to go down into New Bay for a walk along the seafront. She stopped off at the Surf’s Up café for a hot chocolate and a brownie. The beach was busy with families, and despite it being so early in the year, small children paddled at the water's edge. A hardy group of surfers were testing their boards on the waves and several brightly coloured kites flew above the sands.

  It all felt a long way away from her normal Saturdays. The visit to the Laundromat to wash her clothes, the trip to the supermarket for groceries followed by an evening in front of the TV with a takeout pizza and a glass of wine. Instead she had a view of the ocean and a date with a gorgeous man to look forward to.

  Noah was outside her tent when she returned to the campsite. He’d taken a seat on her camping chair and was obviously waiting for her return. A quiver of pleasure ran through her as she drove across the field. Posy carefully parked Kara’s car and went to greet him.

  “Have you been waiting long? Am I late?”

  “No, it’s fine. I finished a little earlier than I thought I would.”

  His smile seemed forced and he made no move to kiss her ‘hello’.

  “I was down by the beach. It’s so lovely there today.” She smiled at him as he stood and ignored the tiny niggle of concern at his coolness.

  “Hopefully you’ll enjoy seeing the egg rolling at Tumblay Manor.” He set off across the field towards his car which was parked at the top of the track. He made no move to take her hand and Posy had to scurry to keep pace with his long stride.

  A prickle of unease assailed her, making her perch rigidly on the worn seat of the 4X4 next to him for the journey to the manor. Noah was being perfectly friendly towards her but the intimacy and warmth of the previous evening had disappeared.

  The odd atmosphere between them was forgotten when the manor house came into view. Its honey-stoned walls appeared to glow in the spring sunshine. Several cars were already parked on a small field near the house and Posy noticed a large white marquee.

  “Tumblay is still in private hands. It’s Elizabethan, built in the sixteenth century. The family open it up for events throughout the year,” Noah explained as he pulled the car to a halt.

  “It’s amazing. I’ve no idea what egg rolling is or anything so I can’t wait to find out.” Posy joined him at the gate in the low wall separating the make-shift car park from the gravelled path leading towards the marquee.

  Noah smiled and opened the gate for her to go through before following. Posy longed for him to take her hand or to place his arm around her waist as he’d done the previous night. Instead he kept a careful distance away from her.

  All her pleasure and excitement in the day began to seep away. It was clear that Noah must have had a change of heart. Perhaps it had something to do with the encounter with his ex-fiancée or perhaps he’d changed his mind about a holiday romance. Either way, his rejection stung and a lump settled in Posy’s chest.

  Once inside the marquee, Posy paid her entrance fee, refusing Noah’s offer to pay for her. In return she received a ticket for a tour of the manor house, a map of the gardens and directions to the activity tent. She noticed several children all had quiz sheets for a ‘spot the Easter chick contest’.

  “What would you like to do first?” Noah asked as she studied the information she’d been given.

  “Could we go to the activities first and then tour the house?” Posy was intrigued by the idea of egg rolling and longed to see what was involved.

  “Okay.”

  Noah led the way along the garden path to another marquee. Once inside she found long tables covered with craft materials. Several people, adults and children, were already seated and working hard.

  “First you have to decorate your egg,” Noah explained. He took her to the tray of hardboiled eggs and helped her make her selection.

  Once seated at the table, she chose feathers, glitter and sequins to adorn her egg.

  “I think that’s worthy of Faberge.” She held it up so Noah could admire her efforts. The last time she’d done anything like this she’d been about eight years old. There were lots of other adults decorating eggs though, so it wasn’t an activity just for children.

  “I went for the understated look.” He showed her his egg. He’d opted to turn his egg into a small bird, covering it in fluffy brown feathers.

  Following his instructions she placed her egg in a rack to dry alongside several other decorated eggs.

  “The egg rolling is at three-thirty so we have to come back here just before then.” Noah placed his egg next to hers.

  “Will that give us time to tour the house?” Posy glanced at her watch. She longed to see inside the beautiful manor with its ornate façade.

  “Definitely, there are only certain rooms open. It’s still a family home, remember.”

  “That makes it even more special.” Despite the fun they’d had decorating the eggs, there was still a coolness between them and Posy wished he would show her some of the warmth she’d felt the previous night.

  Tumblay Manor was such a romantic setting it would have been perfect to enjoy it as a couple. The interior of the house was relatively deserted as most of the families with children had opted to stay in the gardens and follow the trail laid out for their amusement around the grounds.

  Posy drifted through the rooms soaking in the atmo
sphere of the oak-panelled walls lined with portraits of long ago members of the Tumblay family. She imagined herself living as an Elizabethan girl walking through the long gallery in the company of her lover, enjoying the vista of the formal gardens through the lattice glass of the windows.

  “This is so beautiful. It must be quite something to call this your home.” She paused to look at a huge stone mantelpiece carved with the family crest.

  “I don’t suppose you’d enjoy the fuel bills or having to keep it in good repair,” Noah said.

  “I was taking a romantic view.” Her face flushed as the words slipped out. Now he would think she was hinting at the disappearance of the romance between them.

  Noah shrugged. “I’m just a farm boy. Romance isn’t on my horizon.”

  Posy suppressed a sigh and walked out of the house towards the activity marquee. She didn’t bother to wait for Noah. All the pleasure in the day had disappeared. Tears stung at the back of her eyes. She had no idea what she could have done to make him so cool towards her.

  He obviously didn’t want to be with her. The sooner they got the mysterious egg rolling out of the way the sooner he could take her back to the campsite. They could both chalk the kiss they’d shared up to some mixture of moonlight and madness and go their separate ways for the rest of her holiday.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Posy collected her egg from the rack and joined the queue of people heading out towards a small grass covered hill at the back of the manor house. Noah joined her, carrying his egg.

  “What happens now?” she asked as they walked out onto the field. She kept her tone cool, determined not to show her disappointment in his changed behaviour. Instead she would try to simply make the most of the afternoon’s activities.

  “Wait and see.”

  The children went first and Posy discovered the object of the egg rolling was to lob or roll your egg down a gentle slope towards a marker placed in the grass a short distance away. The egg that survived intact nearest to the marker won a prize.