by Hannah Ellis
Another woman limped slowly outside. She wore a cross-body handbag and walked slightly hunched over. Her hair had obviously dulled with age but was still a striking shade of copper. She looked weary but brightened immediately at the sight of Max. She wrapped her arms around him. “Next time, let me know you’re coming. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment – I was just heading out.”
“Sorry. It was a spur of the moment thing,” he said. She finally registered Elizabeth and smiled warmly at her, waiting for an introduction. “This is Lizzie,” Max told her, without explanation. “Lizzie, this is Wendy.”
Wendy’s curiosity was only evident in the slight dip of her eyebrows. “Nice to meet you, Lizzie. Sorry, I’m afraid I’m in a rush.”
“Are you sure you’re okay going alone?” Annette asked when Wendy gave her a kiss on the lips. “I could drive you.”
“I’m fine,” Wendy replied, patting Annette’s cheek. “Stop fussing over me.” Wendy turned back to Max. “Come again soon, won’t you?”
He followed her to her car. When Annette went inside, Elizabeth wandered over to sit on the porch, beaming and fussing over the three dogs that surrounded her. As soon as she stroked one, another would tussle to move into its place.
When Elizabeth looked up, Max was watching her. The intensity of his gaze made her stomach flutter.
“Annette went to get coffee,” she said as he joined her. When he sat beside her, the little dog, Macy, jumped into his lap. Max stroked the excitable pup.
“She’s so cute,” Elizabeth said, reaching out to stroke her. When Max’s fingers brushed hers, she didn’t think much of it, but the second time he stroked her hand instead of the dog, she knew it was no accident.
She pulled away. She knew she should have gone home that morning. But part of her was glad she hadn’t.
Standing quickly, she put some distance between her and Max, lingering at the edge of the patio. It was a large property, bordered by a wooden fence and dotted with sturdy old trees. Beyond the fence, fields rolled away in every direction, all beautifully green. From the house there was a path worn into the grass leading to a barn a little way off. Dogs could be heard barking occasionally, but otherwise it was peaceful.
“Won’t they ask questions about me?” Elizabeth asked finally. “Isn’t it weird that you’re visiting with me and not your fiancée?”
“Jessica’s allergic to dogs,” he said. “She’s never been here.”
“But surely they’ll wonder…”
“Yes,” he said. “They’ll want to know everything.”
“Aren’t you worried that they’ll say something to your family?”
“I’m the only one who has anything to do with Annette and Wendy since Dad died. There was some feud years back between them and my mum, so none of the rest of the family has anything to do with them. My dad and I were the only ones who ever came out here. Besides, I’m allowed to have friends, aren’t I?” Again, his gaze was far too intense, as though he was daring her to comment on their friendship.
“Coffee!” Annette announced, breaking the atmosphere as she arrived carrying a tray loaded with three mugs and a plate of biscuits.
“I assume there are more dogs here somewhere?” Elizabeth asked. Taking a biscuit, she dunked it into her coffee – something she wouldn’t usually do.
“Oh, plenty!” Annette said. “I’ll show you around later.”
“They’re out in the stables,” Max said.
“In the stables?”
“It’s a doggy paradise here. Kennels just wouldn’t do!”
Annette swiped playfully at Max. “It’s a barn, really, but it was used as stables when we bought the place,” she explained. “We thought it would be nice to keep it as it was – with a few adjustments.”
“The dogs that stay here get spoiled rotten,” Max said. “They cry when their owners come back for them.”
“No, they don’t!” Annette said. “Okay, some of them do.”
“It’s a beautiful place,” Elizabeth said, looking out over the fields. “I’d love to live somewhere so quiet.” She’d always thought of herself as a city girl but she really meant what she said. She imagined herself living somewhere so peaceful. Yes, she could definitely see it – but what she actually imagined was living at Hope Cove.
“What?” Max asked, breaking into her thoughts. She hadn’t realised she was smiling.
“Nothing,” she said. “I was daydreaming. Sorry.”
“It’s a great spot for daydreaming,” Annette said, her warmth and easy nature putting Elizabeth at ease.
“How did you end up here?” Elizabeth asked. “I mean, how did you get into the kennels business?”
“It’s what I’d always wanted to do. Not exactly this, but I always wanted to work with animals and I wanted to live in the country. I met Wendy when we were in our twenties. She wanted the same as me. At that time she had an office job and hated it. We found this place going cheap. Once upon a time, it was a working farm and we were even tempted to give farming a go when we bought the place. We had dreams of keeping cows and chickens and living off the land! We soon came to our senses and decided dogs were enough for us. So we kept the name, Oakbrook Farm, and kidded ourselves that we were farmers with our measly little vegetable patch.” She stopped and looked around. “I have everything I want, right here.”
“That’s amazing,” Elizabeth said.
Max set his mug down. “Come on. You need to see the rest of the place.”
The dogs went crazy when the barn door opened, and Annette immediately calmed them with her soothing voice.
“It’s gorgeous,” Elizabeth whispered as she ventured in. The stalls were red brick with the original stable doors still in place. The front of each stall had a large Perspex window and the dogs pushed their noses up to look out. Small blackboards hung on each door with the names of the dogs written neatly in white chalk.
Max followed Elizabeth as she peered into each stall, greeting the dogs by name.
“I’m gonna take these two out for a run,” Annette called, releasing a couple of dogs. “Look at the husky at the end, Max. She’s beautiful – and a big softie. You’ll love her.”
“They all have an outdoor enclosure too,” Max said, pointing to a door at the back of one of the stalls. His pride in the place was evident in his tone. When they reached the far end, he unlatched the door to the stall belonging to Talia, the husky. She was stunning.
“Hello!” Elizabeth said, approaching the dog who sat obediently and lifted a paw. “Aren’t you lovely?” She took her paw and looked into her stunning blue eyes. “She’s got the same eyes as you,” she said as Max crouched beside her.
He raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure how to take that…”
“It’s a compliment! She’s got beautiful eyes.”
Max had that look again. Smouldering and intense. It made her stomach flutter.
Talia nudged her head against Max and he shifted his focus to the dog, stroking her head and her back.
“Come on,” he said after a few minutes. “There’s somewhere else I want to show you.”
Chapter 20
There was a spring in Max’s step as he led the way to the back of the barn and hopped over the fence behind. “Won’t be long,” he shouted to Annette, then held out a hand to help Elizabeth. She felt completely at ease on the farm, and was glad Max had invited her along.
They stopped at the top of the hill. “See the house there?” Max said, pointing to a little house that stood halfway down the hill on the left. “My friend Sam lived there. We used to go off exploring together. Sometimes, I’d stay for a weekend and we’d run around the fields, climbing trees and playing in the stream.”
“It sounds amazing.”
“I’ll show you the stream,” he said, heading down the other side of the hill.
“What happened to Sam?”
“He still lives there. He moved away for a while, then came back and bought the place from his parent
s. He’s a good guy – he helps Wendy and Annette out a lot. And he’s still one of my best friends.”
They came to the small stream that ran through the valley. It was bordered by scattered trees and Elizabeth sat on a rock by the trickling water.
“I can see why you liked playing here,” she said, taking it all in. “It’s a kid’s paradise.”
“I hardly ever venture down here any more. Occasionally, I’ll come and walk the dogs this way. It’s still one of my favourite places.”
He quietly surveyed the area with an air of contentment and nostalgia. It must have been a great place to play. Elizabeth didn’t remember ever having the freedom to explore the outdoors as a child. There had always been an adult supervising play.
When Max caught Elizabeth watching him she snatched her gaze away.
“Shall we head back?” he asked.
“Okay.” She stood, then looked around once more. “Or maybe we could go a bit further? I’ll be back to city life soon – I may as well make the most of the countryside.”
“Suits me,” he said. “Why did you have to mention going home? Back to the real world. And work!” He sighed. “I’d rather not think about it.”
“What do you do?” she asked, realising she still didn’t really know.
“I’m a lawyer,” he said, falling into step beside her. “Just not the big hot-shot kind!”
“And you work for a cosmetics company?”
“Yes,” he said. “I’m an in-house legal consultant.”
“Do you enjoy it?”
“Yeah,” he said. “It’s okay, and I work with good people. There’s generally not a lot of stress.”
“And you can take time off when you want?”
“Not really. It’s the same as any job. I took holiday time this week.” He paused. “But it’s not the sort of place where you’re expected to put the job before everything else in your life.”
She followed Max across the stream via a couple of stepping-stones. “That’s why you changed jobs?”
He nodded. “When I worked for the law firm, it was crazy. And I was so caught up in it, I didn’t realise how crazy it was. Then my dad died and I spent a lot of time in discussions about how much time was reasonable to take off. It was a bit of a wake-up call. I don’t want to work with people who have no compassion.”
Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed. “So what’s your priority now? If it’s not work?”
“Good question. I had great intentions of spending time here. Wendy’s struggling with arthritis and I’d like to help out. But it’s quite a trek from London, and Jessica’s never keen to come.” He went quiet. “I ought to make more effort. Annette and Wendy have always been good to me. They’re my favourite family members.”
“Do you want kids?” She blurted out, unable to stop herself. She felt herself blush. Why had she asked him that? Her mouth seemed to run away with her around Max.
His mouth twitched into a half-smile. “Yes. Maybe that’s why I wanted work to take a back seat too. My dad was always there for us. Mum worked a lot.” He paused. “She was the hot-shot lawyer whose footsteps we followed in.”
“So you’ll be a stay-at-home dad?” she asked, amused and impressed by the idea.
“I don’t know,” he said. “But I definitely wouldn’t be against it. We’ll see. Why are we talking about me so much? What about you? Kids?”
“I’m not sure. I can’t really imagine having kids. I’d have to give up my career and I’m not sure I want to do that. Does that sound selfish?”
“A little,” he said lightly. “You couldn’t convince Phil to be a stay-at-home dad?”
The thought of it amused her. “No.”
Max’s phone buzzed to life and he pulled it from his pocket.
“Is that work?” Elizabeth asked.
“No,” he said, frowning. “Jessica.”
Elizabeth’s smile dropped slightly before she composed herself. Why should she care that his girlfriend was calling?
“I’ll meet you at the top of the hill,” she said, and then set off at a good pace, giving him some privacy. She walked briskly, and was out of breath when she reached the crest. Sitting on the grass, she took in the view. You could see for miles. Mainly fields, with narrow roads weaving between. Not too far off was a village with a scattering of buildings and a church with a spire. It was all very pretty.
“Sorry,” Max said when he approached a few minutes later. He sat down and sighed. “I didn’t tell Jessica about you. I should have, but it was hard to explain, and then the longer I went without mentioning it, the harder it was to say something.”
“I didn’t mention you to Phil either. It seemed difficult to explain.” Idly, she plucked a daisy from the grass between them. “I can’t believe I spent a week painting window frames with you! I might be having a mid-life crisis.”
“Don’t people usually buy a sports car or have an affair?” he asked, confused.
“Yes!” she said enthusiastically. “That’s what I told my sister. She thinks that Phil and me getting married is my mid-life crisis. Because we’ve been together so long and are only just getting round to it. Another of my little sister’s crazy ideas. I’m not even old enough for a mid-life crisis.”
“Really?” Max said, smirking.
She gave him a friendly shove and then stood up, reaching out a hand to pull him up. “Let’s head back,” she said.
“At least if the painting is your mid-life crisis you don’t need to worry so much about your marriage.”
“That’s true,” she said. Her face turned serious. “Why isn’t Jessica with you this week?”
“She didn’t fancy cleaning up the cottage. I can’t blame her.”
“Yeah,” Elizabeth said quietly. She couldn’t really understand, though; it was such a magical place, she couldn’t imagine not wanting to spend time there. And she’d enjoyed helping Max. “Do you live together?” she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
“Yes,” Max said. “We’re engaged.”
“Oh, lovely,” Elizabeth said, but her mouth went dry and she felt suddenly shaky. “Have you set a date for the wedding?”
“Next July,” he said. “You?”
“May,” she said.
They carried on back to the farm in silence.
Chapter 21
Annette had a plate of sandwiches waiting when they arrived back at the house. It gave them a convenient excuse to stay longer and for Elizabeth to put off going home for a little while. They drove back to Hope Cove in silence. When the car pulled up at Seaside Cottage, she was filled with anxiety at the thought of going home.
In truth, it wasn’t what she was going back to that was the problem, but what she’d be leaving behind. It wasn’t just the peaceful surroundings and stunning scenery that had made her time at Hope Cove so special.
“Do you want to have dinner with me tonight?” Max asked as they stood in front of the house. “I was just going to throw some pasta together. Or have you finally had enough of me?”
Elizabeth bit her lip and tried desperately to collect her thoughts and think rationally. She was supposed to have dinner with Phil, although a glance at her watch told her it was probably already too late for that. She felt torn. A big part of her knew she shouldn’t have dinner with Max – mainly because of how badly she wanted to.
“I’d love to,” she said.
It was the wrong decision. She knew that, deep down. But he was like a magnet pulling her to him and she couldn’t do anything about it. “I need to call Phil … and jump in the shower. So I’ll come over after that?”
“Great.”
What on earth was she doing? she asked herself as she stood under the shower. Had she really fallen for another man? Butterflies stirred in her stomach. She was falling for him. It was stupid; she was engaged, for goodness’ sake. And she loved Phil. What she should do was get in the car and go back to her fiancé, not have dinner with Max.
Unfortunately, her ratio
nal thoughts were being completely overruled.
Phil wasn’t at all concerned when she called and told him the day had got away from her and she’d be home tomorrow as originally planned. He was probably going to be stuck at work until late anyway, he told her.
At that point she should have called Karen again and got her to talk some sense into her. But she purposely didn’t call Karen. Instead, she gave in to the part of her that desperately wanted to have dinner with Max.
And then, as if having dinner with a guy she had feelings for wasn’t bad enough, she also decided that it would be okay to wear a pretty sundress. It was summer, so it was completely appropriate. It was only because it suited the weather, of course.
For a change, she decided she’d wear her hair down. It wasn’t because she was making more effort than usual. Actually, it was no effort to leave her hair down. She wasn’t wearing make-up either, so no one could really accuse her of going to any effort for Max.
She did spritz herself with perfume, because it’s always good to smell nice.
It was all completely innocent, she told herself when she stepped outside and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She enjoyed his company, that was all. It wasn’t as if anything was going to happen.
She dithered at the back door of Seaside Cottage and then walked around the front instead.
“You look nice,” Max said when he let her in.
“You too,” she said. And he did. He looked great. He’d obviously made an effort. He wore jeans with a crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled up to reveal his toned forearms. He was all fresh and clean-shaven, and he smelled great. God, he smelled amazing. Why on earth had he put so much aftershave on? What was he trying to do to her?
A fire crackled in the grate in the living room. Even though Max had cleared out the cottage, leaving it fairly bare, it was still cosy and homely.
“I’m not sure it’s really cool enough for a fire,” he said, “but I like it. And it gets draughty here in the evenings. Make yourself comfy. Do you want wine?”
“Yes, please,” she said, feeling awkward. Her emotions were all over the place, and there was a voice in her head shouting at her that she was an idiot and should go home.