Eventually she decided on a pair of fitted black trousers and a floaty long-sleeved blouse in a pretty shade of blue. It was a bit officey-looking, but it would have to do. She seriously needed to invest in some new clothes, especially if she was going to be travelling down to London for the next few weeks – assuming she didn’t get kicked out of the competition in the first round. She mentally crossed her fingers at the thought.
As she brushed her hair and pinned it up, she decided not to tempt fate by buying a whole new wardrobe, but to treat herself to one new thing now. If she was still in the competition after this round, then she’d buy some things for the next one. As long as she chose wisely, the clothes wouldn’t be wasted, because she could wear them again.
She’d arranged to meet Rex at the Griffin, a gastropub on the outskirts of Abergavenny, renowned for its good food and excellent service. It even had a Michelin star, and thanks to Stevie, Leanne was well aware of what that star signified.
She pulled up outside the restaurant, where fairy lights added to the charm of the old converted farmhouse. Built of sandstone with a grey slate roof and a tiny door and windows, it looked more like someone’s home than an upmarket restaurant.
There were several vehicles already in the car park, and when she saw Rex’s Land Rover, she breathed a sigh of relief. Walking into places on her own was one of her pet hates. She always felt as though people were staring at her. At least she would be able to go straight over to her date and not have to wait for him.
She had only ever seen Rex in outdoor gear, but when she caught her first glimpse of him tonight, her breath caught in her throat. He looked gorgeous. His normally tousled hair was neatly brushed (apart from a lock falling down over his forehead, which only added to his good looks), and he was wearing a pair of chinos and a button-down shirt. He was the picture of casual sophistication.
‘My, my, don’t you scrub up well?’ she teased, as he slipped off his stool by the bar to greet her.
The hug was totally unexpected, and as he wrapped his strong arms around her and pulled her close, Leanne couldn’t resist breathing in his fresh, clean, manly scent. Wow, but he smelled nice! He felt nice too, but the contact was over all too soon as he released her and stepped back.
‘So do you.’ He grinned. ‘It makes a change to see you without bits of foliage stuck in your hair.’
Self-consciously she reached up to pat her bun, and he laughed.
‘Only kidding, you always look nice. Our table will be ready in a minute. Would you like a drink first?’
‘I’ll have a tonic water with a twist of lemon, please,’ she said.
She could have done with a gin in it, but she had a tendency not to stop at the one, and she had work in the morning and a competition to prepare for. She noticed Rex had a soft drink too, although if he’d wanted something stronger, she’d have been happy to drive him home.
When she suggested it, he said, ‘No thanks, I’ll stick with orange juice. I’m going out with the Mountain Rescue Service tomorrow, so I’ll need to keep a clear head, otherwise it might be me who needs rescuing.’
‘I hope no one is in trouble.’ Leanne knew full well that walkers sometimes came to grief on the mountains. Inexperienced hikers or those out for what they thought was going to be a pleasant stroll up a well-trodden peak were occasionally caught unawares. The weather could turn in an instant, and even those familiar with the trails could lose their way if they weren’t careful, especially if an unexpected and often unprepared-for cloud crept up on them. A couple of people a year died in those very mountains.
‘No, nothing like that, thank God,’ he said. ‘I’m joining them on a training exercise. They need all the support they can get.’
It was a good idea, Leanne thought. All the members of the Mountain Rescue Service were volunteers, and most had jobs, too. With Rex’s growing knowledge of the National Park, and with public safety being part of his remit, he was in an ideal position to help them.
‘Maybe you could train Nell to become a rescue dog?’ she suggested.
Rex curled his hand around his glass and stared into space. ‘You know what?’ he said slowly. ‘That’s a brilliant idea.’
‘Tit for tat,’ she said, smiling. ‘You gave me the idea for the wedding bouquet; it’s only fair I repay you.’
‘I thought the plant pot was my repayment?’
‘Consider it a housewarming present, even if it is a bit late.’
‘And here was I offering to take you to dinner as a thank you for the pot.’
‘It’s never going to end, at this rate.’ Leanne laughed.
‘I hope not,’ he said with a slow smile.
She hoped not too; but now wasn’t really the right time to begin a new relationship, not when she needed to focus all her attention on this first round of the competition. It wasn’t fair on Rex. Maybe it would be better to be mates, she thought, although she did fancy him to bits. It was a pity he’d come into her life at just the wrong moment.
‘Penny for them?’ he asked, breaking into her thoughts. ‘You look miles away.’
‘Yes, I was. Sorry.’ She decided that there was no time like the present to put the record straight. ‘I’m going to be so busy over the coming weeks…’ She trailed off, hoping he got the message.
Clearly he did. ‘Of course you are, and if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.’
‘Don’t worry, I will,’ she reassured him. ‘You’re my ideas guy.’
‘What are they asking you to do next?’ he wanted to know.
Leanne breathed a sigh of relief as the conversation turned back to less complicated things (she ignored the treacherous little part of her that said it was a mistake to discourage him) and she told him about her next assignment.
‘I’ve read the brief a thousand times,’ she began. ‘It looks like there’ll be two parts to each round. The first is a sight-unseen task where you don’t know what you’ve got to do until you’re on set.’ She laughed self-consciously. She was already picking up the jargon, and to her own ears she sounded a bit pretentious. ‘The other task is one I get to work on beforehand. I’ll be able to design it and practise making it. The only problem is, I haven’t decided what I’m going to do. Filming starts the week after next, and I haven’t got the faintest idea.’
‘Run it past me – after all, you said yourself that I’m your ideas man. Maybe I can help.’
‘It’s a water-based theme. They’re asking the contestants to come up with a display for an aquarium.’
Rex did a double take, which was actually quite comical, and Leanne laughed at his expression.
‘What’s an aquarium got to do with flower arranging?’ he asked. ‘I thought it was all about stems and leaves and those strange sponge things, not aquatic plants.’
‘It is about all those things, but you’d be surprised what I get asked for. Only last week a customer wanted a Pluto arrangement.’
‘Pluto as in the planet?’ His confused frown was quite adorable.
‘Pluto the dog, the Disney character. The guy’s company was having a grand party to celebrate good end-of-year results, and one of the employees suggested a Disney theme.’
‘But why Pluto?’
‘No idea,’ Leanne replied, ‘but I do know they were having a Mickey Mouse cake, and a raffle with a family holiday to Disneyland Paris as first prize.’
‘I think I’m in the wrong job,’ Rex muttered, scowling, and Leanne giggled.
‘Would you like to go to Disneyland?’ she asked.
‘Actually, no, I value my sanity too much. Give me the peace and quiet of the mountains any day. Right then, water-themed, eh?’ He scratched his head. ‘The seaside? That would fit in with an aquarium. You could do underwater plants and stick in a couple of plastic fish.’
Leanne threw him a disbelieving look. ‘I hope you’re not serious.’
‘Or how about mermaids? In fact, you could dress up as one, to keep the theme going.’
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‘Now I know you’re teasing.’ Leanne shuddered. ‘Have you seen those costumes? Besides, I wouldn’t be able to walk with a fishtail.’ She grimaced. ‘I bet the bloke who did the bride and groom display will make a complete tank out of flowers, and he won’t use plastic fish, either.’
‘Seriously, stick with what you know,’ Rex advised. ‘You live in one of the wettest places in the UK. Think about how it looks in the Beacons after a heavy downpour – the gushing streams, the waterfalls.’
‘I’ve got to be careful that I don’t go too far down the landscape gardening route,’ she said. ‘The display should be all about the flowers, really. I’m surprised they actually let me through with my eco-friendly bridal bouquet – I don’t want to get sent home after the first round.’
‘How many varieties of blue flowers are there?’ Rex asked.
Leanne blinked. ‘Lots. Why?’
‘Water,’ he said, ‘with white for the foam and green for lowlights and the plants growing around the sides of the stream.’
Leanne’s eyes widened. He might be on to something. Aquariums weren’t all about sea environments; there were freshwater fish and other creatures in those places.
‘Do you know, it might work.’ Her imagination was going into overdrive. ‘Hang on, let me write this down.’ She dug around in her bag for a pen and a scrap of paper and proceeded to scribble furiously.
When she was done – for the moment – she glanced up to find Rex looking at her, an indulgent smile on his lips. Her heart did a slow roll, and—
‘Sir, madam, your table is ready,’ the head waiter said, and for a moment Leanne couldn’t actually remember where she was or why she was there. Her head was filled with ferns and heathers, and Rex’s clear blue eyes. She had a strange urge to lose herself in their depths, then she pulled herself together and gave herself a mental shake.
But as she followed the waiter to their table, she couldn’t help thinking that Rex had been looking at her in exactly the same way as she had been looking at him.
Chapter 12
‘Tell me, what brings you to Tanglewood?’ Leanne asked around a mouthful of shrimp. Stevie was right, the food here was delicious, and she had allowed herself one small glass of wine, although Rex was sticking to sparkling water.
‘Work, first and foremost,’ he said, spreading pâté on a thin slice of seedy toast.
‘Haven’t they got mountains in Scotland?’ she quipped, and he raised an amused eyebrow at her.
‘Ha, ha, very funny. They have, actually, quite a lot of them, and bigger than yours, too. You should go and see them.’
Leanne had never been to Scotland, but it sounded wonderful, she thought, as she listened to Rex describing Ben Nevis.
‘It’s a bit of a hike to the top,’ he finished, ‘but the views are worth it.’
‘Is that where you worked, around Ben Nevis?’
‘Ach, no, my range was the Trossachs and Loch Lomond. That was dramatic enough for me, and the Trossachs have a few high mountains of their own.’
‘So why the Brecon Beacons?’ Leanne persisted, and she saw his expression harden. ‘I’m sorry, it’s none of my business—’ she began.
‘It’s OK,’ Rex said, interrupting her. ‘I suppose you could say I’m running away. A fresh start and all that. Although to be honest, the Brecon Beacons National Park was the first employer to offer me a job. I had applied for several others in Scotland and one in the Peak District. I could have hung on to see if any of those came to anything, but…’ He ground to a halt.
‘Wales is the furthest away?’ Leanne suggested gently.
‘Aye, it is at that. I do like it here, though, and the people are really friendly.’
‘Do you think you might stay?’ Leanne held her breath as she waited for his answer, torn between wanting to see him again – although she might well have wrecked her chances anyway by hinting that she was too busy for a relationship – and thinking it prudent not to start anything.
‘I think I just might,’ he replied, gazing into her eyes.
She wondered if there was anyone special back home. ‘You’ve told me your mum and dad still live in Scotland. Do you have any brothers or sisters?’
‘No, just me, and I did feel in sore need of a sibling or two when I was growing up. I envy you having so many.’
‘Don’t,’ she said drily. ‘My brothers are a menace, especially Saul. They used to tease me unmercifully. They still do.’
‘Ah, but they’re still your brothers. I bet if you needed help, they would be the first ones to come running.’
Leanne smiled. ‘Yeah, they would. Now you’ve got me feeling sorry for you for not having any.’
‘Good. I need all the sympathy I can get.’ He looked so mournful, Leanne laughed. ‘I have got a decent group of friends, though,’ he added.
‘I expect you miss them,’ Leanne said.
‘Yeah, Dean especially. He’s a good mate. A bit daft sometimes, but I suppose you could say we’re like brothers.’ His expression clouded over.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Ach, it’s probably nothing. I haven’t really heard from him much since…’ He hesitated. ‘You know what men are like about keeping in touch. I bet if I went home tomorrow it would be as if I’d never been away.’
Leanne nodded, not knowing what to say. Poor Rex, he was clearly lonely and was missing his friends and family.
‘When was the last time you visited?’ she asked.
He looked sheepish. ‘Erm… I haven’t. I thought it best to give myself a wee bit of space.’
‘Oh?’
‘Jules, my ex-girlfriend, and I split up at around the same time I lost my job. And my dog. Star was my best friend, even more than Dean. I’d had her since I was a teenager and she went everywhere with me.’
‘I remember you mentioning her when you came to buy Nell. She was a spaniel, wasn’t she?’
‘Aye, she was, and as daft as a brush. Nell is quieter, except when I try to make her sleep by herself. She’s more needy, too, but I don’t mind that. She can have all the attention she wants.’
It struck Leanne that Rex was far more forthcoming about Star than he was about his ex, and when he didn’t mention her again, she didn’t push it. After all, the girl was firmly in his past, and Leanne was beginning to harbour a tiny hope that she herself might have a place in his future, despite her vow not to get involved with anyone right now. In fact, the more she spoke to him, the more attracted to him she was becoming, although she suspected he might not feel the same way about her, because when the meal ended, instead of kissing her as she had hoped, he gave her a quick hug, then walked her to her car.
There was no mention of another date, either, so she bit back her disappointment, said a friendly goodbye and drove home with thoughts of him filling her head.
Chapter 13
Geoff had agreed to Rex’s request, and today was the day for Nell’s first encounter with some sheep.
‘I thought we’d start her off with last year’s hand-reared lambs,’ Geoff said, after the two men had shaken hands. ‘They’ll be less skittish and not so inclined to run. I don’t want to encourage her to chase them,’ he added as they walked down the lane towards a nearby field. ‘They’re more used to dogs, and one of them is a right madam. With her around, Nell will be the one running away, not the ewes.’
Rex had Nell on the lead and she was walking calmly beside him, much to his delight. The training he was doing with her was finally starting to pay off, although she still had her moments.
He hadn’t been expecting to visit the farm quite so soon, but Geoff had called and advised him to start Nell’s familiarisation with the sheep sooner rather than later.
‘Teach ’em young and they’ll learn the lesson for life,’ he had said, so here the three of them were, strolling down the lane with the sun on their backs and a variety of agricultural smells on the breeze, the predominant one being the pungent whiff of sheep.
Nell might be behaving herself at the moment, but Rex had owned her long enough to read her body language. The half-grown pup was positively vibrating with excitement.
‘I hear you’ve been helping our Leanne with her flowers for the competition,’ Geoff said.
‘Not quite.’ Rex rumbled out a laugh. ‘I merely made a suggestion or two. I don’t know the first thing about flower arranging.’
‘That’s as may be, but between the pair of you, you’ve managed to come up with a dilly of a design.’
‘Oh?’ Rex hadn’t seen it, although he had bumped into Leanne once or twice since they’d had dinner.
He hadn’t suggested another meal together, or anything else for that matter, because Leanne had made it perfectly clear that she didn’t have time for a relationship. To be honest, he wasn’t entirely sure he was ready to date again anyway, although he did have a sneaking suspicion he was only telling himself that solely because she wasn’t interested in him.
‘She’ll be home in an hour,’ Geoff said. ‘Why don’t you come back to the house and have a gander at what she’s making? In fact, why don’t you stay for tea? It’s lasagne tonight.’
‘Home cooked?’ Rex pretended to think about it, even as his mouth was watering.
‘My missus wouldn’t have it any other way.’
‘Are you sure?’ Rex didn’t want to intrude.
‘I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t,’ came the laconic reply. ‘We’ve always got a houseful. One more isn’t going to matter, and Iris will be delighted to meet you at last. Our Leanne hasn’t stopped talking about you. It’s Rex this, and Rex that.’
Really?
A soft glow spread through his chest for a few moments, but reality cooled it before it had a chance to warm his heart. She probably only talked about him because he’d helped her a bit, although he had no doubt she would’ve come up with the same idea as he had, given time.
For the next hour or so, Geoff and Rex worked with Nell and the sheep. Geoff had been right when he’d predicted the dog might be the one to run away, because after her first impulsive headlong dash at the peacefully grazing animals, she was brought up short when three pairs of eyes stared at her and refused to move an inch. The last straw for her had been when the boldest of the ewes had leapt forward on stiff legs and stamped her feet.
The Tanglewood Flower Shop Page 7