Chapter 4
4
The next morning Josie came downstairs to find the sun pouring in through the patio doors in the kitchen, bathing everything in golden light. There was no sign of Connor and the door to the snug was firmly shut. The heavy tension that had built since she’d woken dropped down a notch.
She’d felt spun out last night, after their conversation about Maddie and work, and had tossed and turned for an hour before falling into a fitful sleep. He’d hit on some real bruises this time, and she didn’t like it one bit. She was going to have to be more careful about what she said around him from this point onwards. He was too perceptive for his own good and she’d already told him more than she was comfortable with.
Only a couple more days, Josie, then he’ll be gone.
Pushing him to the back of her mind, she moved about almost in a dream, making coffee and heaping cereal into a bowl. Even in the sunny calm of the kitchen she felt weirdly buzzed, as if she was anticipating something momentous but had no idea what.
Just as she was pouring herself another coffee Connor strode in, bare-chested, his hair rumpled with sleep, his eyes tired.
‘Morning,’ she said, turning to hide the blush that crept up her neck at the sight of him. Her heart slammed uncomfortably against her chest and she took a long, slow breath in an attempt to calm down.
‘Morning,’ he mumbled. ‘How was my bed?’
She forced herself to look at him, determined not to give away how flustered she was. ‘Very comfortable. How was the sofa?’
He grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Short and lumpy.’
Stifling her smile, Josie grabbed another mug, poured in the remainder of the coffee and handed it to him.
‘Thanks.’ He took a long sip, wincing as he swallowed. ‘You like your coffee strong.’
She only just stopped herself saying “Like my men”. Where the heck had this one-track mind sprung from?
They ate breakfast together in silence, the tense atmosphere from the night before still hanging between them.
‘So, what are your plans for the day?’ he said finally.
She shrugged. ‘I don’t have any. A bit of reading, maybe. A short walk. Some relaxing…’ She noticed a smile playing around his lips. ‘What?’
‘I can’t imagine you sitting around relaxing, that’s all. You’re the least relaxed person I’ve ever met. You always look as if you’re itching to move on to the next thing.’
‘Yeah, well, I’m not used to sitting still.’
‘You’re a nervous breakdown waiting to happen. You know that?’
She gave him a tight smile, fighting down her irritation that he seemed to be picking up right where they’d left off last night. ‘I haven’t got time for a breakdown. My schedule wouldn’t allow it.’
He gave her a mirthful stare. ‘You plan everything?’
She straightened the skirt of her halter neck dress. ‘I like to know what I’m doing.’
‘I’m surprised you haven’t got more of a plan for the day, then – or are you freestyling for the challenge?’
Josie tipped her head thoughtfully. She hadn’t got beyond thinking about what she was going to have for breakfast, taking the day one step at a time. But if she couldn’t work, she was going to have to think of something pretty soon, before she died of boredom.
‘Something like that.’ She swept her hand around the stillness of the kitchen and the unbroken landscape that stretched away from them outside. ‘There’s not a whole lot going on around here, so I’m going to have to make my own fun.’
He looked at her then and their gazes locked. His pupils darkened, turning his eyes black. He held her gaze, drawing her into a world of fiery longing. What the hell was going on? A need to touch him almost overwhelmed her. Her stomach did a double flip and her fingers itched to run over his golden skin, tracing the swell of muscles over his arms, across his shoulders, down his chest…
Bad idea.
It had been such a long time since she’d been so attracted to someone it had thrown her into chaos. She’d forgotten how exciting it was, how much fun. Not that this could be any more than a passing whim. She should enjoy the novelty of it but give herself boundaries. Stay in control.
‘Uh… do you fancy another game of chess?’ she asked, pulling her thoughts back onto safe ground before she started drooling. It had been entertaining playing last night, especially when he’d been so disgusted when she’d beaten him.
He shook his head. ‘I can’t. I’m meeting a friend for lunch in Aix.’
‘Oh, okay.’ She kept her tone light, but was annoyed by how disappointed she felt.
‘You could always walk up to Guy’s farm and get some eggs. They’re great when they’re really fresh. Just head north-east. It’s a couple of miles away across the fields.’ He waved in the direction he meant. ‘It shouldn’t take you more than half an hour to get there.’
‘Yeah, okay. I might do that.’ Her wayward voice had taken on a childishly reluctant tone without her consent.
Connor didn’t appear to notice. ‘Want me to draw you a map?’
She shoved her shoulders back in defiance at his coddling behaviour – before remembering his comment about her defensiveness and adjusting her posture to make her stance less aggressive. ‘No thanks. I’m sure I can find it,’ she said coolly.
‘Don’t leave it too late to walk over there. The heat gets pretty fierce after midday.’ His face was blank of emotion but she was sure he was deliberately winding her up again.
‘Okay,’ she said, gripping her mug hard.
She wasn’t sure why she was so cross with him. She almost felt as if he was abandoning her by going out, which was patently ridiculous. She was a grown-up who was perfectly capable of entertaining herself.
Wasn’t she?
The truth was she never had to do it at home, because she was either thinking about or totally engrossed in work. Being away from it had left a big gap in her psyche.
‘Okay. Well, I’m making omelettes tonight, so we’re definitely going to need eggs from somewhere.’
She put her mug down carefully on the table before she threw it at his smug head. ‘You don’t have to feed me, you know.’ Her teeth were beginning to hurt from being clamped together so hard.
‘It’s just as easy to make food for two people,’ he said, shrugging. ‘What are you going to have if you don’t eat with me?’
That was a good point. There wasn’t exactly a lot of food in the house, and the meal he’d made last night had been delicious. She should consider it his fee for her agreeing to share the place; he wasn’t exactly the easiest housemate to live with and she should get some sort of recompense for it.
‘Want me to pick some up in town instead?’ he asked, obviously irked at her slow response.
‘No. It’s fine. I’ll go to the farm,’ she said through tight lips.
‘Great.’ He smiled and went to slap her on the arm, but stopped himself. Their gazes snagged and he gave her a curt nod. ‘Make sure you lock up properly when you go out. See you later.’
He turned and walked out, pulling the door shut a little too hard behind him so that it rattled in the frame.
* * *
After taking a rather circuitous route to the farm a couple of hours later, Josie finally arrived hot and frustrated.
The farmyard was deserted, so she knocked on the heavy oak door to the house. It was heaved open a few seconds later by a short, burly man with a thatch of wiry black hair.
‘ Oui? ’
‘Hello, Guy, I’m staying with Connor Preston in the farmhouse over there,’ Josie said in French. ‘I would like to buy some eggs from you.’
The man gave her a slow up-and-down inspection.
‘ Oui .’
His gaze lingered on her breasts and she had to work hard not to cross her arms defensively in front of her.
Great – a pervy farmer. Just what she needed.
‘Come to the runs with me. I need to collect them,’ he said, gesturing to the side of the house, where a collection of ramshackle barns and pens stood.
She followed Guy at a distance and watched as he checked the nests for newly laid eggs.
Walking back to her with a smile, he stood a little bit too close for comfort as he carefully put the eggs into the bag that she’d brought with her. He smelt of dirt and cigarettes and wrongness. Wrinkling her nose, she forced herself to stand still. She often found herself turned off people because they didn’t smell right, and he was definitely one of those people.
‘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 last 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. ?a 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?’ Connor’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.