‘I’m fine. Just … filthy.’ She tried to wipe the hair from her eyes with her dirty gloves, knocking a big glob of muck from her nose as she did so.
She looked at Ben, expecting laughter, but instead saw concern. She didn’t know where her giggle came from, but it began to bubble out of her until she couldn’t stop. Ben looked surprised, then the creases around his eyes deepened as he joined in.
Grace surveyed her mud-splattered coat and jeans. ‘God, what a state,’ she exclaimed, wondering how it was that she was sitting in a field covered in dirt and snow, feeling the happiest she had been since she’d arrived.
‘You should see your face,’ Ben chuckled. He offered her a hand, and she took it, pulling herself upright. Their bodies came briefly together, and Ben stepped swiftly away, bending down to reattach Bess’s lead. ‘Come on, let’s go. I need to make a phone call, then I’ll come and join you for lunch.’
Grace trudged after him, her mood deflating. Now she was keen to get indoors.
Back at the cottage, Annabel’s jaw dropped and James began laughing when they saw her.
‘What the hell happened to you?’ Annabel asked. ‘Been rolling around in a pig sty?’
‘I got chased by a bull,’ Grace replied, then wished she hadn’t, as they both looked at her incredulously, and then at each other, before they dissolved into more streams of mirth. She didn’t know why she couldn’t join in when she’d found it funny herself at the time. Now she muttered, ‘Yes, it’s hilarious,’ and headed upstairs to get changed.
An hour later, the smell of roasting turkey wafted tantalisingly through the cottage. Grace was feeling much better after a bath and a change of clothes, and Millie had woken refreshed from her nap and was investigating more of her toys.
Annabel was up as soon as she heard the knock at the door. ‘I’ll get it.’ She disappeared into the hallway, then Grace heard her exclaim, ‘Ben!’, as though genuinely surprised to see him.
Ben caught Grace’s eye as he came in, and smiled at her.
‘Grace got chased by a bull this morning!’ Annabel told him merrily.
‘Really?’ He raised his eyebrows at Grace, but said nothing more.
She was keen to change the subject. ‘Dinner’s ready.’
‘I’ll give you a hand, Grace,’ James offered.
As they concentrated on dishing up, Ben sat down on the floor, murmuring softly to Millie as he admired her presents. Annabel joined them and began to tell him about the ball.
A few minutes later, Grace and James put four plates of steaming food on the table. Grace strapped Millie into her high chair in front of her own small offering.
They took their places and started to eat. James speared a brussel sprout as he said, ‘So, Ben, it’s been pretty handy for Grace that you’ve been able to help her get things moving here.’
James’s tone made Grace look at him sharply. Ben nodded. ‘Yes, lucky for her and for me – she’s kept me from being at a loose end.’
‘Annabel tells me that you’re house-sitting?’ James persisted. ‘How long will you be here for?’
‘Another few weeks,’ Ben replied as he poured gravy over his meal. ‘The owners are due back in early February.’
Grace wondered if she would have finished the renovations by then. She imagined living in the village without Ben nearby, and was alarmed at how downhearted she felt. ‘Where will you go then?’ she asked.
‘Back to Australia. Pick up where I left off.’
Annabel took the gravy boat from him. ‘And where was that?’
‘I work for a small architecture firm in Sydney. I’ve had some time off for long service, among other things, but it finishes at the end of February.’ He sat back, studying them in turn. His eyes fell on James. ‘So what do you do?’
‘I work for a Swiss bank.’ James straightened his shoulders as he spoke. ‘And spend most of my spare time on the ski slopes. I can’t get enough of it. Don’t suppose you have much chance to ski, living in Australia.’
‘Actually, there are some great spots in Victoria,’ Ben replied, his arm hooked casually around the back of his chair. ‘But I live close to Sydney and spend more of my time surfing. I’m lucky enough to have a place near the water. There’s something pretty magical about catching waves. I really miss it, actually.’
In the silence that followed, Annabel caught Grace’s eye, raising an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, before she said, ‘Don’t you have man-eating sharks in Australia?’
‘We do,’ Ben grinned. ‘But so far I’ve been lucky.’ He looked at James and Annabel. ‘So how long are you two staying?’
‘A few days,’ James said.
Grace could have sworn that Annabel tried to bat her eyelashes. ‘Until New Year.’