Page 60

“I’ve told you all about my woeful love life,” he said. “Anything you want to share about yours? Put us on an even footing. I’m sure nothing can be as bad as my sorry tale.”

Kitty’s blood ran cold.Great.If it wasn’t enough to burp in front of him, then be half-drowned whilst imagining he was going to make a pass at her, now it was time for the ultimate humiliation.Her non-existent love life.

“I haven’t had a relationship for five years,”she said, getting it over and done with as soon as possible.

Kitty scanned Josh’s face for some reaction, but he just lay back on the sand.

“I’m surprised,” he said. It was as if she’d announced the next day was Wednesday, not admitted to being a freak of nature.

“It really hasn’t been a priority. My career doesn’t leave much room for romance and all things fluffy,” she said, feeling the need to explain.

The corners of Josh’s mouth turned up.

“I mean, I havehadsex,”she blurted, screaming at her brain to stop her mouth from moving.“I’m not suggesting I’m easy, but I’ve had sex. With people I’ve met. At conferences.” Nope, her brain wasn’t obeying at all.

“I’m glad to hear you’d at least met the people you had sex with.” Josh snickered. “I think it’s essential unless you just skipped the formalities because of your work schedule.

“I’m so embarrassed,” Kitty said, burying her burning face in her arms.

“Don’t be. I’m only teasing you. I understand a job getting in the way of the fluffy stuff.”

Neither of them spoke, and as Kitty’s heart thumped in the heat, the song of the skylark hovering high overhead punctuated the still air. Josh looked at his watch.

“I have to get back,” he said.

“What time is it?”

“It's just after five.”

“Really? I need to sort out Julia’s brats.”

Josh’s brow wrinkled.

“The goats,” Kitty said. “If I don’t have their dinner on the table by six pm, I’ll face an organised rebellion.”

Josh let out a belly laugh, its resonance making Kitty’s stomach curl up in delight.

“Then I shall return Cinders to her cellar. Try not to leave a gumboot behind on the sand.”

Josh stood up, and his impressive physique again dominated Kitty’s view. She eyed the angular planes of his chest in the willow's shadow. When he reached down to help her, she stood awkwardly against him, the heat from his body pulsing against her bare skin.

“You okay?” he said.

Kitty took a deep breath, smothering the urge to touch his soft lips. To throw caution to the wind. Kiss him and see what he’d do. What was the use, though? She’d had a lovely day with him, but they’d been nearly naked together for the last hour, even touched, and he hadn’t flinched. Hadn’t let her hope for anything more than a friendship.

Instead, Kitty reflexively crossed her arms over her chest and began babbling about giving Julia’s cat his flea treatment. She quickly gathered her discarded clothes and dressed as if she was escaping a one-night stand the morning after. Josh put his clothes on as well, but at a leisurely pace. How could he be so calm?

The sun lowered behind the willow tree, and they gathered their rubbish and trudged back to the truck. All Kitty wanted to do was get home and process the day with an enormous glass of self-pity.

34

JOSH

Josh and Kittydrove the short distance to Julia’s. Wendy had showered them in a fall of sand when she’d vaulted into the middle seat. She was now crashed out, with her head on Josh’s lap and her entire back half draped across Kitty, who played with her curly tail. The clammy heat clung to Josh’s body. He’d left the windows down again but wasn’t in the mood for singing. After they pulled up at Rose Cottage, Josh killed the engine. Both he and Kitty sat, frozen in their own thoughts.

He didn’t want the day to end like this. He didn’t want it to end at all.Regret tugged at his heart when he remembered the river. He wasn’t sure if Wendy had hindered or helped him with her flying leap. He’d been about to tell Kitty how he felt. How much he liked her. Perhaps Wendy’d saved him from making a complete fool of himself, not to mention future heartache when Kitty left the village.

Josh sighed. Who was he trying to fool? He’d lost his nerve.