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“Come in for a cup of tea?” Kitty said, snapping him out of his reverie. “I know Julia would love to see you.”

Josh closed his eyes. The last thing he wanted was a hot cup of tea, but he'd gladly scald his throat if it meant more time with Kitty.

Since they’d left the riverbank, he’d been playing out different scenarios in his head. What if he spoke to Jonty and told him how he felt about Kitty? He could honestly tell him he wasn’t just lusting after his cousin, and he would do everything he could to make sure she stuck to her plans. Even if it meant saying goodbye at the end of her stay. But was he prepared to say goodbye?

What if he told Kitty how much he wanted her? They could try to make the distance work if she felt the same way. It would mean a lot of travel for her. He couldn’t take weekends off. There would be a lot of her kicking her heels at his cottage. But she could work if he was out on a call. He had decent enough Wi-Fi. Perhaps he could partner with another practice or maybe find a locum to take his weekend callouts.

“Josh?” Kitty’s voice broke into his racing thoughts. “Are you coming?”

She was standing on the path, peering back in through the door. Wendy had stretched her long body across Kitty’s seat and looked in no danger of moving. Josh nodded and got out, leaving the windows down to give her some air.

He followed Kitty up the path, resisting the urge to reach out and take her hand. His eyes stayed fixed on her now dusty gumboots and the long, lean calves they covered. A wave of nausea overwhelmed him, and he swallowed it down. If he didn’t say something now, he could lose the opportunity forever.

If things went wrong, he’d just avoid her for the next six weeks. He’d become pretty good at that already. All he had to do was summon up the courage to speak.

Heat raged through his body. They’d made it to the door now, and Josh saw the window of opportunity closing. His heart was beating like a jackhammer as he opened his mouth to speak.Kitty opened the door, but before Josh could reach her, the sound of voices and laughter drifted from the house.

Kitty looked back at him, a comical, puzzled look on her face, one eyebrow raised to the sky. Josh shrugged his shoulders and followed her inside, cursing his terrible timing.

As they walked through the cottage, Josh spied one of Julia’s cats high atop a cabinet, peering down at them like a waiting assassin sent to slay him before he even had time to grab the treasure.

The further they travelled towards the back of the house, the louder the voices grew. A man was talking, his words punctuated by peals of a woman’s laughter. As they emerged through the kitchen and out onto the patio, Josh spotted Julia. She was sitting at the table, clutching her stomach and had tears running down her cheeks. Opposite her sat Daniel Cunningham. Josh’s eyes widened, and his teeth locked together.Why was Tottenbridge’s answer to Casanova here?

Daniel held a book in one hand and a glass of something clear and icy in the other. Both his and Julia’s heads snapped around when they saw Kitty and Josh at the door.

“Kitty! You’re back!” Julia squealed in delight.

She clapped her hands together and gestured for them both to sit down. Josh shook his head, and the look Daniel threw at him raised his hackles. It was a look of pure smugness.

“Come and join us,” Daniel said, looking at Kitty with a serpent’s smile.

Kitty hovered at the edge of the table with wide eyes. The shadow of the house hollowed out her cheekbones, and she looked like a Victorian street urchin in his knotted T-shirt.

“Hello, Julia.” Josh bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Daniel,” Josh said as he nodded, unsmiling.

Kitty greeted Julia with a kiss, then walked towards Daniel. He’d put his glass and the book down and rose to greet her.

“Hello, Katherine,” Daniel said, his husky tone deep. His eyes swept over Kitty with a hunger that had Josh’s gut churning. “Life out in the fields seems to suit you.”

Daniel opened his arms, giving Kitty a soft kiss on the cheek, his eyes finding Josh’s. She moved away from him, but he held onto her hand, sitting back down to make room for her on the bench.

“Come and sit down, darlings,” Julia said. “Daniel has been the most wonderful company this afternoon, Kitty. We weren’t sure what time you were returning, so he helped me sort the animals out and brought us a lovely quiche and salad for dinner.”

“Not to mention plying you with gin,” Josh said, eyeing the half-empty bottle on the table. He’d found his voice but hadn’t liked its bitterness.

Daniel’s eyes tore away from Kitty and glared at him.

“For medicinal purposes. As a pick-me-up,” Julia said, her clear laugh ringing out again. “We’ve had a wonderful afternoon.”

“You didn’t mention our literary misadventures,”Daniel said, gesturing to a pile of scattered paperbacks on the table. “One has to take care of both the body and mind. I’ve found these lofty tomes quite instructive.” His eyes flashed, and he turned his wolfish smile to Kitty.

“You’re reading my mum’s books?” she squealed with a look of absolute horror on her face.

“Yes, and they’re marvellous! You interrupted us just as Lord Anthony De Wain was confessing undying lust for a Miss Cressida Fanshaw in the formal gardens. Things were getting quite heated.” Daniel’s mocking tone dripped with innuendo, and Josh glared at him with open hostility.

Julia unleashed another girlish cackle and clapped her hands together. Just how much gin had she had?

“Will you join us for a chapter, Joshua? You never know what you might learn, old boy.” Daniel grinned.