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Kitty sighed as she got into the car and gunned the engine. She’d better avoid the pub while she was in town.

5

DANIEL

Daniel watched the woman leave.He savoured her long, elegant legs and the thick, chestnut hair that swung at her back before realising he hadn’t even asked her name. On first impression, she’d underwhelmed him. The glasses she wore were too heavy for her face, and the severe plait did nothing to complement her fine features. But her plump lips were utterly kissable. And though her face was flushed and shiny in the heat of the day, her eyes held a challenge. A hint of hidden desire.

An image of her lying, hair spread out on a pillow beneath him, filled Daniel’s mind, and his dick nudged in his trousers. Thoughts of her heavy-lidded eyes staring into his and soft lips whispering his name.Fuck.He needed to get a grip. To get laid.

He picked up a glass and helped himself to a shot of whiskey from the array behind the bar, filing thoughts of the stranger for later. He had other fish to fry. Front and centre of his mind was the new schoolteacher in the next village. After a sustained campaign of Cunningham charm, it was only a matter of time before he wore down her defences and she surrendered by falling into his bed. He swirled the ruby liquid around the glass. Why didn’t the idea fill him with as much satisfaction as it had before Julia’s niece walked into his pub?

“Who was that, Tiger?” Daniel turned to face the buxom redhead who managed his bistro, a suggestive smirk painted on her pink lips. She carried a pile of menus in her arms and had a pen tucked behind one ear. “Not your usual type,” she said, the twang of her Australian accent familiar and soothing.

“Au contraire, Amber. I have many types.”

She cocked a brow. “I’m well aware of that, and I’d overlook a quick flirtation, but I know that gleam in your eye usually means trouble.”

Daniel’s grin spread, and he pondered her, tipping his head to one side.

“How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to see the warning signs. Should I be the one to sound the alarm? Ring the church bells and warn any newcomers to arm themselves with a chastity belt?”

A chuckle escaped Daniel’s lips. Amber never failed to make him laugh.

“I can always rely on your subtlety. I don’t recallyouever resorting to a chastity belt. From memory, your drawbridge was down, and your portcullis was up.” His lips curled, remembering the summer they’d met and the affair that followed.

“True, but we’re both older and wiser now, aren’t we?”

Daniel smiled ruefully. Amber was one of his biggest regrets and biggest comforts. Although they’d enjoyed a brief fling, she was always there. She was always happy to provide a bit of light relief in his otherwise predictable life. She never judged him and had lied for him on several occasions. And, best of all, she ran his bistro and pub like clockwork, leaving him free to pursue other, less wholesome hobbies.

“Tragically, yes,” Daniel said, gently roughing up her hair. “You’re immune to my charms these days. Though, I’m not sureIcan say the same.” Daniel swept his eyes over Amber’s ample chest, and she rolled her eyes.

“Whilst I appreciate the compliment, think again, darling. Once bitten, twice shy, remember?”

“Only once? I recall a lot more biting than that.”

Amber winced. “Ouch. Okay, boss. Back to work. Here are the updated menus,” she said, handing him the collection she had clutched at her chest. “I’ll open the bistro.”

6

KITTY

Kitty pulledup outside Rose Cottage. Its sturdy, white plaster walls and thick thatch roof were the scene of a thousand jigsaw puzzles. Memories of summers long gone flooded back. Often shipped off to spend the long holidays with her aunt, Kitty loved escaping the pressure of her overbearing mum.

Flashbacks of making forts in haystacks, gathering blackberries and fishing for minnows in the river filled her mind. Kitty smiled. How simple life had been back then. She had no intense drive in her gut to succeed and no thoughts outside of what adventures the next day would bring.

Kitty picked up the champagne and stepped out of her pristine Audi, and the steamy, earthy after-rain smell filled her nostrils. She smoothed down her skirt and checked that her hair was still in place. Before she could knock at the rose-rimmed door, it opened, and her cousin Jonty stood at the threshold with a huge grin.

“Hello, Kitty-Kat,” he called. Kitty threw him an exaggerated eye roll at the nickname. It had been years since she’d heard it. Jonty snickered. “We’ll have no insubordination, thank you. You’re here to work, Cinders.”

“Well, I see you’ve changed very little, Jonty,” Kitty said, a smirk on her lips.

“Apart from the receding hairline and the developing paunch.” He laughed, rubbing his pot belly. “Come in, and I’ll show you to the kitchens.”

Kitty followed Jonty into the cottage. Its interior was a collection of hodgepodge passageways and rooms. The low beams above her head made her feel like Alice after she’d sampled the “Eat Me” cake in Wonderland. Surfaces cluttered with trinkets and picture frames fought for space, and a worrying amount of cat fur coated the soft furnishings and gathered in the corners.

He led her to the kitchen. It was the heart of the house. Modern and tidy, and thankfully a decent coffee machine was perched on the countertop. French doors opened onto the patio, and the sweeping view of the fields, stretching out before the garden, took her breath away. She’d spent far too long in the concrete jungle.