Dulcie appeared in the doorway. ‘Hi, Ashton. Is anything wrong?’
‘Not at all. I wondered whether I could park my car in your yard? I’m off for a walk, you see, and—’
‘He thinks the cat I saw this morning might be a stoat or a weasel. He wants to photograph it.’ Carla sounded excited.
Dulcie’s gaze dropped to his chest and the camera sitting there. ‘You’re a photographer?’
‘In my spare time.’
‘Any good?’ she asked.
‘Not bad. Hardly professional level, though.’
‘If you manage to take a couple of snaps of it, will you show me?’ Carla asked.
Snaps?He tried not to take offence. ‘I will,’ he promised. ‘But the likelihood of seeing it is small.’
‘Isaw it.’
‘Right place, right time,’ he replied mildly.
Dulcie suddenly asked, ‘Is photography just a hobby, or do you take on paid work?’
‘Not as such. I have sold a couple of photos, though.’ He tried to gauge why she wanted to know.
‘I wonder whether you could take some shots of the farm for our website? I’ll happily pay the going rate.’
‘I’d be delighted to, but there’s really no need to pay me.’
Dulcie scowled at him. ‘That’s no way to run a business.’
‘I’m not running a business. I do this for fun.’ He gently tapped the camera.
‘I’ll pay you in kind, then,’ she said, shooting Carla a look when Carla giggled.
Ashton refused to meet Carla’s eye. ‘There’s no need,’ he reiterated.
‘There absolutely is!’ Dulcie was insistent. ‘How about some fresh produce? We’ve got pears, eggs, milk and cheese, and I could add a couple of punnets of blackberries. Oh, and how about soap? Perhaps your girlfriend would like to take a look at our website and choose some. We do candles, too. Better still, how about a nice romantic meal for two in The Wild Side?’
She was gazing at him hopefully, and Ashton tried not to flinch. He had no intention of stepping through The Wild Side’s door ever again. Not after the last time.
‘I, um, don’t have a girlfriend.’ He glanced at Carla as he said it, then hastily looked away.
Dulcie said, ‘Sorry, I thought you did. My mistake.’
‘We split up.’
‘That’s a shame. Would your mum like something instead?’
‘The fresh produce is fine,’ he replied, not wanting any but guessing that Dulcie wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
‘Great! I’ll leave a note with my number on under your windscreen wiper, and we can chat about it tomorrow or the day after, if that’s okay?’
‘That’s fine.’
‘We could do it now, but we’re going out in half an hour and I need to get ready. We’re having dinner at The Wild Side.’ Her eyes widened. ‘You’re welcome to join us.’
He caught Carla’s surprised expression out of the corner of his eye. Even if he did consider accepting Dulcie’s offer, he got the impression that Carla wouldn’t appreciate him being there.
