Then he leant in and grinned, making my blood pressure spike. ‘This is going to be fun.’
'I doubt it,' I said, pulling the wreath from his hands and hanging it back on the wall.
Behind me, he whistledLet It Snowas my fingers tightened among the greenery.
four
HENRY
By nine pm,the driveway looked like a Tesco car park on Christmas Eve.
SUVs lined up nose-to-tail, drivers opening doors, voices echoing across the courtyard. Children in matching red coats, and adults who looked preened to perfection and not like they’d spent twenty-four hours travelling. There was enough luggage piled neatly at the bottom of the stairs to clothe a village. I guessed being the bellboy likely fell to me.
And in the middle of it all stood Amanda Inglis. The sharply tailored, inappropriately heeled, neatly ponytailed figure of interest. Despite the perfectly coiffed millionaires departing the cars, she gleamed like a rare gem amongst them.
I couldn’t even explain why. It wasn’t like she’d been nice to me, not even personable, really. But her sharp little tongue ignited something deep inside me. Some feral urge that craved to know more about her.
‘Henry, could you help with the luggage? They are all labelled with the room names.’ She secured a label to the last case and looked at me expectantly.
Her tone was polite, but frosty.
I gave her a cheery grin, enjoying how much it seemed to irritate her. Merv brayed off in the distance, sensing upheaval. I liked to think he was backing me up.
One of the children, a little girl of around seven, looked me up and down as I descended the stone stairs. ‘Are you the butler?’
The accent? Adorable.
‘No,’ I said. ‘I’m the gardener.’
She frowned. ‘In winter?’
‘In winter, we prepare for next year.’
She scrunched her nose. ‘Can I see the donkey?’
‘After everyone is settled,’ I promised. ‘He’ll be delighted to make a new friend.’
Amanda shot me a look, as though her fun detectors started flashing the minute someone dared to smile.
‘Henry,’ she said crisply, crossing the gravel like an angry cat. “Could youpleaseget the cases in?”
Damn. I imagined making her moanpleasesin far more interesting ways.
‘Of course,’ I said. ‘Wouldn’t want the bags getting cold.’
‘Be serious.’
‘Never.’ I bit back a grin.
She rolled her eyes and turned away, already onto the next thing on her eye-watering list of tasks and times. Watching her was like watching someone conduct an orchestra. Every single movement of hers was meticulous.
I’d seen efficient people before, but I’d never seen anyone so bloody uptight with it.
She moved fast, but precisely. Petite, dark-haired, dark-eyed. Deliciously out of reach.
I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t mesmerising.
I’d never met anyone less in need of help. Or less inclined to accept it. Yet, I wanted to find a way to see what her smile would be like. To see her loosen up and laugh. To hear her moan those pretty pleases in my ear as I…
