Did Rocco actually know anything about farm equipment? Differences between agricultural tractors and regular tractors? What fertilizers were best for different crops? Weather patterns and harvesting? It seemed that he did and, what he didn’t, he’d been keen to find out with the sort of phoney zeal that made her head spin.
He’d politely refused the offer of a bed but not until her father had been one hundred percent won over. When she’d made the mistake of yawning, her father had actually told her that she should go get some rest and that he’d see Rocco out!
On the spur of the moment, Ella dialled the mobile number that she now had, the very number she had previously been denied when she’d been the disposable woman he’d had a fling with.
‘What do you think you’re playing at?’
‘Ella?’
‘Of course it’s me! Who else is it going to be? Do you have women ringing you all hours? And what were you doing earlier? Didn’t I tell you to leave all the talking to me?’
Dressed in thick flannel pyjamas she’d had since she’d been a teenager, Ella slid off the bed, scowling, and strolled towards the chair by the window. When she parted the curtains, she peered out into a dark wilderness with a light dusting of snow covering the fields that stretched out into infinity. Christmas was everywhere…except here. It hadn’t really been here since her mother had died, even though some effort had been made for the past two Christmases. The back should have been ablaze with lights, and downstairs the tree should have been up and the stockings hung.
She let the curtain drop and tucked her knees up to her chest.
‘I don’t encourage women to ring me all hours, now that you mention it, and definitely not now that I’m a taken man.’
‘You’re nota taken man. I told you not to do any talking.’
‘I really like your father. Clever man. We had an informative chat after you left about how he could think of diversifying to make the most of his land. Apologies if I didn’t use the playbook you laid out.’
‘You’re not sorry at all.’
‘You’re right. I’m beginning to admire how well you read me.’
‘As long as you left it with us just being friends.’
‘As opposed to what?’
‘As opposed to…to…’
‘I won’t lie when I tell you that marriage is the best option for us, Ella. Especially meeting your father… Family life on both sides, although it’s fair to say my experience of family is wildly different to yours. He misses your mother.’
It took a couple of seconds for Ella to register the change of topic.
‘Sorry?’
‘Louise—your mother. He misses her every day. Especially at this time of year.’
‘What are you talking about? Did he tell you that?’
‘He did. Just before I left.’
Ella didn’t say anything. Her father had never shared his sorrow with her after her mother had died so suddenly. He had been stalwart and silent and she hadn’t quite known how to break through that barrier of quiet stoicism.
‘What…what did he say?’ she asked eventually. ‘He…he never talked to me about that. He was there for me but I was never sure if I was ever there for him in the same way.’
Rocco’s voice was a thoughtful murmur. ‘I think he’s a very protective dad. He didn’t want to burden you with his own feelings at such a sad time. He’s a strong, silent man whois perhaps a little hesitant when it comes to freely expressing emotion.’
Ella’s voice was ragged and distressed. ‘It’s a little upsetting to think that he shared stuff with you he felt he couldn’t share with me.’
‘Ella, you really mustn’t think that way. You must think that you’re very lucky to have a father who loves you so much and whose driving desire is to always do what he thinks is best for you.’
‘Thanks for saying that, Rocco,’ she said gruffly, because his words helped that sudden, jarring unhappiness.
‘It’s the truth. He said that this Christmas is going to be very different, special, because of…our situation. I got the feeling that this baby on the way has struck him deeply.’
‘Yes, I think so.’
