*
‘Interesting outfit,’ Devon drawled. Ella jumped and almost dropped the armful of flowers she clutched.
‘What are you doing here?’ She looked horrified as he stepped out from behind the hedge which Dexter had been busily watering for the last few seconds.
‘You’re asking me that when you’re attempting to sneak across the green in a pair of pyjamas that are probably visible from the moon with a florist shop in your arms?’
‘It’s aonesie,’ she said, pulling herself up with a dismal attempt at gathering her dignity. ‘And it’s a free country.’
‘True, but I can’t help thinking it’s a bit out of character.’ He eyed the fleecy trousers with their lurid cavorting elephants with a grin. Even in the rapidly fading light he could tell she’d turned a brilliant shade of pink.
She shrugged and then winced before answering with surprising honesty. ‘It seemed like a good idea at the time.’
‘Riight. And the flowers?’
It was comical watching her face as she searched for an answer. He decided to help her out. ‘Fresh impetus? A late addition? I hear the vicar already called it monumental.’
She let out an annoyed huff. ‘Did Bets tell you?’
His lips twitched. ‘She might have mentioned it.’
‘Great.’ She scowled, her eyebrows almost meeting in the middle. Some of the flowers slipped and she shifted trying to hold onto them. He wanted to laugh at her but felt that it would be most definitely the wrong thing to do.
‘Want a hand?’
‘No, thank you.’ She lifted her neck with an imperious sniff at which point several stems tumbled out of her arms and Dexter gleefully pounced on them.
‘No!’ she cried and promptly several more rained down on top of the ecstatic dog who snapped at them as if it were a great game.
‘No, Dex.’ He grabbed the dog’s collar. ‘Sit.’ With a brief hesitation the dog obeyed.
‘How do you do that? Tess doesn’t pay a blind bit of notice to me.’
‘Practice.’ He bent to pick up the flowers. ‘Come on, I’ll help you carry them over. I take it this is a last-minute rescue operation.’
She stood there, several contrary expressions flitting across her face until with a resigned purse of her mouth she said, ‘Yes, thanks. I had . . . well, I’m hoping to simplify things a bit.’
He took some more flowers from her, the petals tickling his chin as he tried to grasp them.
‘Thanks for the advice the other day,’ she said hesitantly.
‘My pleasure.’
I take it as you didn’t call back there were no ill effects from her bin binge. And no more fish episodes?’
‘No.’ She groaned. ‘You always manage to turn up at the wrong moment. I’m getting quite good at this dog-owning malarkey.’
‘So no more dog disasters?’ His mouth quirked.
Ella wrinkled her face. ‘Apart from the wind. Dear God, it was awful.’
He laughed. ‘I thought it might be.’
‘Not to mention the mess. She threw up all over the kitchen floor, luckily just once but I had only finished cleaning it two minutes before. So I had to start over. Honestly, I think I spent nearly all day tidying up after her. Who knew dogs could be so time-consuming? I’m going to have words with my mother. Two meals a day and walks, she said.’
They’d almost reached the doors of the church in the porch and she turned her head towards him, suddenly formal again.
‘Thank you. Do you want to leave those there and I’ll come back for them?’
