‘Well, if you need me to do anything else, you only have to shout. I’m happy to help.’
‘I appreciate it, Bella,’ Noah said quietly. ‘I do, really. Just knowing there’s someone here to keep an eye on the place helps a lot.’
A gentle pause descended between them. This living arrangement still felt odd to Bella, but she was determined to make it as easy as possible for the two of them. She could tell, even having spent a short amount of time with Noah during the weekends that he’d been visiting, that there was so much he had to work through regarding Jack and the cottage and a huge part of her wanted to make this as pain-free an experience as possible for him. If he’d been a closer friend, she was sure she’d have been able to read him better, but it felt as though she was getting to know him. She only hoped he was telling her the truth when he’d said she was already helping.
40
Bella left for Purrfect Paws soon afterwards and didn’t return until after three in the afternoon. Mollie had seemed slightly more optimistic than she had earlier in the week, but Bella was sure she was just putting a brave face on it. When Bella had tried to talk to her about the letter from the landlord, Mollie had made it clear that it wasn’t a subject she wanted to discuss any further. So, for the time being, Bella tried to focus on the jobs for today, and to stop worrying about her dear friend.
As she ambled back to the cottage, she could see that Noah had left the side gate open, and the large green wheelie bin that was intended for garden waste had been pulled through to the rear garden. Rather than go through the house, she thought she’d take a look and see how much of the garden Noah had been able to tackle.
First impressions were favourable. The lawn had been strimmed, the honeysuckle that had been running wild over the fences and the trellis on the back wall had been cut right back, and Noah had managed to unearth a small wooden bench at the bottom of the garden which had been virtually buried in the undergrowth. The rose bushes that lined either side of the lawn had been freed from their prison of bindweed, and the bamboo at the bottom of the garden had been chopped down to the ground, too. Once the lawn was mown, it would look far more presentable.
Of the man himself, though, there was no sign. Bella wandered across the lawn, breathing in the heady scent of honeysuckle and old English roses, underpinned by the sweet aroma of the strimmed grass. The air was heavy and balmy, and Bella remembered again why this was her very favourite time of year. She could hear bumble bees making their way through the roses and realised what a sanctuary this beautiful garden must have been for Jack. How much better it looked, even after one afternoon’s work from Noah.
As she headed into the kitchen for a glass of water, she stopped dead in the doorway. Noah, obviously having had the same idea, was stripped down to his cargo shorts, and was gulping back a pint glass of water. Bella drew in a sharp breath as her eyes were drawn to the toned and tanned back and shoulders, and the lean, loose limbs. He obviously hadn’t clocked her in the doorway, and as he turned around she saw the fine dark hairs on his chest and found her own mouth going suddenly dry. Bumping into him in the hallway that morning had given her a quick impression of his body, but at that point she’d been keen to get past him. Now, she took a moment to appreciate him, without seeming to do so, of course. At least she hoped he hadn’t noticed.
‘Hey,’ he smiled as he put the pint glass down on the draining board. ‘How was Mollie?’
‘A bit better today,’ Bella said quickly. ‘She doesn’t like letting her guard down and I think she was doing her best to seem cheerful.’
‘Well, my offer stands if she wants to talk things over,’ Noah smiled. ‘Any new guests?’
‘Nope, thank goodness, but we had a win – one of our older residents, Cassiopeia, was re-homed in Everscombe this afternoon. She can live out her years in relative peace and quiet, which is exactly what she needed.’ Aware she was starting to gabble, Bella reached into a cupboard and got a glass down for herself.
‘Here, let me.’ Noah took the glass from her and filled it up. Passing it back to her, she felt the jolt as their fingers touched. Heat was emanating from his body and her senses reeled to see the usually immaculately clothed Noah looking sweaty and dishevelled. Looking up at his face as she sipped her water, she found her other hand, the hand that wasn’t clutching the glass, reaching up to remove a cable of honeysuckle from his hair.
‘Looks like you missed a bit,’ she murmured, her voice huskier than it should have been.
Noah grew still at her touch and she felt him draw a lightly shuddering breath as her hand rested in his hair. Then, with a nervous laugh, he moved away from her. ‘I’m going to be finding that stuff for hours! I feel like I’ve been cutting my way through the Amazon all day.’
Bella laughed, too, and the tension of the moment was displaced. ‘You’ve done a great job, though. I can’t believe what was under all that overgrown mess.’
‘I’ll have to mow the lawn tomorrow, but hopefully I can get it looking good enough that I won’t have to get anyone else in to sort it out.’ Noah looked pleased at the compliment, but, obviously conscious that he was walking around without a top on, he reached for his polo shirt and threw it back on. ‘I’ll, er, get back out there. Might as well try to get some more done while the weather’s still good.’
‘OK,’ Bella smiled. ‘I’m off to work at five o’clock, so if I don’t see you, I will when I get back – if you’re still awake!’
‘I might head down to the pub later,’ Noah said. ‘I don’t fancy cooking tonight, and I think I deserve a pint or three of cider for tackling that hayfield of a lawn.’
‘Oh, definitely!’ Bella laughed. ‘In fact, I’ll buy you one myself.’
‘I’ll take you up on that.’ Noah looked down at her again and Bella felt that little speeding up of the heart that both frustrated and excited her.
‘Don’t forget to feed Monty before you come out,’ Bella said. ‘Or he’ll kick up a right stink when we get back.’
‘I won’t.’
Bella watched him retreat and knew she should give herself another good talking to, but the words seemed to stick in her brain. She couldn’t deny it any longer: she was definitely attracted to Noah. And from the way he’d been responding to her just now, she was pretty ready to bet that the feeling was mutual.
41
By the time Noah had cleared away the last of the leaf litter and the debris from the cuttings into the green bin, ready to be collected on Monday morning by the garden waste lorry, he felt as though he deserved a drink. He’d been behind a desk for too long. It felt good to be out in the open air, and the observable results in the garden were very satisfying to see. While he wouldn’t win any prizes for his panache with a pair of secateurs, he was an enthusiastic amateur. He was finally beginning to understand why his grandfather had loved being out here, tending to the roses and the creepers, so much.
A little later on, showered and starting on his first pint in the pub, he passed the time by people watching. He was beginning to recognise some of the faces, and he could pretend, for a while, that he was becoming a regular himself. He smiled back when Nick Saint, popping in for a swift drink after the farm shop had closed for the evening, gave him a grin, and passed the time of day with Jen, the landlady, when she brought him his food.
‘I hear Monty’s settling back in well at home,’ Jen said as she put down a generous portion of lasagne and garlic bread.
‘He is.’ Noah smiled. ‘Bella’s looking after him really well. He’s thriving now he’s back where he belongs.’
