“By all means.” Pippa led him through to the back door. “You know, next time, if it’s easier, just hop over the fence.”
“Grantham let me do that,” Todd admitted. “But given that you’re living here alone, I didn’t think you’d want a man you barely know strolling about the garden.”
Pippa was touched by his consideration. She opened the door to the garden and sure enough, Juniper was gambolling around like a giddy puppy, albeit a 500-pound one with uneven teeth. Todd loped out to the garden, pulling a collar from his pocket.
“Come on now, lovey.” He clicked his teeth. “Let’s get.” Juniper was snuffling in the ground. She had clearly found something delicious growing there and was not in the mood to move. Todd clipped the collar on and added a leash. “Wilbur will be missing you.”
Juniper rolled her eyes; Pippa was certain of it. “Who’s Wilbur?”
“Her paramour,” Todd replied, rolling the r’s. Then he huffed. “Well, he wishes. We’re hoping they breed but no luck so far.”
“Juniper has a boyfriend?” Pippa said. “That’s so cute!”
“Don’t get too excited. He’s a lazy sack of shit,” Todd replied. “He sleeps approximately twenty-three hours of the day and suffice to say that does not do it for Juniper.”
Pippa laughed, hard. “Juniper wants more from life. Can’t blame her.”
“I can definitely relate!” Todd chuckled. “I left my steady, well-paid job in marketing to wander around the moors picking wild garlic and looking after wayward swine. MaybeJuniperis my soulmate and not Pat.”
“Wilbur has some competition then,” Pippa said. “I take it we won’t be expecting piglets any time soon?”
“Unless Wilbur develops a personality or performs some grand romantic gesture, I don’t think we’ll have any luck. I can see the disgust in her eyes when she looks at him.” Todd shrugged. “Tams are endangered, so I was really hoping she’d throw him a bone.”
“Poor Juniper.” Pippa could barely stop laughing enough to get the words out. “Nice to know I’m not the only one with a disastrous love life.”
“Disaster is the word,” Todd affirmed. “Every time I see her, she looks up at me as if to sayyou expect me to shag that?No wonder she broke free.” He looked down at his pig. “Come on. Home.” He tugged at the leash, but the pig was immovable, like a rock. Juniper’s stubborn expression combined with Todd’s ineffectual attempts to move her had Pippa laughing hard to the point of weakness. When Juniper nonchalantly let out an enormous fart, Pippa thought she might collapse in hysterics and so she reached out a hand to steady herself, but instead of the wall, she hit warm, firm muscle. Startled, she turned.
“What’s going on here?” Wolfie had snuck up behind her at some point in the conversation. He was in running gear, all of which was clinging to his sweat-soaked body. His rumpled blond locks were damp and sticking to his head. This, coupled with exertion flushed cheeks made him look younger, less severe.
“Where did you spring from?” Pippa was agog. She hadn’t seen him since theTop Stayvisit, yet here he was as if he’d never left. Wolfie glared down at her, lips parted as if taken aback by her impertinence. Pippa swallowed, forcing a polite smile. “I mean, hi.” He smelled, overwhelmingly, of the outdoors.
“Got in a little while ago and went straight for a run.” Wolfie glanced down at his smart watch.
“I’ve been here all day!” Pippa was perplexed. She hadn’t even realised he was back. “When was that? Are you some kind of ninja?”
“It’s a big house,” he said with a small smile. “I was in and out. Wanted to get into the hills.” He gesticulated towards Clough Hill, which was clearly visible from the garden.
Pippa looked over the moorland to the hill. A destination for avid hikers, although it wasn’t too far from Squires, it was at least a three-mile trek and incredibly steep in places. “You ran upthere?”
Wolfie swigged water from a bottle he was carrying. “Yup,” he said, as if it were no big deal. “Tell me, Pippa Munro, why is there a gigantic pig tearing up my garden?”
“Sorry about that!” Todd called from where he was still trying to convince Juniper to abandon her rooting. “I’ll have her next door as soon as she takes the brakes off.”
Wolfie gave him a long, somewhat bemused stare then nodded slowly, looking back down at Pippa.
“I have a visitor this afternoon. Another potential buyer. Okay?”
“Of course.” Pippa wondered why he even cared to ask her opinion on the matter. With another brusque nod, Wolfie headed into the house. Pippa turned back to watch Todd’s efforts, but she no longer wanted to laugh. Wolfie’s brief appearance had left her jangled with curiosity. She couldn’t work out if he was rude or shy or arrogant, or all of the above. The not knowing made her simultaneously want to drill him with questions whilst also staying clear of the man. It was then that Pippa realised she was still coated in the homemade cleaning solution, and she wanted to scream. She must have looked – and smelled – like a total fool. No wonder he scarpered off.
“So I finally get a good look at the elusive man of the house,” Todd remarked, panting heavily from his exertions with Juniper.
“You’ve never met?” Pippa asked. “But you’ve been here ages now.”
Todd shrugged. “We only ever spoke to Grantham. Wolfie, we would spy from afar on rare occasions, like some kind of celebrity.” He raised his eyebrows. “He looks good in shorts.”
“Can’t say I noticed,” Pippa said airily, although inwardly she agreed wholeheartedly.
“Give over! You have eyes, don’t you?” Todd shot back.
