Page 3 of Yule Party on Sunflower Street

He held up a hand. ‘I don’t need to know all that, thank you very much.’

She folded her arms across her chest. His brusque tone stung, leaving her feeling suddenly vulnerable.

He sighed. ‘I just came to introduce myself.’

‘Well, hello there, Mr?’

‘Hudson,’ he said gruffly. ‘Seth Hudson.’

He held out a hand and Tara accepted it, eyes widening when their skin met and a jolt of electricity shot up her arm.

‘Damned static,’ he muttered, yanking his hand back and rubbing it against his jacket.

‘Sorry. Must be from the… uhm… bubble wrap.’ Tara’s cheeks burned.

‘Hmm.’ He frowned down at the mess.

‘I’m Tara,’ she said because he hadn’t asked or given her a chance to share her name. ‘Tara Warren.’

He gave a small nod of acknowledgement. ‘Yes, you are. So, is everything OK here?’

‘Yes. Yes. Everything’s great, oh… except for the toilet issue,’ she said.

‘Right. But the plumber should be here today to sort that out as per my email,’ he replied.

‘Yes. That’s brilliant. Thank you.’

Stop saying ‘Yes’!

She scanned his face, wondering if he was always this grumpy or if he’d got out of bed on the wrong side.

‘Well, you have my email and my number if you have any questions or problems. I can always drop in. Which I might do anyway, as I’d be interested to see what you have in the way of stock.’

‘Christmas fan, are you?’ She flashed him her warmest smile, hoping to thaw his chilly demeanour.

‘Absolutely not!’ He gave a small laugh as if she’d said the funniest thing he’d ever heard. ‘I just think you’ll do well here in this little village. It seems to be the type of place where the locals make a big deal of Christmas.’

He sniffed, glanced around once more then turned on his heel and went to the door. ‘See you,’ he said, before letting himself out and leaving a cold blast of wintry air in his wake.

Sadie reappeared from the kitchen. ‘Right old Mr Scrooge, that one.’

Tara sighed. ‘Let’s hope he doesn’t get visited by the three ghosts then, eh?’

Sadie sniggered. ‘Might do him some good.’

‘Perhaps…’ Tara looked back at the door Mr Hudson had just walked through and shrugged. She had far too much to get through to waste time worrying about grinchy landlords who didn’t like Christmas. She turned her attention back to her to-do list and got on with the far more important business of preparing for opening day.

2

SETH HUDSON

Back out on the street, Seth shivered as the cold air crept under his collar. It seemed particularly cold for November, and the forecasters had predicted lots of snow this winter. He didn’t like snow or the way it impacted everything from roads to railways, as well as closing schools. In this day and age, he was convinced there was no need for the working week to be disrupted by things like the weather, and he wished councils would be better prepared to ensure that life could go on as normal. It was quite ridiculous, really.

He surveyed the street, noting the lights in the shop windows and further along, the cosy glow in the windows of cottages and houses. Smoke curled upwards from a few chimneys, and the air was laced with the sweet smoky aroma of woodsmoke. If small villages were your thing, Wisteria Hollow had quaint village charm in abundance. Seth much preferred the hustle and bustle of a city to the small-town vibes of places like this. People were far too nosy, all wanting to know everything about you and how long you were intending to stay. Seth wasn’t intending to stay at all. He was simply here for business and had no intention of hanging around.

He turned and started walking along the pavement. For some reason, an image of Tara Warren popped into his head, with her wavy chestnut-brown hair framing her heart-shaped face and those hazel eyes that had widened when their hands touched. He pushed the image away. He had far more important things to think about than pretty women who seemed to like Christmas and all the fuss that came with it.

There was a café next door to the shop he was renting to the Warren sisters, but the previous week he’d had a coffee from a shepherd’s hut down near the boating lake and it had been delicious. He was a bit of a coffee snob, so he’d head back down there now and get a drink and a bite to eat before going back to Guildford.