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Then she glanced back to where Matthew sat. Her heart lurched as their eyes caught.

Matthew swiftly darted his gaze away, but not before Winnie recognized the truth. He had been staring at her.

And her heart jumped again.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Matthew cursed his luck. Of course he’d be caught staring the one time he looked over at Winnie sitting on the bench.

Okay, he’d looked at her a bit more than once.

Fine, he’d seen her the second she’d sat down and hadn’t been able to stop staring at her since. She just looked so pretty that morning, sitting in the warm sunshine, an occasional smile on her lips as she spoke on the phone.

Just like now.

He sighed in frustration, once more pulling his gaze away from her. Was it any wonder she’d caught him staring? At this rate, she’d think he was obsessed with her or something.

What was she doing over there anyway? No doubt working still. Finding more ways to destroy his festival.

“Do you know her or something?”

Matthew looked to his sister seated beside him on the blanket. “What?”

“That girl,” Char said. “You keep looking over at her and leering.”

Matthew pulled a face. “I’m not leering.”

Especially at Winnie, a woman full of herself yet incapable of opening doors. His lip twitched at the memory of the day before.

“You’re doing it again,” Char said.

He cursed, pulling his gaze away from Winnie once more. Why did he keep doing that?

“So…why don’t you go talk to her?” Char pressed.

He pulled back, giving his sister a look. “Why would I do that?”

“You obviously think she’s cute, otherwise you wouldn’t be staring at her so much.”

Matthew cringed. It was true. He did find Winnie attractive. But the last thing he wanted to do was talk to her.

“Yeah, I think I’m fine.”

“Why? Why don’t you go over there? Chicken.”

He sniffed in ridicule at her goading. That wasn’t going to work on him today. “Trust me, my speaking with her would do none of us any good.”

Char stared at him, but he focused harder on his nieces as they attempted to kick the football, first placing it with their hands on the ground.

“No hands!” he called out again.

They giggled, and he couldn’t help but smile. Dad had taught him to play football the same way, refusing to allow him the use of his hands. Matthew never had, but how could he fault his adorable nieces for not being as strait-laced with the rules as he was?

Despite his adherence to the rules, he’d never made it far in football. His friend, Cedric, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter. As a professional footballer from Wales, if the man touched a ball with his hands while in play, he’d be bullied from one end of the country to the next. He’d already been torn apart by the media for pulling a muscle and having to sit out for a season for Habergham FC.

Matthew had always admired his mate’s stamina and grace, even under intense media scrutiny. Matthew wasn’t sure he’d be able to do the same.

He couldn’t even handle Char’s scrutiny right now.