Page 23 of Falling for Provence

‘It’s Saturday,’ she finally said aloud. ‘Because there was a market happening yesterday, and Julien said they only happen on Tuesdays and Fridays, didn’t he?’

Saying his name aloud made it almost seem as if he was in the room.

Her bedroom…

Getting out of bed was the best way to step well away from that line of thought. Ellie lifted Pascal down so that he wouldn’t hurt his leg.

‘We’ve got a busy day ahead,’ she informed him. ‘After breakfast, we’re going to have a go at that wall in the living room. There’s no point in cleaning the floor if we’re just going to make a whole lot more mess, is there?’

It didn’t feel silly talking to a dog any longer. Even the use of the shared pronoun felt perfectly natural. The donkeys, as other living creatures, were all very well and quite likeable but they were out of sight most of the time. This new companion was right by her side. He had even snuck upstairs during the night to stay close, and Ellie liked that. By the end of that day she found that she was liking it enough that any hovering mist of loneliness at being in a foreign country by herself had virtually evaporated.

The only mist around her this evening consisted of particles of plaster that were everywhere. On her skin, all over her clothes and right through her hair. It wasn’t finished by any means, but the reward of uncovering the stone was irresistible, and Ellie had barely stopped for anything more than a glass of water or a quick bathroom break all day.

‘Why would they have covered them up with plaster?’ Pascal hadn’t seemed bored by the repeated question as more and more stones were scraped and then scrubbed. ‘They’re gorgeous.’

It was past time to stop scraping now, however.

‘I need a bath,’ she announced. Stooping to pat the dog, Ellie could feel the grit in Pascal’s hair. ‘Youneed a bath, too. What are we going to do about that?’ She straightened up with a grin. ‘Reckon we need a glass of wine and a think.’

The terrace was rapidly becoming Ellie’s favourite part of this property, even in its totally neglected state. She loved this view. She could let herself relax as her gaze rested on that endless horizon of the sea in the distance, enjoy the soft green of the forests, feel inspired by the towering rocks of the mountains and finally search out the glow of nearby lemons in the fading light.

The dark shape moving amongst the lemon trees at the far end of the orchard was decidedly more disconcerting, and she could feel her heart miss a beat. Had one of the donkeys escaped from the olive grove?

No. The shape quickly became human and, even before it was close enough to recognise anything, Ellie knew it was Julien. A faint alarm bell sounded in the back of her head, reminding her how disturbing it had been to feel attracted to her neighbour, but her heart was overriding the warning. After skipping that beat it was speeding up now, and perhaps it was an increase in blood flow that was creating a tingle that made it feel like her whole body was coming alive.

He’d never been this far into the neighbouring property before. The only time Julien had even crossed the fence on the otherside of the olive grove had been that evening he’d rushed to snatch Theo out of Ellie’s arms.

Fear had morphed so easily into anger, hadn’t it? And he’d directed that anger at a woman who hadn’t deserved it. Ellie Gilchrist had a gentle soul. Maybe a part of him had recognised that the moment he’d seen her cradling his son, but he hadn’t wanted to see it. Hadn’t wanted to find her attractive in any way.

But he hadn’t been able to forget the way she’d been so determined to save the life of that scruffy little dog yesterday. He’d seen the moment her heart had truly been captured, as well, in the expression on her face when the dog had wagged its tail.

That smile…

He’d stopped himself from going to see her last night even though it had been easy to think of an excuse – like checking to see that the injury to her elbow hadn’t been more serious than he’d thought, or that the dog hadn’t chewed the bandage off its leg, perhaps. His latest motivation had taken him by surprise and seemed like such a good idea he’d started walking in this direction before he’d had time to talk himself out of it.

‘Ellie!’ He called out as soon as he saw her standing outside on her terrace in case she was frightened by someone approaching at this time of the day. ‘C’est moi… Julien.’

As he stepped closer, he thought he must have already frightened her. She looked like a ghost, standing there so still with her face as white as a sheet. The little dog was standing beside her. Pressed against her leg, in fact, as if he was preparing to defend his new owner.

‘Mon Dieu…’ Julien stopped as soon as he reached the flagstones of the terrace. ‘Ellie… what’s happened? Are you all right?’

She was holding a glass of wine, he noticed. Not something that people normally did if they were injured or unwell. He peered at her more closely.

‘Whatisthat? On your face…’

‘Plaster dust.’ Ellie was looking embarrassed. ‘Aye… I know. I’m filthy. I… erm… wasn’t expecting a visitor.’ Her eyes widened as her expression changed. ‘Oh, my God… Theo hasn’t gone missing again, has he?’

‘No… not at all. He’s with my mother. Andhermother. She takes him to visit once a week, and it’s a mountain village a fair drive away, so they always stay the night.’

It was fascinating to watch the change in Ellie’s features yet again, as relief wiped out any anxiety. Unlike many women – unlikeSarah– she’d never be able to hide how she truly felt about something, would she?

‘Oh…’ He could see indecision now. And the note of shyness in her hesitation was unexpectedly appealing. ‘Would you like a glass of wine?’

‘I don’t want to inconvenience you. I just came over because I thought of something. I might know someone who would be able to give the dog a home. My grandmother, in fact.’

‘Oh?’ Ellie didn’t look nearly as pleased as he’d thought she might. She actually turned away. The dog turned with her, as if this was an exercise in obedience. ‘It’s no inconvenience,’ she said. ‘I’ll get you a glass.’

He followed her to the door and then stopped again. He could see where the plaster dust had come from. Furniture had been moved to one side of this room, and a large section of the wall had been scraped to reveal the stonework beneath.

---