Page 81 of The Christmas Fayre on Holly Field

‘I want you and Bobby to design some flyers. Do you think you can do that?’

Sara nodded.

‘Off you go, then. Owen and I have a lot to sort out.’

Harriet waited until Sara had left, before saying, ‘I’m glad you’re here.’

‘I thought you were ghosting me.’

‘I was, kind of. I was just so mad – at myself, mostly – that I couldn’t face speaking to you.’

‘But you can now?’

She beckoned him closer. ‘I can.’

He took a step.

‘You’ll need to come closer than that.’

‘Why?’ A smile was playing about his lips and his heart was beating faster.

‘So I can kiss you,’ she said.

‘The kids are upstairs,’ he pointed out.

‘Just a quick one…’

‘If you insist.’ He closed the gap between them and gathered her into his arms. As he lowered his head to hers, he murmured, ‘I thought I’d lost you.’

‘Would that have been so bad?’ she asked quietly.

‘It would have been awful. I think I’m falling in love with you, Harriet.’

He felt her hesitate and hoped he hadn’t scared her off. He hadn’t meant to tell her, but he hadn’t realised just how much she meant to him until he thought he had lost her. He wasn’tfalling in lovewith her – he hadfallen. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world.

‘I’m falling for you, too,’ she replied. ‘Now, shut up and kiss me, before someone can’t find a pencil!’

Chapter 17

As Harriet and Owen pushed open the door to the hairdresser’s, Lowri looked up from the permed curls of the woman whose hair she was combing out and did a double-take. ‘Are you two an item now? I’ve heard rumours.’

What a surprise, Harriet thought in resignation: rumour was the energy source that kept the village going. She didn’t mind, though. It was nice that everyone looked out for everyone else, and she was hoping this community spirit would be in evidence today.

‘Kind of,’ she said, shooting Owen a shy glance.

‘We are,’ he confirmed, putting an arm around her shoulders.

Harriet glowed. It was a novel experience having him by her side, and she was revelling in it, after having blagged Pen for an extra-long lunch break in order to get some flyers put up around the village. It was also an opportunity to introduce Owen to a few more people, because he was the one who’d be doing the lion’s share of the work in organising the Christmas Fayre. As soon as he had left her house yesterday, he had popped up to the farm and asked Aled’s permission to hold it on Holly Field, free of charge, and the farmer had reluctantly agreed. Now that they had a date, Harriet had added it to the flyers that Sara and Bobby had designed, and she had called into Powells Estate Agent on the way to work this morning to ask Dee if she would be kind enough to print some off.

Harriet couldn’t believe she’d gone from suffering from a despairing hangover yesterday to planning a Christmas Fayre today. They had already achieved so much and it was only Monday, although she did have a to-do list as long as her arm. She was hoping Kelly would take some things off her, and Owen would be responsible for the bulk of the remainder. After all, if it wasn’t for him and his assertion that people shouldn’t buy new if they could help it, holding a Christmas Fayre solely for pre-owned goods would never have entered anyone’s mind.

‘Can you put a flyer up?’ Harriet asked. ‘It’s for a Christmas Fayre.’

Lowri held her hand out and read it. ‘What a good idea! The baby is growing so fast, I can’t keep her in romper suits. And you need so many of them. I might be able to pick up a few little dresses for her for Christmas, too. I resent spending a fortune on baby clothes when she’s only in them for five minutes. Did your two spit up constantly, or is it just me who has a sicky baby?’

‘They all spit up,’ Harriet laughed. ‘I had permanent yellow stains on nearly every top I owned.’

‘What did you do?’ Lowri asked.

---