Page 16 of Coming Home to Roseford Villas
‘Poor Corinne!’ Rory replied. ‘I can kind of see where she was coming from.’
Leo sighed. ‘Me too,’ he said. ‘But it didn’t make it any easier, trying to explain that to my folks, and as the years went by and we both got embedded in our careers, we just ended up trying to ignore that we both felt completely differently to each other. I married her because I loved her, and I convinced myself that not having kids wasn’t a deal-breaker: maybe, eventually, she’d come around and we would try for a baby. It was unfair of me to assume that, and it put her under a lot of pressure at times. I began to realise that if you don’t want kids as a guy, no one really seems to judge you, but if you’re a woman and you don’t want children, other people can be at best judgemental, at worst downright offensive. Why is that?’
‘I don’t know,’ Rory replied dryly. ‘Patriarchy, perhaps?’
‘One nil to Rory Dean,’ Leo said, equally dryly. Suddenly, he grabbed Rory’s shoulders and pulled her back a step or two.
‘What are you doing?’ she squawked as she nearly lost her footing.
‘Sorry,’ Leo said. ‘I should have warned you about the bats. They start flying in circles in the garden at this time of night, eating the insects. You were just about to have one land in your hair!’
Rory giggled nervously. ‘I’m sure they won’t hurt me.’
‘Of course not, but I didn’t want them to scare you.’
‘So you grabbed me instead?’ Rory shook her head. ‘That’s male logic, if ever I heard it.’
‘Not exactly,’ Leo murmured. He still had one arm around her. ‘It gave me the excuse to get a bit closer to you.’
‘Oh, you’re such a charmer!’ Rory began to laugh. ‘I’ve kind of missed that.’
‘I’ve missed you,’ Leo said softly. ‘I didn’t know how much until I saw you on the doorstep.’
Rory shivered at the intensity in Leo’s voice. On the one hand, she was electrified by his words, but on the other, it felttoo much, too soon. She’d barely been in Roseford a few days and he’d only just begun to tell her about the past few years. She had the feeling that there was a lot more to unpack and she wasn’t prepared to risk having her heart broken by Leo McKendrick again.
‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Leo,’ she said as gently as she could. ‘We’ve had a bit of wine, and we’re both probably still high on being able to spend time together after so long apart. I don’t think either of us should be making any bold statements right now.’
Leo’s eyebrows quirked in surprise. ‘Again, I ask, who are you, and what have you done with the Rory I used to know?’
‘She’s still in there,’ Rory said, ‘but she’s a little more cautious than she used to be. And,’ she added, with a twinkle in her eye, ‘a little less bowled over by your blarney!’
Leo gave a laugh, and the tension that had settled between them dissipated. ‘I’m hurt,’ he said. ‘I never told you anything that I didn’t mean!’
‘What, never?’ Rory asked.
‘Well,’ Leo paused tantalisingly, ‘almost never. I really didn’t like those clumpy old brown suede moccasins you used to wear under your summer dresses. They didn’t suit you at all!’
Rory giggled. ‘But you insisted on walking everywhere! I’d have been covered in blisters if I hadn’t worn something comfortable.’
‘Yeah, but when you asked me if I liked them, I might not have been entirely truthful when I said that I thought they suited you!’
‘Oh, how will I ever trust you again?’ Rory put a hand over her heart. ‘That’s it, my faith has been destroyed.’ She paused. ‘Maybe if you walked me back across the lawn to the chalet, though, I’d find it in my heart to be able to forgive you.’
‘It’s a deal. And I swear to protect you from the bats, too.’
‘Glad to hear it. I wouldn’t want to be dive-bombed again.’
Rory watched as Leo hopped down off the patio and held out a hand to help her down the steps to the path that led back to the chalet. ‘My lady.’
‘Thank you, my lord.’ Rory’s hand settled in Leo’s, and they meandered hand in hand across the expanse of lawn.
‘Am I allowed to say that it’s been really nice tonight?’ Leo asked as they approached the chalet.
‘I think that’s all right,’ Rory said softly. ‘I think it’s been really nice, too.’
They paused at the steps up to the decking that lay outside the front door.
‘Well, this is me.’ Rory smiled. ‘Thank you for walking me home.’
