Page 120 of All Wrapped Up
‘No rush,’ she said and turned towards the farmhouse.
The trail looked rather different in the daylight and I tookmy time walking the path towards where I knew the seating was. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about my previous visit in the dark with Ash.
We had cleared the air that evening after the awkwardness that followed the Fenview Feast, but everything was muddled again now. As I wandered along, with Pixie sniffing at the fallen leaves, I couldn’t help wondering if things might have turned out differently between us if we had kissed that night…
Lost in my thoughts, I sat on the bench in the clearing. I didn’t take any notice when Pixie pulled on her lead, assuming she’d caught the scent of something she wanted to chase, but when she barked and I heard heavy footfalls I looked up to find Ash rushing to meet us and I had to pay attention then.
‘Clemmie,’ he puffed, once he’d caught his breath. ‘I’m so relieved you’re here.’
‘You are?’ I frowned, taken aback by the seriousness of his tone.
‘Yes,’ he said, as he took a step closer. ‘I am. My god, Clemmie, I’ve only just found out.’
‘Found out what?’ I asked as I stood up and Pixie strained towards him.
He looked at me for a moment and swallowed hard. ‘About how…’ he awkwardly started, then pulled off his hat and twisted it in his hands. ‘About how Callum… died. I’ve literally just been told.’
I felt my throat go dry.
‘Andthat you were at the rescue by the river the other night,’ he then continued.
‘I see.’ I swallowed, feeling myself go hot.
‘Tim’s just seen your Land Rover parked up and said it was there that night and when I told him it belonged to you, he felt awful. He said he saw you and talked to you, but didn’t know it was you and if he had, he would have helped you because he knew what had happened to Callum by then, even though until he just filled me in, I didn’t.’
‘It was fine,’ I lied. I felt incredibly touched that Ash still hadn’t typed my name into a search engine. He had doubtless been waiting for me to tell him the details myself, but of course, for one reason and another, I hadn’t managed it. It was odd to think that he was one of the last people to know, when really, he should have been the first. ‘I didn’t need help.’
‘But it must have been terrifying—’
‘Well, I’ve had better nights out,’ I cut in. ‘But I didn’t know what I was going to find there when I stopped, did I? I just happened to see the lights and…’
‘How did you see the lights when you were supposed to be at the cottage waiting for me?’ he asked.
‘Oh, I had to unexpectedly go out,’ I blagged. I wasn’t about to confess to being in a panic and trying to track him down. ‘Anyway, it doesn’t matter now.’
‘Of course it matters,’ he said, taking another step nearer. ‘Had I known you’d been thereandabout Callum’s accident, I would have kept you properly informed and come to the cottage to let you know I was okay straight after. You must have been worried.’
‘I was when I realised what was going on,’ I admitted. ‘But then I spotted you with Will and knew you were all right. How’s the horse, by the way?’
‘Never mind the horse,’ Ash said, sounding frustrated.
‘Look,’ I said. ‘I don’t want to talk about it, which is why I’m trying to move the conversation on.’
‘Okay, sorry,’ he said, running a hand through his hair. ‘Well, the horse is fine. We’re taking her to a local charity next week as no one’s claimed her.’
‘That’s so sad.’
‘It could have been a far worse outcome. You saw how the river was raging that night. Sorry,’ he then immediately apolo-gised, with a wince. ‘That was insensitive.’
‘It’s fine,’ I said. ‘Please don’t feel like you’ve got to pussyfoot around me.’
‘All right,’ he said, his shoulders dropping a little. ‘Going forward, I’ll try not to.’
He reached out in a way that I recognised as him coming in for a hug and I stepped back, almost tripping over Pixie in my haste.
‘What is it?’ Ash frowned.
‘Nothing,’ I whispered.
