Page 44 of The Secret Mistletoe Promise
‘None,’ Imogen said firmly. ‘You looked after her when you were both grieving, dealing with something incomprehensible. You look after her all day, every day, and she’s … I mean, I don’t know a lot about kids, but she’scompletelybrilliant, and she seems genuinely happy and settled.’ She thought of her chat with Lucy, how concerned she was about her dad, the love that so clearly flowed between them. ‘I think so,’ Dexter said. ‘But sometimes – a lot of the time – I have no idea what I’m doing.’
‘Who does, honestly? I thinkyoudo. I think …’
‘What?’ He searched her face.
‘I think you’re great,’ Imogen said, going for the understatement of her life, and then, because she was an idiot, she punched him gently on the arm like they were bros.
Dexter’s eyes crinkled at the corners, and she was glad she’d amused him at least.
‘Baaaaaaaaaaaaah.’
‘Uh oh.’ Dexter finally looked away from her. ‘We took our attention off the goat.’
‘Where is he leading us?’ They started walking again,and her question was answered as they emerged from the trees and, ahead of them, cordoned off by a low fence, was a lake. ‘Goodness! What isthat?’
‘That’s Felix’s goat fort,’ Dexter said, and burst out laughing. ‘A new addition to the estate. I hadn’t seen it until now.’
‘Agoat fort?’ In the middle of the lake, which kept distracting Imogen because it perfectly reflected the sky, there was a tiny island, and on top of that there was a wooden structure that looked more like a hut than a fort. A walkway ran from the bank to the island, like the kind you got at nature reserves to stop you sinking into the marsh. ‘Harry built this for him?’
As they watched, Felix jumped the low fence and, turning to look at them, trotted up to the walkway and then clopped along it.
‘Better watch out for trolls!’ Imogen called, but Felix was unperturbed.
‘I thought he was joking. We were in the pub, and …’ Dexter shook his head.
‘What’s the story? I need to know.’
He pointed to a bench further around the lake and, keeping the goat in their sights, they made their way to it, finding a gate in the fence they could push open. They sat on the bench, and Imogen pulled her jacket more tightly around her.
‘Do you want mine too?’ Dexter asked.
‘Double jacket?’
‘It’s November.’ He shrugged out of his navy jacket and draped it over Imogen’s knees. The warmth enveloped her immediately.
‘Thank you.’ She failed to resist staring at the white shirt clinging to Dexter’s strong shoulders, his arms that were nicely, not overly, muscled. She turned her attention to Felix, who had reached his fort and climbed onto the roof, so he could survey his kingdom. ‘This is a ridiculous thing. You realize that, right? I thought Harry was sensible.’
‘He is marshmallow when it comes to that goat. And Sophie,’ Dexter added. ‘So, the story. Last winter, when Sophie and Harry were starting to show an interest in each other—’
‘Sounds a bit clinical, like they’re cows or something.’
‘Fine.’ Dexter huffed. ‘When Sophie and Harry were making come-to-bed eyes at each other, Sophie came here one day and found Harry half in and half out of the lake. Felix had swum to the island, then he couldn’t swim back. He was tangled in some weeds, and Harry and Sophie embarked on this dramatic rescue mission, which involved them wading in and getting covered in mud, almost getting hypothermia.’ Dexter laughed. ‘You can see why we have a WhatsApp group.’
‘Then why have they encouraged him coming to the lake?’
‘I think it’s more that he’s going to come here whether they like it or not, so they’ve made it safe for him. Goats are sure-footed, so the walkway is ideal, but it doesn’t stop him being stubborn. If he decides he’s not leaving his fort without human intervention, then …’
‘We’ll have to be Indiana Jones and rescue him?’
‘That’s probably why he wanted us to come. He has a damsel-in-distress kink.’
Imogen stared at Dexter, wondering if she’d heard him properly, then started laughing. She doubled over at the waist, pressing her nose into the soft fabric of his jacket, inhaling his warm, sandalwood scent.
‘What?’ Dexter asked. His barely suppressed laughter was shaking his voice.
‘A goat with a damsel-in-distresskink?That is a sentence I never thought I’d hear. Ever. In my whole life.’ She imagined phoning Edmund, telling him what she was getting up to, and it set off another round of giggles. Soon Dexter broke, and their laughter floated up to the blue sky, Felix bleating from his rooftop.
Eventually, Imogen’s laughter faded and she sat up straight, her cheeks rosy without the champagne buzz she’d expected to have by now. It was more of a buzz sitting next to Dexter, just the two of them together.
