Much Ado About You

Our eyes met as we sat across the bench from each other, and something in Roane’s expression made my breath catch. “What?” I whispered.

He shook his head with a mysterious smile and stood up to hold out his hand. “Want to see the rest?”

Of course I did. I took his hand and let him lead me through the inner porch door and into the farmhouse. A wall of heat hit me, and not for the first time since summer came to Northumberland, I cursed the British and their lack of air-conditioning.

As if he’d read my thoughts, Roane chuckled. “Old houses weren’t built with insulation like nowadays where it keeps the house warm during the winter and cool during the summer.”

“How do you cope?” I murmured, flapping a hand at my face as I took in the dark space. A spindled staircase sat in the center of the hallway, while there were doors to either side of us. The dark wood of the staircase and sideboard didn’t help this windowless room from looking cheerless, and the floral wallpaper was extremely dated.

It surprised me that his parents hadn’t updated the place.

Shadow led us to our right, and we stepped into a large, lovely farm kitchen. The ceilings were low for two tall people but just high enough to stop Roane from smacking his head. It appeared as if the kitchen had been updated sometime in the last twenty years. The cabinetry was of the farmhouse style and painted a pale green with bronze handles. An island with a sink sat in the center of the room, while a countertop ran along the back wall, where one large wood-framed window let light in. On the opposite side of the island was a six-seater table situated between the two small wood-framed windows on the front of the house.

But the most eye-catching aspect of the room was the end wall. A huge brick chimney opening took up the entire length of it to accommodate a stunning ceramic farmhouse stove.

It was a cook’s kitchen and I loved it. Even though I wasn’t much of a chef. The scent of freshly brewed coffee still clung to the air, and I sighed happily. “This kitchen is amazing.”

“Aye, it’s a good family kitchen. Great place to cook. Caro comes out to bake here sometimes.”

On the left side of the house was a large family sitting room. Again, I was bemused by the old-fashioned wallpaper and dark wood. The only sign of Roane’s influence in the room was the seventy-inch flat-screen television and the dark leather sofa and armchairs.

Overall, I’d say the house needed a little lightening, a little touch of femininity perhaps.

The smell, however, I would not change. There was no denying this was Roane’s home. His woodsy, citrusy, ocean-layered scent was in every room we walked through. I wanted to rub myself against that scent so that I would take it with me.

Aware of Roane’s eyes on me as I took in his surroundings, I turned to him, crossing my arms over my chest. Embarrassment flooded me at the idea of his knowing my thoughts, and I asked a little snappishly, “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

He just smiled. Softly. Tenderly. “I like you here.”

At his sweet confession, I felt my cheeks heat.

I liked me here too.

Too much for my own good.

The temptation to give in to my attraction to Roane was great, and my willpower was weakening by the second.

“It’s, uh . . . it is a tad warm in here. Isn’t there something I could help you do today . . . outside?”

He studied me a moment, expression unreadable, then he nodded. “Aye. We need to bring the rest of the sheep in out of this heat and into the hoop house. It needs to be done in shifts. You can help Shadow and me herd them.”

In all the time I’d known Roane and Shadow, it had never occurred to me that Shadow was a working dog. “Wait, Shadow herds sheep? I thought border collies were the best for sheep farming.”

“They are.” Roane rubbed Shadow’s head affectionately as we wandered out of the sitting room to the porch to put our boots back on. “And Danes aren’t the go-to for it. But I trained Shadow. He’s a big gentle giant and knows when to stop being playful and get down to business.”

And that was how I spent my afternoon. I wasn’t particularly helpful as we drove out to the fields in a high-bed, high-sided truck with Bobby. The truth was, all I really did was stand there and enjoy watching Roane as he and Bobby unlatched the ramp on the truck so the sheep could climb up into it. Shadow and Roane herded a flock up the ramp onto the truck, while I kept an eye out for any strays.