Kitty's Countryside Dream by Christie Barlow Read Free Book Online Page B

Tom,’ came the voice from the other side of the door.
    My breath caught in my throat; what was Tom doing here?
    Opening the door, he was indeed standing on the other side, showered, shaved and dressed in a shirt, with an open top button that revealed a smidgen of chest hair. The scent from his aftershave wafted in my direction. I inhaled and it was more desirable than the farmyard eau de toilette he’d been wearing earlier.
    â€˜Good evening. Oh, I’m sorry, did I get you out of the bath?’
    I knew I was flushed, bright red to be more precise, and not just from the steamy bathwater. I wanted to come up with a witty reply but all I could manage was, ‘Hi, I wasn’t expecting you. How did you find me?’
    I was standing on the doorstep dressed in a fluffy pink dressing gown, still resembling a drowned rat. I felt nervous and completely tongue-tied.
    Tom was grinning. ‘Mother Goose’s old place.’
    â€˜Oh, yes, silly me, I was just taken by surprise.’
    Just then a white van drove past and beeped its horn. We both looked up to see Lucinda waving frantically at us; she must have been finishing her rounds for the day. Tom raised his hand and saluted in her direction. Marvellous – this would set tongues wagging. Tom dressed up to the nines and me, well, wearing next to nothing, standing on the doorstep.
    â€˜Why are you here?’ I quizzed.
    â€˜Because I don’t have your phone number and it’s a six o’clock start in the morning. I’ll pick you up, be ready.’
    â€˜Six o’clock start, why so early?’
    â€˜We are off to market.’
    â€˜Market? What are we selling, cows in exchange for magic beans?’ I queried, smirking.
    â€˜Something like that.’
    â€˜OK, I’m game.’
    â€˜Be ready. And Kitty?’
    â€˜Yes?’
    â€˜Make sure you’re wearing overalls and wellies.’ He winked and his blue eyes sparkled teasingly. I playfully went to shoo him away. Rolling his sleeves up, he brushed his hand against my arm.
    â€˜See you bright and early.’
    â€˜I’ll see you in the morning, cheeky.’ I smiled, shutting the front door behind me. My skin tingled; I’d never experienced a feeling like that before. Hearing a constant thud, I realised I was listening to my own heart beating. There was only one thing for it – after throwing my wet overalls on top of the radiator to dry out, I headed straight for the fridge. Reaching for the wine bottle I poured another glass of Pinot to steady my nerves.

Chapter Nine
    I was exhausted when the 5.30 a.m. alarm sounded; snuggling deeper into my duvet, I willed the constant beeping to disappear. Who would actually choose to surface at this ungodly hour? It felt like the middle of the night to me.
    Fumbling around in the dark and still half asleep, I clicked the switch; bright spots danced before my eyes, the light dazzling my vision for a spilt second, and then my eyes began to readjust. Alfie stretched his paws and peeped through one eyelid; he was too lazy to open both. He was curled up on top of the warm duvet and promptly closed his eye; he was going nowhere so early in the morning. Peering out of the window, the street was silent. There was no activity; it was in complete darkness with not a soul to be seen.
    Still half asleep, I stumbled towards the kitchen. Filling up Alfie’s bowl with food, I switched the kettle on and grabbed a quick cuppa. By the time I’d drank my tea, eaten a bowl of cornflakes and was dressed in my dry overalls, I heard a van’s engine droning outside on the street.
    That must be Tom; no one else was daft enough to be up at this time of the morning, I thought. I heard the engine stop, a van door shut and then footsteps coming up the stairs. Racing towards the front door, I grabbed my wellington boots from the hall on the way.
    There it was, the light rap on the door. I opened it to find him standing on the