A Home On Bramble Hill. Holly Martin

for this, that’s very sweet.’

      He paused for a moment then smiled. ‘You’re very welcome. I didn’t want you to get cold.’

      She buried her face in it, relishing the earthy smell.

      ‘Joy, would you like to go out for a drink with me, maybe a meal somewhere? Somewhere that’s not The Pride obviously.’

      She wanted to, of course she did. But unless she entered into it knowing it would only ever be a one night stand, she would be very disappointed. And she had never been the type for casual flings. She was an old romantic at heart and ultimately was looking for The One. Her mum and dad had been together for years, and every memory she had of them together was of them giggling, kissing and holding hands, just like they were in the first throes of love. They would sit under the old oak tree in the garden and kiss and cuddle every night. She wanted that, to grow old and grey with the man she loved. And although she had dated a few men over the years, never really knowing whether they were going to be The One until she had been with them for a few weeks or months, it was quite clear that with Zach, it was only going to last a few days.

      Zach smiled at the length of time it was taking her to answer. ‘Well at least it wasn’t a straight out no.’

      ‘It’s still a no I’m afraid. I like you Zach, I really do, but I’m not the sort that has one night stands.’

      ‘Neither am I.’

      She arched an eyebrow at him.

      ‘I know my track record isn’t great, but I genuinely am looking for love. So many times I think I’ve found it and so many times I’ve been disappointed.’ He took her hand, stroking his thumb over the back of it. ‘But this time I really do think I may have found the one I’m looking for.’

      She smiled but shook her head. ‘And how many women have you said that to?’

      ‘You’re the first, I swear. Look what can I do to prove to you that you’re the only one for me?’

      ‘No sex for a month.’ She didn’t know where she plucked that one from but it seemed to put him off her all of a sudden. He dropped her hand like he had been burnt, his face fell and she almost thought he might start to cry.

      ‘A month?!’

      ‘If I’m the only one for you, then you should have no need to pursue other women.’

      He clearly toyed with the idea for a moment. ‘Ok, no other women for a month, I promise, and then will you sleep with me?’

      ‘I’ll go out with you.’

      He scowled slightly, but then nodded. ‘Ok, you have a deal. I will prove to you that you are the only woman for me, that we can be happy together. Look I have to go, I’ll see you later.’ He sent her one last dark appreciative look before he went back into the house.

      She watched him go with a smile.

      ‘He’ll break your heart,’ came Finn’s voice behind her.

      She turned and quickly looked away when she realised he was standing in the garden with no top on.

      ‘He won’t because I’m not going to give it to him. You know him better than I do, but I’m pretty sure he won’t make the month.’

      ‘He’s a determined sort. When he wants something he’ll keep going after it until he gets it.’

      ‘You make that sound like a bad thing.’

      ‘It is if it belongs to someone else.’

      ‘Well he isn’t going to get me.’

      He looked at her with disbelief and she rolled her eyes as she moved back towards the house.

      *

      Finn watched her go back in and went back into his own house. He had two gardens to sort out today, one on the far side of Bramble Hill and one in the nearby village of Strawberry Green. He was good at gardening and he loved the satisfaction it gave him of seeing plants grow and flourish under his care.

      He had started off doing odd gardening jobs at the weekends when he was fourteen, helping his dad. It was when he was working in one of the large houses on the outskirts of Ashton Woods where he grew up, that he was spotted by a casting director for The Darkness Trilogy. He was freakishly tall even back then and was apparently perfect for the role of the dark and brooding Seth. After the films were finished and Finn wanted to retire from movies, he thought perhaps he would start his own landscaping and gardening business. He didn’t need the money, The Darkness had set him up for the rest of his life, but he certainly wanted something to keep him occupied.

      When he had posted leaflets through the doors of the surrounding villages, hoping to get a few jobs, he had been inundated with responses. It seemed having your garden tended to by a world famous movie star was very popular indeed. He had been kept busy for over three years, doing a different house every day. He loved it, working outdoors and with his hands. As his popularity slowly faded so did the demand, but he still had a large handful of clients who he saw on a regular basis. That was enough for him, just as long as he wasn’t stuck in the house every day. Well Billy made sure he went out at least once a day for long walks over the hills; the gardening gave him something to do when he got back. Too much time doing nothing allowed too much time for thinking and brooding. Since Pippa had left eighteen months before, he had brooded far too much.

      He grabbed a bottle of water, shoved his baseball cap on his head and was just about to turn the radio off and head out when he heard the words ‘The Dark Shadow’ on a news bulletin. He had followed the career of The Dark Shadow avidly since he first appeared on the scene two years before. This man was clever, very clever. He didn’t seem to do it for the money but for the adulation and reputation he gained. Finn had to admire him for it – for his obvious skill but also for the continued secrecy, for never getting caught. He smiled as he listened to the story, but his smile quickly fell off as the newscaster continued. Menton Hall, in the next village of Chalk Rise, had been robbed. Diamonds had been taken from a safe and from a jewellery box, most notably a diamond necklace shaped like a dragon. It seemed the thief had entered through the loft window of all places, as all other doors and windows were alarmed. No one had seen him come and go and there was no other evidence at all, other than the loft door being left open. There was no damage and nothing else had been taken. Police were appealing to anyone who might have seen anything suspicious in the immediate area.

      Finn stroked Billy absently. His neighbour dressed in black, wearing a scarf round her head and covering her number plates was very suspicious indeed. Was Joy the diamond thief?

      He had strict rules about not getting involved in people’s affairs, and phoning the police to turn in his neighbour was definitely getting involved. Maybe her going out dressed in black was merely a coincidence. Maybe he should talk to her to see what she knew. Maybe he should keep his head down and get on with his gardening.

      He grabbed his keys and headed out.

      *

      Casey was listening to the news as well as he drove round to Bramble Hill. The Dark Shadow appearing in Chalk Rise, now that was very interesting. He had been down to Menton Hall that morning as soon as he’d heard. The grounds were filled with local and national journalists, much to the annoyance of the police. It was merely a coincidence, he thought with a smile, that Joy and that chainsaw had moved into the neighbouring village just a few days before. And, by her own admission, she worked at night and she was repeatedly vague about what she did. He smiled; he was damned sure he was going to find out just how much of a coincidence it was. Though if he was right, it did seem that Bramble Hill had another celebrity in its midst – a celebrity who was just as reluctant as Finn was to bask in the limelight.

      *

      After putting fresh food down for Darcy and making a fuss of her, Joy stepped out into the hall meaning to have a shower and tackle some of the unpacking she had been putting off.

      Sitting on her door mat was another pile of dog poo, but she’d had the foresight