The Mills & Boon Sparkling Christmas Collection. Kate Hardy

      ‘Hi.’

      Her smile was tentative and her voice held a cautious note. Hamish appeared at Eva’s legs, took one look at Ben, and let out a low growl before shooting out to the front garden. Clearly Ben hadn’t made a very good first impression on him either. Ben saw Eva’s startled expression before she thrust the towels into his chest.

      ‘Hold these,’ she ordered and ran off in pursuit of her wayward dog. Hamish circled the front garden several times, enjoying the impromptu game of chase before finally sensing perhaps his mistress wasn’t pleased with him. Ben watched helplessly from the doorway wondering if he should be helping in some way. Thankfully Hamish appeared to calm down and was now being led back to the house by his collar.

      ‘Sorry about that,’ Eva said with a weak smile, looking slightly harassed.

      ‘No, no – I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause any difficulties …’

      ‘It’s not your fault,’ she sighed, casting a disappointed look at Hamish. ‘And I’m sorry about him jumping up on you the other day. We’ve only had him a few weeks and we’re still training him.’ She reached to take the towels back from Ben.

      ‘It’s fine; please don’t worry.’ He bent down patting Hamish on his head, hoping the gesture would reassure him – and Eva – that he wasn’t really such a terrible person.

      ‘Anyway, is there anything I can do for you?’

      He straightened up to find Eva’s direct gaze on him. ‘Well, I was wondering if you had the name of a plumber? There seems to be a problem –’

      ‘Is your heating not working again?’

      ‘I’m not sure what the problem is to be honest. I think there must to be a leak somewhere. Water’s coming from the ceiling in the front room.’

      ‘Let me settle Hamish and get my tools. I’ll be round in a minute.’ She appeared immediately more relaxed now she was able to help. Ben hadn’t expected her to actually come round but now realized he wasn’t that surprised. Within a few minutes she was taking control of the situation and issuing instructions.

      ‘I’ll need to turn on all your cold taps just to let the water run to reduce the pressure. The water’s fresh-looking so it’s likely to be a pipe from the upstairs en suite.’ Ben could only look on in silent admiration as Eva went to work, seeming to know exactly what to do.

      A while later when Eva had finished and with disaster averted, Ben made tea and brought it through to the front room where Eva stood surveying the room.

      ‘Thanks,’ she murmured as he handed her a mug. He wondered what she was thinking. His only contribution to the room was the marble-topped sideboard, coffee table, and two leather sofas he’d brought from London. He’d told the removal men to dump them anywhere and that’s exactly what they had done. He remembered the day Samantha had dragged him to an Italian designer shop to buy them. They had been hideously expensive. In his London apartment he imagined them to look smart and sophisticated. Here, set against the floral wallpaper and patterned blue carpet, they looked so ridiculous he had a sudden urge to laugh.

      ‘It’s such a lovely room,’ Eva said wistfully as if she was imagining how it could look. Her eyes swept the room and Ben followed her gaze up to the newly damaged ceiling.

      ‘The brown stain really lends a certain something, don’t you think?’ he said.

      Eva’s head spun round, looking at him with a quizzical frown. Their eyes met and held before they both laughed, the atmosphere between them suddenly relaxing.

      ‘Well, obviously it needs some attention.’ Eva smiled.

      ‘I won’t argue with you there,’ Ben replied ruefully.

      ‘They are big houses. It’s going to take you a while to get it the way you want it.’

      Ben muttered vaguely in agreement.

      ‘Have you thought about what you’d like to do with this room?’ Eva asked. Ben lifted his mug to his mouth, thinking how he didn’t even know if he’d be staying in the house, let alone decorating it.

      ‘Not really. Decorating, interiors … they’re not really my thing,’ he replied feeling slightly awkward.

      ‘What about your last house where you lived – London you said?’

      ‘I think the term functional would cover it,’ Ben said dryly. ‘It was rented and I didn’t really spend that much time in it.’ His London flat had been a place to eat and sleep but he’d wanted so much more for this house. He saw Eva shoot him a curious look. He could see the questions in her eyes that she was too polite to ask. What was he doing in this big house on his own?

      For one mad moment he almost blurted it out. He could tell her that at the grand age of thirty-four he was on his own. No family, no partner, no special person. And it suddenly hit him just how alone he was. He might have a bank account with more money than he knew how to spend and an impressive list of qualifications but he was still on his own. He’d envisaged him and Samantha turning this into a proper family home but that was before he realized it was a one-sided dream.

      The way Eva was looking at him made him feel it would be so easy to speak to her, to confide in her. But he stopped in time, reminding himself that he didn’t want to get involved. Polite but distant, that was his strategy. Why he needed a strategy he didn’t know but something about this woman was getting under his skin and one thing he did know was that he didn’t need the distraction. It would be crazy for him to get close to his new neighbour, he told himself. Yet here he was finding himself drawn towards her, noticing her in a way that probably wasn’t wise.

      Eva had moved over to the wall. ‘Our houses have the same basic layout but next door’s had a few adjustments made for the business. I love these front rooms overlooking the beach. There’s so much light and space and it’s east-facing so it’s lovely in the morning,’ she said, patting the wall in a knowledgeable manner. ‘It’s structurally sound, but Donald’s – Mr MacKenzie’s – arthritis meant they hadn’t done much to the house in the last few years. But it could look amazing.’

      Ben, leaning against the doorframe, gave himself a mental shake realizing he’d become slightly transfixed watching Eva Harris who was looking at him expecting some sort of response. He straightened up and cleared his throat.

      ‘Had they lived here long?’

      ‘Oh yes, for years,’ she told him, her face brightening as she talked about her old neighbours. ‘Their children were born and brought up in this house and they still lived here after they retired but it just got too much for them. They’re moving into a bungalow near their son once they come back from their cruise.’

      ‘Sounds as if they were happy here.’

      ‘They were. It’s a house full of lovely memories.’ She smiled. ‘Every year they had a big Christmas party, invited practically the whole street.’ Seeing her expression Ben thought she might well be wishing they hadn’t left.

      ‘And you? Have you lived here long?’ he asked her.

      ‘Seven years. I moved here after my husband died. Jamie was four at the time.’ She spoke matter-of-factly, clearly not looking for sympathy yet Ben felt a surge of something. He wasn’t sure what the feeling was. There was no doubt she was a strong, independent woman but knowing she had lost her husband and obviously at a young age gave her a vulnerability.

      ‘I’m sorry. That must have been tough.’

      She nodded thoughtfully. ‘It was – especially at the beginning. But then Jamie started school, I got the business up and running, and the MacKenzies … well, they helped me so much. Very soon it felt like home. I came to realize home isn’t necessarily where you were born or grew up. It’s about knowing you simply don’t want to be anywhere else.’

      Ben listened to her words, and knew he had never felt that way about