Mills & Boon Christmas Delights Collection. Rebecca Winters

eyelashes whilst out walking were now on the verge of a full blown blizzard.

      ‘Oh.’

      ‘Yeah, “oh”. Give me a shout. But make it quick. Even the Landy has her limits.’

      ‘Will do. Thanks Mark. Come on Rooney. Let’s get you spruced up.’

       Chapter Eleven

      Admittedly, Michael and I hadn’t exactly hit it off the first time we met, but I had thought we’d got past that, especially as he’d been the one encouraging me to stay to have dinner with his family at the beginning of the week. Don’t get me wrong, I was under no illusions that I was anything like his “type”, and frankly, as his type nowadays seemed to be of the one-night stand variety, I had no wish to be. But I had thought we’d at least got to a point where, if I turned up outside an appointment time, I might be received with a teensy bit more enthusiasm than the blank look I was now getting.

      ‘Hi,’ I said, when it was clear he wasn’t going to say anything.

      Michael gave a start. ‘Please don’t tell me I forgot an appointment? Did we have something arranged for today? I could have sworn I’d put everything we had planned so far in my diary.’ He pulled his phone out from his jeans pocket and began pulling up his calendar.

      ‘No,’ I said, reaching out to touch his arm and still the frantic searching. ‘You didn’t forget anything.’

      Relief flooded his face. ‘Thank goodness for that! I’m pretty sure even having Janey for a sister won’t be enough to save me after another late show.’

      ‘Let’s not find out.’

      ‘Sounds good to me. Anyway, come in.’

      ‘Am I interrupting…anything?’ His previous look had me suddenly debating how wise it had been to turn up unannounced on Michael’s doorstep on a Sunday morning.

      ‘Such as?’ His expression was pure innocence. I didn’t buy it for a moment.

      I tilted my head. ‘I didn’t know if you had a…guest…or something.’

      ‘Nope. I like to make sure they’re out the door by seven-thirty at the latest, so you’re fine.’

      Wow. He had even bigger issues than I thought.

      ‘Your face,’ he said, shaking his head before turning towards the kitchen. ‘Want a coffee?’

      ‘Umm. OK, thanks. What’s wrong with my face?’ I said, struggling to unwrap my scarf and pull off my gloves as I followed him. Head down, I didn’t realise he’d stopped and I bounced off him.

      His arms quickly reached out, steadying me. He waited a beat and then let them drop. ‘There’s nothing wrong with it. But your expression when you thought I kick out any overnight guests early in the morning was pretty priceless.’

      ‘Well, I’m just saying it wouldn’t come as a big surprise if you did.’

      He paused in his coffee making endeavours. ‘You don’t have a very high opinion of me, do you?’

      ‘No! I mean, yes. I mean…that’s not what I meant.’

      Michael resumed his task. ‘So what did you mean?’

       What exactly did I mean?

      ‘I…err, I don’t know. Nothing really.’ I kept a lightness to my tone and hoped he’d let it pass.

      ‘If you think I’m going to believe that Miss Organise And Consider Everything just made an off-the-cuff remark without it meaning something, you’re sadly mistaken. So, come on, spit it out.’

       Why had I ever opened my mouth?

      He turned and handed over a mug, locking his gaze onto me as he did so.

      ‘You know, I really didn’t…’ Michael raised an eyebrow and I crumbled. ‘OK fine,’ I sighed. ‘It’s just that, from what I saw, you keep your bedroom very impersonal, which seems a little unusual. But then I remembered something Janey had mentioned about your…penchant for one-night stands, and then you saying about the fact they don’t exactly get a tour of the house…Well, I guess it just wouldn’t surprise me if you were one of those guys who wants a girl to leave as soon as dawn breaks.’

      He considered my answer for a moment and then took a sip of coffee, watching me over the rim of the mug.

      ‘Like I say, you don’t have a very high opinion of me.’

      ‘That’s not true. But you must admit, it’s not unreasonable that I’d think that, bearing in mind you told me yourself you ushered the owner of that tiny thong out of your house at some ungodly hour the following morning.’

      His jaw tightened for a moment. ‘There were special circumstances that time. As I explained to you.’

      ‘You did. But there are men who would always find a “special circumstance”.’

      ‘And you consider me to be such a man?’

      ‘No. Not necessarily. I’m just trying to show you how it might be easy for someone to form that opinion of you, from the information at hand.’

      Michael took a deep breath, his expression unreadable. ‘So, if I haven’t missed an appointment, to what do I owe the pleasure today?’

      I was pretty sure ‘pleasure’ was an overstatement, considering how I’d just blurted out that I thought he was a cold-hearted shag monkey who kicked his choice of the night out at first light. Even though I wasn’t entirely sure that’s what I did think. To be honest, most of the time he still had me baffled.

      ‘Well, first of all, I wanted to see how you were feeling, after the accident?’

      ‘Much better, thanks. Ribs are still a little sore but the rest is pretty much back to normal.

      I’d noticed he was barely limping at all and his movements seemed far less stiff than they had done at the beginning of the week.

      ‘That’s great.’

      ‘And second of all?’

      Hmm. What had initially seemed like a brilliant idea yesterday, and pretty much until I had stepped inside the house, now seemed a little…ambitious. Not to mention awkward.

      ‘I…’

      He fixed me with that look again but I could see the barest hint of a smile teasing his lips. I took a deep breath.

      ‘I found you a dog.’

      His face lost the smile.

      ‘Kate I told you I’m not interested.’ He turned away.

      ‘I know you did. I just think if you saw Rooney – ’

      ‘And I am definitely not taking on a dog called Rooney.’

      ‘You could change his name. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.’

      Michael turned back to face me. ‘You don’t think he’d mind?’ he repeated, bemusement clear on his face this time.

      ‘Please,’ I said, putting my hand on his arm, ‘please, just come and see him?’

      ‘Katie I appreciate everything you’re doing. But I won’t change my mind. I’m sorry you’ve had a wasted journey out here.’

      I thought of Rooney’s gorgeous face, the joy I’d felt fill my soul at his loping about in the fields as we played, the warmth of his body as he snuggled up to me when I brushed him after washing him off following our walk.

      ‘OK,’ I said, changing my tactic. ‘Then how about Sunday lunch? I mean, only if you don’t have plans or anything.’

      ‘Sunday