Terms Of Engagement

‘I don’t have a wife, just a housekeeper, and she was not best pleased.’

Emma went to stand next to him.

The goat stared at them both, its eyes reflecting brightly as the moon once more glided out from behind the clouds.

‘Come on, you pest.’ Frazer’s voice was gentle as he reached for the rope he had tied around its neck.

The goat gave a baleful bleat. It sounded loud in the night air. ‘Come on, now. I haven’t all night.’ Frazer leaned in so that he didn’t have to drag the animal with unnecessary force. It bleated again, and backed away from him, its hooves making a scraping sound on the floor.

‘Seeing as you’re here, grab the end of the rope, will you?’ Frazer muttered to Emma as he climbed into the back of the vehicle.

She noticed that his voice held a kinder, more patient note when he was talking to the animal than when he spoke to her.

He moved to pick the animal up, but missed as it made a dash for the door.

‘Catch her—’

Too late, the animal shot past Emma. She caught hold of the end of the rope as it whipped by and then found herself running behind the animal over the uneven turf, unable to stop it.

‘Let go, for heaven’s sake, or you’ll kill yourself.’

Instead she yanked at the rope, determined to get the animal to stop, turned over on her ankle, lost her balance and fell. She looked up in time to see the goat making a brave leap across a small mountain stream and disappearing through a hole in the hedge.

‘Are you OK?’ Frazer strolled over and offered her his hand.

Ignoring it, she got to her feet. ‘I’m fine.’ She brushed her hand over her clothes. Apart from the fact that there was a huge grass stain on the front of her silver dress, she was relatively unscathed.

‘Let that be a lesson—don’t attempt farming in your ballgown,’ Frazer murmured with a tinge of humour.

‘Very funny.’

Frazer grinned. ‘Well, I guess there’s nothing more you can do about old nanny goat until the morning. I suggest you get one of your farm labourers to find her first thing. Don’t leave her to wander.’

‘Of course I won’t,’ Emma murmured. ‘I’ll get Brian onto it in the morning.’ She picked some old twigs and pieces of bracken from the wool of her sweater.

‘Brian Robinson? Is he still working here?’ Frazer sounded incredulous.

‘Yes. Why do you ask?’

Frazer shook his head and walked to close the back doors of his Land Rover. ‘I suppose you are going to put this place up for sale?’ he asked, ignoring her question.

‘No. I’m planning on staying, making a success of it.’

‘On your own?’ He sounded shocked.

‘Why not?’

Then he laughed.

Emma glared at him. Was he going to make bigoted remarks like Jon? ‘What’s so funny?’ she asked tersely.

‘No offence, but you don’t look like the type to be stuck out here.’ His voice was dry. ‘Do you know anything about farming?’

‘I’m learning.’

‘Who’s teaching you?’

‘I’ve got books from the library—’

‘You’re not serious?’ He laughed again.

‘I’ve got the farm-hands, people who are experienced and trustworthy.’ She was starting to lose her temper. He was dangerously close to sounding like her ex-husband.

‘People like Brian?’ His tone was sarcastic. ‘Let me give you some advice. Don’t trust him around your livestock unless he’s well supervised.’

‘I don’t need any advice, thank you,’ she said stiffly.

‘Suit yourself.’ He shrugged. ‘When you get fed up playing farm, get in contact with me. I’d be interested in buying the place. I could use the extra land.’

‘It’s not for sale.’

‘I’ll offer you a good price.’

‘It’s not for sale,’ Emma repeated firmly.

‘Whatever you say.’ He shrugged again, and glanced at his watch. ‘Do you want me to walk with you back to the house? See if I can sort out your electrical problem before I go?’

Emma was sorely tempted to say yes, but that would be admitting she needed a man’s help, and she wasn’t about to do that. ‘No, I’ll manage. But thank you.’

He nodded. ‘You know, you remind me a lot of your uncle Ethan,’ he remarked.

With that he swung himself into the driver’s seat of his Land Rover and started the engine.

‘See you around,’ he said, without glancing at her again.

Emma watched as he drove away. What had he meant by that crack about being like her uncle? she wondered. Men were the most irritating of creatures, she thought with exasperation.

CHAPTER TWO

THE watery afternoon sunlight filtered through the damp haze hanging over the fields.

Highland cattle lifted their heads as Emma’s small car disturbed the peaceful sound of the birds and the gurgle of the freshwater stream. They watched with curious eyes as she drove past them on the narrow road.

For once Emma didn’t notice the magnificent animals; their shaggy coats and melting brown eyes were lost on her. Emma’s eyes were firmly on the road, which twisted and turned through the mountain scenery, but her mind was on the phone call she had made last night.

What had possessed her? she asked herself, for what had to be the millionth time. After Frazer McClarran had left last night, she had been filled with a fighting spirit. She would show him that she was well able to cope up here, she had told herself firmly. And in that mood of determination she had fixed the problem with the electricity with surprising ease. Then, fired by her success and a feeling of confidence, she had picked up the phone and rung her ex-husband.

Tori was right. Why not use her contacts if it would help her to stay here? It didn’t matter that her contact was Jonathan; their feelings for each other were in the past. They had both moved on now.