She would go and stay with her friend Beth, she decided as she yanked open the wardrobe doors in her bedroom. She had offered Maddie a bed before, when the whole thing in London blew up, but Maddie had declined, not wanting to look like she was admitting defeat. This time though, she didn’t much care. A few weeks up in the wilds of the North York Moors would suit her down to the ground. With any luck she could stay in Beth’s house the whole time and she wouldn’t have to even speak to anyone.

She pulled out her suits and blouses and threw them into her suitcase as if they were rags. Shoes went in another bag, toiletries into a third and in a matter of minutes she was ready. There was just one final thing left to do.

On her bed she’d laid out a pair of chinos and a shirt that she had always favoured. She ripped off the polo top she was wearing over her head and dumped it on the floor, bending down to yank off her hideously uncomfortable new boots seconds later. They landed with a thump on the floor and she kicked them petulantly under the bed. Her jeans, the ones she had bought only yesterday, but which were now dusty and streaked with muck, were disposed of the same way. Standing in just her bra and pants, she looked towards the bathroom door, torn for just a moment before she reached out for her clean clothes. She would have loved a shower, but there was no way she was about to take anything else that belonged to Seth and Joy’s Bloody Acre.

Dressed and ready, she picked up all her bags at once – determined to do it all in one trip – and banged and clanked her way downstairs. She had no idea whether Seth had followed her into the house or not, but she suspected he was just as keen to put distance between them as she was and would keep out of her way. And that suited her fine, she had no obligation to him; her contract was with Agatha and her niece and, once she arrived at Beth’s, she would simply email her resignation.

She manhandled her baggage through the kitchen door and dumped it momentarily on the table while she scooped up her laptop and other papers, kicking open the door to widen it sufficiently for her to pass through.

Once in the yard the chickens scattered from her path and even the dogs gave her a wide berth. She flung open the boot of her car and placed her bags inside before getting in.

‘Madeline, wait!’ Seth’s voice came from not too far behind her. ‘Where are you going?’

She wasn’t going to stop, whatever he had to say. She was already inside the car and one hand on the bonnet wasn’t going to hold her back.

‘Madeline?’ he said again. ‘For goodness’ sake, where are you going? This is stupid.’

She wound the window down. ‘What is? Leaving?’ She glared at him. ‘Are you sure about that? ’Cause from my point of view I’d be stupid to stay. I’m obviously not wanted and neither is my help. What possible reason could there be to hang around any longer – so I can take abuse from you, or condescending remarks from Agatha? No thanks, there’s other places I’d rather be.’

Seth thumped the side of the car in frustration. ‘I get that. It’s not been a good start, I’ll be the first to admit… but Agatha, well she…’ He heaved a sigh. ‘We don’t get on, okay? She drives me nuts and whenever she’s around I can’t think straight.’

Maddie wound the window back up so there was only an inch left open. ‘And that’s my problem, why? I think you need to learn to get on, and that, Mr Thomas, is down to you and none of my business. Now, get off my car.’

Seth lifted his hand as if he’d been stung. He stared at her through the windscreen, his hair sticking up in tufts, no doubt still covered in all kinds of muck from the thatch.

‘I heard you crying, Maddie,’ he said, quiet now. ‘The other night, when I came in. I couldn’t help it.’

She went still, her breath held inside her body. He had never called her Maddie before. Then, without looking either left or right, she turned the key in the ignition, put the car in gear and drove off.

Her heart was beating wildly. She was mortified that she’d been heard. And why bring it up, just at the point when she was leaving? Had he known the true reason she was so upset? There was no way he could have done, reason told her that, and yet, with just a few words, he had managed to remind her of the very thing she had been running from when she came here.

What was she doing? After last time, she’d promised herself that nothing like that would ever be allowed to get the better of her again, that she would fight and win, and yet here she was running away, tail between her legs. Talk about history repeating itself. And she had done nothing wrong, it was Seth who had behaved badly, not her.

As she reached the turning out onto the main road into the village, she paused, trying to gather her thoughts. If she pulled out she wouldn’t be coming back. Was that what she really wanted? She’d had such high hopes for coming here. It wasn’t London, but it was a fresh challenge. More than that, she’d thought the set-up at Joy’s Acre would allow her some autonomy, some escape from the politics of her past. How wrong she had been.

And yet, there was something here that she found attractive. The setting was just so perfect, or would be if… She pushed aside her doubts, reminding herself why she was currently on the verge of leaving. None of that was about to change any time soon. With a deep breath, she checked for traffic and swung out into the road, accelerating hard.

She would stop at the village and give Beth a ring while she picked up some provisions for her journey. Right now, she just wanted to feel a growing distance between her and Joy’s Acre. She flicked a glance up to her rear-view mirror but the turning down to the farm was already hidden from view.

She almost didn’t see the ginger streak which flashed across the road in front of her. Almost, but not quite. She stamped on her brake, but the road was too narrow and the cat had nowhere to go. Without thinking, she wrenched the wheel sideways, gasping as a wall of greenery reared up to meet her. A hideous scraping noise accompanied her passage as twigs and branches crushed against the car, screeching against the windows. The colour flashing past her turned from green to brown and the windscreen went dark as she struck a tree trunk head on.

A pain in the side of her head erupted into a bloom of white noise and light. And then it was still. No noise, no nothing. She was aware that she was waiting, for what she didn’t know, but it was as if time was spinning away from her and she couldn’t move to catch it.

Eventually, little by little, the feeling diminished and was replaced by a terrible need to do something. Her surroundings came rushing back into focus. She was okay, she wasn’t dead. She wasn’t hurt; at least she didn’t think she was. But the car? And the cat? She struggled to right herself from where she had become wedged against the driver’s side window, at the same time suddenly aware of her laboured breathing. The movement brought pain, a distortion to her vision and a rising sense of panic. What if she couldn’t get out?

She forced herself to breathe more slowly, to relax her limbs and empty her mind of stuff that didn’t need to be there. She was okay, but she needed to get out of the car and get help. She unclipped her seatbelt and pushed against the door. It was stuck fast. She pushed even harder and, although the door gave by a couple of inches, there was no way it would open further, wedged tight as it was against the wall of bushes and tree limbs. On her other side was a similar view; if she was to get out of her car at all, it would have to be backwards.

The trouble was, she hadn’t bought her car for its roominess. The sports chassis sat low to the ground, the roof curved steeply around the sides giving very little headroom, and the gap between the two front seats was only inches rather than feet. She raised a tentative hand to her temple, which was beginning to throb. Sitting still and waiting it out was no longer an option. She had to try.

She managed to lever herself backwards and upwards so that she could get her feet onto the seat and wriggle around so that she was at least facing the right way. From there it was simply a matter of clawing her way onto the back seat by any means possible – which meant bum in the air. Of course, it was at exactly this moment that the back door of the car opened and an anguished face appeared only inches from her own.

‘Jesus, Maddie, are you okay?’

‘I will be if I can get out of the bloody car.’ Her reply was muffled against the headrest. She reached forward, trying to latch onto anything she could use to pull herself forward. Her hand found the sleeve of Seth’s jumper.

‘Just pull, for God’s sake.’ She pushed her other arm forward.

‘Maddie, wait, this might not be such a great idea. What if you’re hurt? You could make it worse.’

She gritted her teeth. ‘Get me out of this car!’

With a look of alarm, Seth nodded curtly. Twisting his own arms so that he could wrap his hands around both her elbows, he pulled.

The sensation of being squeezed in too tight a space, the possibility of sticking fast, was bringing a rapidly rising sense of panic. Her feet scrabbled on the seat behind her as she gripped Seth’s arms, trying to find purchase to help propel herself forward.

After what felt like a lifetime, Maddie’s chest inched over the seat and the rest of her slithered behind quickly. She landed in a heap half on the back seat, half in the footwell and inches from Seth’s face.

Wriggling, she pushed at him. ‘Get out of my way!’

He ducked out of the door. ‘You’ll have to come out backwards, feet first. There’s too many branches otherwise, they’ll rip your face to shreds.’

Mortified, she let him guide her legs and bum through the rear door to a place where she could finally stand.

Seth was right, there was a crush of bushes up against the car, and she had to push herself through them as they caught against her clothes and hair, scratching at her exposed skin. Eventually she reached the rear of the car and the space widened in front of her where she crashed out onto the verge at the side of the road, breathing hard.

She sat for a few minutes, her breath coming in panicked gasps as the realisation that she was free pumped a last wave of adrenaline through her body. She bent forward, both hands on her knees for support as she sucked air into her lungs. A wave of dizziness swept over. An arm went around her waist.

‘Hey, gently does it. Don’t breathe so deeply, try to slow it down.’

‘Sorry,’ she gasped.

He held her firm until the swimming in her head subsided a little.

‘Better,’ he said, letting go of her. ‘Keep it like that, nice and slow… Try to stand up a little?’

She did as she was told, the tingling sensation in her lips easing.

‘It’s okay, you had a panic attack, that’s all. Hyperventilating.’

Finally, she was able to stand straight, although her legs felt like jelly.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said again. ‘I don’t like confined spaces, I just needed to get out of the car.’

‘I know,’ was all he said.

His eyes searched hers, flicking around her face, resting on her hairline for a moment, before dropping to give the rest of her a once-over.

‘You’ve cut your head, but I don’t think it’s too bad. Where else does it hurt?’

Maddie stared at him, trying to think. ‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘I think I’m okay.’

Seth made a derogatory noise. ‘Hmm, well you might feel all right now, but tomorrow you’ll feel like you’ve been hit by a truck. We should get you checked over.’

She was beginning to feel slightly more connected with things now that her breathing was getting back to normal. She registered Seth’s four-by-four blocking the lane behind them and the enormity of what had just happened came rushing back.

‘I crashed the car!’ was all she could think to say. Then, to her embarrassment, she burst into tears.

She felt a tentative touch on one arm, and then on the other. When she offered no resistance, Seth pulled her closer, gathering her in gently until both his arms could slide around her.

‘It’s okay, Maddie.’

His hug was warm and safe and she sank beneath the feel of him, eyes closed against the swimming tide in her head. Gradually the waves subsided and she moved her head a little, remembering the way he had said her name, and feeling the hardness of the muscles in his chest. She breathed in his scent, something warm and spicy…

What was she doing? She pushed him away, flustered, and stared back at the road.

‘It was the cat. The ginger one. It just ran out in front of me.’ She looked up at him in anguish. ‘I didn’t hit him, did I?’

‘No, Rumpus has lived to tell the tale.’ He gave a slight frown and then grimaced. ‘Though, I’m not sure the same can be said for your car.’ He fished in his pocket. ‘Come on, let’s get you home, and then I’ll ring Kev the mechanic and he can come and sort out the mess.’

He led her back to his car, opening the door for her and waiting until she was safely settled in her seat before climbing into his. He switched off the hazard warning lights and pulled away.

Maddie averted her eyes as they drove past the gaping wound her car had carved out of the countryside. The reality of what had just happened hit her hard and she began to shake. She wrapped her arms around herself, realising as she did so that nothing would be more comforting than the hug Seth had just given her, so she dropped her hands to her lap and closed her eyes.

After a few moments she felt the car turn and saw that they had pulled into a farm gateway. Seth reversed and started back again the way they had come. She swallowed and screwed her eyes tight shut again, not opening them until the car drew to a halt and she knew she was back at Joy’s Acre.

---

Half an hour later she wrapped her hands around a very welcome mug of sweet tea. Seth had called the garage, organised the removal of her car, gone back to collect her things from the boot and tended to the cut on her head. Then he had made them both a drink and was currently sitting opposite her, watching her intently.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said again. ‘I seem to be causing you nothing but trouble.’

His expression didn’t alter. ‘I’ve had better weeks,’ he said. ‘But then so have you.’ He scratched his head. ‘And at least I’m on home territory, with familiar things around me and… you’re not.’

‘No,’ she agreed. ‘I’m not.’ She raised a tentative hand to her forehead. ‘Though, I’m not exactly sure where home territory is right now.’

‘Would you like it to be here?’

Maddie sighed. ‘That’s not really an option, is it? You made your feelings very clear.’

‘I was angry.’ Seth frowned. ‘As were you, I think. We both seem to be quite good at flying off the handle.’

She narrowed her eyes at him, acknowledging the truth of his words. ‘Were you following me earlier?’ she asked suddenly.

There was a slight smile. And then a bigger one.

‘Guilty as charged,’ he admitted. ‘I didn’t want you to go.’

‘Why ever not? I’d have thought you’d be cock-a-hoop to see the back of me.’

He looked a little sheepish. ‘Well, yes… except that it seemed wrong, for you to leave like that – upset and angry.’ He shifted in his chair. ‘And if you don’t mind my saying, you seemed very unhappy the other day too… when I heard you crying. I know it wasn’t the easiest of starts for you, but it seemed a rather dramatic response to the mix-up, especially when you’d been at such pains to appear so poised and confident. I wondered if there was something else that had upset you?’

Maddie caught the look in his dark eyes. ‘I’m not sure you know me well enough to ask questions like that,’ she said. ‘Although, I am wondering why you’re being so kind?’

‘Guilt?’ He smiled.

She was quiet for a moment. ‘So, what do we do now?’ she asked eventually. ‘We seem to have reached something of an impasse.’

‘Start over?’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘There doesn’t seem to be any other course of action. Might I remind you that you’ve just crushed the front half of your car. I’m afraid you’re not going anywhere fast.’

She stared at him, horrified, the truth of her situation dawning. ‘Will it take long to be fixed, do you think?’

He shrugged. ‘I have absolutely no idea, but until it is it would make sense to at least try to get along. And I could use your help. There’s a lot to do here.’

‘But you hate my ideas—’

‘I don’t,’ he quickly protested. ‘They’re not right for Joy’s Acre, but as ideas go I thought they were very well thought out.’

Maddie still wasn’t sure she understood.

‘But this morning you told me how you want to restore this place to its former glory, and then made me go through the whole rigmarole of telling you my ideas, even though you knew you weren’t going to like what I had to say; in fact, you dismissed them just minutes later. Why bother?’

His expression was thoughtful. ‘Because I wanted to see what you were made of – how convincing you could be when selling your ideas. That is, after all, what you’re going to be doing here, isn’t it? It doesn’t much matter what this place ends up like if you can’t string a sentence together, or inspire potential customers.’

He held up a hand. ‘And don’t look at me like that, I’m trying to pay you a compliment.’ He paused for a moment. ‘I thought what you had to say was very good actually. Considering how little time you’ve spent here, you came up with a really brilliant set of plans, full of detail and which also showed imagination and resourcefulness. That’s what I need here, Maddie.’

She smiled. ‘But?’

‘But we’ve got to work together, not fight one another. And to do that you’ll have to compromise on some of your principles and carry out work according to my vision of this place, putting your own aside. I’m not sure it’s fair to ask you to do that… and, if I’m honest, I’m not sure you’ll be able to.’

He pulled a face as if to soften the effect of his words. ‘I’ve wasted too much time and energy here over the last few years but I am passionate about this place and what I want for its future. I’m afraid I’m not prepared to waste any more time or to let anything alter me from my course. Not Agatha. Not anyone. As long as you understand that, we’ll make great team.’

‘And, if I don’t?’

‘Then you’re welcome to stay as long as it takes for your car to be fixed and then you can be on your way. No hard feelings.’ He rested his chin in his hand. ‘Although, I’d much rather you stayed because you want to. I need someone with your drive and tenacity.’

Maddie nodded, picking up her mug and draining the contents in a series of long swallows. Then she replaced the mug and sat back in her chair, grimacing slightly at the ache in her shoulder. She was just about to reply, when she caught sight of the tip of a ginger tail over the top of the table. She stretched up to get a better view, and Seth’s eyes followed.

‘Ah,’ he said. ‘The culprit himself. Rumpus by name, Rumpus by nature.’ He bent down to run a hand along the cat’s back. ‘To what do we owe the pleasure?’ He looked up at Maddie. ‘He’s a very contrary cat usually, not given to outward displays of affection.’ He watched, an amused expression on his face as Rumpus wound his body around Maddie’s legs, purring loudly. ‘Well now, it would seem someone else would like you to stay too.’

Maddie reached down, gently pulling at the cat’s soft ears. He pushed his head into her hand and she could feel his whole body vibrating. She’d never owned a cat before, or ever really had an opinion about them one way or the other, but just now she was very grateful that the cat was still in one piece. She could use a bit of comfort.

She straightened up slowly. ‘I think you might be right about feeling like I’ve been hit by a truck,’ she said. ‘Everything’s beginning to ache.’

Seth smiled at her. ‘I’ll run you a bath,’ he said. ‘Best remedy there is.’