I'm Not in Love (Once Upon a Winter Book 2)

I’M NOT IN
LOVE

Once Upon a Winter –
Part Two

Tilly Tennant

I’m Not in Love © Tilly Tennant 2016

All rights reserved in all media. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical (including but not limited to: the internet, photocopying, recoding or by any information storage and retrieval system), without prior permission in writing from the author and/or publisher.

The moral right of Tilly Tennant as the author of the work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Table of Contents

Part Two: I’m Not in Love

Part Two: I’m Not in Love

Bloody hell, I’m unfit!
Hannah raced down Holly Lane, her quarry getting further and further away. It felt as if her lungs might explode, but she couldn’t stop. If only her elderly neighbour George hadn’t been outside his cottage. If only her car hadn’t petered to a halt right by his gate, just at that moment. If only Trixie hadn’t been in the garden when Hannah climbed out of her car to ask for help, and if only George hadn’t left the gate open as he came to look at her engine. Perhaps then Trixie wouldn’t have shot out up the lane like Usain Bolt on a promise when Hannah’s car engine backfired. There was no way George could chase her, of course, and no way Hannah could leave her to run even if, as George asserted, she’d come back of her own accord once she had calmed down. Because Hannah could tell by the distress in George’s old eyes that he really didn’t think that’s what would happen. So Hannah gave chase, but it only seemed to make the little dog run faster, no matter how hard she tried to coax her back with pleading cries.

‘Trixie!’ Hannah panted once more. ‘Come on girl!’ She didn’t really know why she was bothering. George had already called her numerous times, and as she wasn’t responding to him, she was probably too spooked to respond to anyone, let alone a virtual stranger. But she had to try something; if she didn’t stop running soon Hannah was sure she was going to collapse.

They turned a blind bend and Hannah saw Ross’s tractor parked on the side of lane. Ross was nearby, inspecting some fencing. Hannah called out, ‘ROSS!’ His head flicked up. ‘TRIXIE!’ It was all she could manage to squeeze out and she only hoped he would be able to interpret what she actually meant. But she needn’t have worried. In a matter of seconds he had taken in Hannah, flailing madly, and the little terrier hurtling towards him like a bullet from a gun, and he launched himself into the thankfully deserted lane.

Trixie skidded on the loose surface, her feet scrabbling for purchase as she tried to turn and run in the opposite direction, but Ross was supernaturally fast. She hadn’t made it a foot before his hands had closed around her and Trixie was in his arms.

‘There now…’ he crooned to the little dog as he walked towards Hannah, who was now bent double in the road in a less elegant position than she would have chosen for greeting such a handsome young man. The sky spun above her as she fought for breath, and she was faced with the very real possibility that she would now throw up on Ross’s feet. How had she ever run for all those miles and miles when she and Jason had been together? Perhaps it was because he used to nag her. It was true that since he hadn’t been around she hadn’t been
out for one solitary jog but, judging by today’s performance, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start training again. Because all she felt fit for now was a quick and merciful death.

‘She’s shaking like a leaf,’ he continued as Trixie cowered in his arms, her little ribcage pumping like a piston. She looked as exhausted as Hannah felt, and there was something unsavoury but rather satisfying in feeling glad that she wasn’t suffering alone. It was Trixie’s fault after all that they were both knackered and she felt like hurling on Ross’s boots.

‘Car… backfired…’ Hannah managed to pant as she made an almighty effort to push herself upright.

‘Oh… no wonder she was haring off like that. Want me to walk back to George’s with you? She seems quiet enough with me now.’

Hannah gave a grateful nod, and began her shaky walk beside Ross, who continued to rub her head as he cradled Trixie in his arms.

‘Car trouble then?’ he asked cheerfully. Hannah nodded.

‘It cut out by George’s house. He was having a look when the engine went bang and Trixie shot out of the gate like a prize whippet.’

‘Lucky you were there to run after her; there’s no telling where she might have ended up.’

‘Lucky
you
were there,’ Hannah corrected. ‘There’s no telling where the two of us might have ended up if I’d had to chase her much further. Probably Millrise General – for me at least.’

Ross chuckled. ‘I’m usually knocking about here on a weekday; there’s always something to be done on the farm.’

Hannah wondered why, if he was always knocking around in the week, she hadn’t run into him more often in the past. It was just another strange coincidence in a week of them, starting with her very odd Christmas Day. ‘Don’t you ever take holidays?’ Hannah gave him a sideways look. ‘You were working on Boxing Day and it was only New Year yesterday but you’re back at work again.’

‘I’m not one for sitting around,’ he said simply. ‘And anyway, the animals need feeding and looking after every day of every week.’

‘Did you have a day off yesterday?’

‘A bit of one,’ he said. ‘I was done by midday so I took the evening off.’

‘God, what time did you have to start to be done by midday?’

‘About four-thirty.’

‘You started at four-thirty even with a hangover?’

He laughed. ‘I wasn’t on the lash on New Year’s Eve. To tell the truth, I’m not the partying sort… nightclubs – I can take them or leave them. They’re mostly full of the wrong sort of people anyway.’

Hannah wondered who the wrong sort of people were. Did it include her? After all, she’d spent enough evenings in nightclubs during her wayward youth. Not now, of course; these days she’d rather curl up with a book than rave.

‘We didn’t do much either,’ Hannah said. ‘It was nice but quiet. We did get through enough drink to keep Nelson’s navy afloat, though.’

There was a heartbeat’s pause.

‘So… your sister is still staying with you?’ Ross asked.

Hannah looked at him. His gaze was trained on the road ahead, and his expression was neutral enough, but there was no mistaking the sound of hope in his voice.

‘Yes… although I’m supposed to be taking her to the station to catch her train home. She’ll probably miss it now, with the car out of action so I don’t know whether she’ll try for a later one or stay on another day.’

‘It’s a shame she has to miss it,’ he said, but Hannah wondered how genuine the sentiment was. She didn’t think he really thought it was a shame at all.

The small talk continued as they made their way back. A light, freezing rain began to fall, but Ross didn’t seem to notice at all. As he chatted, she gleaned snippets and hints dropped between the lines, and from what she could tell he was as interested in Gina as she was in him. Was this a good thing? He was a sweet bloke – there was no doubting it – but he was also very young and Gina was fresh from a damaging marriage, not to mention the teenage daughter who was probably closer in age to Ross than Gina was.

As they approached George’s cottage, they could see the old man sitting on a garden chair by his gate, searching the road. As soon as he saw them he leapt to his feet with surprising agility for a man of his years, and his face lit up as they drew closer and he could see Trixie in Ross’s arms. Gina’s face lit up too, though George and Gina obviously had very different reasons for their shared reaction to Ross striding down the lane towards them.

‘Thank goodness!’ George cried. Trixie gave a little yap, and her tail began to wag furiously as George took her from Ross’s arms. ‘Oh, you little devil,’ George said, ‘I thought I’d lost you for good.’

‘Sorry…’ Hannah gave him a pained smile.

George blinked at her. ‘My dear Hannah; it wasn’t your fault.’

‘But if I hadn’t come to you for help…’

‘Nonsense,’ George cut in. He laughed as Trixie licked his chin. ‘The main thing is I have her back. Next time I’ll be sure to close the garden gate.’

Gina and Jess were standing by Hannah’s car and up until now they’d both been silent. But now Gina grinned at Hannah. ‘You go chasing after a little doggie and come back with an extra surprise.’

Ross shot her a wide and rather soppy smile. It was all Hannah could do not to roll her eyes.

‘You weren’t exactly breaking your neck to catch Trixie.’

‘I didn’t think it was a very good idea, us all charging after her; it would have scared her half to death.’

‘Hmmm,’ Hannah said. ‘Whatever. It was just lucky I met Ross; I don’t think I would have caught Trixie at all without his help.’

Gina shot him a flirtatious look. ‘You are making rather a habit of being in the right place at the right time.’

‘I try,’ Ross smiled. He dug his hands in his pockets and looked over at the car. ‘Is it still not running?’

‘I don’t know,’ Hannah said, glancing at George. ‘We were all too busy worrying about Trixie.’

George scratched his head. ‘I’m blown if I know what’s wrong with it.’

‘Would you like me to have a look?’ Ross asked. ‘I’m pretty good with engines, even if I do say it myself.’

‘I bet you are,’ Gina said, with such obvious lust in her voice that even Jess did a double take this time. She exchanged a glance with Hannah that conveyed barely disguised disgust. Hannah had to stifle an inappropriate grin and at least pretend to be disgusted too. She supposed that the idea of her mother as a sexual being would be a shock to any teenage girl.

Ross turned back to Hannah. ‘May I?’ he asked, inclining his head at the car.

‘Be my guest. Some kind man offers to get my little Citroen going; who am I to argue?’

‘I’ll make us all a nice cup of tea while Ross looks at the car then,’ George said. ‘Unless you all want to come in and get out of the rain?’

Gina glanced up at the sky and held a hand out. ‘I think it’s stopping now. I expect we’ll be alright.’

George nodded. He pottered back into his garden, carefully shutting the gate before setting Trixie down. She scuttled off indoors, George watching her with a fond smile. ‘I bet she’s gone for a nap after all her adventures today,’ he said.

‘Sounds like a good idea,’ Hannah said approvingly as she wiped a film of cold perspiration from her brow. She was still sweating from her run in her duffle coat, and what she really wanted was a nice warm shower and a change of clothes, but that would have to wait for a while.

Ross disappeared under the bonnet of Hannah’s car with a look of boyish glee at the prospect, leaving Gina with a look of equal glee as she appraised his denim-clad rear. George clapped his hands together. ‘Right… I’ll make myself useful and get that tea. Are you sure you ladies wouldn’t like to come in to the warm?’

‘I’d better stay outside in case I’m needed,’ Hannah said.

‘I’ll stay outside too,’ Gina added, ‘in case I’m needed for… well, you never know.’

Jess shook her head but didn’t say a word.

‘That’s fine,’ said George, ‘teas all round. I’ll be back in a tick.’

Jess hoisted herself onto George’s garden wall, her legs dangling as she stuck a pair of earphones in and turned her iPod on. Gina folded her arms as she watched Ross work.

‘You’ll probably miss your train,’ Hannah said.

‘Probably,’ Gina replied, her gaze still trained on Ross’s bum.

‘Will there be a later one?’ Hannah asked.

Gina shrugged. ‘I expect so.’

‘You don’t seem too worried.’

‘No point now, is there?’

Hannah sighed. ‘I’m sorry this hasn’t been the Christmas I hoped it would be for you. Everything keeps going wrong, even today when I’m trying to get you home. I think I’m jinxed or something.’

Gina turned to her now, eyebrows raised in vague disbelief. ‘Are you kidding? It’s been the best Christmas I’ve had in ages!’

‘Really?’

‘Compared to the dull round of cooking, eating too much and then falling asleep in front of the telly…’

‘We did quite a lot of that,’ Hannah cut in.

‘We did,’ Gina laughed, ‘but I couldn’t have asked for better company. Not to mention the added bits of excitement that I definitely never had with Howard at Christmas.’ She gave an impish grin as her gaze returned to Ross. ‘And we’ve met some very interesting new people too.’

Hannah smiled. Her mind also went back to an interesting new acquaintance, but it wasn’t Ross. Hers was a man whose real name she didn’t know, and whose whereabouts now were just as much of a mystery. And yet, she couldn’t get him out of her thoughts.

‘Could you turn the engine over for me?’ Ross called, breaking in on her reverie. Hannah gave silent thanks for the distraction; one place she really didn’t need to go right now was Tom – or whatever his name was. He was out of reach and out of her life and dwelling on anything other than that was not healthy.