Page 81 of Sunrise over Strawberry Hill Farm

‘Fine,’ said Nico. ‘I see your twenty and raise you fifty pounds.’

‘What’s going on?’ asked Joe, looking at Nico with raised eyebrows.

‘Well,’ said Ethan. ‘I see your fifty and raise you one hundred.’

The surprised looks went table, raised eyebrows, but, to their credit, the other men didn’t tease him.

‘Okay,’ said Nico. ‘I call it.’

Ethan spread his cards out on the table. ‘Royal flush. Read it and weep.’

Nico glanced down at his hand before throwing his cards onto the table. He was beaten fair and square. ‘Well played,’ he said, trying to put a brave face on the loss.

‘Not really,’ said Ethan. ‘It was like taking candy from a frustrated, jealous man.’

‘I’m not that,’ spluttered Nico.

‘Yeah you are,’ said Ethan, tapping him on the shoulder with a pity smile. ‘And I don’t blame you. Flora’s lovely. Not like that, of course. She’s like our little sister.’

‘So break her heart and we’ll throw you off the side of the hill,’ added Ryan.

‘I’m not going to break any part of her,’ Nico told them. ‘She’s out on a date with someone else,’ he reminded them.

‘Yeah. Too bad. Well, there’s always Libby,’ said Ryan, throwing a glance at his younger brother.

Ethan scowled. ‘I wouldn’t go near Libby,’ he muttered. ‘She’ll eat you alive. The woman’s meaner than my big brother and that’s saying something.’

Nico had already picked up on some kind of underlying tension between Ethan and Libby and wondered what had happened there. Besides, as gorgeous as Libby was, it was Flora whom he couldn’t stop thinking about.

As he paid his dues to Ethan over the loss of the poker game, Nico realised that he had enjoyed his evening. It was nice having men of his own age to chat and banter with. He had missed that. He had missed having a family, friends, that comfort of knowing that people were looking out for you. And he was beginning to think he’d found it in Cranfield.

He was gradually beginning to hope that not everyone thought of him as Paolo Rossi’s son. In fact, when he thought about it, nobody had even mentioned his famous dad for weeks. Nico could feel himself relaxing and beginning to trust. For the first time in a very long time, he was beginning to make friends.

And that particular thought made him smile all the way back to Strawberry Hill Farm, right up until the moment when he remembered that Flora was on a date and the dull ache returned.

48

As Flora walked into Cranbridge, she felt cross with herself. She was an idiot. In her embarrassment after dancing with Nico, she had made an impetuous date with Tyler. Thus making a difficult situation even worse.

She wasn’t even sure she wanted to see Tyler again. At least, not on a date. But if Nico wasn’t interested in her romantically, wasn’t it best that she try and move forward with her life?

She groaned and picked up her speed, ensuring that she was actually early and waiting for Tyler at the bar when he arrived.

She saw a few women look over appreciatively as he crossed the floor towards her and was reminded that Tyler was an attractive man. Anyone else would be glad to be on a date with him.

But her pulse remained resolutely steady as she smiled up at him.

‘Sorry I’m a bit late,’ he said. ‘I was waiting for the vet.’

‘Everything okay?’ she asked.

‘One of the calves,’ he told her. ‘So, what would you like to drink?’

Flora ordered a gin and tonic, Tyler bought himself a beer and they went to find a table outside.

It was another beautiful midsummer’s evening and Flora found herself thinking back to the picnic she had shared with Nico under a very similar clear darkening sky.

There had been no awkward small talk with Nico. No need to get to know each other. After spending so much time together, they both knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses almost as well as their own.