Page 97 of Sunrise over Strawberry Hill Farm

‘You’re kind and steady and a good man,’ she told him, taking his hands in hers. ‘We’d make a good partnership and that would be the sensible choice.’ She gulped. ‘But that’s not what I want. I want enduring, passionate, silly, impetuous, can’t live without him love.’

She caught a look from Grams and turned back to Tyler.

‘You don’t deserve a lifetime of being married to someone who wishes…’ Flora’s voice trailed away as she looked around once more. But she could no longer see the man she was thinking of. She focused back on Tyler. ‘Who wishes she were with someone else. You’re too good for me. You’ll find someone who loves you wholeheartedly because that’s what you deserve.’

She was grateful to see Tyler nod slowly. ‘But what about you?’ he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders and took a deep breath. ‘I guess I’ll just have to do something spontaneous for once.’ She kissed him on the cheek before walking away.

Flora looked around the crowd for Nico’s face, but he was gone.

Grams tilted her head in the direction of the farmhouse and Flora rushed away across the field lit by the setting sun to find him.

* * *

Nico felt ill as he stood outside the farmhouse.

He had seen Tyler propose and had walked away before the double engagement celebrations could commence. He’d left it too late. He’d backed off so far that Flora had moved on. And his heart ached for her.

Nico stared down at the motorbike, the keys in his hand. It was time to leave. Flora had her happy ending. Heaven knows she deserved it, but he would be lost without her.

He certainly couldn’t bear to stay in Cranfield with her and Tyler so happily engaged. His heart had just shattered into a million pieces and he needed to get out of there fast. He knew it was running away, but what else could he do?

‘Hey.’

He looked up suddenly to see Flora standing hesitantly nearby in the courtyard. She was obviously worried that he disapproved about the engagement. Well, he did, but not in the way that she imagined. He looked back down at the bike, unable to make eye contact without her seeing the truth in his eyes.

‘Congratulations.’ He was so desperately miserable that he couldn’t even instil any fake happiness in his tone of voice.

He heard her take a sharp intake of breath but still didn’t look at her. He couldn’t bear to see the happiness in her eyes at marrying someone else.

‘On what?’ he heard her ask.

Confused, he finally looked up at her. ‘On your engagement. What else?’ he said, forcing a smile on his face. ‘I hope you’ll both be very happy.’

She stared at him with wide eyes. ‘Do you?’ she asked.

The question drifted in the air between them and he looked at her with a frown. ‘I don’t understand.’

‘Do you wish us well and to have a happy life together?’

The silence stretched out as he struggled to find the lie with which to reply.

‘Because I’m not going to marry him,’ she blurted out. ‘I don’t love him.’

‘Thank God,’ he said. His words came out choked as his throat was thick with emotion as he sagged against the motorbike with relief.

Flora began to walk towards him. ‘It’s you,’ she said, beginning to cry. ‘I love you.’

‘Dolcezza,’ he said, rushing over to draw her into his arms. ‘Ti amo. I love you too. Don’t cry. It’s always been you ever since I saw you in that pond. And it always will be.’

Their lips automatically found each other and the kiss was the sweetest one he’d ever known. He realised this was it. This was where he belonged. Forever.

When he finally let her go, she smiled despite her tears. ‘Look, I don’t want romance from you. I don’t want any of that. I just want you.’

‘Well, that’s tough,’ he told her, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. ‘I’m giving you romance whether you like it or not.’

She laughed and leaned forward to kiss him again.