Paint Me Anew (Fleckney Fields Series, Book 2)

James Whitlaw

After three days in Fleckney, Anya still hadn't gotten a chance to visit the county town or any of the larger villages. Sally had stayed at the farm in the morning of the first day, supervising - more like, micromanaging - Anya's care for Henry, but after the lunch that Anya cooked, Sally simply said she had chores to run and left in the second, older pick-up truck they had at the farm. The second and the third day, she only had breakfast at home - and would come back after Henry's bedtime, claiming she had a 'festival related business' to attend in town. Anya assumed, that would be the Fleckney Winter Festival. Dom had told her all about the mad, over-the-board festivities the locals were so fond of. Apparently, they enthusiastically spent weeks celebrating Christmas, then indulged in a week and a half of the Winter Festival, then there was a fete in Summer, and then The Harvest Festival. Anya had always thought that either Dom was exaggerating, or the Fleckney peeps were all drunks and skivers. Judging by Sally Ferguson - Anya still hadn't met Martin - the latter assumption was proving true.

Anya was kneading dough in the kitchen when a loud knock came to the front door. The bell had been broken for years, according to Sally. Anya wiped her hands on a fresh towel and walked to the hall.

She could see that the visitor was a large man, blond, with an attractive smiling face. Back in Bristol, Any wouldn't even consider opening that door - except, that was Fleckney. She hesitated, and saw him give her a friendly wave through the glass.

"Who's that, Mum?" Varya asked, sticking her head out of the lounge, where she was playing with Henry on the carpet. It had taken Anya three hours to somewhat clean it the day before.

"I don't know," Anya answered, pondering her options. "Maybe, it's–"

Her mobile rang in her pocket, and she pulled it out and saw Sally's number on the screen.

"Anya, James Whitlaw is coming today," Sally said, skipping a greeting as usual. "Let him in when he does. He's fixing the attic."

"I think he's already here," Anya answered. "Is he about six three and blond?"

"Yeah," Sally answered and hung up.

Anya sighed and went to open the door.

"Hiya!" the one named James Whitlaw said gleefully. He stepped into the hall and looked her over with a wide grin. "And who would you be?"

"I'm Anya," she said. "I'm Martin's sister-in-law. Ex sister-in-law."

"Blimey! You're Dom's ex," Whitlaw said and shook his head good-naturedly. "My brother Kit went to school with him."

"I think I remember him mentioning your family," she said. "You have a younger brother Tom as well, right?"

The blond nodded. "And who would you be?" he asked and looked behind Anya.

"I'm Varya," the girl said, and then Henry's demanding wail behind her made her dash back into the lounge.

"Sally has just called." Anya lifted her mobile and shook it. "She said you're working on their attic."

"Just taking measurements today," he said and mimicked her gesture with a measuring tape in his hand.

Anya snorted, and he smiled widely at her. He toed off his working boots, and Anya turned to go back to the kitchen. After meeting Rhys Holyoake, and now James Whitlaw - a six four version of Charlie Hunnam - she was starting to understand what Dom had meant when he'd joke he was 'small and boring looking' in Fleckney.

"What's that smell?" Whitlaw asked behind her.

"I'm baking bread," Anya said.

She headed to the sink to wash her hands - and for some reason, Whitlaw followed her.