Bella Osborne - Wildflower Park – Part Two

Published by Avon an imprint of

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street,

London, SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 2019

Copyright © Bella Osborne 2018

Cover illustration © Kim Leo

Cover design © Cherie Chapman Book Design 2018

Bella Osborne asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008258221

Ebook Edition © February 2019 ISBN: 9780008258191

Version: 2019-02-12

For Patty – with love.

Contents

Cover

Title Page PART TWO

Copyright

Dedication

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Keep Reading …

About the Author

Also by Bella Osborne

About the Publisher

Anna was pacing the yard as the last of the evening sun hunkered down for the night. This wasn’t how she had expected the team event evening to go. She hadn’t meant to make a scene and was annoyed with herself for reacting, although the truth was she wasn’t able to control her emotions that easily. It must have been Liam who had written the question, which had freaked her out. His attempt to wind her up, no doubt. At least now she knew what she was dealing with.

The door clicked open and she spun around to see Liam’s face peering round the edge.

‘Can I have a word?’ he asked, still using the door like a shield.

Anna crossed her arms in front of her. ‘What about?’ She’d give him a chance to come clean before she tore him to shreds.

Liam gestured for them to walk a bit further away, perhaps anticipating an explosive response. ‘You okay?’

‘Fine. Why?’

Liam tilted his head to one side and scrunched up his features. ‘I’m really sorry about the question.’

Anna pulled back her shoulders. She was right – of course it had been him. A flash of temper and hurt coursed through her. ‘I didn’t think you’d stoop that low.’

‘Hey, you have to believe me. I thought of the question before I pulled a name out. I just went with something generic: what did you do at university ? I didn’t think you’d think … You know. Sorry, it wasn’t meant to upset you.’

Anna didn’t believe him for a second but she also didn’t want him to think he’d got to her. ‘Okay. Apology accepted. Let’s go back inside.’ The breeze was making her shiver.

Liam touched her arm to stop her. ‘Are you sure you’re okay with me taking this job?’

‘Yes. It’s fine.’ Anna spoke deliberately as if addressing someone a bit simple.

Liam gave a brief headshake and Anna straightened her back. ‘Because every time I look up you’re staring at me and I wondered if you still had … feelings. It’s quite understandable if you do. I mean I—’

‘No, Liam. I don’t still have feelings for you.’ Only murderous ones, she thought. Although saying it out loud had her brain ticking double time. It was hard to erase all they had shared; it was like their entire history had been buried underneath all the anger and sadness. Did she still care for him?

‘Right. Because I want you to know that I still love you, Anna.’

She stepped back as if physically stunned by the statement. A million questions swamped her brain and she tried to order them. ‘What about Tabitha?’

‘She isn’t you.’

It was a cheesy line and it should have made her loathe him a little more but there was a voice in her head saying: ‘He’s not the worst man on the planet. You invested a lot in him. Is it worth giving things another go?’ She hated that voice but it was a hard one to ignore.

The door opened and out strode Hudson. Anna was relieved to have had her villainous thoughts interrupted. Taking Liam back was a bad idea, and deep down she knew it.

‘Hudson,’ she said abruptly holding out her arm to halt his path to his car.

Hudson grasped her hand and she froze. She wasn’t expecting that or the accompanying electricity shooting violently up her arm. They both stared at their clasped hands for a fraction longer than was necessary.

‘Are you all right?’ asked Hudson, his voice soft and full of concern.

Liam forced a cough and they both looked in his direction.

‘I didn’t realise you two were …’ He pointed at their entwined fingers.

Anna’s eyebrows shot up and she opened her mouth to protest but something about Hudson’s expression stopped her. He gave a tiny shrug. ‘I’ll let Anna explain,’ said Hudson, giving her hand a squeeze and keeping hold of it. He let their clasped hands drop down between them. Was it some sort of code? Did he want her to say they were in a relationship? It would stop Liam coming on to her, which would be a bonus. It would stop her making a knee-jerk decision to take Liam back too. In her foggy brain it seemed like a good idea. She wanted to know what Hudson was thinking; did he have a plan?

‘No no, you explain,’ she said.

He twitched his head. ‘Err. Okay. Let’s just say it’s very early on in our relationship.’ He eyed Anna as if seeking approval. Her mouth twitched in response. ‘We’d really appreciate a bit of discretion,’ said Hudson, slinking an arm around Anna’s shoulder. She faltered for a second before she realised what he was doing and awkwardly snuggled into him.

Liam stared at them for what seemed like ages and Anna could feel herself heating up. For once Liam actually looked hurt. At last he seemed to snap himself out of his trance. ‘Mum’s the word,’ he said, tapping his nose. He clapped his hands together. ‘ Die Hard on DVD in five minutes.’ He pointed inside before turning and heading back.