Sarah Bennett - Summer at Lavender Bay - A fabulously feel-good summer romance perfect for taking on holiday!

When he opened them, she was grinning at him. ‘Good, huh?’ She pointed to a cluster of men sitting at a table in the corner. ‘My dad’s a whizz when it comes to anything mechanical. I’m sure he’d be happy to take a look at your tractor if you want a second opinion.’

Caught off guard by the comment, Jack’s immediate reaction was to refuse. As though sensing it, Eliza hurried on quickly. ‘He’s not been well lately, if it wouldn’t be too much inconvenience to you I think it would do him a power of good to feel useful again.’ A hint of worry clouded her pretty eyes.

He still owed her for his earlier rudeness, and to be honest it would be good to get another opinion. He and Jason had always bounced things off each other, and although his mum knew everything when it came to cultivating their crop, she’d always left the machinery maintenance to her husband and then her sons. He knew Paul Barnes well enough to say hello to, having been served plenty of times by him over the years, and he’d always seemed a decent enough guy. What harm could it do ? ‘Sure,’ he found himself saying. ‘Why not?’

Eliza wasn’t sure why she’d offered up her dad to try and help Jack out. When she’d left the farm that morning, embarrassed and more than a little upset by his rudeness, she would’ve been happy never to set eyes on him again. He was lucky he had such a gorgeous dog otherwise she wouldn’t have given him the time of day. There was something about him that spoke to her—a hint of vulnerability lurking behind the sharp words. She didn’t remember much about him from the past. He and his brother hadn’t gone to the local school for some reason she couldn’t quite recall. They’d come around the pub once they were old enough, but they’d not mixed much that she remembered, and she’d not had eyes for anyone other than Martin. Trying to recall them now, it was Jason she had the most distinct memory of, with his big booming laugh and ready smile. Jack had been his shadow.

Once they’d started chatting this evening, he’d opened up a little bit. And when he’d gifted her with a sunny smile which lifted the shadows around his eyes, she’d found there was a very different person lurking behind those walls of arrogance. Teasing him had come as easily to her as breathing, and who would’ve thought it would be so easy to make a burly farmer blush? Add in the terrible accident in which he’d lost his brother and she had no chance. Always a sucker for a lost cause, Eliza found herself wanting to reach out and help him.

Wondering if she was setting herself up for another fall, especially given his ability to blow hot and cold, trepidation set in as she wound her way through the scattered tables towards where her dad sat with Pops and a few of his cronies. With a quick glance over her shoulder to check Jack had followed her, she placed a hand on her dad’s shoulder and leaned down to brush a kiss on his cheek. ‘You busy?’ she asked when he turned to look up at her with a smile.

‘No, lovely girl, what can I do for you?’ He must’ve noticed Jack standing just behind her from the way his eyebrows raised.

She turned to include Jack in their circle. ‘Jack’s from up at Gilbert’s farm. He’s having a bit of engine trouble with a tractor and I thought you might have time tomorrow to take a look.’

Paul Barnes stood to offer Jack his hand. ‘I’ve seen you in here a time or two, Jack.’

He nodded. ‘Haven’t been down for a while, Mr Barnes, but Jason and I used to enjoy a drink here.’ Always hopeless in the face of raw emotion, Eliza blinked hard at the sudden sting of tears which rose unbidden at the stark expression on Jack’s face.

Her dad placed a hand on Jack’s arm. ‘Terrible business, that, lad.’ He gave himself a little shake, then continued. ‘But I’m sure you’re sick of people saying so. Pull up a seat and let’s have a chat about this tractor problem.’ Scooting his chair back, he cleared a space at the table. ‘Shove over a bit, Pops.’

Eliza’s grandad—universally known as Pops to everyone in the family—obliged and Jack borrowed a spare stool from a nearby table to settle between them. Obviously not wanting to be left out, his chocolate Labrador wiggled in next to Pops and nosed the empty wrapper from a bag of peanuts. With a laugh, Eliza leaned forward to snatch up the packet. ‘None of that now.’

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