Maybe she had the right idea in making a list of places to visit, things to do. If she needed to step out of herself, Belbarrow could help with that. The village may have been quiet, but there was always something to keep you busy. Somebody in need of help.
“You’re here for, what, two months at the very least?” he asked.
She nodded.
“So let the first week be about whatever this is.” He pointed at her list. “Inspiration. If nothing else, you’ll get some decent pictures out of it.”
“That’s true. But… mud. Cold. Rain,” she argued wryly.
“You’ll get used to that soon enough.”
She tapped her cheek with the fluffy end of the pen and then, finally, straightened up. “Okay. I shall take you up on your offer for the Fairy Trail, whatever that is. Thank you.”
He beamed, jittery at the prospect of spending more time with her. “Not a problem, sunshine.”
10
Harper’s Guide to Inspiration
Books, books, books
Boat trip
Fairy Trail (?)
Yoga (?????)
Hiking (why does inspiration involve so much exercise?)
Castle ruins
Harper examined her new list, compiled with the help of Cam and Fraser, and also the internet. She wasn’t sure how, exactly, all of these things were supposed to open up her brain enough to transform her into a competent novelist, but the logic seemed sound.
“Why is there a question mark next to ‘Fairy Trail’?” Fraser’s voice behind her made her jump. He’d arrived to grab some tools bright and early this morning, and she’d stationed herself on the couch with a cup of strong tea while waiting for him to leave. Apparently, he had firewood to deliver around town.Bernard nestled beside her, his chin balanced on his crossed front paws.
She twisted around with a glare. “And you say I’m the snoop.”
He feigned being hurt, holding a hand to his chest. “Don’t you trust me and my tour guide expertise?”
“I’m just very surprised that at your big age, you believe in fairies.” Harper shrugged, propping her socked feet up on the coffee table.
He swatted them off quickly with an “Oi”, then perched on the opposite arm of the couch. That explained why one side was so much lower. “You’ll understand when you see the trail. It’s gorgeous. Why is yoga on the list now?”
“According to my mother, who thinks she is a seasoned yogi after one class last week, I need to meditate and ‘reconcile my body and mind’. Also, I bought yoga pants in a sale last month and need an excuse to wear them.”
He cast her a sideways glance. “Interesting.”
Unconvinced, Harper could only hum. She’d tried yoga, and pilates, and spin classes, and tai chi, and meditation, all with Kenzie, but she wasn’t known for her fitness and her instructors usually shouted at her for doing it wrong. Exercise had been tainted for her since high school P.E. classes, when she’d been teased for jiggling as she ran. She’d long since stopped caring about her shape and weight, but the rest of the world hadn’t caught up with her fight for body positivity. Now, she preferred to focus on things that made her feel confident,like dancing in the shower and doing handstands in the garden after a few too many glasses of wine.
But perhaps she could find a peaceful spot in the woods to do yoga, all on her own. There were plenty of instructors on YouTube, including her favourite plus-size one, Meditate With Melanie. If she could stay within range of the newly installed Wi-Fi, she might manage.
“I’m just trying to take the pressure off,” she decided eventually, “like you said. Find inspiration from the world around me.”
He clasped his hands between his thighs, which were spread wide across the couch’s arm. It was impossible not to notice those long legs, with their hard planes of muscle clearly defined through his jeans. It surprised her, really, how… decent he was. Most attractive straight men in Manchester strutted around like peacocks, vying for women’s attention only to mess them around. Fraser was the most gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes on, and he just… minded his own business. Looked after his sisters. Chopped wood. Occasionally stared at her ass, then got flustered when she caught him, which she didn’t mind one bit as long as he wasn’t judging her. As long as he liked what he saw, which he seemed to.
There had to be more to him. Nobody was this… together. This perfect. Why was he single? Why did he keep to himself in the middle of the woods when he could be dazzling the world with his good looks and decent sense of humour? It made no sense. Maybe the forest should have come with a warning.Caution: sinfully handsome woodcutter resides here. May induce heart palpitations.
When she broke out of her thigh-induced haze, she found him smirking at her with those piercing eyes. It was easy to believe that he knew exactly where her thoughts had taken her.
