"Burntfarm Ride, ya mean?" He asked just to be sure there was no mistake.
"Yes, you're right. I thought is said Burnham Ride but as I was driving I couldn't be sure."
"Stay anywhere along the road where it's safe. Your car is a dark green Mini Cooper, right?"
"Yes, it is. I'm sorry to be such a nuisance, Jason. It's just that I'm completely lost, my GPS has gone berserk and," she couldn't help it, she made a sound that might easily have deteriorated into a sob if she hadn't swallowed a gnat at that moment. It had her spluttering instead and then coughing.
"And?" he prompted her.
"I'm nearly out of petrol!" She coughed out, frantic.
"It's going to take me about three quarters of an hour to get to ya. Just stay put and I'll find ya. OK?"
"Thank you, Jason. I don't know what to say." She finished by teetering between laughing and crying.
"Just say you'll have lunch with me... " After he'd said it, he realised it might sound like a condition for rescuing her. "No, ya don't have ta. I was just joking. Hold tight and I'll see ya soon." He cut off before she could comment in any way.
It hadn't been possible for Cleo to stay sat in her car. Even with the windows down, the sun had made the interior uncomfortably warm. She had looked sadly at her beautiful plants hoping that help would arrive before they all shrivelled from the heat. Luckily, they had been well-watered before leaving the centre, which is more than she could say for herself. She was decidedly thirsty.
She sat in the leeway of a hedge which offered shade and cooler air. One car had stopped to ask if she needed help but had moved on when she had said she was waiting for a friend.
Of course, he was a friend. She hadn't stopped churning over Jason in her mind since waking and admitted that he had to be a friend to go out of his way to help her, especially after her treatment of him last night. Every time a car passed, she glanced up to see if it were he, so that when a white van pulled over, she wasn't expecting him. Then it dawned on her he'd come with his van rather than the car.
She didn't move from the side of the hedge. Couldn't move from the side of the hedge. She first saw his shiny head of black hair as he got out and then the smile as he looked at her over the top of the van. That was when it happened. She started crying again.
Jason had only lost time when he'd stopped to get a jerrican of petrol. It had been the reason for taking his van. He knew the region pretty well now, so it really hadn't taken long to actually locate Cleo and her Mini Cooper. His gaze had gone straight to the woman sitting next to the hedge, exactly where he would have gone himself. He saw her expression of relief as it crumpled into something emotional that he supposed was the release of tension. He'd gone to her, risking yet another rejection, and pulled her up into his arms.
"Ah, Cleo. Don't let it get ya down. We all have our off days." He tried to console her while patting her back gently. It made matters worse, or better, depending on your point of view.
Suddenly, with Jason's arms around her and his soothing words trying to placate her, she lost her hold on fourteen years. She began to howl as she hugged him with her head to his shoulder. She didn't hear anything he said, just a soft even tone that people use to talk to babies or dogs. It worked though. After an indeterminable amount of time, she slowly calmed and was only left with the occasional sob. She didn't let him go, though, because she felt something she had never ever felt – safe in someone's arms.
The fourteen years of control of everything, including the changing of her name, evaporated as she realised just how much she had been alone. She had only had herself keeping a grip on her life. She hadn't allowed for any straying from the path for fear of losing her direction and it had only taken Jason and a malfunctioning GPS to get her lost. She would never ever be able to get back onto that road again. She clung to him for dear life. Gradually, she took in his words.
"Com'on, Sweetheart, we can't stay here all day. It looks like you've got plants needing a garden."
She had looked at her car and saw just how crammed packed it appeared with all the flowers and bushes fighting for breathing space. She couldn't help it. She hugged him and felt him hug her back as he brought his chin down to rest on the top of her head.
He got her home making sure not to lose her at crossroads or lights. He parked in front of her house and, while waiting for her to park on her drive, he had got out and leaned his lithe body against his van. Arms crossed in front of his chest, feet crossed at the ankles, eyes half closed against the brilliant sunshine, he watched her get out of the Mini, trying to decipher her mood. In a graceful movement that showed no hesitation, she came over to him and he instinctively held open his arms. She returned to that comforting, reassuring stance with her arms around him too.
Looking up at him, she went on her toes to kiss him in the most natural gesture of affection. He kissed her back gently and with a squeeze, let her go.
"We better get that jungle into the shade or you'll be finding yourself lost again trying to replace their dead bodies."
They had worked together to carry all the pots to the back garden through the side gate. This time it was she who had taken his hand to draw him into her house for a drink. He had been frankly impressed with the house's potential and had 'wowed' over her kitchen. He knew the cost of flagstones and these were the real thing, not some stone composite product nor a veneer. And all the other items or equipment had cost a pretty penny too. He was just the tiniest bit intimidated. She had to be good at what she did.
"I'd like to take ya ta lunch, if you're hungry? There's an old pub called 'The Woodman' that's not far from that Fox Lane, I told ya about. Are ya hungry, Cleo?"
"I'll go with you if you call me 'Sweetheart' again." She laughed with her daring.
"Let's go, Sweetheart!" He unexpectedly pulled on her hand and she fell into him. He took advantage by kissing her again, gently on her lips and felt them smile against his mouth.
"Couldn't resist," he explained quite innocently. She broke away from him to lock-up before handing him her car keys. She'd seen how well he drove and honestly didn't relish the idea of getting behind a wheel again until absolutely necessary. Without realising it, this was another tiny step to relinquishing her self-made power. He hesitated, perhaps at the vote of confidence, or perhaps wondering what would come next. Then, throwing the keys in the air and catching them, he said,
"Com'on Sweetheart, what are we waiting for?"
They had enjoyed lunch in the crowded pub. It was obviously a favourite of the locals as they were all calling quips back and forth across the main room with a good deal of laughter. It had affected Jason at the same moment that it had affected her because the jolly mood in the place had had her reaching for his hand at the same time that he had reached out for hers. She felt herself flush and suddenly had an ache between her legs. My God, what was he doing to her? She hoped he wouldn't notice the trouble she was having breathing.
"Shall we go back and plant those flowers? It's work for me tomorrow and I suppose for ya too?" He questioned her.
"You're right but I hate to leave here. It has been such a lovely lunch and atmosphere. Thank you, Jason. Thank you for everything. Thank you for coming to my rescue and for overlooking my behaviour last night. It is just that I never let anyone get close and it shocked me to find that I had with you."
"And now, Cleo?" He had suddenly become serious, looking at her intently with those expressive eyes and raised dark brows that sent shivers through her.
"Now? I want you to romance me, to hold me in your arms, to kiss me. I love your kisses. I could not imagine a man's kisses affecting me as yours do. I would like you to be patient with me for a little longer. Is that possible?" Her voice trailed away as she looked down. She didn't want to see exasperation in his eyes.
"Hey! I'm thirty four years old and I have to admit, I'm not the sex maniac I was at seventeen. I do fancy ya, no beating about the bush, but I can take it easy. Are ya willing to give me a chance?"
She smiled that smile that he'd first seen in front of his yard. It had blown him away then and it did now. He felt the blood rush to groin and it was all he could do not to groan out loud.
"If ya smile at me like that, I can't be held responsible for my actions, Sweetheart." He warned her half jokingly. "Let's go or we won't have time to see to your plants." He was hoping that thinking about wilted petunias might wilt him too.