Page 88 of New Beginnings on Railway Lane

‘Luxury?’ Ryan thought of the old carriages and laughed.

‘It will be,’ she told him. ‘With maybe a wood-burning stove for cold winter nights,’ she added, looking at the roaring fire.

‘What we need is a decent dinner before we both fall asleep from exhaustion,’ announced Ryan, heading into the kitchen and stirring the sauce he had left simmering on the stove.

‘About that,’ said Katy, following him. ‘I was thinking that perhaps now that your pizzas are becoming so popular we could do a different menu one night a week? Say, that lovely Italian cooking you were doing in Rome?’

But, to her surprise, Ryan just groaned. ‘Seriously, I’m asleep standing up most days as it is. Much as I love the idea, let’s just get the bulk of the work on the carriages done first and then see about everything else afterwards.’

‘But—’ she began.

‘Let’s just have dinner, okay?’ he said, carrying over a spoon towards her. ‘Here, taste this.’

She took a tentative sip of the sauce and it was a taste sensation.

‘That’s so good,’ she said, licking her lips and staring at him in amazement. ‘Better than good, actually. Incredible.’

He broke into a winning smile as he carried on mixing the sauce whilst the pasta began to bubble on the hob.

‘I’d have never believed that a decent dinner could be so easy,’ she told him. ‘I just used to get takeout delivered.’

He checked the pasta before looking over at her. ‘Do you miss the urban life?’ he asked.

‘I did at first,’ she said. ‘But now I’m kind of used to it out here.’

It was true, she realised. She didn’t miss the buzz of the towns and cities. She loved the community feel, of being involved in something better.

She looked up to find him watching her. ‘What about you?’ she asked.

‘I didn’t either, to be honest,’ he told her. ‘Rome was home and Cranfield was just somewhere where I grew up. Where Mum and Dad lived. But having spent some time here, I don’t know. Maybe home is where the heart is after all.’

She nodded. ‘Perhaps going with your gut feelings sometimes can be a good thing,’ she said, wonderingly. ‘I mean, I didn’t intend to come here, but something drew me to Cranfield.’

‘It’s like cooking. You go with your feelings and anything can happen.’

He stepped away from the hob and went to go to the fridge which she was standing right next to.

‘So you follow your gut and see where it leads,’ he said, his voice dropping low as he stared at her with dark eyes. ‘And if you could do that right now, if you could truly do anything, what would it be?’

Katy looked at him and didn’t hesitate. He wanted her to be truthful to her feelings so she leant forward to kiss him gently on the lips for the briefest of moments.

Feeling a little embarrassed, she began to draw away, but his arms quickly swept around her and pulled her close against him. His lips returned to hers and developed into something deeper, more passionate, more loving. The chemistry between them left her breathless. She had never felt anything close to it before now. This was the passion that everyone spoke about. And now she understood because she never wanted the kiss to end.

She didn’t know how long they kissed, didn’t care about anything but the feel of him next to her. Time stopped still until he finally drew away from her.

‘What did you put in that sauce?’ she asked.

Ryan gave a soft sigh and then slid his arms around her, pulling her close. ‘Tomatoes,’ he said, leaning forward to kiss her once on the lips. ‘Olive oil,’ he added, moving his mouth along her jaw. ‘Capers, basil and garlic.’ He nibbled on her earlobe. ‘A little seasoning is always the most important thing,’ he said, before trailing his lips back along her jaw.

Katy was trying to concentrate on the ingredients as he listed them, but it was hard when his lips felt so good on her skin. She didn’t just want one kiss. She wanted many many more from Ryan.

‘And my secret ingredient, which was a scattering of rosemary,’ he said, his lips now inches from hers.

She leant forward to close the gap and for a few moments there was nothing but the joy of being in his arms and kissing him, their arms wrapped around each other.

Finally they drew apart.

‘Oh it was definitely the rosemary,’ she told him.