Page 79 of Coming Home to Maple Tree Lodge

‘I’ve waited a long time to do that,’ he told her.

They stared at each other for a moment, both a little breathless and wide-eyed, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

‘Me too,’ she replied. She couldn’t stop herself from being honest with him. She trusted him.

He leaned forward as if to kiss her once more but she put a hand on his chest to stop him.

‘Perhaps we should say goodnight,’ she found herself saying. ‘It’s been a long day.’

Despite the glorious kiss and how right it had felt in his arms, she couldn’t stop her self-defence mechanism from kicking in.

He studied her for a moment. ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked, still holding her in his arms.

‘Nothing,’ she told him. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you.’

‘It didn’t feel like you had any regrets,’ he replied, pulling back from her. ‘And I certainly haven’t got any.’

She gulped. ‘It’s just that, well, I’m no good at this kind of thing.’

He raised his eyebrows. ‘Kissing? I have to disagree with you. That was incredible.’

She was grateful for his gentle humour but felt that she had to press on. To tell him why this couldn’t continue.

‘It’s just that I’ve managed to get this far on my own,’ she told him. ‘It’s hard for me to let anyone get close.’

‘You let the girls get close,’ he reminded her, reaching out to take a lock of her red hair in his fingers once more.

‘Yes and it took me fourteen years to start to open up and be honest with them,’ she said. Her laugh was only half-hearted and she sighed heavily. How could she tell him that her fear of trusting someone with her whole heart would scupper any chance of a relationship that they might have?

Ben let go of her hair and looked at her for a moment. ‘Come on,’ he finally said. ‘We’re both shattered. But, for the record, this subject isn’t closed.’

He studied her for a moment, his brown eyes almost black in the firelight. Then he got up from the sofa and she did the same.

It didn’t take long to close down everything and soon she was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. But despite being exhausted, she couldn’t get to sleep, yearning for more of his kisses despite the warning voice in her head.

40

‘What a great evening,’ declared Dotty over breakfast the following morning.

‘Yes,’ said Ben, nodding. ‘It certainly was.’

He glanced at Lily, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table and smiled as her cheeks grew pink. She was clearly remembering their kiss and he had spent most of a sleepless night thinking of nothing else as well.

He knew that she had felt the connection between them as well. He knew from the way she had kissed him back, passionately. And yet he knew her so well these days that he also understood why she was holding back from him. Her fear of trusting that she had tried to explain to him.

He respected her wishes, of course. And yet he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the kiss all night, almost driven mad with the thought of her soft lips against hers.

‘Everyone we knew came,’ said Walter, who was looking very relaxed and basking in the success of the evening.

‘And they brought along people we didn’t know, thanks to Del,’ added Frankie. ‘Well, he probably owed us a favour or two after everything.’

‘Have you seen this?’ piped up Ella, who had been staring at her phone. ‘That travel blogger has posted her review already.’

She held out her phone and Ben took a nervous gulp before forcing himself to read aloud from the screen.

‘Deep in the heart of the forest, historic Maple Tree Lodge makes for an idyllic lakeside escape. It has cosy bedrooms, wood-burning fireplaces and a luxurious and yet relaxing feel. The main lounge has comfortable sofas from which you’ll not want to move away from the view. But if you can muster up the energy, a walk around the lake will pay dividends. The air is fresh, the walk sublime and the view will soothe away any stresses. Be warned – there’s no mobile signal away from the wi-fi in the hotel so prepare for a much-needed digital detox.

‘Once back in the hotel, make time to have a delicious cocktail in the snug, where the bar shimmers among the many fairy lights and there’s even time for a game of snooker, if you can tear yourself away from the amazing view, that is. Book a stay at Maple Tree Lodge and you’ll come away relaxed, revived and restored. And probably wanting to book a second stay as well.’