Cara's Land by Elvi Rhodes

Author:Elvi Rhodes
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Relationships, Family Saga, Chick-Lit, British, Fiction, Romance, Sagas, Dales, Yorkshire, Women's Fiction
ISBN: 9781446487457
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2011-06-28T23:00:00+00:00

14

He was thinner than Cara remembered him; lean, and harder-looking, and he seemed taller. Yet, though the time before Edward’s death seemed another life, it was only a matter of months. Her memory must be at fault.

‘I heard it in the Ewe last night,’ he said. ‘I was sorry to learn about your husband. He was a good man.’

‘Yes.’

As always, she searched for the right words to acknowledge people’s sympathy – and once again failed to find them.

‘I thought you might have heard sooner,’ she said. ‘Have you been away?’

‘Yes.’

‘I asked around after you. No-one seemed to know where you were.’

He offered no explanation, merely raised his eyebrows.

‘You asked after me?’

‘I needed some hired help.’

She would certainly not let him think she had been interested in his whereabouts. Indeed, she had not.

‘And no-one knew where I was,’ Marsden said. ‘Ah well, that’s the gypsy in me! But here I am now, just when you want me!’

‘How long are you here for?’

‘Who knows?’ he replied. ‘Perhaps as long as you like. I don’t have any plans. But you’ll have to find me somewhere to sleep. No point in wasting time going into Shepton and back every day. In any case, I’ve given up my lodgings there.’

‘I can employ you until the tupping’s finished,’ Cara said. ‘After that I don’t know. I’ll pay you the usual rate for the job and you can have the room over the stable.’

She spoke tersely. No doubt in his eyes he was doing her a favour just by turning up, and to be honest, maybe he was but she had no intention of being beholden to him. Give Kit Marsden an inch and he’d take a mile. She’d realized that a long time ago.

‘Done!’ he said.

‘When can you start?’ Cara asked.

‘Now. This minute.’

‘You’ll need to go into Shepton and collect your things.’ She assumed he was staying at the Ewe.

‘Nope! I’ve got everything with me. I travel light.’

I’ll bet you do, Cara thought. She couldn’t imagine Kit Marsden being bound by anything or anybody. He was a free spirit if ever she’d met one.

‘Then in that case we’ll go up to Johann and sort out the jobs.’

‘Johann? I thought you were the boss,’ Marsden said. ‘That’s what I heard in the town. “A lady farmer”, they said.’

‘Oh, I am. A lady farmer and the boss. But Johann is my right hand. I wouldn’t dream of not consulting him. I couldn’t have got through the last few months without Johann.’

‘You underestimate yourself,’ Marsden said. ‘I’d back you to get through anything.’

Her strength attracted him, which was strange, and against his nature. He didn’t like women in charge. Women were meant for other things. Not that she wouldn’t be good at those, he surmised, but she wasn’t going to wrap him around her little finger like she did the German. He was his own man, always would be. There was no question of him taking orders from a Kraut, either.

Cara turned to Susan.

‘You’d better get back and let Grandma know there’ll be one extra for dinner.

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