Flynn had certainly assumed plenty. Damn it! How dare he? Her embarrassment was replaced by anger and she dried herself vigorously with the towel, flinching as she forgot to go easy over her stomach and then dabbing carefully over the dressings. She’d been told they’d fall off after a few days. The thought of exposing the cuts underneath made her squirm.

Back in the bedroom she pulled up the bedcovers and pushed her things back into her bag. Physically, she was feeling much stronger despite the pain reminding her if she moved too quickly. She was glad of the trackpants she’d packed. It was too soon to squeeze into her jeans.

She hoped Euan could drop her into the town and she could stay there for a day or so then catch a bus back to Perth. She certainly wasn’t going to stay at Levallier Dell if there was any chance she would run into the arrogant Flynn again.

She looked around, unsure about what to do next. The phone began to ring but no one answered it. She would love to make a fresh cup of tea. Euan’s lovely breakfast sat cold and untouched on the tray.

The sound of birds attracted her to the window. The view was certainly pretty. Just outside, a wooden framework supported a rambling bush rose. It was covered in pink blooms like the one on the tray. The rose created a living frame to the garden, which was edged by a wire fence signalling the start of the curving rows of vines, bursting with bright green leaves and sloping away to a screen of trees. As she studied the vista before her, Keely noticed something glinting among the trees. She peered, trying to work out what it was. The sun’s rays reached the trees and she realised the glinting patches were water. This must be the river Euan had spoken about.

A movement on the lawn made her look down again to a group of hen-like birds pecking their way across the yard. They had black-and-white feathers, which gave them a speckled appearance. She counted six in the group.

In the distance she heard a motorbike, and closer she saw the top of Euan’s head moving between the vines, coming back towards the house. She turned to collect her things then stopped at the spectacle before her. The large expanse of wall above the bed, stretching high up to the raked ceiling, was covered with a magnificent wall hanging. Keely was immediately taken by its beauty. She’d been so tired and in so much pain the night before she’d not taken in her surroundings.