They made a motley crew, trooping down, rustling along the path in rain-slicked waterproofs and wellies, armed with an assortment of tools, but there was an air of underlying excitement as if this was a great adventure. The rain had found its way inside Hannah’s coat and an insistent trickle made its way down her neck, pooling into her bra but, fired up by the determination to right a wrong, she tugged at the hood and marched on beside a silent Conor. She was grateful for his silence because she felt uncomfortable in his presence. She’d practically told him – she had told him – that she was in love with him but she wasn’t about to apologise for it. If they both ignored it, she could hold her head up high and pretend it meant nothing.

‘Hannah?’ he said, just loud enough to be heard over the wind and the rain.

‘Mm,’ she said noncommittally.

‘I owe you an apology. Mam told me that you’ve got a job here. That you’re going to be a lawyer.’

‘I already am a lawyer,’ she snapped. She wasn’t going to let him off the hook.

‘I jumped to conclusions and I’m sorry.’

‘So you should be.’

Conor lapsed into silence. ‘You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?’

‘Make what easy?’

‘Do I need to grovel?’

‘I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. You’ve apologised.’

‘So that’s how you’re going to play it?’ Annoyingly he grinned at her and then reached for one of her rain-soaked curls and pushed it off her forehead.

She scowled at him and stepped back, annoyed by his confidence.

‘And here you are rescuing me again? I might need to keep you around.’

‘You? Might need to keep me around?’ She spoke with scorn. ‘I promise you, my decision to stay has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me.’

Conor’s grin widened. ‘Even better.’

‘What did you say?’ That stung. Clearly he didn’t care about her.

‘That’s been my problem. The women in my life wanted Killorgally and Conor Byrne, celebrity chef, more than they wanted me.’

‘Poor you.’ Did he honestly think that she was going to forgive him and let him saunter back into her life, back to a temporary relationship? She wanted all or nothing. No half-measures.

‘Yes. I did feel sorry for myself about that for too long. I took up with the wrong women. You’re different.’

‘You betcha,’ said Hannah. ‘And I’m not interested anymore.’

‘What?’ Conor’s surprise was almost comical.

‘I deserve more than a fling. I’m staying in Ireland for me. Not you.’