A warm smile spread over Flynn senior’s face as he thought of her. “We said hello and then I insisted on giving her a hand. She told me Bernard wasn’t able to help her as his back was playing up again.”

Flynn senior’s tender smile vanished.

His mouth flatlined with disapproval. “Bernard’s back didn’t seem to have bothered him in the pub the previous night, when he was hunched over the bar, flirting with the barmaid.”

Flynn confirmed that he had kept that piece of information to himself.

Thoughts of Lily being married to someone who didn’t deserve her made me prickle. “So, what happened next, Mr Talbot?”

“We chatted about what we were doing for Christmas and Lily mentioned all the charity work that Astrid did.”

Flynn senior’s lips hitched into an ironic tilt. “I commented that it was a pity her Lady Bountiful act didn’t extend to her own husband.”

I shot a look at Flynn, who frowned at his grandfather.

Flynn senior carried on. “Then, while we were talking, Astrid appeared out of nowhere. She virtually ignored Lily and said town would be busy with Christmas shoppers and we had to get going.”

Flynn senior let out a pained sigh. “I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay there, gazing at Lily with her pink-tipped nose and listening to that husky laugh of hers.

“I handed back the shovel to Lily and I remember our gloved hands brushed against each other. All I wanted to do was drink in every curve of that lovely face.”

I swallowed, listening to Flynn senior’s account. My emotions were whipping backwards and forwards on their behalf. To fall for someone like that and to have them fall for you in the same way… My attention shot back to Flynn and then I forced myself to concentrate.

“I remember Lily mentioning that she had liked the winter woodland painting I had finished a few weeks before. She had spotted me in the woods with my easel, lost in my painting and my thoughts. She said she had heaved a huge sigh of appreciation at the twinkling, crisp snow scene I had created.

“That was when I decided that would be my Christmas present to her. I made up my mind to drop the painting in to her at her business in Silver Ness. She owned a bakery…”

“Lily’s Loaves,” I smiled over at him.

Flynn senior blinked at me in surprise. “Yes. That’s right. Someone’s done their research.”

He let his hands rise and fall back down into his lap. “I knew it would be a good excuse to see her again over the Christmas holidays.”

Flynn examined his grandfather as we sat there, listening to his recollections.