He looked at me sideways then took my hand. ‘Come, look, you’ll love the view,’ he said without answering me.

I followed him up the wooden stairs that led to the top deck. There was a huge arched window that looked out over the snowy forest and frozen loch.

‘Stunning,’ I said.

‘Yeah, I’d sit for hours here, just watching this view.’

I imagined him as a teenager, all those pent-up teenage hormones being tamed by the peace and quiet of a barn he’d been proud to create.

I stepped towards the window and put my hand on the glass. ‘Is that another house?’ I asked as I looked at the other side of the loch … the opposite side to the path that led to the lodge. It was an old farmhouse, grey and partly hidden by trees.

‘Yep,’ he said as he stared at it with a knitted brow.

‘I hadn’t even noticed it until now.’

‘Yeah, it’s quite hidden away.’

‘Who owns it?’

‘An older couple.’

‘Do you see them much?’

‘Nope.’ His eyes went glassy for a moment as he stared at the house. Then he fixed a smile on his face and turned to me, circling his arm around my waist and pulling me close. I put my hand to his chest, felt the warmth of him beneath his thick jumper.

‘Look at us, all alone,’ I murmured.

‘No more annoying family.’

I laughed softly. ‘They’re not that bad.’

His eyes explored my face, dropping to my lips. ‘You’re not that bad either.’

‘Not bad. Wow, you sure know how to compliment a girl.’

He curled my blonde hair around his finger. ‘I have a tendency to downplay things. In my book, not bad means fucking glorious.’

‘Glorious.’ I smiled. ‘Now that’s some description. I wonder what you must think of those women you describe as being more than not bad.’

He tilted his head. ‘Women?’

‘Oh, come on,’ I said casually. ‘We both know you’re not a virgin.’

He shot me a wounded look. ‘How do you know that?’ He smiled. ‘Okay, you caught me out. I saw Rhonda talking to you. Let me guess, she told you I was a womaniser?’

‘Not exactly …’ I moved out of his arms and walked around the room, trailing my fingers over the dusty covers of the books up there, most of them about woodworking. ‘Just that you like to have fun.’ I paused, turning to him and fixing him with my gaze. ‘I don’t mind, you know. I like to have fun too.’

He crossed his huge arms and looked me up and down. ‘I bet you do. So this is fun, is it? A little holiday romance?’