‘I’d been working my way up to telling her that I’d fallen in love with you for days,’ he chuckled, ‘but in the end, she beat me to the punch.’

‘She did what?’

Ned’s smile widened and my heart kicked in response.

‘She sat me down and told me that she’d worked out how I felt about you, and having talked to you the day you swapped the trees and watched you since, she was pretty sure you felt the same way about me, too.’

I wasn’t quite ready to admit the depth of my feelings for him just yet, but could feel my cheeks were still brightly blazing, which no doubt gave me away anyway.

‘Was she upset?’ I asked. ‘Was she angry?’

I knew how much Maya liked Ned and hoped she didn’t blame me for what had happened. It had never been my intention to steal her man. The kisses Ned and I had shared had never been planned. They were completely spontaneous and although arousing and unforgettable, guilt inducing too.

‘Not at all,’ Ned said, sounding as bewildered by the turn of events as I felt. ‘She told me that the heart wants what the heart wants and you can’t force it to want something different.’

I didn’t think I could have been so magnanimous about it. She really was an incredible woman. She’d gone to a lot of effort with all that mistletoe during the last few weeks and apparently, with no success.

‘She’s amazing,’ I whispered.

Ned grinned. ‘She also said she knew something was amiss, because I was impervious to her charms,’ he further added. ‘Contrary to popular belief, our kisses under the mistletoe have been few and far between and definitely one-sided.’

I felt my face grow even warmer.

‘But you looked like the perfect couple,’ I pointed out. ‘If you really weren’t interested in having a relationship with her, then why did you go along with it?’

Ned ran a hand through his wet hair.

‘Because I couldn’t let myself believe that I’d fallen in love with you, Liza.’ He seriously said and I knew there was no deception behind his words. ‘I did everything I could to convince myself that you weren’t the one for me. You were all set to leave and with no intention of ever coming back. But tonight…’

‘Tonight,’ I interrupted. ‘I told you I’d changed my mind and you were furious.’