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The beep told her her ti it down Had she told him she loved him? She couldn't re to say it when she'd been cut off but she must have said it before, surely? Or perhaps not

She surprised Harvey by sta down her face She couldn't even ht when she couldn't even ain to until he talked to her

Tenaway froht shadoere thick now but it wasn't coh it would be by the tie She had felt totally at odds from the Second she'd arrived back in the city It had been as though she had always lived in the tranquil surroundings of Shropshire rather than the other way round The traffic noise, the dust, the heat, had sees she'd always loved—the hustle and bustle of cosmopolitan life, the shops, the entertain had held any appeal But then it wouldn't without Travis

The cottage onderfully faarden after opening the big swing gate She felt as if she had co back the tears, she let an ecstatic Harvey out of the car and retrieved the key fros and cases as Harvey began a thorough inspection of the lawn and flowerbeds She had just put the last ite

Travis? She rushed to the front door but, on opening it, saw Harvey was in a corner of the lawn, nosing at so all the ti her when she called his name

It had to be one of the resident hedgehogs Harvey had had run-ins with the off scot free and s and Harvey with a pricked and sore nose She didn't fancy another visit to the local vet tooodness knehat

Yelling did no good, so after finding her shoes, which she'd kicked off minutes before, Beth ran across the lawn She was halfhen awful reality dawned Stopping dead, she turned The door was shut The key was inside The car was locked Instinct had made her pull the door to behind her and the latch had clicked She had done it again

She checked the door but she kneas useless It didn't budge an inch

For a second Beth didn't knohether to laugh or cry In the event she did neither After lugging Harvey away fro, she sat down on the step and considered her options It didn't take long

It was just past ht, adet aa cardigan over the vest top and coed into for the drive froh the hours of darkness and then trudge the few , or walk to Travis's house right now and see if he was up for the weekend Throw herself on his ain

A couple oftheir way along the lane, or at least she was Harvey was prancing about like so demented, beside hiht walk

Beth tried not to think about what she would say to Travis if he was at ho to concentrate very hard on not stu the lane forht but ht beyond it

Eventually the gates were in front of her—she'd arrived And, toe-curlingly, there were lights downstairs and two vehicles on the drive Two ? Beth peered at thee Rover Travis had a visitor Her stomach did such a flip she involuntarily put her hands on it It didn't have to be a wo the Truth time, she told herself silently Do you believe in him or not?

Flooded by emotions as chaotic as a store horseshoe-shaped area directly in front of the house where the cars were parked Harvey had raced ahead, delighted here they had finished up Sheba and Sky lived here so it had to be good

She stood, her heart racing, for so the bell Then she waited Harvey had sat down expectantly at her feet, his eyes trained on the front door In other circum-aances the earnestness in his stance would have made her smile