“Go for it.” He clenched his teeth, determined not to react as the familiar book was pulled from the cupboard. It had been years since any of those recipes had been used to supply him with morning tea, and the last person he had expected to be able to make use of them was the woman making his heart pound. Del walked back to the table and sat down again. He watched as she flipped through the pages, pausing to read in a couple of places.
“How do I know if they are easy or not, or if we have everything we need?”
“That will be your job this afternoon while we are sweating up a storm in the yards. Choose something you like the look of, make sure it doesn’t have too many steps, and check the pantry for ingredients. After dinner you and I can get cracking and make a few things. You have to makes scones though, part of the deal. They’re my favourite.” Bluey nodded his head. “We’ll do a double batch and you can freeze some for later.”
“Scones, right.” She glanced up at Blake and he held his cup up to try and hide the grin that sneaked out. When Del frowned, he gave up and broke out in laughter. “Sorry…really. I’ve never seen anyone so damned scared of failure before. It won’t be that bad.”
She looked around the other faces at the table before meeting his gaze again. “I’m not confident in this area, okay. It’s like my weakest thing and I hate to fail. I seem to have a habit of doing that, especially since I’ve been out here.”
Del bit her lip again, and Blake wanted to wrap his arms around her. She seemed so lost and unsure when he thought a lady with her talents and career would be on top of the world with an invincible glow radiating around her shoulders. Instead, there was a vulnerability he wanted to brush away before he held her tight, saying it would be alright. They were so alike in so many ways. Both carrying guilt of some sort, seemingly unable to move past it.
“You won’t fail, Delilah. I can promise you that. I won’t let you.”
* * *
He was smiling at her—a gentle smile that spoke of a shared pain, a shared wish that they could both move forward with their lives, past the ghosts that still haunted them both. When she had embarked on her supposed trip of a lifetime—the studios idea not hers—the idea of a romance hadn’t even crossed her mind and this thing between them was going to be too hard to deal with.
Blake had his agenda, she got that, but things never went the way she planned and the thought of having a life of her own outside her career was getting more tempting all the time. Being able to make Lilly smile and laugh was a big plus in her book. The little girl needed someone, and she was bit by bit, edging into Del’s heart with well-placed steps. Royce was another matter, although things were slowly going her way as he thawed out. He was his father’s boy through and through, dogging his every footstep as he tried to be just like his idol. It would be a pity if he was never allowed to be a child and play like other children did, but his life seemed to revolve around the farm.
“Royce, did you want to do something with me and your sister this afternoon?”
He looked up, brushing the dark hair from his eyes. “What?”
Del shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. What do you feel like doing apart from working with your dad?” She glanced at Blake, and saw wariness in his gaze.
“The dogs need a bath. You can do that for me since I’m helping you out in the kitchen today.” Bluey grinned at her, no doubt noticing the sharp intake of breath on her part.
“Cool, we can do that.” Royce looked at her, the smile slipping from his face as Delilah groaned. “Can’t we?”
“Um, sure. I don’t see why not. I’ve never washed a dog before. I won’t know how.”
Royce raised his eyebrows. “You never had a dog?” His eyes grew wide, and his mouth dropped open in disbelief. “Everyone has a dog.”
“Not this kid. Never been near one, had no reason to.”
“That’s not good, Dad.” He looked at Blake. “That sucks.”
Bluey cackled and slapped his hands on the table, and Blake did his best to hide a smile. “Holey dooly, you are good for my heart, girl. I don’t know how you survive in the city…that I don’t.”
“We can’t all be the same.” She raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Bet I could show you a thing or two about living in the fast lane. You should let me do that sometime; might open your eyes to another life.”
“No damned fear. City isn’t the place for me. Get sick just thinking about the rush and bustle of the place, to say nothing of the damn fumes and traffic jams.” He shook his head. “Nope, this boy is staying put.”
She laughed, knowing she had hit a sore point with him. “Of course we’ll wash the dogs. Just show me where to do it and what to use, and the children can help me. It will be fun, won’t it, kids?”
They shared a glance and giggled behind their hands.
“No funny stuff, Royce. I want you to help Del and show her what to do, alright?” Blake spoke sternly to his son.
“Blake, it will be fine, don’t worry. What can possibly go wrong?”
He shook his head and sighed. “Oh boy, if only you knew. Okay then, don’t say you haven’t been warned.” Lunch over with, Blake pushed his chair back and stood up. “Thanks for that and agreeing to tomorrow. I really appreciate it, Del. The animal wash is down in
