Read Face the Wind and Fly Online
Authors: Jenny Harper
Face the Wind and Fly (32 page)
‘I had a man who supported me in my career and I’d be getting one who detests wind farms—’
‘But is prepared to be tolerant—’
‘Really?’ She looked at him surprised, but ploughed on. ‘One who took himself seriously instead of one who—’
‘Takes
you
seriously. Is this a job interview, Kate? Because I should tell you that I’ve just had one of those and I found to my surprise I was rather good at it.’
Kate stared at him in horror. ‘Oh Lord. The job! What are you going to do?’
‘You and I will have to negotiate compromise, if we’re to be together. We’ll need to learn to love our differences.’
‘Ready everyone?” Nicola’s voice boomed over the loudspeakers. ‘Kylie Tolen, our year six pupil who has worked so hard on the Garden Committee, is going to switch on the tree lights. Let’s count down, shall we? Ten, nine, eight—’
Everyone joined in. ‘—four, three, two, one—’
Kylie pressed the switch and the old apple tree became a glittering mass of sparkling light, gold, silver and white. There was a collective gasp of appreciation and a round of applause.
In the spring, the bulbs they’d planted would begin to poke their heads bravely into the world and the garden Ibsen had designed would take life. Kate slipped her arm round him. She said, ‘You should know that compromise isn’t a word I understand. Not where love is concerned, at any rate.’
The unfamiliar, newly-shorn Ibsen chuckled. ‘I’ve heard you argue about a lot of things, Kate Courtenay, but that’s the first thing you’ve said I definitely agree with.’
She laughed and rubbed her hands through the short, unfamiliar hair, then eased herself away so that she could study him. ‘You know,’ she said, ‘I rather like being able to see more of you.’
The slogan on his sweatshirt registered.
‘Take the Leap’
She put a hand on his chest. ‘Shall we, Ibsen? Take the leap, I mean?’
‘That’s why I turned down the job.’
She gasped. ‘Why, you—’
The familiar face-splitting grin was back as Ibsen bent his head and stopped her indignant response with a kiss.
And this time, not even Wellington’s howling could interrupt them.
THE END
Author’s note:
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Face the Wind and Fly.
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The
The Heartlands Series
Jenny Harper
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Jenny Harper
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Accent Press
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Published by Accent Press Ltd 2014
ISBN: 9781783753338
Copyright ©
Jenny Harper
2014
Previously published 2013
The right of
Jenny Harper
to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The story contained within this book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publishers: Accent Press Ltd, Ty Cynon House, Navigation Park, Abercynon, CF45 4SN
Cover design by Caleb Rutherford, Eidetic Graphic Design