Under a Siena Sun (Escape to Tuscany #1) - T.A. Williams Page 0,73

through the bushes, roughly parallel to them. It was the size of a dog, but it very definitely wasn’t a dog. As she focused, it emerged from the bushes and there could be no mistake. What she was looking at was a porcupine. She swivelled her head up towards David.

‘I didn’t know they had porcupines here in Tuscany.’

‘Not that many. We’ve been very fortunate.’ Then, to her regret, he pulled away from her and bent down to catch hold of Boris by the collar. She heard his voice, still whispering. ‘Come here, dog. You don’t want a porcupine quill in the end of your nose.’

Hearing the movement, the porcupine stopped and then, seconds later, scuttled back into the bushes once more. David waited for a full minute before releasing his hold on the dog and straightening up. Boris, apparently blissfully unaware that he had been close to a potentially dangerous animal, set off up the track once more. David turned back to Lucy.

‘That’s one for your diary.’

‘How amazing! When I first heard the noise I was afraid it might be a wild boar.’

‘I’m glad it wasn’t. They can be dangerous if you get in their way, or between a sow and her little ones.’

‘Well, I’d count on you to defend me if that happened.’

She saw him grin in the moonlight. ‘After your time in the wilds of Africa, I bet you’d be better than me at defending yourself – and me for that matter.’

‘Don’t you believe it. Not without a helicopter.’ As they started off up the track again, she went on to tell him about her fraught final days in Mabenta and how worried she still was for her friend Miriam, the patients and colleagues she had left behind. As they reached the top of the olive grove where David had to turn off onto a narrow path, he stopped and looked down at her.

‘You’re a very caring person, aren’t you?’ His voice was gentle.

‘I’d like think so. It comes with the job.’

‘It’s more than that with you, though. I really admire that in you, Lucy.’

And then, to her considerable surprise, he leant down towards her and kissed her softly on the lips.

‘This is where Boris and I have to leave you. Are you going to be okay walking back on your own?’

She nodded mutely, still under the spell of that little kiss. Finally managing to regain the power of speech she replied. ‘I’m just fine, thanks, David. I mean that. Just fine.’

‘Goodnight, Lucy and thanks. Not just for tonight. Thanks for everything.’

And he turned away, following Boris into the shadows.

Chapter 22

When she awoke next morning, she lay in bed for a while and reflected on the events of last night. Wonderful as it had been to see a porcupine for the first time, the stand-out moment had to be that kiss. Never in her life, not even with Charles, had such a minimal, fleeting touch managed to cut straight to her heart like that. There could be no doubt in her mind that she was developing serious feelings for David but, more importantly, did this kiss now maybe indicate that he also felt the same way about her?

This was the big question going around and around in her head, but there was no point agonising about something over which she had no control, so she decided to do her best to dismiss it from her mind and move on – at least for now. She got up, took a fairly cool shower to freshen her up after what had been a particularly muggy night, and went downstairs to wash last night’s dishes and tidy the house. After that, she went out into the part of the garden which was still in the shade and did a bit more digging before it got too hot. Fortunately the pile of old timber she had propped against the ramshackle back gate was still in place and the wild boar had not put in another appearance. Her recently planted flowers and bushes were still intact and she watered them before the full force of the sun fell upon them.

She came back in again around mid-morning and made herself a coffee. As she did so, her phone started ringing and, to her delight, she saw it was David.

‘David, hi. How’s it going?’

‘Good, thanks.’ His tone was warm. ‘I wanted to say thank you again for last night. It was great.’

‘You’re very welcome and I enjoyed it as well, all of it, especially our