She shook her head. ‘A local builder did it for me. Then I lived in here while he converted the barn next door.’
‘He did a good job.’ He tilted his head to look at the rafters. ‘It’s the perfect rental property, isn’t it? Totally private.’
She hoped so. She sincerely hoped so. Living too close to this man would play havoc with her sanity. She must have been mad to let Will bully her into it. And why couldn’t she bring herself to tell him she’d changed her mind?
‘So you’ve had lodgers ever since you built it?’
‘Yes.’ She stared out of the kitchen window into the darkness. ‘My parents owned it years ago, then they decided to sell most of the land around here and they gave my sister and me the barn.’
‘But your sister doesn’t live here now?’
Ally stood without moving. ‘My sister died.’
There was a moment’s silence. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t be.’ She blinked at the quiet sympathy in his voice and gave him a wan smile. ‘It was a long time ago.’
‘And the barn was derelict?’ He strolled out of the kitchen and ran a finger along the wall, following the line of the exposed brickwork.
She gave a short laugh and followed him, grateful that he hadn’t dwelt on the subject of her sister. Maybe he had more sensitivity than she’d given him credit for. ‘Oh, yes, completely derelict. Converting it was a massive job. Hence the lodgers.’
‘When did your last lodger leave?’
‘Fiona?’ Ally closed the kitchen door and brushed a blonde strand out of her eyes. ‘A month ago. She was offered a job in London and snapped it up. Like most people, she couldn’t wait to get away from rural Cumbria.’
Sean glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. ‘Most people maybe, but not you.’
She shrugged and walked over to the cosy living area. ‘I was never a lover of bright lights and city streets even when I was young. I’m a mountain, outdoor type so this place suits me perfectly.’
‘When you were young?’ His mouth quirked and he leaned casually against the wall, watching her steadily. ‘And you are now in your dotage, of course?’
Ally gave him a reluctant smile. She felt as old as the hills but maybe that was just inside. Obviously the trauma of recent events hadn’t aged her externally.
‘Well, let’s just say I’m certainly past needing the excitement of a big city.’
‘And what about other types of excitement, Ally? Are you past needing those, too?’
He wasn’t leaning against the wall any more. Somehow he’d managed to move close to her without her even noticing. ‘I’m happy with my life here, Dr Nicholson.’
Sean pulled a face. ‘Can we drop the formality? You make me feel as though I’m in the middle of a ward round.’
She didn’t want to drop the formality. Formality made her feel safer. First names made things more intimate and that was the last thing she wanted. ‘I would have thought you liked formality, having been in the army.’
He shrugged those wide shoulders. ‘I left, didn’t I? Frankly, I was never really into hiding behind rank and titles. Not my style. So, are you going to let me rent this fabulous place or…’ he paused slightly and his eyes gleamed ‘…do you need to check with Charlie?’
Charlie? Oh, goodness, she’d forgotten about Charlie! Why on earth had she misled him? She was going to have to confess before he found out for himself.
She swallowed. ‘Dr Nicholson—I mean, Sean—there’s something I ought to tell you—’
The sound of a car on the gravel outside interrupted them and she closed her eyes. Oh, great. Well, that was that. So much for her confession.
Sean glanced through the hall window. ‘You’ve got visitors.’
Not visitors. Residents.
At that moment the door opened and Charlie rushed in, her hair flying and cheeks pink from the cold.
‘Mum—what are you doing in here? There’s a brilliant motorbike outside and—’ She stopped dead when she saw Sean, her expression wary. ‘Who’s that?’
Ally swallowed, too flustered to comment on Charlie’s lack of manners. ‘This is Dr Nicholson, sweetheart. He’s going to be working at the surgery for a while and Uncle Will thought he could stay in our stable. Where’s Grandma?’
‘She said to tell you she’d ring you later. She’s gone because Princess is calving. I wanted to stay but she said no.’ Charlie stared at Sean. ‘Is that your motorbike?’
‘It is.’ Sean returned her gaze steadily, his face expressionless as his eyes flickered over the blonde hair and huge blue eyes.