Free Winter Wishes by Ruth Saberton

whether or not she knew anything, but nothing in Jules’s manner had suggested that she had any inkling. Now, sipping the tea that Summer had made, Tara told herself that there would have been some clue in the vicar’s demeanour this evening if Jules had known the full story. A look? A nuance of her voice? A glance exchanged with Danny that spoke of a secret shared? Something, surely?
    Which meant only one thing.
    Danny hadn’t told a soul. Nobody knew why they’d really split up. Nobody knew the truth.
    Tara wrapped her hands around the ceramic mug, feeling its warmth against her palms, as comforting as the knowledge that was now warming her heart. Danny didn’t want anyone to know the truth, and by remaining silent he’d contained the damage. Was he hoping that one day they could go back to how they were? Was there still a chance that he could love her again?
    Well, if there was, then Tara Tremaine was determined to take it. And absolutely nobody, vicar or otherwise, was going to get in her way.
     

Chapter 5
    “Danny! Wait up!”
    Clutching at the stitch in her side, Jules stumbled down the shadowy garden track that snaked through the grounds of Seaspray to the cliff path. Although she was a lot fitter now than when she’d first arrived at Polwenna Bay, she still had her work cut out catching up with Danny when he was on a mission. He’d only left the house a few minutes ahead of Jules but he’d managed to overtake his father, who’d stopped to roll a sneaky joint. Already Danny was fumbling with his gloved hand to unfasten the gate; his haste to escape from Tara couldn’t have been more evident.
    “Bloody stupid gate,” Dan was muttering as his hand struggled to release the catch. “Open up, for Christ’s sake!”
    He made several more failed attempts, swearing furiously under his breath, and then kicked savagely at the gate with his booted foot. Jules frowned. She hadn’t seen Danny this upset for a long time – in fact, not since the evening they’d first met, when she’d had to talk him down from a colossal scene in the pub. On that occasion, though, alcohol had been involved, whereas tonight he was stone-cold sober. Knowing that he hadn’t had a drink made Jules feel even more worried. Usually when he was sober Danny was an easy-going guy, with none of the famous Tremaine temper that Mo and Issie had in spades. Something about Tara upset him profoundly, and instinct told Jules that there was far more to this than a broken heart.
    “Hey, you,” she called. “What’s the hurry? Is there a worldwide Diet Coke shortage that I don’t know about? Is The Ship about to run dry? Or even worse, is there only one packet of pork scratchings left?”
    Usually Danny would laugh at her jokes, however lame, but this evening his good humour had vanished faster than the sweets being dished out to the trick-or-treaters all around the village. His tension was palpable, and he vibrated with nervous energy from it. No wonder he couldn’t open the gate: his fingers were trembling so much that each time he reached for the catch his leather glove slipped away from it.
    “Oh damn it all to hell,” Danny cursed, rattling the gate furiously. “Why did she have to turn up this evening? Bloody, bloody woman.”
    Gently, Jules reached under his arm, slid her fingers onto the catch and loosened it. The gate swung open and together they stepped out onto the path. With Seaspray and Tara now behind him, and the gate closed with a firm click, Danny exhaled raggedly and passed his hand over his face.
    “Sorry.”
    “You don’t need to apologise to me,” Jules said softly. “It was a huge surprise to see Tara tonight. Even I was taken aback, so it’s bound to knock you for six.”
    Danny laughed harshly. “Knocking people for six is what Tara does best. She’ll have planned this for maximum impact.”
    “Come on, Danny, you can’t really believe that. She’s been made homeless.”
    He snorted. “So she says.