Published by Avon
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
The News Building
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
www.harpercollins.co.uk
First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins 2016
Copyright © Bella Osborne 2016
Bella Osborne asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the authorâs imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Ebook Edition © October 2016 ISBN: 9780008180997
Source ISBN: 9780008181024
Version: 2017-11-16
âLoved this book, so light-hearted and amusingâ
âA lovely readâ
âOh what a little treasure this is! A cast of great characters, lovely Cotswold village and Beth trying to cope with the disaster she has boughtâ
âFull of wit and charmâ
âGreat characters who have quickly become established and rooted in my imagination. Very funny, but with deeper undercurrents woven inâ
âLoved the story, couldnât put it downâ
âAbsolutely loved this book, hooked from the startâ
âThree Words: Brilliant, Charming and Movingâ
âThis is a wonderful readâ
âCarly!â said Beth, her voice sharp.
Carly spun in Bethâs direction with an exaggerated movement. With slow blinks she looked at Beth until something registered.
âBeth! This is ⦠um ⦠what was your name again?â She swung precariously back towards Jack who stopped her falling on him with one hand whilst holding the pub table steady with the other.
âI know who it is.â Beth was trying to suppress the annoyance that was rapidly developing within her.
âHeâs lov-erly,â cooed Carly whilst she stroked his arm in a deliberate action.
âIâd like to know what heâs planning on doing with my drunk friend?â Beth retorted. Jack let go of Carly as if she were a lit firework.
As the accusation slowly registered, Carly looked hurt. âIâm not dunk!â she protested as she slowly slid towards the floor.
Jack was looking blindly from one woman to the other as if heâd just been teleported there. âI was just â¦â
âFor someone that wasnât looking for a relationship a few hours ago youâve sure as hell come round to the idea quick!â Beth stepped forward and grabbed Carly by one arm and hauled her into a standing position. âCome on! Weâre leaving now.â
Carly wobbled on unsteady legs, grinned inanely at Jack and was towed away.
They stumbled into the sunshine and the mêlée of the Summer Fete quickly surrounded them.
âOoooh, coconuts!â squealed Carly, veering off.
Now that the flash of temper had subsided Beth wasnât entirely sure where she was heading. Having separated Carly and Jack she wasnât certain why sheâd interfered but in that moment it had seemed like the only thing to do.
âBeth, hang on!â called out Jack, jogging up to them and catching Carly mid-sway.
Beth raised her eyebrows. âShall I leave you to it?â she asked, her question aimed pointedly at Jack.
âIâm fine, really fine. Oh, hello, itâs you again!â Carly grinned broadly, full of surprise at the sight of Jack keeping her upright.
âShe needs to sober up. Help me take her back to my place, will you?â asked Jack.
âAnd how safe will she be there?â
âBloody hell, Beth, Iâm trying to help here.â
Beth didnât really have another option. She couldnât see Carly being able to crawl into her tent even though it purported to be a three-man version; she and Leo hadnât had enough space.
âYou always have the answer, donât you, Jack Selby?â Beth was indignant.
âYou got a better one?â He was frowning at her.
âThatâs not the point.â People were slowing down and stopping to listen. âRight, fine. Come on, then.â She stood on the other side of Carly, put an arm round her and began to frogmarch her towards Jackâs.
âCarly, walk straight!â Beth ordered.