Winter's End by Clarissa Cartharn Page B

think about it.”

 
    The bells of the
phone reverberated outside the walls of the house. Richard could barely
understand Emma’s muffled voice as she spoke into it. He was standing outside
the perimeter of the house, observing it’s sides. He then started circling it,
paying close attention to the walls and roof, often throwing glances at the
bay.
    “Richard,” he heard
Emma call out for him.
    “Here,” he answered,
peeking his head out from the side of the house so she could see him.
    “What are you doing?”
Emma asked, puzzled.
    “Figuring a good spot
for that office we talked about,” he smiled.
    “But we haven’t quite
discussed it, have we?” she said.
    He stepped back, a
little disappointed. “You don’t think it's a good idea?”
    She laughed. “Oh,
Richard, I just meant you haven’t quite thought it through. Are you sure you
want to spend your days in Skye conducting office work?”
    “I like Skye,” he
said grinning. “And as long as you and the kids are here, I’m happy to conduct
some of my business from here.”
    Emma nodded. “Very well.
I suppose it’s alright considering that the kids would love to have you around
more often.”
    Richard gave a small
frown. He dipped his head, trying to focus on the seams in the walls but his
mind refused to pay any attention.
    “By the way,” she
rambled on. “Lisa Johnston called.”
    “Who?” Richard grumbled.
His mood was fouled and he really did not want to hear anything this   ‘Lisa Johnston’ might have said.
    “My neighbour. From
number 17 down the road,” said Emma. “Well, she gave me two tickets to a couples
dance in Dunvegan last week and I completely forgot
all about them. Would you like to go?”
    “When is it?”
    “A week from now.
You’ll still be here, right?”
    The sun was shining
brightly and he moved slightly to shield his eyes from it. He looked at her
from the top of his brow. “Do you want to go?”
    “I don’t mind a night
out. I haven’t been anywhere in a long time.”
    He remained silent
for a few minutes. He watched the rays of sunlight dance on her auburn hair creating
a golden halo over her, mesmerising him. Emma always had this effect on him,
bewitched him like the first day he had laid eyes on her at her apartment.

 
    He had returned home
from their first meeting at her quaint flat, unable to go to sleep as he
continued to replay Emma’s beautiful face in his mind. And when he finally did,
he dreamt of her smile and how she turned her head to the side whenever she
tried to follow what he said.
    When he did go to
work the next day, it was the first time he ever paid very little attention to
his tasks. He wanted to race to her door and declare his attraction for her.
But from the little conversation they had that night, he quickly learnt that
Emma wasn’t like any woman he’d known. She had a heart that was created from
ancient clays and legends; a time where maidens waited an eternity for the love
of their lives to save them from the sorrows of ordinary living.
    He needed to be
careful. He wanted to become hers forever.
    He painstakingly waited
three days and on the fourth evening, he almost sprinted to her flat.
    She opened the door
and   from her surprised expression, he
could tell that she had not expected him to return at all.
    “Richard,” she said.
“Hi. Did you need something?”
    He held up a bottle
of red wine and grinned. “I drank all your wine so I thought I might replace
it.”
    She grinned, her
smile reaching her eyes, lifting it at the corners. “That was a cheap bottle of
merlot. You’re giving me an expensive cabernet sauvignon. I can hardly call
that fair.”
    “Oh,” he said,
looking confusedly at the label on the bottle. “Alright. How about I drink this
up over a conversation with you and I get you a cheap merlot next time.”
    She chuckled. “Oh,
very well,” she said with a pretentious sigh as she accepted the bottle and let
him into her flat.
    He sat on the