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He leaned on his shovel to look at her with that penetrative gaze of his ‘Do you often have trouble sleeping?’

She tried to keep her gaes ‘Just because I get up to get a drink now and again doesn’t ht It’s creepy’

He continued to study her, his gaze unwavering ‘Just as well I’houls then, isn’t it?’

Was heher? It was hard to tell froo of the inside of her lip and changed the subject ‘What about the dog? Who’s going to look after it?’

‘Mrs McBain has a nepheho said he’d take care of her for a couple of days’

Aiesha tried another tack ‘I pro on ets back because Mrs McBain wanted to visit her daughter in Yorkshire I don’t want to let her down Not after all she’s done for me’

His look was still searching ‘Have you heard from her since she left?’

Aiesha rolled her lips together She hadn’t heard a peep from his mother She couldn’t decide if Louise was annoyed with her or too preoccupied orry over her friend’s health to be concerned as going on—or not going on—at ho after her friend She nal for her phone’

‘Do you think she cooked this up?’ He pointed to her and then back at hiether like this?’

Aiesha gave an uncoh ‘Surely you don’t think your mother has the ability to summon up a blizzard to suit her own ends? And why on earth would she want you and me to hook up? She kno much we dislike each other’

Those dark blue eyes were still holding hers in a lock thatfairy godic wand around toturn out the way she wants it’

‘I hardly think your hter-in-law,’ Aiesha said, trying to ignore the strange little pang below her heart If her circumstances were different, Louise was exactly the sort of mother-in-law she would’ve liked

‘She has a soft spot for you She always has’

Aiesha kicked a little mound of snoith the toe of her boot ‘Doesn’t randkids’