And why? Because he’d wanted to see her smile. That was the only explanation he could think of. And it wasn’t good enough.

Then he’d compounded his own idiocy by spending time in this dump, with a girl who was plainly cuckoo. He had a thousand better things to do than sit here listening to her talk nonsense.

Or did he?

Suddenly his brows contracted and he rubbed his eyes like a man in pain.

‘Are you all right?’ she asked. ‘Do you have a headache?’

‘No,’ he said quickly.

It was true that his head ached, but it did that so often these days that he disregarded it.

‘I think you do,’ she said.

For a moment he was annoyed at her persistence. He’d said no and that should be the end of it. But her eyes were gentle and concerned and his flare of anger died.

‘Perhaps just a little,’ he conceded. ‘I’ve got a lot on my plate at the moment.’

She had a kind face, and for a moment he was tempted to tell her about the disasters that threatened to crush him. It might be easy to confide in this charming stranger about the loneliness of his life after the woman he’d once loved had turned out to be a selfish, calculating shrew.

He might even find a way to tell her about the deeper pain of his son, the little boy of whom he’d once been so proud, but who’d become a pitiful, disadvantaged creature. He could feel compassion for the child, and helpless, agonised love, but no pride.

Then he pulled himself together, wondering what he’d been thinking of. It wasn’t his way to show weakness in front of anyone, never mind strangers.

Besides, he didn’t want to spoil this moment. She was cheeky, and sweet, and fun.

Fun.

He’d almost forgotten what the word meant. But it meant this delightful young woman with her sunny face, laughing ruefully over her idiotic little car, counting her modest blessings. He was glad he’d yielded to the impulse to spend a little time with her. It was good to be reminded that there were people who could face the world with a smile.