Clover Cottage: A feel good cosy read perfect for your summer holiday reading (Love Heart Lane Series, Book 3)

by Christie Barlow

  After high-fiving Rory, Finn and Esme squealed and vigorously waved their vouchers in Isla and Felicity’s direction before skipping off to the sweet stall with Mop trailing after them.

  ‘Well, you’ve made a couple of kids very happy,’ Allie said as she stood beside Rory and Zach and watched Finn and Esme disappear amongst the crowd.

  ‘I agree,’ joined in Hamish, giving Rory a light slap on the back and Zach a nod of appreciation. ‘This one,’ said Hamish, patting Rory on the back once again, ‘always steps up to the mark. We couldn’t manage without him. A pillar of the community.’

  ‘Never mind dog shows, you could be a judge at Crufts or maybe a new TV show – dogs that have talent!’ chipped in Zach.

  Allie could see the excitement flickering in Rory’s eyes. Zach had his full attention, ‘Really? Now that sounds like some sort of plan.’

  ‘Yes, I agree, you are destined for bigger things. Wasted on local village fairs,’ said Hamish with a chuckle.

  ‘You should definitely think about the bigger picture,’ Zach continued. ‘You have such charisma, such warmth with people, and on screen you would be a natural.’

  Allie was watching Rory closely. He was hanging on to Zach and Hamish’s every word.

  ‘But also not forgetting how important you already are to our community, the local vet. Everyone knows who you are here,’ chipped in Allie, linking her arm through Rory’s. ‘My own superstar.’

  ‘Well, there is that,’ replied Rory, but with less enthusiasm in his voice.

  Allie looked up at him but didn’t catch his eye. He was staring out over the green, deep in thought. She could tell something was bothering him. Maybe it was her imagination but he didn’t seem quite happy.

  ‘I think your public awaits.’ Hamish tilted his head towards Zach, who spun round to discover a long queue of admirers hoping to have their picture taken with him.

  Instantly putting on his dazzling smile, Zach went to work, his charisma and presence putting the starstruck fans at ease.

  Allie took the opportunity to pull Rory towards her and slipped her arms around his neck. ‘Are you okay? You look kind of distracted all of a sudden,’ she probed gently.

  He seemed to hesitate. ‘Me? I’m absolutely fine.’ Rory looked down at her. Even though he was smiling Allie knew he was still thinking about something else, but this wasn’t the time or the place to push it further.

  ‘What a fantastic day this is turning out to be. Finn and Esme need to be bottled. I think pacapoos could become the next big thing.’

  ‘I remember when a mongrel was just that, a cross-breed, and now people pay ridiculous amounts for them. And how are you feeling now?’ asked Rory, his eyebrows drawing together. ‘You seem to be in a brighter mood, thankfully.’

  ‘Well, why wouldn’t I be? It’s fabulous weather, and I’m surrounded by all our friends and family. I love days like this, don’t you?’ Allie knew she was testing him slightly to see his reaction.

  ‘Absolutely,’ he replied on cue yet Allie still had a tiny inkling that something was bothering him.

  ‘And would you believe Mystic Martha really does have psychic powers, according to Isla, and has made a living out of it in the past?’

  Rory looked at Allie astonished.

  ‘But don’t worry,’ she quickly interrupted. ‘Isla’s talked some sense into me and she’s made me realise I’m in charge of my own destiny.’

  ‘Thank God for Isla,’ said Rory, looking relieved, and pressed a swift kiss on the end of Allie’s nose.

  ‘And tomorrow we will go and look at Clover Cottage. Shall we go and find your mum and dad now and see how the land lies?’ asked Allie, pushing for the commitment.

  ‘Yes, come on,’ said Rory, taking Allie by the hand.

  ‘And then I’d better find Mum and pull my weight at the Pimm’s tent,’ she said, noticing Stuart and Alana chatting to Rona and Aggie at the side of the cake stall.

  As they walked towards them, Rory called out cheerily, ‘How’s everyone doing?’

  ‘All good! It’s such a fantastic turnout. We can’t believe how many people are still flooding through those gates! It must be down to that famous chappie milling about,’ exclaimed Alana, leaning towards Rory and kissing his cheek. Thankfully, everyone seemed chilled and in good spirits, thought Allie, smiling at Alana and Stuart.

  ‘And we are just making our way over to the stage. Bill is playing with his band in a moment. Are you pair joining us?’

  ‘Absolutely!’ replied Allie, waggling her camera. ‘It’ll be an ideal opportunity to take some photos.’

  ‘See, that was Martha who instigated that situation; she’s all about the happy-ever-after,’ whispered Rory in Allie’s ear.

  Allie couldn’t help but smile, remembering the time Martha arrived in the village. Within only a few days of being reunited with her old friends over one too many gins, she had set a horrified Rona up on a dating app and before she could object she’d been matched with the man of her dreams, Bill. The relationship was still going strong.

  Allie leant into Rory’s shoulder as they walked towards the stage. Even though Martha’s reading had made her a little jittery, the day was panning out perfectly. Rory pulled her in close and whispered, ‘I do love you,’ setting the butterflies swirling around Allie’s stomach. Then he pointed to the crimson chequered picnic blanket laid out on the grass under the old oak tree. Alongside a wicker hamper there was a bottle of wine chilling inside an ice bucket.

  Allie marvelled at the sight in front of her. ‘Is this for us?’ she asked, amazed at the effort Rory had gone to.

  ‘It is. I thought after this morning and your wobble—’

  ‘I wasn’t wobbling – well, not really – okay, maybe a little.’ Allie pinched her thumb and forefinger together. ‘It’s just … I don’t know … Maybe I’m just being daft, but I’ve got this feeling that something isn’t quite right. You seemed in a world of your own before, like you had something on your mind, and then with what Martha said —’

  ‘You’re right.’

  ‘Have I got something to be worried about?’ Allie ground to a halt, her eyes wide.

  ‘You’re right; you are being daft.’ Rory shook his head despairingly. ‘How can anyone predict the future? In my book things happen for a reason, what is meant to be will be, and this is meant to be. I thought you deserved a fabulous lunch and a glass of wine while we listen to the band … Enjoy it, Allie.’

  ‘How did you organise this so quickly?’

  ‘I have my sources.’ He grinned, not giving any more away.

  ‘I don’t think I could love you any more if I tried,’ said Allie, feeling she needed to tell Rory exactly how she felt.

  ‘That’s good to hear,’ he said, taking her hand and kneeling beside her on the blanket.

  She took a peep inside the basket. ‘And my favourite sandwiches too! You have pulled out all the stops. This day couldn’t get any more perfect,’ she said dreamily, finally feeling settled. She passed the wine to Rory, feeling foolish for hanging on to Mystic Martha’s every word.

  ‘Here’s to us,’ she said, raising her glass in a toast after Rory had poured the wine. Just as they were about to clink their glasses together they heard screaming behind them, making Allie sit up straight. They turned to see a commotion on the road adjacent to the green.

  ‘That’s Felicity,’ said Allie, recognising her voice and scrambling to her feet. She looked into the crowd. Her stomach lurched, her heart pounding against her ribcage, as she clocked Felicity running towards them, looking terrified and shouting for Rory at the top of her voice.

  Out of breath, Felicity stopped in front of the picnic blanket. Close to tears, she stumbled over her words. ‘Rory, you need to come, there’s been an accident.’

  Rory leapt to his feet and followed Felicity towards the road, where a crowd had gathered. Pushing his way through the villagers he witnessed a grief-stricken Zach and, lying stretched out in the middle of the ro
ad, Sydney, his trusted Labrador. She’d been hit by a van.

  ‘Bloody hell,’ said Allie, gasping for breath as she arrived at Rory’s side.

  ‘Rory, help her – please help her.’ Zach’s voice cracked as his pleading eyes locked with Rory’s.

  Rory understood the urgency and spun round towards Allie, ‘Allie, I’ve not got the surgery keys. Go and find Dad and tell him to meet me there immediately.’

  Allie turned quickly and ran back through the crowd of people to find Stuart.

  Chapter 5

  The second the surgery door was unlocked Rory gently placed Sydney onto the operating table. Her eyes were droopy and the rise and fall of her chest was low. After quickly pulling on his white scrubs Rory sterilised his hands. Stuart joined in while Alana busied herself making strong sweet tea for everyone.

  Allie was standing next to Zach, who was clutching Sydney’s lead with all his might. ‘Don’t leave me,’ he was muttering under his breath. There was nothing Allie could say or do that was going to make the situation any better. All they could do was watch and hope Rory could work his magic.

  ‘I just don’t know what happened. One minute she was by my side and the next … All I heard was a screech and a thud.’ Zach’s voice cracked. ‘She never runs off. Never.’

  Out of the corner of his eye Rory could see a crowd had gathered at the surgery gates. People were standing pointing their cameras towards the surgery window.

  ‘Dad, can you shut the blind please?’ ordered Rory with authority. ‘The last thing we need is an audience.’

  Stuart hurried over to the window. ‘There’s press out there and a TV camera! My God, word spreads quickly,’ he said, immediately shutting the blinds and switching the lights on.

  ‘Vultures,’ murmured Zach, his eyes firmly fixed on Sydney.

  Alana appeared and handed Zach two drinks, a mug of hot sweet tea and a small glass of whisky.

  ‘Here, drink this. It’s good for shock and will take the edge off,’ she said, handing him the whisky glass, which Zach gratefully accepted. He swirled the liquid around before draining the glass, wincing as the amber liquid burned his throat.

  ‘I keep a bottle in my desk, because you never know when someone might need it,’ Alana said softly, taking the empty glass and handing Zach the mug of tea.

  Rory and Stuart had already set to work on the primary survey check. After examining Sydney’s vital functions and airways Rory shone the pen torch into the dog’s eyes to assess responses and pupil size.

  ‘We need to administer pain relief.’ Rory looked at his dad, who nodded his understanding and opened the drugs cabinets.

  ‘Methadone or Fentanyl?’ asked Stuart, waiting for Rory’s response.

  ‘Methadone – it’s stronger, and we need fluids. Can you set up the IV cannula too?’

  ‘Yes,’ replied Stuart.

  Zach was staring vacantly at Sydney, his eyes teeming with tears, as he began to ask questions, trying to gain a better understanding of what was going on.

  Rory spoke slowly and calmly. ‘We are getting Sydney stable. She’s been hit with some force but from the initial checks it looks like it’s her back legs that have been hit. I need to assess her visceral organs and carry out an ultrasound to rule out fluid in the abdomen and check the chest for a pneumothorax, followed by an x-ray to check for fractures.’

  Zach looked like he was about to crumble. ‘But she’s going to be okay, isn’t she?’ Eyebrows raised, he offered a questioning gaze, muttering please repeatedly under his breath.

  ‘I’m going to do my very best, but Zach and Allie, I’m afraid we need to ask you to step outside and take a seat in the waiting room.’

  Zach couldn’t speak; his face was pallid, his hands jammed into his armpits as the tears slipped freely down his cheeks. He took a step towards the table and bent and kissed Sydney’s head. ‘I love you, buddy.’

  Allie’s heart was breaking as she led Zach out of the surgery. She swallowed a lump in her throat. ‘Come on,’ she whispered, touching Zach’s elbow.

  Zach exhaled and kissed Sydney one more time before shutting the surgery door behind him.

  ***

  Over an hour had passed and all that had cut through the eerie silence was the tick of the waiting-room clock. Zach had not moved a muscle, as he sat on the brown plastic chair with his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands, hoping that the surgery door would open sooner rather and later.

  Allie was sitting next to him glancing down at her phone. The word had not only spread around the village but across all social media channels. She couldn’t quite believe how quickly a story could hit the news headlines. Within minutes of arriving at the surgery the phone had rung constantly with news reporters trying to get hold of Zach, but now the receiver was lying on the reception desk, off the hook.

  Finally, Rory stepped into the waiting room.

  ‘Hey,’ he said softly, causing Zach to lift his head.

  Rory took a step closer, drying his hands on a towel. Zach let out a slow steady breath and stiffened. All eyes were on Rory.

  ‘I think you’ll find someone wants to see you.’ Rory said softly, a smile touching his face.

  Zach exhaled, tears filling his eyes. ‘Really?’

  ‘Really!’ confirmed Rory.

  Relief was carved in Zach’s face, as he pressed his palms to his eyes to control the tears before tipping his head back and looking towards the ceiling. ‘Thank you,’ he said with sincerity. Standing up he thrust his shaky hand towards Rory. ‘Honestly, I can’t thank you enough,’ said Zach, beaming.

  ‘Anytime,’ said Rory. ‘But I need to tell you that at the minute Sydney is heavily sedated. She’s stable and has fractured her leg, but I’ve applied an external splint to the limb for temporary support.’

  Zach nodded.

  ‘But our facilities here are too small – we can’t house Sydney overnight and we need to keep an eye on her, so I’ve arranged for her to go over to the veterinary hospital in the next town. It’s run by a good friend of mine, Molly McKendrick. Sydney will be well looked after and I’ll pop across later to check on her.’

  Zach nodded. ‘Can I see her?’

  ‘Of course. Dad’s in with her at the moment.’ Rory took a step to the side and gestured towards the room.

  Standing up, Allie wrapped her arms around him. ‘You are a lifesaver,’ she gushed, squeezing him tight.

  ‘I am, but sometimes my job is made difficult by the lack of space here.’

  Allie detected something was niggling at Rory. ‘What’s up?’ Taking a step back she raised her eyebrows.

  ‘This is why we need bigger premises, but Dad won’t listen. I don’t want to be shipping animals over to Molly’s. It makes me feel inadequate that we can’t take full care of the animals we treat. We need to look for bigger premises, but Dad is having none of it.’

  Allie felt his frustration. ‘It is difficult, but this place hasn’t the room for expansion.’

  ‘And then there’s this.’ Rory took a key out of his pocket and opened up the drugs cupboard.

  ‘I’m not sure what I’m looking at. There’s barely anything in there,’ admitted Allie, staring into a nearly empty cupboard.

  ‘Exactly, there’s a lack of drugs and treatments, which I’ll need to chase up. Mum usually takes care of all this.’

  ‘She’s probably snowed under and has forgotten. It will be easily fixed.’

  ‘Sometimes, I just feel like everything is left on my shoulders.’ He blew out a breath and took a quick peep through the blinds. ‘Jeez, have you seen how many people are out there?’ he said, amazed at the crowd gathered outside. Then, turning round, he saw his mum walk back behind the reception desk.

  ‘We’ve had to take the phone off the hook. The press are ringing every two minutes asking for an update,’ said Alana, placing the receiver back. It immediately rang again. ‘See!’

  ‘Poor Zach, the joys of being famous.’ Rory rolled his
eyes. ‘I suppose they aren’t going to disappear until some kind of statement is made,’ he said, hearing his phone ping. ‘That’s Molly – she’s on her way but I’m not sure it’s going to be a good idea to try and manoeuvre Sydney through that many people.’

  Allie followed Rory back into the surgery and for a second watched a very smiley Zach leaning over Sydney, stroking her gently. ‘I thought I’d lost her there for a minute …’ Zach didn’t look up, his voice faltering. ‘I’m going to spoil her rotten when I get her home.’

  ‘And where is home?’ asked Allie.

  ‘London – but we travel around a lot, it just depends where we are filming. Sydney comes on set with me and everyone loves her.’

  ‘I kind of got that feeling. Goodness knows how the news got out, but Zach—’

  ‘I know, social media has gone berserk,’ interrupted Zach.

  ‘It has indeed – and I’m not sure how the accident got out so quickly.’ Allie sounded surprised.

  ‘That’s the joys of mobile phones – nothing stays private these days. One tweet, one Facebook post from someone who thinks it’s their job to tell the world …’ Zach shook his head gravely. ‘This is when the job I do gets out of hand.’ Allie picked up on the sad tone of his voice. ‘The last thing I want to do is step out in front of all those people, but they won’t go away until either they’ve seen me or I’ve released a statement.’

  ‘What do you want to do?’ asked Rory, once more parting the blinds and creating an immediate frenzy.

  ‘I’ll have to show my face,’ sighed Zach.

  Stuart shook his head in disbelief at the crowd gathered outside. ‘We’ve directed Molly to the lane at the bottom of the garden. Can I suggest that when she arrives you go out to the front of the surgery and we will transport Sydney out the back entrance?’

  ‘Good idea, Dad. Is that okay with you, Zach?’

  Zach nodded and glanced at his mobile phone, then let out another sigh. ‘Filming has been cancelled tomorrow but it’s only to be expected. I can’t make the documentary without Sydney. She won’t be up and running any time soon.’