‘Three.’
‘Three and a half. And I’ve got three children in tow. It’s not fair on you. You need someone younger, who you can have your own kids with.’ She made herself keep her eyes on his face, still so close to his own. ‘Don’t think I can’t see that.’
‘You might think that, but it isn’t true.’ Kit was smiling now. He leant in and kissed her gently. ‘I love you. I love the kids. So what’s the problem?’
‘But they’re my responsibility.’
‘Hasn’t anyone ever told you that you can share responsibilities?’
Ellen could feel hope burgeoning within her, and pushed it down. ‘Kit, you deserve your own children.’
‘They will be my children. And if we should decide to have another of our own, well, all to the good. I’ve never quite been able to decide whether I wanted three kids or four.’
Ellen began to laugh. Another child to complete the family? Who would have thought she’d actually want that? She pulled him close and buried her face in his neck, kissing the warm skin. ‘Do you never give up?’
‘I’ll take that as a yes, then,’ said Kit, and returned to the serious business of kissing her.
Ellen paused at the top of Craigallan land. There might not be many Craigallan animals grazing it, but it was still their land, and she had a special feeling for it. A feeling that was nothing at all like the brisk, brief appreciation she had felt in the years of walking in other people’s hills. Then she hadn’t known what it all meant, how much work it took to keep the land looking and being as it was.
As she turned to gaze down the valley, through the steady drizzle, the sun came out behind her and for a moment it caught Craigallan in the last rays of evening. It made the long, low house look picturesque, pristine even, although she knew it wouldn’t be long before it needed another coat of paint, not to mention new windows upstairs and some attention to that roof … Enjoy the moment, she told herself.
Recognise the sunshine through the rain, and be grateful for it.
Women’s Contemporary Fiction
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Published by Accent Press Ltd 2015
ISBN 9781783752355
Copyright © Gilly Stewart 2015
The right of Gilly Stewart to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The story contained within this book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be copied, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publishers: Accent Press Ltd, Ty Cynon House, Navigation Park, Abercynon CF45 4SN
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