I sighed at the thought of snow. ‘He thought there might be, but I’ll warn him it’s coming sooner than forecast, thank you.’ Highland cows were extremely hardy but if there was bad snow on its way then Rory would likely move them down a pasture lower where there was an open shelter made of stone for them to use at night. A customer came in then so I took that as my cue to head off. ‘Nice to see you, Hattie. Say goodbye, Harry,’ I said, smiling as he waved at Hattie obligingly.
Outside, sleet was still floating on the wind like small feathers. I glanced at the Glendale Hall shop and Emily’s bakery. Usually I would pop into both but Emily was on a long weekend honeymoon with Brodie by Loch Ness, and Beth was finishing off the Christmas trail at the Hall ready for the grand opening, so instead I found myself wandering past the library where I used to work. I peeked in to see the new manager at the desk on the phone, and a couple of people reading at the tables by the window. I glanced at the spot where I used to have a large Harry Potter display but it had been changed and was now a cosy crime selection. It was strange seeing the place I had run for so long carrying on without me and I felt a little wistful at walking away from the cosy place filled with my favourite books to head back to the farm to prepare for snow.
Chapter Five
When we got back to the farm, it had turned bitterly cold outside, and I thought Hattie would be proved right, unfortunately, and there would be snow before tomorrow came. And the thought of being at the farm alone when it arrived, made me extremely nervous. What if there was a power cut when Rory was away at the cattle auction? I didn’t think I’d cope by myself, but I knew we needed to make these sales so I would have to keep quiet.
Taking Harry inside, I found Rory still at the kitchen table doing paperwork before the auction, ready hopefully for the new owners of the cows. A cold cup of unfinished coffee sat in front of him. ‘Hattie says snow is on the way,’ I said as we came in, shaking the sleet off us. ‘Told me to warn you.’
Rory looked out of the window. ‘Hattie never fusses about a small drop. I’d better move the cows lower to be on the safe side. We have enough food in case we do get snowed in, don’t we?’ I nodded. We had done a big supermarket shop a couple of days ago. We had gas central heating, thank goodness, as his father had it installed when Rory was a boy, so that was okay if the electricity did go out, and the Aga would still work too. ‘I’ll get Angus to check we have some salt to grit the pathways actually. And I’ll bring out the extra water troughs from the barn.’ He stood up, always happy to spring into action. ‘Fancy helping me move the cows this time? You could come out on Prince?’ He saw me hesitate. ‘If we do get stuck, you might need to ride somewhere.’ He knew how much I worried about us being snowed in. If I knew I could get somewhere on horseback when travel by car or walking wasn’t possible, then it would ease my mind a little.
‘Okay,’ I said, letting out a breath. I felt silly being so scared of the animals I lived with but every time I got on a horse, I thought back to the time I fell off, and was just waiting for it to happen again. ‘Let me see if Dad is okay to watch this one.’ I scooped Harry up and found my father in the living room in his slippers cleaning the coffee table with polish. He wasn’t confident helping out with much of the farm, and to be honest wasn’t in great physical health to do it, so when he was here he liked to help out around the house as much as possible. I winced though when I saw him because I knew I hadn’t dusted in here for too long. Sometime it just felt impossible to keep up with household chores on top of everything else, but I knew I should do more.
‘Hey there, you two,’ he said with a smile. My mum always said my dad was never in a bad mood, and it was hard to remember seeing him in a temper growing up. They had rarely fought as he refused to fight back if she did raise her voice. When I was a stroppy teenager, he would just come and bring me a cup of tea and leave me alone until I felt better. I envied how he seemed to sense what people needed.
‘Would you be okay to mind Harry for a bit? We think a bad snowfall is on the way tonight so we’re going to move the cows lower down the hill where there’s a stone shelter for them, and they’ll be easier for us to get to. Rory wants me to come on Prince.’ I took off Harry’s coat and boots, and he hurried over to his toys in the corner.
‘No problem at all. And I’ll get some lunch ready for when you both come back. The sky certainly is grey,’ he replied, finishing off the table. ‘Be careful on the horse, won’t you?’ He smiled, no doubt remembering my childhood troubles.
‘I think that’s one thing you can always be sure of me being,’ I told him, trying to laugh it off. ‘Okay then, I’ll be back soon.’ I hovered in the doorway watching Harry sit on the floor, pulling out one of his toy trucks. Why did it always feel as though I was being pulled in different directions lately?
‘We’ll be fine,’ my dad said firmly.
‘I know,’ I said but I still gave them another look before I finally walked out. Maybe it was different because I hadn’t grown up on a farm but I was always on the lookout for things that could hurt Harry, whereas Rory’s attitude was if that happened then Harry would learn what not to do, just like he had.
I stepped outside into the sleet again, thinking it was a good job I was happy to let my hair keep its natural curls because if I attempted to straighten it then as soon as I left the farmhouse, it would just be a frizzy mess. Rory was saddling up Prince outside the stables when I approached them, and I reached up to give Prince a tentative pat. ‘Please be nice,’ I whispered so Rory couldn’t hear me.
‘I’ll walk with you,’ Rory said, pulling the reins over. ‘Need a leg up?’
‘I’m fine,’ I said, hoping I could manage. I didn’t know how anyone managed to be dignified when climbing up onto a horse to be honest, but I certainly wasn’t one of them. He held Prince steady while I lifted my foot into the stirrup and heaved myself up into the saddle. Rory checked my other foot was secure in the stirrup then took the reins and led Prince out of the stables and into the yard. I was still unsure about the feeling of being on a horse, up so high, the horse moving so much beneath me. I always felt wobbly, and like I was clinging on for dear life. My knuckles had already gone white, and my thighs were straining with how tightly I was pressing into his side. Rory led us into the field as we wound up the hill that rose up behind the farmhouse.
It was impossible for me to really relax but I couldn’t deny the view up here was stunning. Prince was being good, which helped, and Rory led us at a steady pace. As we climbed higher, I could see the cows ahead in the very top field, their ginger coats at stark contrast to the green grass. It felt as if we were almost touching the grey sky. The temperature dropped even further when we reached them, and my cheeks felt raw from the wind.
‘Here we are boys. Ready to go lower?’ Rory called out when we reached them. I smiled – it was always amusing to hear him to talk to his beloved cows like they were people too. ‘Here we go then.’ He lifted the reins over Prince’s head to hand them to me. ‘Happy to go it alone?’
‘Happy is the wrong word,’ I said, gripping them nervously.
‘You’ll be fine,’ he said confidently.
I watched as he went to the cows, humming a tune under his breath, and wished I had half his confidence. I gazed over the other side as he picked up some hay to help lure them down with us, and over the top of the hill, I looked down into the fields on the other side of our farm, that once had been used for sheep, but were now empty, and saw to my surprise two men walking there. It was a pathway used by a lot of walkers, walkers having been allowed through this land since records began, but we rarely saw anyone up here at this time of year. I squinted. They were wearing what looked like suits, which was also very unusual to see.
‘Heth! Are you stuck?’
Hastily, I turned to see Rory already on the move, leading the cows downwards. ‘Crap. Come on, Prince,’ I said, tightening the reins. I urged him forward with my legs and thankfully, he started to walk down to the b
ack of the file of cows. Rory was too far away for me to tell him about the men I had seen. I realised then that they could well have been the ones that had been spotted in the village that Hattie had told me about earlier.
But why were they up here? And just what had brought them to Glendale? I just hoped they were nothing to do with us, I really didn’t want anything else to have to deal with right now.
My thoughts of them faded as I concentrated on walking the horse downhill; holding my balance was always harder when gravity came into play. Our cows were a good-natured bunch and they trusted Rory, following him easily, albeit slowly, down to the lower field where he gave them fresh hay and water as a reward. Their coats were beginning to become dusted with sleet and visibility was definitely becoming poorer now. ‘I hope we can make it home from the Hall later,’ I called out to Rory, anxiously, when I reached the field and watched the cows amble over to their supplies.
‘We’ll just make sure we come home early. We might not get there for a while otherwise. Let’s hope there will be a good turnout for the auction if it does snow a lot,’ Rory said. ‘Right then,’ he added, pleased that a job had been well done. ‘Want to try a trot?’
I looked at him in horror.
Chapter Six
That evening, we drove through the large, iron gates of Glendale Hall ready for a family dinner. I always marvelled at seeing the grand house rise impressively in front of me. It reminded me of a house right out of a novel, rather like Malory Towers, the boarding school stories I had devoured as a girl. Rory yawned widely as he parked outside. ‘Are you tired?’
‘Exhausted.’ After we’d moved the cows, all the other animals had needed to be moved to inside shelters with extra food and water. Angus had locked all the machinery away in the barn. He seemed to be in his element with bad weather on the horizon, waving us off cheerfully saying he’d see us in the morning if he could get out of his cottage door.
‘Maybe we shouldn’t have come…’
‘Saves you cooking though,’ Rory said with a shrug.
‘I would have cooked,’ I protested, once again feeling like I wasn’t doing everything that I should have been doing.
‘I didn’t mean…’ Rory trailed off with a weary sigh. ‘It’s just easier, isn’t it? Come on, let’s go in, the sooner we get inside, the earlier we can go to bed.’ I watched him climb out and go around to the back to get Harry out, and I met my dad’s gaze – he looked worried. I threw on a smile and climbed out. The problem with being so tired was it made us irritable with one another sometimes especially because I felt guilty that it was easier on me when we ate at the Hall. Rory put Harry in his pushchair as he was sleepy too, and we all filed up to the front door, which swung open as we walked up to it, flooding the driveway with bright light. ‘There you are,’ Beth said, her smile wide. ‘Dinner’s all ready.’
‘You are a lifesaver, thank you for cooking,’ I said, giving her a kiss on the cheek as we walked into the hall. She greeted the others behind me as I shrugged off my coat. A huge floor-to-ceiling Christmas tree greeted us then, the centrepiece of Christmas at Glendale Hall every year. It dazzled with twinkling white fairy lights and sparkling gold ornaments, and made me eager to get decorating at the farm.
‘Everyone pitched in,’ Beth said, waving off my compliment. I was in awe sometimes of how calm she was running this spectacular home, looking after the grounds along with gardener, and now her stepfather, John, as well as being a wife and mother, and being landlord of the shops in the High Street. She took things in her long-legged stride that I would just stumble over. ‘Come on, let’s get you all a drink. We’re all in the kitchen.’ We followed Beth into the vast open-plan kitchen where there was a huge long table looking out into the stunning grounds although it was too dark to see out there tonight. Soon the trail would be lit up and people would be walking through but tonight, it was just us.
‘There you are,’ Drew said, jumping up from table when we walked in. ‘We were worried you’d decided the weather was too risky to come.’
‘We’ll have to leave early,’ Rory told him as Drew gave him a hearty pat on the back in greeting. ‘But all the animals are safely covered, and the cows are down lower, so nothing else to do but wait and see.’
‘I bought a few things from the bakery on my way home,’ Beth said. ‘And picked you up a basket too in case you are stuck in,’ she said, gesturing to the basket on the side full of bread and pasties. ‘Let’s hope Emily, Brodie and Sally can get back from the Loch okay tomorrow.’
‘That’s really kind of you,’ I told her gratefully. Sometimes my friend’s thoughtfulness pricked my conscience as I had so much going on, I didn’t feel like I was there for her as much as she was for me.
‘Right, sit down you lot, I’ll get the drinks,’ Drew said, walking into the kitchen. We joined Caroline, Beth’s mother, and her husband John, and Beth’s daughter Izzy at the table. It was a smaller party than usual with the honeymooners away along with Emily’s aunt Sally who had gone with them to help with baby Iona. Although she was no longer the housekeeper here, she was thought of as family so now lived in the cottage in the garden for her retirement. Beth hadn’t found a permanent replacement to move into the Hall. I think she couldn’t quite let go of Sally running the house; she had had her here all of her life.
‘Heather, I have to say those pictures you sent me are so beautiful – especially the sunrise,’ Beth said from beside me. ‘They’ve got twice as many likes as mine ever do.’ She showed me on her phone. I couldn’t help but smile at the lovely comments. ‘You should set up your own account, or one for the farm. It could really get publicity for the business.’
‘Hattie did say it’s been quiet at the shop.’
‘It has?’ Rory asked, raising an eyebrow. ‘And the weather won’t help if it does snow and people just want to stay home.’
‘I mean, I’m happy to try social media if you think it’ll help,’ I said quickly. I knew Rory had too much going on to do it, and I doubted he’d ever taken a photo in his life, too busy moving around to stand still and wonder at a sunrise. I was always trying to find ways I could help more with the farm, ways that didn’t involve me either being terrified or messing up anyway.
‘You’ve always had such a visual eye, I think you’d be great on Instagram,’ Beth said, showing me her account. ‘And everyone wants to live on a farm so you’ll get loads of followers.’
I swallowed down the thought that sometimes I wasn’t sure I enjoyed living on one, and told her I’d have a look at it later. It would be fun to use my visual brain again, and get a bit creative, there wasn’t a lot of opportunities at the moment to do that.
‘Are you enjoying your stay at the farm, Don?’ Caroline asked my dad as he sat down opposite her. Caroline had always been a formidable woman, strict with Beth who rebelled against her mother, but she had softened in recent years since Beth and Izzy came back to live in Scotland, and since she’d admitted her feelings for John.
‘Always,’ he replied, making me smile. I thought again about Rory’s suggestion we invite my dad to make his stay permanent, and wondered if he would accept it or not. ‘We should think about decorating for Christmas, these guys have beaten us to it,’ he added, looking down the table at me.
‘We put ours up as we knew we wouldn’t have time once the trail opens up on Monday. I can’t believe it’s less than two weeks to the big day, it seems like last Christmas happened yesterday!’ Drew said, coming back with a glass of wine for me, and a beer for Rory and Dad. ‘We can bring you a tree if you need one?’
‘We’d love a Glendale tree,’ Rory said, taking his drink from his brother. ‘Harry can actually help decorate it this year.’
‘He’ll love it,’ I agreed. I really needed to start sorting things out for Christmas. I needed to order a turkey from a neighbouring farm ASAP. Most of Harry’s presents were bought but I hadn’t wrapped anything, and to be honest the tree had slipped my mind. Dad had brought a box of dec
orations though from our family home. I remembered every year my mum and I would decorate our tree together. We always had a real one and we would try to fit on as many ornaments as we could. She would have loved the Glendale trail, she had been such a big fan of the festive season. I was too but with so much to think about, I hadn’t got fully on board with it yet this year. I glanced at Harry who was starting to wake up with all the voices, and felt yet another prick of guilt. It would be the first Christmas he would be aware of what was happening, I had to try to make it as special as my mum had always made Christmas for me.
‘Right, here we go – perfect food for this cold weather,’ Beth said cheerfully, carrying over a large pot of steaming beef stew. Drew brought over mash and bowls of veg, and we all helped ourselves to large plates. All of us ate well in Glendale especially when the weather was like this. I carried Harry to the table and gave him a small plate of food.
‘Izzy, stop reading to eat,’ Beth told her daughter.
I looked along the table and smiled. Izzy was trying to hide her book on her lap. A girl after my own heart. ‘What are you reading?’ I asked her. She was thirteen now and becoming as tall and willowy as her mother, with the same wavy dark hair. Which was infuriating as they both ate like horses. Beth also drank copious amounts of coffee, like me, and I wondered if Izzy would start up the same habit.
‘Jane Eyre. It’s amazing just like you said.’
‘That book… it steals your heart,’ I agreed, pleased she was enjoying my recommendation. I started reading the classics at her age, on the advice of my mum, and it started a love that had so far lasted a lifetime.
‘Not another handsome man none of us can live up to in real life,’ Rory said with a roll of his eyes. He never understood how someone could fall in love with a character in a book. He was far too practical to do anything like that.
Hopeful Hearts at Glendale Hall Page 5