Snowflakes over Moon Cottage: the perfect cosy winter romance for 2018 (Animal Ark Revisited Book 4)

by Lucy Daniels

  ‘He was,’ Susan replied. She wished they could talk about something else. She searched her mind for a change of subject.

  ‘How’s the dog doing, Susan?’ Douglas’s voice startled her and for a moment she had no idea what he was talking about. ‘The dog from last night?’ he added after a moment.

  ‘She’s doing well,’ Mandy said.

  Douglas looked at Mandy with his head on one side as if wondering how she had guessed which dog he was talking about.

  ‘I’m the vet that operated on Coffee,’ Mandy explained and his expression turned from mystification to understanding.

  ‘I was really sorry to hear about her,’ he said. The twinkle had gone from his eyes and he looked genuinely concerned. Susan watched him as he questioned Mandy about Coffee. The buffoon seemed momentarily to have disappeared. He looked sympathetic as he listened.

  ‘Well done, you.’ He reached out a little awkwardly and patted Mandy on the shoulder as she finished. ‘Sounds like Coffee’s in good hands.’

  There was a moment’s silence, then James turned to Mandy. ‘So how are things at Hope Meadows?’ he asked.

  ‘Well I’ve got lots of animals in just now …’ A minute later, they were deep in conversation.

  Susan sent a tentative smile towards Douglas. Her mind had gone blank again.

  He leaned forwards, resting an elbow on the table. ‘I’d love to rearrange our date,’ he said, keeping his voice low. ‘I was sorry when you said you couldn’t make it.’

  For a moment, Susan was tongue-tied. What could she say that wouldn’t be cruel? ‘I’m sorry I had to cancel,’ she said. It was sort of the truth.

  ‘So what about it?’ he said. His eyes looked so hopeful, but she really didn’t want to go. She had to let him down gently.

  She took a deep breath. ‘I don’t actually have my diary here,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t expecting to run into you.’ She waited for him to look disappointed. He would get the hint, wouldn’t he?

  But Douglas’s grin was back. ‘No worries,’ he said. ‘In that case I’ll drop you a message later and you can let me know.’ He scraped out his chair, leaned back and looked around as if he was quite satisfied. ‘I’ll have to go,’ he said, putting his palms down on the table. ‘Enjoy your lunch.’ He pushed himself upright, patted James on the back and thanked him, lifted his briefcase and walked out. Though nothing was resolved, a wave of relief washed over Susan as he left. At least that was over.

  As the door closed behind Douglas, James turned to her. ‘So how are you, Susan?’ he asked.

  ‘I’m fine,’ she replied, finding her smile. James was always kind. It would be lovely to see him more often, she thought.

  ‘It’s good you’ve met Douglas,’ James said. ‘He’s great, isn’t he? He comes in, sometimes, just for a chat.’ He paused, then frowned slightly. ‘Has he been to your nursery a few times?’ he asked. ‘He seemed very keen to talk to you.’

  Mandy looked at Susan, a question in her eyes.

  Susan sent her a rueful glance, then she put her cup down, smiling slightly. ‘I’m supposed to be going on a date with him,’ she confessed. ‘I’ve been using LoveSpark and it matched us.’ She felt herself go red yet again as she spoke, but there was nothing but polite interest on James’s face.

  ‘That’s nice,’ he said. ‘Like I said, Douglas is lovely. You’ve done well to get such a good match.’

  Susan let out a sigh. ‘I’m sure he’s lovely,’ she said. ‘I just don’t think he’s for me. He isn’t my type.’

  ‘He was a little … boisterous,’ Mandy said, with a glance at Susan. Susan sent her a weak smile.

  James laughed. ‘All part of his act,’ he said. ‘He’s quite different once you get to know him.’

  ‘I liked him too,’ Mandy admitted. ‘I know what you mean,’ she said with a wry glance in Susan’s direction. ‘He was being silly, but the children were loving it. I guess that’s what his job is all about.’

  They seemed so enthusiastic, that Susan found herself wavering a little. Children were often quite good judges of character. She lifted her cup and drank the last of her coffee. She didn’t have to decide anything now, she thought. She should just concentrate on enjoying the rest of her day off.

  ‘So are you both ready?’ James asked. ‘I know a lovely little restaurant just round the corner if you’d like to try it. It’ll be nice to get out and eat something somebody else cooked for a change.’

  They walked out, around the corner and into a small Thai restaurant. It was dimly lit inside with black walls, and leather furniture scattered with brightly coloured cushions. There was a great choice of food. All of it sounded lovely. Susan finally settled on some stuffed rice balls and a red curry. She was really hungry, she realised as she gave her order.

  ‘So how has it been with LoveSpark?’ James asked her as they waited for their food to arrive. ‘Is Douglas your first match?’

  Susan shook her head. ‘I wish he was,’ she said with a twisted grin. ‘He’s the fifth one I’ve actually tried to go out with, but the rest have been a write-off. As soon as they hear about Jack, they disappear in a puff of smoke. I never hear from them again.’

  James wrinkled his nose and pushed his hair back off his forehead. ‘Sorry,’ he said, leaning his elbows on the table. ‘Still, you know what they say about kissing a lot of frogs, right? Has Mandy told you about the awful date I had here?

  ‘She hasn’t,’ Susan replied. ‘What happened?’

  James grinned. ‘Well, I’m pretty sure he’d been drinking,’ he said. ‘He suddenly yelled that he needed to pee, stood up and knocked the waiter’s plate flying. Next thing I knew, I was wearing noodles on my head. He was very apologetic. Said he’d take me home for a shower, but then took offence when I said “no thanks”. I thought he was going to thump the waiter on the way out.’ He glanced heavenwards. Susan wanted to laugh at the enormousness of his eye-roll. She knew just how he felt. She glanced at Mandy. She was grinning. James made it sound hilarious, though it must have been mortifying. ‘Luckily Josh who runs the restaurant just laughed when I tried to apologise next time I was in,’ James finished. ‘But the moral of this story is, never take your date to your local.’

  Susan laughed. A pity he hadn’t given her that advice a couple of weeks ago. ‘I can’t beat that for sheer slapstick,’ she said. ‘Though I agree about not dating on your own doorstep. My last ended with me sitting alone in the Fox and Goose. I think he climbed out of the window. At least Bev didn’t charge me for his food. It could have been worse.’

  Mandy stirred. ‘Do you remember that weird guy I dated for a while at university?’ she asked James.

  ‘The Hairdresser?’ James’s eyebrows disappeared under his fringe.

  ‘That’s the one,’ Mandy admitted. She leaned back as their starters arrived. The waiter set out the plates, then left. ‘Yum!’ Mandy said and lifted her fork. She took a mouthful, chewed for a moment, then turned back to Susan. ‘He wasn’t a real hairdresser but he was very taken with my hair. I think it was the first thing he commented on. He said he had a bit of a thing about hair,’ she said. She shook her head and frowned at the memory. ‘I had no idea what he meant. He asked if he could brush it.’ She shrugged. ‘I thought it was a bit …’ Mandy paused, ‘… well, unusual,’ she went on, ‘but harmless enough. He was so perfect in every other way: easy to talk to and funny and he had these amazing eyes. My friends were dead jealous.’ She stopped for a moment, her face contemplative. ‘The hair thing wouldn’t have been a problem in itself,’ she said finally, ‘only he was obsessed. He just wouldn’t stop stroking my head! I felt like a cat! I had to end it.’ She waved her fork. ‘It’s odd,’ she said, ‘but right from the beginning, even though he looked perfect, there were alarm bells ringing. Kind of the opposite of when I first met Jimmy. On the surface, I was telling myself he was awful. An ignorant forest-wrecker with a side order of arrogance.’

  She laughed at her own description and Susan found
herself joining in. ‘Poor Jimmy,’ she said.

  Mandy looked down at her vegetable satay, then lifted her eyes to look straight at Susan. ‘I guess what I’m trying to say,’ she said, ‘is that from the outside, the Hairdresser seemed perfect and Jimmy the opposite. But somewhere inside I knew I had things the wrong way round. I never once felt unsafe with Jimmy. Even though he rubbed me up the wrong way, there was a feeling of trust. Whatever James and I think about Douglas, it’s not about us. You have to work out what your own instincts are telling you.’

  Susan looked down at her plate. Mandy was right, she thought. Douglas seemed loud, even irritating. But every time they’d spoken directly, his kindness had shone through. She would never know what he was like on a date unless she gave it a try. If she ended up with chow mein in her ears, so to speak, they didn’t have to meet again.

  ‘I guess I could give it a go,’ she said slowly. ‘After all, a public noodle shower is embarrassing, but not the end of the world.’

  James laughed. ‘I suggest a burger place.’ His face became serious again. ‘Mandy’s right, though. You need to listen to your instincts. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. I like Douglas, but it’s about how you feel. I almost didn’t go out with Raj. It didn’t seem like the right time.’ Susan hadn’t met Raj yet, but she knew James had met him when he’d injured an owl with his van, and they’d brought it to Hope Meadows for treatment. James and Raj had fallen for each other. Susan studied James’s face. A year and a half ago, James had lost his husband Paul to bone cancer. Susan had seen him a few times since and his eyes had been haunted. Now the black rings had faded, and there was an easy contentment in his face. ‘Raj is coming to Mum and Dad’s for Christmas,’ he told them.

  Mandy grinned and reached over to squeeze his shoulder. ‘That’s fantastic,’ she said.

  Susan shut her eyes for a moment, then opened them. ‘I give in,’ she said. ‘You’ve persuaded me. When I get home, I’ll send him a text and tell him I’ve found my diary after all.’

  ‘Well in that case,’ James said, ‘I hope you have a lovely time.’

  ‘Me too,’ Mandy said.

  ‘You should,’ joked Susan. ‘I’m holding you responsible otherwise!’

  Chapter Eight

  Susan glanced over her shoulder at the mirror. It had been one week to the day since her conversation with James and Mandy. Today she was going out with Douglas.

  She’d abandoned her traditional first-date outfit. It was starting to feel like bad luck. Left to herself, she would have worn her nice black dress, or one of the dresses she’d bought in York, but Douglas had told her to wear trousers. They were going to be outside, he’d said. She turned and tilted her head, still gazing at her reflection. She’d chosen a pair of dark green slim-fit cords and a fitted golden-brown jumper. The cords looked great with the black knee-high boots she’d pulled on.

  With a last glance, she made a face at her reflection, then walked out of her bedroom and down the stairs. She’d been close to cancelling – once she’d gone so far as to type in a message. All her other dates had met her in bars or restaurants. Everything about Douglas seemed different, and not necessarily in a good way. She sighed. It would be fine, she told herself. It wasn’t impossible that she’d enjoy it. And if she didn’t, in a couple of hours she’d be back here. If she and Douglas didn’t click, that would be it.

  The hallway was a bit of a mess. She and Jack had been out that morning. Jack had collected several stones from the edge of the stream and brought them home. They lay on the hall table in a higgledy-piggledy pile. She plucked them up along with a stray plastic giraffe and two felt-tip pens that had somehow found their way under the radiator. She put them in the kitchen, then inspected the hall again. Jack’s wellies were lying on their side where he’d left them in the rush of being collected by Miranda. She stood them up. Not that she had any intention of inviting Douglas in, but when he picked her up, she didn’t want the place to look as if a bomb had hit it.

  She heard the sound of footsteps outside and a second later, there was a loud knock. She stood very still for a moment. She didn’t want him to think she was waiting just inside the door for him to arrive.

  When she opened the door, she was pleasantly surprised. Though he wasn’t dressed smartly, his clothes were unobjectionable. He had somehow tamed his hair and he had an unexpectedly pensive look on his face. She’d expected the same brash confidence he had when he was telling stories, but his smile was nervous.

  There was an odd smell. She almost wrinkled her nose. What on earth could it be? she wondered. Presumably it wasn’t Douglas. Maybe they were spreading something on the fields? He reached into the pocket of his waxed jacket and pulled out a small wooden box. ‘I got you a present,’ he said, waving it at her.

  Susan reached out a hand and took the box. ‘Luxury French Camembert,’ she read. The less-than-pleasant aroma was almost overwhelming. She resisted the temptation to hold it away from her face.

  ‘It’s lovely,’ Douglas said. ‘I discovered it last year.’

  Susan lifted her eyes from the brown lettering on the box. She’d never been given cheese on a date before. ‘That’s very thoughtful,’ she said, stifling a laugh. Other girls get flowers, I get … cheese?

  They stood in silence for what felt like several minutes. Douglas looked down at his feet for a moment, then glanced again at the cheese. His eyes widened as they returned to Susan’s face. He drew in his breath as if he’d thought of something. ‘You look lovely,’ he said. He glanced down at her boots. ‘You might want to change your footwear, though. You need something more practical.’

  What on earth are we doing?

  Susan looked at Douglas’s feet. He was wearing trail shoes. ‘Would trainers do?’ she asked.

  ‘Trainers would be perfect,’ he replied. For the first time since she’d opened the door, he smiled that boyish grin, slightly lopsided and filled with enthusiasm.

  Susan nodded, feeling confused. Two minutes in and this was already the oddest date she’d had yet! ‘I’ll just put this in the fridge,’ she said, wiggling the aromatic cheese. She unzipped the glamorous boots, kicked them off and walked through to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and shoved the cheese inside, then grabbed her ratty old trainers from beside the back door. She regarded them, feeling ridiculous. What on earth was she doing, going out with this man-child who brought her cheese and took her to places where she couldn’t wear nice things?

  When she got back to the door, Douglas had walked up the road and was waiting beside his car. It was an old shooting brake Morris Minor with wooden trim. It was painted bright green, like a radioactive lime. Susan swallowed as she closed the door behind her. If she was feeling shy about being seen out with Douglas, this wasn’t the car to travel in.

  Though the interior wasn’t exactly untidy, the back seat was filled with boxes of Douglas’s books. He was holding the door open for her. Somehow, he even made that look awkward.

  Soon they were rumbling along the edge of the village green. The bare trees were stark against the grey sky and the surface of the pond was ruffled. ‘Where are we going?’ she asked, turning to face him.

  He grinned. ‘It’s a surprise,’ he said. ‘It should be fun. Just as well the rain’s holding off.’

  He slowed to turn right at the crossroads beside the church and a moment later, they were scudding up Welford High Road towards the Beacon. Susan looked at the leaden sky. It might not be raining right now, but going by the past few days, there was every chance it could pour down any minute.

  Where on earth was he taking her? she wondered. This road led up to Welford Hall, then up onto the moors. Would he take her walking up the fells? Susan had walked to the Beacon, the ancient Celtic cross, many times as a child. But it was hardly the place for a first date. Though she was wearing her trainers and a warm jacket, she wasn’t kitted out for hiking. Even though last week’s early snow had passed quickly, Susan knew it was important no
t to go out onto the moors without the right equipment. And with all the rain we’ve been having, the ground will be like a bog!

  She glanced out of the window. The road zig-zagged upwards. Already they were climbing out of the village. A trail of smoke rose from the chimney of the Fox and Goose. It wouldn’t be her first choice for a date either, after her previous disaster, but for a moment, she wished they were heading there. At least it would be warm. There would be a log fire and Bev and Gary behind the bar and quiet chatter.

  ‘Here we are.’ Douglas’s voice brought her back from her reverie. To Susan’s surprise, they had turned in to the entrance to Upper Welford Hall. Her heart rose a little. There was a café here now, she remembered. Mandy had told her about it. You could get coffee and a scone and watch the Upper Welford pedigree cows being milked in their rotary parlour. That would be a bit weird, but not bad at all. Perhaps a walk in the grounds, and then coffee …

  But to Susan’s dismay, when they got out of the car, Douglas didn’t lead her through the stone archway. He led her the other way, down through a gate and into a paddock.

  He turned to her and grinned. ‘I hope you like climbing,’ he said. ‘I’ve arranged for us to have a go on the rope course. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been on some really boring LoveSpark dates. Anything to avoid another mediocre plate of spaghetti carbonara, right?’

  Susan’s breath caught in her throat and she stopped. Mandy had told her all about the rope course. It lay on the edge of the wood right beside the paddock. She had never felt the slightest desire to try it. She hated heights. For a moment, she thought about turning and running back down the hill.

  Douglas had stopped too. ‘You haven’t done it before, have you?’ he asked. A worried line formed between his eyebrows.

  Susan shook her head, forcing herself to smile. ‘I haven’t,’ she said.