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

by Lucy Daniels

  But Douglas just laughed and took the proffered hand. ‘No, I just popped by to deliver some presents for Susan and Jack. I’m spending Christmas with my dad and my brother’s family.’

  ‘Lovely! Well, it’s great to see you again. Come on, Jack,’ she said. ‘I think Mummy might want to talk to Douglas. I’ve brought you some presents. Shall we go through and open them under the Christmas tree? What do you think?’

  Jack cantered over to take her hand and with a wink over her shoulder, Miranda led Jack into the living room and closed the door.

  Well at least she got the hint this time … Susan thought to herself, grinning. She looked up at Douglas who was laughing. ‘Sorry about her,’ she said. ‘I’m afraid she’s like that all the time. But before I forget, I’ve got a little gift for you too.’ She led him into the kitchen. The trappings of Christmas dinner were set around the room. There were pans on the stove, waiting to be turned on. A vat of cranberry sauce stood on the side and the newly decorated Christmas cake had pride of place in the centre of a table strewn with candles and Christmas crackers. ‘Looks like you’re very organised,’ Douglas said. ‘Somehow, my family always end up having Christmas dinner in the evening no matter how early we start cooking.’

  ‘Well, maybe your present can make a nice dessert.’ Susan held out the tin of mince pies. It was an old biscuit tin with a green and gold lid, which she had decorated with a red bow. Douglas lifted the lid and sniffed appreciatively. He looked up at Susan. ‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘My favourite.’ He closed the lid and glanced round the kitchen. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I love this present. But I was kind of hoping for a different one.’ He drew her close.

  Susan was uncomfortably aware of Jack and Miranda being right next door. She slipped her hand into his and pulled him to the front door.

  Outside, the street was quiet, though Susan could hear distant shrieks and yells from the village green. There must be a snowball fight going on. Douglas stepped out onto the front doorstep and she pulled the door to behind them.

  He was looking down at her. His eyes were so blue. Susan wanted to gaze into them forever. She took a step towards him and he wrapped his arms around her. His lips found hers and then he was kissing her, on and on as everything around her vanished and she melted into him, feeling his heartbeat as if it were her own. It was better than she had dreamed it would be.

  As they broke apart and smiled at each other, Susan felt with absolute certainty that everything that had happened to her, every hardship in her life, every twist and turn had been absolutely worth it to end up here, in the arms of the best man she had ever known.

  Tiny flakes of snow were falling. One landed on Susan’s cheek and Douglas lifted his hand and brushed it away with his thumb. A tiny smile played around his eyes. ‘Merry Christmas, Susan Collins,’ he murmured, pulling her even closer. She tilted her head and he leaned over. He kissed her so hard that she found herself leaning against the porch railing to steady herself and came up with a handful of snow.

  They broke apart once more. ‘Merry Christmas, Douglas MacLeod,’ Susan whispered back, tenderly, dumping the handful of snow on his head.

  He was stunned for a moment, then his eyes crinkled and he bellowed a laugh. ‘Oh, you’ll pay for that one.’ He raised his voice. ‘Jack! Miranda! Come and help me bury Susan in the snow!’

  Susan ran away, shrieking, as Jack and Miranda crashed out of the door and they all careered around the garden in their socks, hurling snow at one another.

  ‘This is the best Christmas ever!’ Jack yelled.

  It really is, Susan thought to herself. As she looked around the garden, at everyone she loved, she felt like her heart might burst with happiness.

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  Chapter One

  Home. As the car swooped over the narrow bridge beside the woods, Mandy Hope had the feeling she was back where she belonged.

  Beyond the leaf-heavy trees lining the road, she could see the smooth green curve of the beacon, high up on Norland Fell. A hawk hung in the air, riding an invisible current as it studied the ground for prey. Sheep dotted the fell, a scatter of cloudy white against the dark grass. Two walkers were hiking along the line of the dry-stone wall, and Mandy felt a stab of envy as she watched them climb over a stile and head up to the peak.

  If only she could stop the car and go for a walk under the vast empty sky. Mandy took a sip of water from a plastic bottle, hoping to quell the butterflies in her stomach. She glanced across at the man beside her, his broad hands light on the steering wheel. Simon Webster, her boyfriend of just over twelve months, caught her eye and grinned. Mandy couldn’t help returning his smile. Simon had only visited her home village of Welford twice before – the curse of their equally frantic schedules at the veterinary clinic in Leeds – and she hoped he would learn to love it as much as she always had.

  The giant oak tree that marked the boundary of the village flashed past.

  ‘Cock-a-doodle-do!’ Simon crowed.

  Mandy raised her eyebrows, puzzled. ‘What?’

  ‘Isn’t that how you wake up sleepy villages?’ Simon teased.

  Mandy groaned. ‘Seriously, dad jokes already?’

  Simon laid his hand on Mandy’s thigh. His blue eyes were serious now. ‘I know today is going to be tricky for you. I was just trying to help.’

  Mandy placed her hand on top of his. His palm felt warm and solid through the fabric of her skirt. ‘I know you were,’ she said. ‘And I appreciate it. Thank you.’ She leaned over to kiss his cheek.

  Simon steered the car into a space close to the centre of the village. He pulled on the handbrake and turned towards her. ‘Ready?’

  ‘I think so,’ Mandy said. This was not just any normal homecoming. Today was far more important than that. James, wonderful James, the best friend anyone could have, was getting married and Mandy had agreed to be his best woman.

  Simon was out of the car and had whisked round to help Mandy before she had a chance to gather her thoughts. The expression in his blue eyes warmed her as she pulled herself upright, and she was glad of his hand when she found herself teetering for a moment on the unfamiliar heels. Her jodhpur boots were so much more comfortable. The scent of newly cut silage greeted her and Mandy stood for a moment, transported back to the summers she and James had spent together all over Welford and the surrounding Dales.

  In the distance, she could hear the burble of the river as they set off to walk up the lane that led to the village green. As they approached the crossroads, they passed the Fox and Goose.

  Mandy nodded to the white-painted, slate-roofed pub. ‘That’s where the reception will be. There’s a lovely walled garden out the back. James and I held a charity dog wash there one year.’ That day had been almost as scorchingly perfect as this one. James and Mandy had finished soaked to the skin, but it had been worth it, knowing they had contributed to the We Love Animals campaign, one of the many wildlife charities they had raised funds for. Mandy couldn’t remember spending her pocket money on anything else; recalling how she had nearly poked her eye out with the mascara this morning, she wondered if she should have used some of the cash to start practising make-up at an earlier age than twenty-seven.

  She pointed to a terrace of grey stone cottages that were squeezed into a lane behind the pub. ‘Up there is Ernie Bell’s old cottage. He used to have a grey squirrel as a pet.’ For a moment Mandy felt sad. Ernie and Sammy the squirrel were gone now, along with several of the villagers she had grown up with. Then she grinned as happier memories replaced the thoughts of what she had lost.

  ‘That’s the village hall.’ She pointed to a low stone building on the far side of the road. ‘We had a Christmas Eve party there once, and pets were invited, to
o. Susan Collins turned up with her pony, Prince.’

  ‘Really?’ Simon said. His eyebrows almost reached his fringe. ‘Was there room in the hall for a pony?’

  ‘Of course not.’ Mandy laughed. ‘Prince stood outside and stuck his head in through the window.’ She could still remember how absurd the little bay pony had looked with his head through the narrow gap.

  ‘So many big memories,’ Simon mused, ‘for such a pocket-sized village.’

  Mandy turned to check her reflection in the window of the post office. Her face was only partly visible through the patchwork of small ad postcards. Her eyes fell on a card advertising a two-year-old lawnmower, economical to run and 100% reliable. At the bottom, in bold lettering, it was revealed that the ‘lawnmower’ was actually a goat named Cyrus.

  ‘It’s going to be great,’ Mandy said. ‘Coming back. Helping Mum and Dad.’

  Throughout her long training, Mandy had never planned to return to Welford to work with her parents in the Animal Ark clinic. She wanted to find new challenges, carve out her own place in the world of veterinary science. Since meeting Simon at the clinic in Leeds, her future had seemed further from Welford than ever. But the new assistant Adam and Emily had recruited only a few weeks ago had unexpectedly quit. When Mandy learned of the struggle they were having to find a locum willing to take on large animal work, and with her own contract in Leeds coming to an end, it had been an obvious step to help out until her parents found a permanent replacement.

  ‘They’re very lucky to have you,’ Simon commented.

  Mandy frowned. ‘Shula Maclean really let them down,’ she said. ‘I know it’s tough in mixed practice, with large animal cases day and night and pet consultations as well, but she could at least have stayed until they’d had time to find someone else.’

  Her boyfriend shrugged. ‘True,’ he said, ‘but I can understand the temptation of a city job. Better money as well as every night and weekend off.’

  Mandy sighed. ‘I suppose so.’

  ‘And what about you?’ Simon prompted. ‘Won’t you miss living in Leeds? Exchanging the bright lights and twenty-four-hour shopping for Welford …’ he looked around, ‘… pretty as it is. At least it will only be for a few months.’

  Mandy, who had been about to say she didn’t think she would miss the city at all, closed her mouth. They had reached the heart of Welford and the village green with its sombre grey war memorial and tranquil pond. A crowd of people stood chatting on the daisy-strewn grass. Beyond them, several rows of white seats were lined up in front of the oak tree in the centre of the green. A white-painted archway woven with flowers stood under the branches of the tree. Mandy was suddenly aware of the tightness of the navy sheath dress that James had chosen for her, and of just how tall she was in heels. The fascinator in her hair was tugging and she lifted a hand, hoping to relieve the tension, but her fingers met the smoothly pinned chignon and she didn’t dare touch it.

  ‘You look stunning.’ Simon seemed to sense that she was having a moment of self-doubt and she managed a weak smile, but at that instant there came a cry from a figure standing on the edge of the neatly mown grass.

  ‘Mandy?’ Trying to ignore the sensation that everyone was staring at her, Mandy studied the dark-haired young woman who had called her name.

  ‘Susan?’ she gasped. ‘It’s Susan Collins. The girl with the pony I was talking about,’ she explained to Simon.

  Susan was smiling. ‘It’s great to see you,’ she said. ‘I heard James had chosen you as his best woman.’ Her face softened as a small boy with huge brown eyes trotted towards them across the grass, clutching a handful of purple Michaelmas daisies.

  ‘What have you got there, sweetie?’ Susan asked, bending to greet him and then looking up at Mandy. ‘This is my son Jack.’ There was pride in her gaze.

  ‘Nice flowers for you, Mummy,’ said Jack. ‘From over there.’

  Mandy looked where he was pointing and wanted to laugh. The other half of the bouquet remained on the plinth at the base of the cenotaph.

  Susan put her hand over her mouth, trying to hide a broad grin. ‘They’re very nice,’ she said. ‘But they don’t belong to us. Shall we put them back?’ She took Jack’s hand and led him towards the monument.

  ‘Mandy!’ There was another exclamation.

  ‘Gran!’ Forgetting the dress and the hair and the heels, Mandy made a rush across the grass and hugged Dorothy Hope. ‘You’re looking wonderful,’ she said, stepping back to admire her grandmother’s clear skin and sparkling blue eyes. ‘Where’s Grandad?’ Before Dorothy could reply, Tom Hope emerged from the group of guests that were gathered near the roadside and Mandy hugged him as well.

  ‘It’s so lovely to see you,’ Dorothy said. Her blue eyes were a little more clouded than Mandy remembered, and she made a mental note to check whether her grandmother was due to see the cataract specialist again.

  ‘What a splendid dress!’ her grandfather exclaimed. ‘You look so grown up!’

  ‘And you’re so elegant and tall,’ her grandmother added.

  Mandy wondered if Dorothy had genuinely forgotten that she was almost a head shorter than her granddaughter. She bent down and kissed her grandmother’s smooth powdered cheek. ‘You look stunning,’ she told Dorothy. ‘That shade of green really suits you.’

  Dorothy smoothed her pistachio-coloured jacket. ‘Your grandad told me I looked like a giant leaf.’

  ‘But I like leaves!’ Tom Hope protested.

  ‘You remember Simon?’ Mandy turned and pulled her boyfriend to her side.

  ‘Of course!’ said Dorothy. She shook Simon’s hand. ‘You look very smart, dear.’

  Behind her grandparents, Mandy could see lots of faces she recognised. Brandon Gill was there. He had been in Mandy’s class at school, but now raised cattle as well as pigs on Greystones Farm where he had grown up. Brandon was looking uncomfortable; his suit seemed a little too tight. Sympathy coursed through Mandy as she saw him tug surreptitiously at his collar. She felt the same about her dress.

  ‘Hello, Brandon,’ she called and he flushed bright red.

  ‘Mandy,’ he said with a nod, meeting her eyes for a nanosecond.

  Mandy could also see Jean Knox, Animal Ark’s former receptionist. On her retirement, Jean had moved away from Welford to be closer to her family. Mandy was delighted to see she had returned for the occasion. ‘Hello there, young lady!’ Jean reached up to kiss Mandy’s cheek. She was looking very elegant in a sapphire blue suit. Despite Mandy’s regular visits to Welford, she and Jean never seemed to be there at the same time.

  ‘Hello!’ Mandy grinned. ‘It’s great to see you. Are you just back for the day or will you be staying a bit longer?’

  ‘Just for today, I’m afraid,’ Jean said. ‘I’m baby-sitting tomorrow but I was so pleased when James invited me.’

  ‘How are the twins?’ Mandy knew that Jean looked after her grandchildren regularly now she lived nearer to them.

  ‘They’re very well, thank goodness. A handful of trouble, but growing up so fast!’

  Mandy caught sight of a thickset woman walking up the road towards the green, wearing a broad-brimmed hat and firmly clutching a fat Pekinese to her bosom. ‘Look who it is,’ she whispered to Jean.

  ‘You mean Mrs Ponsonby?’ Jean looked surprised. ‘Did James invite her to the wedding?’

  ‘I don’t think so.’ Mandy shook her head. ‘There wasn’t room at the reception to invite everyone from the village, or I suspect he would have done! I suppose she couldn’t resist coming to take a look at us all,’ she added. ‘But that can’t be …’

  ‘It’s not Pandora.’ Mandy turned to see that Susan had returned, carrying Jack, whose eyes were fixed on the dog. Mandy had already realised that it couldn’t be the same pampered Pekinese she remembered so well from her childhood, but the likeness was uncanny.

  ‘She’s called Fancy and she’s a distant relative of Pandora’s. Third cousin twice removed, I think,’ Susan co
ntinued. ‘Give Mrs P a few days and she could probably tell you their ancestry, right back to the time when their great-great-great-grandmother was panting her way around the Forbidden City.’

  Mandy laughed, but smothered it quickly as Mrs Ponsonby approached.

  ‘Good morning, Amanda,’ she said as she walked past. Coming to a halt, she lowered her eyes to admire the raised flower bed that lay close to the pond, but Mandy could see the older woman was unable to resist a series of long glances at the wedding guests. She felt a surge of affection for the timeless pillar of Welford’s community. Life in the village would have been very different without Amelia Ponsonby.

  Simon touched her elbow. ‘Your parents are here,’ he told her.

  Mandy turned to see her mother and father coming up the lane.

  ‘How beautiful you look.’ Emily Hope put her arms around Mandy and kissed her cheek.

  ‘Indeed you do,’ said her father Adam, giving her a lopsided grin. ‘I wasn’t sure whether James would convince you to wear something different. I half expected to find you here with your jeans and boots on.’

  Mandy regarded him affectionately. ‘I could say the same to you,’ she teased. ‘Maybe you should have come in your waterproofs and wellies.’ Instead her father was looking handsome in a charcoal grey suit. There were a few more lines on his brow these days, and his dark hair had faded, but his laughing brown eyes were just the same.

  ‘And how lovely to see you again, Simon.’ Mandy was pleased to hear the warmth in her mother’s voice. After all, they had barely met the man who was already such a huge part of Mandy’s life. But she felt a stir of concern as she studied Emily more closely. Unlike her father, who seemed full of life, her mum was looking tireder than usual. Her skin, usually fair, seemed stretched around the eyes and there was precious little colour in her cheeks. Mandy knew better than to ask if everything was okay. Her adoptive mother had always prided herself on her stamina and, despite her compassion for others, tended to view illness in herself as a weakness. Simon had started telling Adam about the drive up from Leeds and impulsively, Mandy gave her mum’s hand a squeeze.