Love Heart Lane

by Christie Barlow

  Since her arrival, the snow hadn’t given up for a second and already Love Heart Lane was covered in a thick blanket, inches deep. Felicity had barely seen snow in London – the odd flurry here and there, but nothing that ever stuck.

  But Heartcross was used to this kind of weather, they were prepared. The route into the village would be restricted and depending on the snowfall some vehicles might find it difficult to climb the half mile track but when they knew the bad weather was coming the delivery drivers always doubled up on supplies.

  Felicity pulled open the door of the tractor to be greeted Drew’s huge beam. ‘Hi Flick, jump in. It’s great to see you.’

  Drew hadn’t changed a bit. His blond tight corkscrew curls were still as springy as the last time she’d set eyes on him.

  ‘How are you?’ asked Felicity. ‘And Isla?’

  Drew started the engine, and the tractor began to move through the snow with ease.

  ‘She’s fed up, but not long to go now until the baby’s arrival.’

  Felicity swung a glance towards Drew. ‘Baby?’

  ‘Aye, a baby brother for Finn, due in the next few weeks.’

  Felicity had had no idea. ‘Congratulations!’ She was genuinely chuffed for them both. The pair had been inseparable since high school and had married at the age of nineteen at the small church in Heartcross. Their wedding had been beautiful, and all they’d ever wanted was to be together, a family.

  ‘We are all ready for the little fellow, but this weather is a worry if Isla goes into labour. I can see her arriving at the hospital in this tractor—’ he gave a small chuckle ‘—and she won’t be best pleased about that.’

  Felicity smiled. ‘Any names?’

  ‘Angus,’ said Drew proudly, ‘after my father.’

  ‘Great name.’

  ‘How’s the big city?’ he asked, changing the subject while carefully steering the tractor down the steep slope towards the bridge.

  ‘Not how it used to be.’ The words were out of Felicity’s mouth before she could stop them.

  He snagged her eye. ‘Everything okay? That doesn’t sound good.’

  ‘It’s just work, I’m not as enthusiastic about it as I once was.’

  ‘I know that feeling. If you need a shoulder, Isla’s going nowhere. She’s always been a good listener,’ he offered with a smile, halting the tractor. ‘She’d love to see you. How long are you around for?’

  ‘A couple of weeks.’

  ‘In fact,’ he said, opening the door and jumping to the ground, ‘come back with me now to the farm. I need to load up Rona’s wood – say hello to Isla and then I’ll give you a lift back.’

  Felicity thought about it for a second. It had been eight years since she’d set foot on Foxglove Farm. The very last time was the night she’d upped and left.

  ‘Yes, you know, I will. It will be great to see Isla.’

  ‘She’s missed you, you know … but understands you’ve had a lot to deal with. Now where’s this suitcase of yours?’

  ‘Just there, under the tree,’ answered Felicity, her thoughts turning to Isla. She’d missed Isla too, and all of a sudden she felt a tiny pang. True friendship was hard to find and Felicity knew she had a great deal of apologising to do. Of course in London she’d hung out with people, and she socialised with many work colleagues from the department store – but her only real friend was Polly from the pub. And no one had come close to the friendship she’d once shared with her two oldest friends Isla and Allie. They’d always been a close-knit group until Felicity had decided she needed to escape the pressures of a small village, spread her wings and escape into the world beyond Heartcross.

  The snow crunched under Drew’s boots as he quickly retrieved the suitcase and threw it into the tractor before turning around and driving the short journey back to Foxglove Farm.

  ‘So, were you prepared for this weather?’ asked Felicity, holding onto her seat as they bounced along the snowy rocky track.

  ‘We knew it was coming but didn’t expect it to descend so quickly and it’s here for the foreseeable. Apparently, according to the predictions, this is going to be the worst snowfall we’ve had in twenty years.’ Drew cocked an eyebrow.

  Felicity hadn’t realised this when she’d jumped on the flight from London, and she suddenly panicked. ‘Has the village already made provisions?’

  ‘The last trucks came over the bridge this morning and stocked up Hamish’s shop. It may be a few days before they can get through again.’

  ‘How is Hamish?’

  Hamish and his wife Ava had owned the village shop for as long as Felicity could remember. They were lovely down-to-earth people in their mid-sixties, who had never set foot outside of Scotland. Felicity had fond memories of them both. After school her grandmother used to give her a handful of pennies – the local shop always had the best collection of penny chews, and Hamish would often throw in extras for Felicity. But two years ago, Ava had passed away, leaving Hamish completely devastated and struggling to cope without the woman he’d loved for all those years by his side. The village community had rallied around him, helping to keep the shop running until he was back on his feet.

  ‘He’s doing okay now. It took him a while but recently he’s joined numerous clubs in the village from the ramblers, which keeps him fit, to playing bowls.’

  ‘Good for him.’

  ‘He’ll be happy to see you. He always had a soft spot for you. Everyone in the village was deeply saddened by your grandmother’s death. The village is definitely not the same.’ His voice faltered. ‘She was always kind to me. As a wee kid, I used the shortcut at the back of your house on the way to school and your grandmother was always waiting at the garden gate with a sausage roll or a slice of homemade cake for my lunch box. She was an absolute gem. It’s a shame to see the teashop close after all this time though. Isla used to love to escape there for a slice of cake and a cup of tea on the way back from the village.’

  Felicity swung round towards Drew. ‘What do you mean, the teashop has closed?’ Surely Drew had got that wrong.

  ‘Have I said something out of turn?’ asked a surprised Drew. ‘Didn’t you know?’

  Felicity shook her head. ‘Mum hasn’t said a thing, well, not to me anyway.’ She felt sad that the teashop hadn’t been open and perplexed as to why she hadn’t been told. ‘How long?’

  ‘I’d say a good six months. It’s been difficult since your grandmother became ill. Your mum couldn’t keep everything going.’

  Felicity’s eyes became glazed with a layer of glassy tears. She brushed them away with her glove. Why hadn’t her mum told her how difficult things had become? ‘I didn’t know Drew, I really didn’t.’

  ‘Allie thought you may be back sooner to give a hand, but then we all realised it’s not that easy when you have your own job to do and a life in London.’

  Felicity nodded, but no words came out. Why hadn’t she come back at Christmas? But in her heart of hearts she knew why – that time of year was always too painful for her.

  ‘Working in a department store it’s always busy in the lead up to Christmas and then there’s the sales.’ Felicity knew she was saying the right things, but it didn’t sit right with her. Deep down, she knew she’d let her mum down and wished she could turn back time.

  Drew nodded, ‘Here we are, Foxglove Farm. It’s been a while since you’ve seen this place.’

  ‘Too long,’ Felicity whispered under her breath, looking out of the windscreen at the swirling storm of white that was being battered away by the wipers. The usual sight of the farmhouse was nearly hidden by the snow that now swirled densely.

  ‘What on earth?’ A sudden movement in the bottom field caught Drew’s eye. Felicity shot a look towards Drew, then followed his gaze.

  And suddenly, there he was in the distance, waving his arms frantically towards the tractor. Fergus. Felicity’s breath caught in her throat as she recognised him instantly, her heart pounding faster against her chest. S
he’d never anticipated that he would be here, at the farm, and she had no idea how he was going to react to seeing her for the first time in eight years. This wasn’t how she’d planned it out in her head.

  Drew flounced out of the tractor leaving the engine running, bellowing to Felicity to follow him. Before she had time to think she trailed Drew through the blanket of snow, her legs trembling. Snowflakes pelted against her face as she struggled to keep up with him.

  ‘Drew … I need help.’ Fergus Campbell’s voice was fraught. ‘The Shetland is stranded in the icy water.’

  Drew stopped for a second to assess the situation, raking his wet hands through his hair. The pony was struggling to climb up the bank of the river. Each time it tried it slipped back down into the water.

  ‘We need a rope … wait there, and I’ll bring the tractor back down,’ he cried, turning and striding back past Felicity quickly. ‘You stay with Fergus,’ he instructed with authority.

  Fergus hadn’t spotted Felicity yet but it was only a matter of time. Felicity felt anxious, the past dominating her mind. As she moved closer, she could see the panic-stricken face of Fergus, and her nerves jumped all together in every direction. She’d no idea how Fergus was going to react to her arrival back in Heartcross but any second now she was about to find out.

  Felicity looked nervously in his direction, and finally Fergus met her gaze. For a split second he narrowed his eyes and remained silent.

  She swallowed. ‘Hi Fergus.’ As much as Felicity didn’t want her voice to sound shaky, she faltered.

  Fergus just stared at her, then gritted his teeth. There was no welcoming smile, more of a ‘What are you doing here’ grimace.

  Felicity felt her cheeks colour fast and that was down to the look on Fergus’s face, not the cold white flakes stinging her face.

  ‘Well, you crop up in the most unexpected places,’ he said gruffly.

  Felicity flinched at his words. She’d dreaded this moment and didn’t know what to say as she swallowed a lump in her throat. The snowflakes continued to pelt against her frozen cheeks, clinging to her eyelashes forcing her eyes into a squint.

  ‘And don’t look at me like that; what did you expect, that you’d be welcomed back with open arms?’

  The tension between them could be cut with a knife.

  Felicity felt wretched. She’d not prepared for this meeting and had thought she’d at least have a couple of days to catch up with Allie and Isla first and gauge how the land lay.

  ‘It doesn’t have to be like this,’ said Felicity, knowing it wasn’t going to be easy.

  ‘So, you’re finally back then? How long has it been?’ His dark brows sloped downwards in a serious expression and the playful smile she once knew had drawn into a hard line across his face.

  Feeling a tug at her heart, Felicity felt shameful. Fergus was a decent man and she knew she hadn’t been fair to him. He’d needed her, but she hadn’t been able to cope. Call it self-preservation but the only person she could concentrate on at the time was herself. She’d been young, but she’d treated him badly, and he had every right to speak to her this way even though it saddened her that it had come to this.

  ‘Eight years,’ she said regretfully.

  Fergus’s hazel eyes didn’t look any different from all those years ago, and she could still sense a sadness in them. He stood and raked the snow from his swooping fringe that revealed the kind face Felicity had once loved to kiss. He was handsome all right, but his character was also beautiful on the inside. He was slim yet muscular and his face almost symmetrical with his sharp jawline and chiselled cheekbones. She felt a pang in her heart and wished she could turn back time.

  To Felicity’s relief, the icy silence was interrupted by the drone of the tractor making its way back through the snow towards them.

  Once at the river bank, Drew jumped out, leaving the engine running. In his hands he grasped a rope.

  ‘I’m not sure how we’re going to do this?’ Drew shouted down the bank, the blizzard now coming down thick and fast.

  Fergus looked between him and the Shetland. ‘I’m not sure how close I can get.’

  The river ran along the bottom of Foxglove Farm’s boundary. Felicity remembered many hot summers swinging on the rope swing with Isla and Allie, all of them without a care in the world. The banks had been alive with nestling ducks taking advantage of the tall reeds providing shade but today everywhere was stripped bare. The river had an eerie feeling about it, and was wider than she ever remembered, flowing swift and strong.

  Drew threw the rope down the bank towards Fergus who gradually began making his way into the water. The Shetland pony was now wedged against an old oak tree that must have fallen into the water after a storm.

  Felicity shivered at the very thought of the icy coldness of the water against Fergus’s skin.

  ‘I’m going to tie this end to the tractor mate, keep hold of the rope and we’ll pull you out.’

  Fergus nodded, taking in the instructions as he stumbled into the fast-flowing freezing water, which was now attempting to knock him off his feet. Suddenly he lost his footing, the water gushing over his head. Without thinking, Felicity let out a scream. She watched on in horror, her heart banging against her chest willing Fergus to reappear, her brain now in full panic.

  ‘There he is,’ she exhaled with relief, pointing to where Fergus reappeared above the water line. The river was bashing against his body, as his head went underneath the water for a second time.

  Drew cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted with all his might. ‘FERGUS!’ He turned to Felicity. ‘I’ll have to go in after him.’

  ‘Wait … look!’ She pointed.

  Fergus’ limbs moved slowly through the water as he managed to claw himself back up and grasp on to the fallen tree strewn across the water. Felicity gasped in relief to see he’d managed to get himself upright. The river was flowing around his thighs, swirling around his stomach and splashing into his face as he waded towards the Shetland which was now within grabbing distance.

  ‘The water is too fast … I can’t … I can’t…’ His voice petered out as he slipped again under the fast-flowing water.

  Felicity’s heart was in her mouth. ‘Please let him be okay,’ she whispered to herself as she saw Fergus fight to get to his feet once more, his exhausted but strong arms powering through the water.

  They both watched in anticipation as Fergus looped the end of the rope and tied it securely.

  ‘Throw it,’ instructed Drew.

  Fergus flicked a quick glance over towards Drew before taking a deep breath. He focused his gaze and threw the rope successfully over the little pony’s head.

  ‘Yes!’ Drew shouted, triumphantly punching the air. ‘Keep hold of the rope,’ he shouted down the bank before turning towards Felicity. ‘Can you remember how to drive the tractor?’

  Felicity thought for a second. There had been many summers she’d helped out at the farm. ‘Yes, I think I do.’

  ‘You jump in and drive it slowly, and I mean slowly. I’m going down to the water,’ Drew continued, beginning to clamber down the bank.

  The snow wasn’t slowing down, and thick flakes pelted against their cheeks, clinging to their eyelashes and hair. Even though Felicity was frozen to her core it was nothing compared to what Fergus must be suffering right that very second in the freezing cold river.

  Climbing into the tractor, she was relieved to have shelter from the flakes. She started driving the tractor slowly.

  She could hear Drew yelling behind her and opened the door quickly to make sure everything was okay. He was back on the top of the bank and gave her the thumbs up. She continued to drive forward. She’d no clue what was going on behind her but then suddenly Drew was at the side of the vehicle banging on the window. Immediately, Felicity came to a stop and turned off the engine.

  ‘They’re out.’ The look of relief on Drew’s face said it all. ‘But we need to get Fergus back to the farmhouse ASAP. I’
m going to take the pony over to the stable block, but I need you to drive him back. He needs to get out of those wet clothes and get warmed up. His body temperature has dropped considerably.’

  Just as Drew was talking, the passenger door opened, and an exhausted Fergus wearily climbed into the tractor and slumped into the seat. He was soaked to the bone, his head bent low, his lips blue and he couldn’t stop shivering.

  Felicity’s heart began to race as she took him in. She knew this didn’t look good.

  ‘Felicity,’ Drew said in a stern tone. ‘He needs to get out of those clothes, wrap him in blankets and put him in front of the fire. He needs a warm drink and make sure he can swallow properly. Any concerns, ring the emergency services.’

  Felicity nodded, taking in every instruction even though she knew in this weather there was no ambulance getting over the bridge and up the track into Heartcross today.

  Her gaze slid to Fergus again. No matter the distance and time that was between them, Felicity’s attraction towards him had never wavered. His eyes, his skin and his toned muscles still made her pulse race and as much as they had their differences, Felicity didn’t like seeing him like this. She felt worried and knew there was every possibility his condition could worsen. They didn’t speak as Felicity ploughed the tractor through the snow and pulled up outside the farmhouse.

  Almost immediately the solid oak door swung open and a very pregnant Isla was standing in the doorway. Felicity jumped down from the tractor while Isla did a double take.

  ‘Felicity, is that you? It is!’ Isla swooped out of the doorway.

  ‘Isla, we need to get Fergus inside quick. He’s been in the river.’

  Isla stopped in her tracks and glanced towards the passenger side. ‘The river?’ she questioned. ‘In this weather?’

  ‘A Shetland was stranded in the water. We’ve just rescued it. Drew’s seeing the pony into the stable.’

  Fighting against the snow that was still falling heavily to the ground Isla flung open the tractor door with vigour. Taking one look at Fergus, she assessed the situation, knowing that the circumstances were serious, and began to coax Fergus down from the tractor, his body limp and shivering.