Summer at Hope Meadows: the perfect feel-good summer read (Animal Ark Revisited Book 1)

by Lucy Daniels

  ‘Of course,’ Mrs Bradshaw said.

  Mandy felt relieved as she led the older woman through to the kitchen. There were several things she would need to sort out before they could leave, and with Mrs Bradshaw keeping an eye on James, she could concentrate.

  First, she had to get in touch with Sherrie. Hopefully she would be able to run the café for a few days. Mandy went through into the sitting room and picked up the phone, crossing her fingers that the number would be programmed in. Otherwise, she was going to have to ask James. Flipping through the names, she found it. ‘Sherrie Home.’ Mandy dialled and waited.

  ‘Hello, James? Is everything okay?’

  ‘It’s not James, it’s Mandy.’ She stopped then continued. ‘Sherrie, I’ve come to see James and he’s not in a good way. I want to take him home to Welford for a few days. Is there any way you could manage on your own?’

  ‘Poor James,’ said Sherrie. ‘He’s been coming to work every day but it’s obvious he shouldn’t be there. I told him to take time off, but he wouldn’t. Don’t worry at all about the café. I can manage fine. I’ve a couple of friends I can call on if it gets busy. Tell James we’ll be thinking about him.’

  ‘I will,’ Mandy assured her. ‘Thanks, Sherrie.’ She rang off.

  Next, a suitcase. There was a cupboard in the hall. Opening the door, Mandy peered inside. There were two cases. Pulling out the one she thought most likely to be James’s, she closed the door and took it through to the bedroom. Rifling through the drawers, she threw in clothes for several days, a clean pair of pyjamas and James’s dressing gown and slippers. In the bathroom, she found a comb, shaving equipment and a toothbrush. What else, she thought? The clinic had plenty of equipment for Seamus and Lily, but they would probably like to have their own bed. For the sake of their stomachs, it would be better to keep them on the food they were used to.

  Piling everything together in the hallway, Mandy opened the front door and began to carry luggage out to the car. Once everything was organised, she went back to the kitchen. Mrs Bradshaw had made tea, but James’s mug stood untouched.

  ‘James?’

  He looked up slowly. ‘You’re coming with me,’ Mandy ordered. ‘You too Seamus, Lily!’ The dogs stood up.

  James looked stricken. ‘I can’t go anywhere.’ He shook his head. ‘I have to work.’

  ‘No, you don’t,’ Mandy told him. ‘Sherrie will look after the café. It’s all organised.’ She looked at Mrs Bradshaw. ‘Will you be able to water the plants?’

  Mrs Bradshaw glanced from Mandy to James and then back again. ‘Of course I will,’ she said. ‘And I’ll tidy up in here,’ she added, her eyes on James’s undrunk tea.

  ‘So that’s everything.’ Mandy gently took James’s hand. He seemed almost in a dream as he followed her out. He watched as she pulled the door to, and handed the key to Mrs Bradshaw. Seamus and Lily rushed down the stairs, waiting at the front door, then waltzed out to the car.

  ‘Do you have their seat belts?’ said James. It was the first time he had shown any sign of knowing what was happening, thought Mandy.

  ‘Of course.’ She held them out for him to see. ‘You get in the front, and I’ll get the terrible two sorted out.’

  He did as she said. When she climbed into the driver’s seat beside him, he gave a wobbly smile. ‘Anyone would think I was one of your animals in need of rescue,’ he said.

  Mandy cocked her eyebrow at him. ‘Really? They don’t need so much luggage, I can tell you that.’

  James managed half a laugh, then his mouth quivered and he closed it tightly. ‘Thanks, Mandy,’ he whispered. When she looked back at him, his head had fallen to one side and he was asleep.

  By the time he woke, they were passing under the Animal Ark sign. Mandy caught sight of his movement as he sat up. ‘We’re here,’ she said. ‘Mum and Dad are expecting us.’ She had called them on the hands-free on the way over. As the car rolled round the corner, Emily and Adam appeared at the cottage door.

  ‘Come in, James.’ Adam ushered them inside. ‘We’ve got the bed made up in the spare room.’

  ‘There’s plenty of milk for hot chocolate,’ Emily said.

  ‘That would be lovely.’ It was little more than a whisper.

  Emily smiled. ‘I’ll get it made, then,’ she assured them. ‘Take James upstairs,’ she told Mandy. ‘I know it’s a warm night, but we put the electric blanket on to air the bed.’

  ‘Thanks, Mum.’ She could always rely on her parents not to make a fuss. ‘Is it okay if the dogs come upstairs?’

  ‘Of course. If you give your dad the keys, he can bring their beds up.’

  Mandy handed them over. She had already brought in James’s suitcase. Guiding him up the stairs, she opened it, laid his pyjamas and dressing gown on the bed, and dropped his slippers on the floor. James shook his head again, as if he couldn’t quite believe what was happening.

  ‘I’ll give you a minute to get changed,’ Mandy said. Making her way back to the kitchen, she waited while Emily sorted out hot chocolate and a plate of cookies. Hugging her mum, Mandy lifted the tray and carried it upstairs.

  James was sitting up in bed. Handing over the hot chocolate, Mandy lifted her own cup. ‘Mind if I sit down?’ she asked.

  ‘Just like the old days,’ James said.

  As Mandy lowered herself onto the foot of the bed, she thought of the many sleepovers and holidays they’d had together.

  ‘I’ve been thinking about what you asked earlier.’ James’s voice jolted her out of her memories.

  ‘What did I ask?’ Mandy looked at him in confusion. She had done a lot of ordering about, but had she asked anything?

  ‘About me being one of the trustees for Hope Meadows.’ Though his voice was still sad, he sounded as if he was starting to come back to reality. ‘I would be honoured.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Mandy looked at him, at his thin face and darkened eyes. ‘I don’t know what I should say,’ she began. ‘I can’t begin to imagine what you’re going through, but you will get through it. If anyone deserves to find love again, it’s you.’

  ‘And what about you?’ James asked.

  She looked at him. ‘What do you mean?’ She was amazed to see he was looking at her with sympathy.

  ‘There’s something wrong, isn’t there?’

  Mandy closed her eyes then opened them again. James was gazing at her, still sorrowful. ‘Simon asked me to marry him,’ she admitted.

  ‘You said no,’ James said. It wasn’t a question.

  ‘I haven’t given him an answer yet.’

  James smoothed the duvet with one hand. ‘When Paul proposed to me,’ he said, ‘I couldn’t wait for him to get to the end of the sentence before I said yes. I knew at once it was right. I think you know in your heart that it isn’t right with Simon.’ His eyes were dark and very piercing. ‘Don’t you?’

  Mandy felt her cheek muscles quivering. She pressed her lips together. ‘Simon and I have had some great times together,’ she whispered.

  James gave a tiny shake of his head. ‘That’s not enough,’ he said. ‘It’s not a foundation for forever.’

  It was Mandy’s turn to fall silent.

  ‘I know we haven’t seen each other much lately,’ James went on, ‘but it’s easy to see how you’ve slotted back into Welford. It’s as if you’ve never been away. You didn’t plan for your rescue centre to move so fast, but it’s developed a life of its own. It seems to me, it was meant to be. But there isn’t any space for Simon. If he were different, if he could fit in around your plans, it might be possible, but he has his own plans and dreams. Doesn’t he?’

  Mandy sighed. How could James see so clearly, when it had taken her so long? James was watching her. How tired he looked. ‘You should get some sleep,’ she said. Moving up the bed, she hugged him. He lay down and she pulled up the sheets and tucked him in, just as Emily had done so many times over the years. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘Who knew you were such a wise old bird?’r />
  James was muttering something. She put her ear closer to him. ‘Do you have a licence for rescuing owls?’ he said.

  ‘Not yet.’ Mandy smiled. ‘But maybe you can help me organise it.’ She looked down. James had fallen asleep, his glasses halfway down his nose. Gently, she reached out, removed them and set them on the bedside table. ‘Goodnight,’ she whispered.

  She was surprised to find James at the breakfast table when she went downstairs next morning. ‘I thought you’d have a lie in,’ she said.

  ‘I wanted to help with the animals,’ he said. Though he still looked sad, the dark rings round his eyes were less pronounced. He was tucking into pancakes, too. Emily seemed to have gone into mother-hen mode.

  Mandy helped herself to pancakes, adding syrup and lemon juice. ‘I should have friends over more often,’ she said.

  Out in the wildlife unit, Mandy showed James the black cat and her kittens. Two of the babies were black with green eyes like their mother. The third was a sleek grey. James watched as Mandy put them through their paces, calling them, waiting for them to come and sit before she fed them. Without needing to be asked, he pulled out the litter tray while they ate. He had never minded getting stuck in, Mandy thought. To her pleasure, when she opened Sky’s door, the collie came straight out to sit in front of him and waited while he stroked her face.

  ‘What a beautiful dog,’ James said. Sky’s brown eyes were fixed on Mandy as she moved around the room. ‘She seems very attached to you.’

  ‘I haven’t had time to ask Mum and Dad yet,’ Mandy admitted, ‘but I want to keep her.’

  ‘I can see that,’ James said, watching as Sky stood up and followed Mandy. ‘She really is very lovely. You’ve worked wonders. From what you told me when you got her, I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to help.’

  Together, they went to look at the Animal Ark in-patients. ‘You haven’t lost your touch,’ she told James as she watched him wrangling one of the more difficult cats. Together they flushed out the intravenous catheter and set up a new drip. ‘But even you will struggle with Percy,’ she added as they approached the last cage.

  ‘Who’s Percy?’ James pulled aside the towel that was draped over the front of the kennel.

  ‘Percy wants a peanut.’

  James’s eyes widened when he heard the parrot’s high-pitched voice.

  ‘Watch yourself,’ Mandy warned. ‘Percy isn’t keen on men. He nearly took Dad’s nose off the first day he came in.’ She lifted a pair of protective gauntlets that she had stowed in the neighbouring cage and handed them over.

  ‘I’m sure he’ll be okay,’ James replied, pulling on the thick gloves. ‘You know I have a way with birds.’ Letting the towel fall back into place, he lifted the catch and drew the door towards him, standing in the gap in case Percy decided to make a flap for freedom.

  When the space was big enough, he moved towards Percy with a wheedling tone. ‘Come on, Percy. I’ll find you a peanut.’ To Mandy’s surprise, despite a look of disgust, Percy made no attempt to bite. ‘Come on, then.’ James put out his arm. ‘You and I are fine, aren’t we, Percy?’

  ‘Fuck off, freaky!’

  For a moment, Mandy couldn’t believe what she had heard. When she looked at James, his face was astonished. Catching his eye, she found herself laughing, and then James was laughing too and they were holding onto one another while Percy, who had flapped back into his cage, shouted, ‘Don’t laugh at Percy.’

  Sobering first, Mandy straightened up and pushed the cage door to. The last thing they needed was Percy escaping to unleash his profanity on their other patients.

  James stood up at the same time, clutching his side. ‘Oh,’ he groaned. ‘That’s the first time I’ve found anything to laugh at since Paul …’ He tailed off.

  Mandy pulled him into her arms for a hug. ‘Paul will always be with you,’ she told him. ‘Your memories will keep him alive.’

  James hugged her back very tight. ‘Thanks, Mandy,’ he said. ‘Thank you for everything.’

  Chapter Thirty

  She was going to have to visit Simon, Mandy thought. She had made up her mind. Now she needed to let him know. Heading back inside after James and she had finished with the in-patients, she went upstairs and changed. She needed to feel the best she could.

  Returning, she found James in the kitchen, working on his laptop, which Mandy had popped into his suitcase at the last minute.

  ‘Look at this,’ he said, turning it so she could see the screen. ‘There’s loads of information here on how to set up a charity. I’m finding out as much as I can before we start the application.’ His eyes were studying her face. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘I have to go and sort things out with Simon,’ she admitted.

  James nodded. ‘It’s the right thing to do.’ He gave a wry smile. He knew her so well, Mandy thought. Most people would have asked her what she was going to do, but James didn’t have to. ‘Good luck,’ he said.

  Mandy sighed. ‘Thanks,’ she said. She would have to ask Mum and Dad for yet more time off, too. Bracing herself for an inquisition, she found Adam in consulting room one. He was staring at the computer, muttering.

  ‘What’s up, Dad?’

  ‘Another outbreak of measles,’ he said, frowning at the screen. ‘After a music festival. Luckily most of our clients trust us when we tell them vaccination is one of the safest methods of protection. It’s no different for animals than humans. There was an outbreak of canine distemper in Wales a couple of years ago. I haven’t seen a single case in my whole career, but I’ve read what it used to be like. People don’t remember how bad these diseases were.’

  Mandy knew it was one of Adam’s bugbears when people refused to vaccinate their pets. Any puppies in the neighbourhood were put at risk when someone’s unvaccinated pet came down with parvovirus. Animal Ark offered a progressive approach to vaccination, with blood testing if owners preferred, but for now, Mandy didn’t want to get bogged down in the conversation.

  ‘Dad?’

  Hearing her tone, he looked up at her. ‘Is everything okay?’

  ‘Not really. I want to go down to Leeds to speak to Simon. I promise this is the last time I’ll ask for time off.’

  ‘You shouldn’t make promises you can’t be sure you’ll keep.’ Adam’s voice was light, but he became serious as he continued to look at her. ‘Of course you can go,’ he said. ‘Do you want to talk about it?’

  Mandy shook her head. ‘Not yet.’

  ‘I’ll let Mum know that you’ve gone.’ Adam reached out and hugged her. ‘Whatever it is, I know you’ll make the right choice,’ he said. ‘And we’re here for you.’

  She was so lucky, Mandy thought as she stumbled out to the car. She had told her dad she would be back that evening. As she drove, she tried to think what she wanted to say, but it was so difficult. She had no idea how Simon would react. Their relationship had been the most stable thing in her life for a year. Then she had moved back to Welford, and it had turned into a rollercoaster.

  It was approaching lunchtime when she reached Leeds. Not that she could have eaten anything. Her mouth was dry, but she kept swallowing. Her hands were not quite steady as she turned into the car park at Thurston’s and pulled on the brake. What should she do now, she wondered. If she went bursting in, everyone would want to know why she was there. She couldn’t face their greetings and questions. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she called Simon’s number. Please answer, please answer. Maybe he didn’t have his phone on him. If he was consulting, he wouldn’t be able to reply.

  Mandy had pulled the phone away from her ear, was about to cut the call, when she heard his voice.

  ‘Mandy? What can I do for you?’ He sounded the same as always.

  Mandy’s fingers shook as she returned the mobile to her ear. ‘Are you at work?’ she said. ‘I’m parked outside. I want to talk to you.’

  ‘What a lovely surprise,’ he said. There was no trepidation in his voice. How could he
be so confident all the time? ‘I was about to go out for lunch with Samantha. She’s had another paper published in the Veterinary Dentistry Journal. Would you like to join us?’

  ‘No.’ Mandy’s reaction was too quick. She needed to slow down. ‘I’d like to talk to you alone, if that’s okay.’ Better, she thought.

  ‘Did you say you were in the car park?’ Simon sounded puzzled, but not put out. ‘Give me a minute to sort things. I’ll be out as soon as I can.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Mandy ended the call and took some deep breaths. By the time Simon appeared in the rear-view mirror, she was calmer. When he climbed into the passenger seat and kissed her, she managed a smile. Starting the engine, she backed out of the parking space and turned left onto the road.

  ‘Where are we going?’ Simon asked.

  ‘Roundhay Park,’ Mandy replied. She had made up her mind while she was waiting. The park was beautiful all year round. It was almost like being in the countryside.

  ‘Okay. We can have lunch in the café.’ He sounded pleased. ‘This is a lovely surprise,’ he said again. Putting out a hand, he patted Mandy’s knee. Once she would have been charmed, but now the movement seemed patronising. Why hadn’t he asked why she had come?

  She drove to the car park beside the café, but instead of going in, walked past the open door and headed for the path that led round the lake. Simon sauntered beside her, looking relaxed. It was a perfect August day. There were other couples walking hand-in-hand. The blue sky and the leaf-heavy trees were reflected in the calm surface of the water. Mandy had been planning her words, but now Simon and she were here, everything had gone from her head.

  ‘I’m glad you came,’ Simon began. ‘I’ve got lots to tell you. I want you to know, I’ve been listening to what you said.’

  Mandy felt her heart rise into her throat. Did he really believe he had been listening? Taking a deep breath, she spoke. ‘I’m sorry, Simon,’ she said. ‘It’s just …’ she struggled to find the words. ‘I think we need to split up. I … I appreciate you asking to marry me, I really do. But it’s too late. It’s all come too late for me.’