Foxglove Farm

by Christie Barlow

  Chapter 21

  Isla pulled her coat around her and huddled on the bench outside the hospital. Despite the sunshine there was still a cool breeze in the air. She was hoping if she sat for a short while she would be able to calm her thumping heart and think straight before she headed back to Foxglove Farm, but with her thoughts in a whirl she couldn’t see a way out of this mess.

  She sighed, her life felt as dull as the bin lorry that was parked on the other side of the road. Isla fully understood that the bridge collapsing would affect business, but not once had Drew suggested that the farm was in a financial mess. Of course, she wouldn’t have bought the herd of alpacas if she’d known about the situation, but to take out a loan to pay the mortgage was ludicrous. How did Drew ever envisage getting on top of it all, especially now with a broken leg?

  There was nothing else for it, they needed to tighten their belts, and as soon as Drew was back working the farm she would have to find a job. Angus was tiny and she didn’t want to miss him growing up, his first words, his first steps, but she would do absolutely anything to ensure her family kept Foxglove Farm. That her boys would have a home.

  Isla’s thoughts were interrupted by a text message from Martha. Everyone was up at the farm, apparently the cleaning squad were out in full force and already five lambs had been born this morning.

  Isla closed her eyes for a second and sighed before walking back towards the car. Within fifteen minutes she was back at Foxglove Farm. The alpacas were grazing happily, and Isla noticed that the poorly one had joined them. Rory must have released her into the field.

  Noticing the hive of activity inside the farm, she stopped and stared for a moment. She could see Hamish and Julia laughing, Polly and Allie were hoovering, and Jessica was dusting.

  ‘Damn,’ said Isla, powering her legs to the house. She could see inside the house, the boards over the windows all gone. Isla thought the windows were being put in on Monday, and Alfie needed to stop right this second. They couldn’t afford to pay him.

  Isla opened the farmhouse door and raced up the hallway towards the living room.

  Martha grinned at her, ‘Here she is now. I told you she’d be amazed at how much we’ve achieved already. Finn is upstairs playing with Esme and Angus is in his cot, but gurgling contentedly,’ Martha nodded towards the baby monitor.

  The whole place had been hoovered and dusted, the curtains were gone, and the cushions stripped, but the only thing on Isla’s mind was finding Alfie.

  ‘And look,’ said Martha, sweeping her arm towards the window. ‘Alfie has pulled out all the stops.’

  Isla didn’t mean to appear rude, but overcome with worry, she closed her eyes fleetingly.

  ‘Gran, he needs to stop now.’

  Martha looked perplexed, with her hands cupped around the handle of the broom.

  ‘Don’t be daft, he’s finished the job, worked his magic, he has – got the guys here on a Sunday. He left a couple of minutes ago.’

  Isla closed her eyes and exhaled.

  ‘And why would Alfie need to stop? You can’t move back into a farmhouse with no windows.’

  Isla was oblivious to the fact that everyone in the room had stopped cleaning and was staring at her.

  Martha looked over towards Allie, who simply shrugged.

  Ushering Isla out of the room, Martha asked, ‘What’s going on, Isla? Take a deep breath and tell me.’

  Isla sat on the bottom stair and looked up at her gran, and everything came spilling out. The lies, the lack of insurance, the fact that they could lose the farm. Isla spilled it all.

  ‘Oh my,’ said Martha, looking flustered. ‘Are you sure? That doesn’t sound like something Drew would do at all.’

  ‘Absolutely sure. Gran, he’s taken out a loan to pay the arrears of the mortgage, there are unpaid bills, final demands and I’ve bought the herd of alpacas with the money from the loan.’

  ‘What a mess. What if the house had caught fire or, even worse, something had happened to Drew?’ Martha queried.

  ‘Then me and the boys would have been left with nothing.’ Deep down Isla was disappointed in Drew and hurt that he hadn’t confided in her.

  ‘Gran, I’m going to have to find a job,’ the tears welled up in Isla’s eyes at the thought of leaving Angus with a stranger. ‘We could lose everything and I just don’t know what to do!’ Isla broke down as the situation finally overwhelmed her.

  Martha looked horrified.

  ‘That is not going to happen, let’s get our thinking caps on. Come here,’ Martha held out her arms and smiled.

  Isla stood up and forced a smile back. She was understandably subdued and pushed her hair back out of her eyes. ‘It’s all a mess.’

  ‘And one we will sort together,’ said Martha, hugging her granddaughter.

  Martha’s kind words could easily make Isla cry again, but she had to hold it together. There was a roomful of people helping to put her life back together on the other side of the door.

  ‘What are people going to think of us if we lose the farm? It’s been in Drew’s family for generations.’

  ‘People can mind their own business, otherwise they will have me to deal with,’ said Martha with authority. ‘And don’t worry about the cost of the windows, I’ve some money put by for a rainy day.’

  ‘But that’s your money.’

  ‘And I’m your grandmother. If I can’t dig you out of a hole, who can?’

  Isla felt embarrassed that they needed to be dug out of any kind of hole, but at this moment in time she wasn’t going to turn her gran’s kind offer down. ‘We will pay you back.’

  Martha was just about to return to the troops in the living room when she remembered, ‘Rory’s with Nate at the moment, they need the key to that other old barn, apparently there’s a padlock on it, you were going to find the key.’

  ‘Yes, that’s right, the key is in the boot room,’ Isla said, trying to summon the energy to get behind the daily grind of running the farm.

  ‘And I’ll walk over with you,’ said Allie, suddenly appearing from the living room and hovering in the doorway. ‘I need some fresh air – I think I’ve swallowed my body weight in ash.’

  Isla nodded, even though she knew it was more than likely Allie wanted to quiz her about what was going on. ‘Sorry Allie, I didn’t mean to be ungrateful, I can’t believe the amount of work everyone has done for us,’ said Isla, sincerely.

  As soon as Isla and Allie stepped outside, Allie asked, ‘How’s Drew? Did he have a comfortable night? Felicity’s texted, Fergus is allowed home today.’

  ‘That’s good for Fergus, I’m pleased. But he still needs to rest.’

  ‘Any news when Drew will be allowed home?’

  ‘I’m not sure Drew will have a home to come home to,’ said Isla, the words out of her mouth before she could stop them.

  ‘What’s that meant to mean?’

  For a moment, Isla didn’t say anything, she folded her arms on top of the wooden gate and tilted her face towards the sky, breathing deeply.

  Cautiously Allie spoke, ‘Come on, I’m listening. I know you and Drew are having a few problems at the minute but …’

  ‘A few? You don’t know half of it,’ interrupted Isla, staring up at the spectacular view in front of her. ‘Can you imagine not waking up to that each day?’ Isla nodded towards the mountain. ‘Because that’s what could potentially happen to my life, thanks to my husband.’

  Isla fixed her gaze on Heartcross Mountain. At this moment in time she couldn’t make her mind up about her feelings towards Drew. She was angry he’d chosen to put them in this position, but also sad that he felt he couldn’t talk to her about it – yet she still loved him. Of course, Isla knew love didn’t always have to run smoothly but it had to be real, a partnership, no keeping secrets. Isla felt the overwhelming and undesirable feeling of lack of trust running through her veins, and once the trust had gone, was there any point? For the first time in her relationship with Drew, she doub
ted their future. In all the years she and Drew had been together, they’d never been through a rocky patch as bad as this.

  ‘We are in trouble Allie, financial trouble, and I mean this when I say I don’t want you discussing it with Felicity.’ Isla knew this was a big ask, as the three of them were the best of friends, but Isla didn’t want Felicity worrying about Fergus’s job until Isla knew for sure what was going to happen.

  ‘Whoa! Now you do have me worried. When have we ever kept secrets from each other?’

  ‘Let’s walk and talk. I need to give the key to the boys.’

  Within the next couple of minutes, Isla had brought Allie up to speed about the whole sorry situation.

  ‘Bloody hell Isla, I wasn’t expecting that,’ said Allie, astonished. ‘Drew has always been the sensible one.’

  ‘Not any more. I’ve got to find a job and fast. The loan needs repaying, the mortgage arrears and all the unpaid bills. I thought the alpacas would be profitable, but I’m waiting for the knock on the door when the Kerrs come to reclaim them. Nothing seems to be going right at the minute. There’s an evening shift going in the chip shop over in Glensheil, it was in the paper this week.’

  ‘You are not working in a chip shop,’ exclaimed Allie in horror.

  ‘Beggars can’t be choosers,’ said Isla, feeling saddened. The look on Isla’s face and the tone of her voice said it all.

  Allie gave her an affectionate nudge of the shoulder, ‘We’ll think of a plan, us Heartcrossers …’ she made a heart shape with her hands before swiping her finger down her chest and back up the other way in the shape of a cross, ‘… stick together.’

  Allie’s actions brought a smile to Isla’s face. As teenagers that sign had been their pact between them all, it meant they would always look after each other.

  Isla smiled and held on tight to Allie as they made their way over to the ramshackle barn at the far end of the farm.

  ‘I remember playing in here when we were at school,’ Allie said.

  ‘Me too, it feels like a lifetime ago.’

  ‘What’s this place use for?’ asked Allie, standing behind Isla as she prised open the rickety old door.

  ‘To house a million and one spiders, by the looks of things. Rory and Nate will have their work cut out moving this lot to make some room for the hay bales.’

  ‘And what are those doing hiding away in here?’ Allie raised a shoulder half-heartedly. ‘If things get that bad, you could live in one of those,’ she joked, pointing towards three old VW campervans and a handful of vintage caravans. ‘They haven’t even got wheels!’

  Isla smiled, ‘These vans are here due to another one of Drew’s hare-brained schemes that never took off. He and Fergus decided that they were going to recondition them and sell them on for a profit, but as you can see, they never got round to it … and they’ve been here for a few years now.’

  ‘They look as though they should be condemned,’ laughed Allie.

  ‘They are condemned,’ confirmed Isla, walking towards them. ‘But those VW campervans look pretty cool, don’t they?’ She flicked her eye over the vans.

  ‘They are pretty cool, I’d love to take off for a week, rambling around in one of those, parking up in a field … living the dream,’ chipped in Allie.

  The cogs in Isla’s mind were turning fast. ‘Oh my God Allie, I’ve got it.’

  ‘Got what?’ asked Allie, narrowing her eyes at Isla.

  She slapped Allie in her stomach and took off at the speed of light. ‘Come on,’ Isla gestured, waving her on.

  Allie tried to keep up with her, ‘Slow down, where are we going?’

  Then Isla stopped dead in her tracks.

  ‘What’s got into you?’ asked Allie, after she caught her up.

  Isla was grinning and flung her arms open wide, ‘Look! This is my favourite part of the farm, the orchard, the stream, the bridge and a view that stretches for miles. Even in winter when the trees are bare there’s a magical feel about this place. I can imagine fairy lights draped over the branches … chimineas burning wood …’

  ‘I don’t understand,’ said Allie, confused.

  ‘Come on, all will be explained.’

  With a spring in her step Isla led the way back to the ramshackle barn.

  ‘What are we doing back here?’

  ‘Those,’ said Isla, pointing at the VW campervans, ‘are the future. Drew always said these vans were our future … maybe he was right. Julia is turning away bookings at the B&B, she can’t keep up with the demand since our little village became famous. And that’s exactly why Bonnie set up the teashop all those years ago … passing ramblers knocking on the door, as it was the last cottage on Love Heart Lane before heading up over the mountains,’ said Isla enthusiastically. ‘How amazing would all these caravans be with a bit of a facelift? Can you imagine waking up to that spectacular scenery every morning?’ She spun round and pointed to the mountain. ‘And with the sound of the stream trickling, the sun streaming through the windows and the Shetland ponies and alpacas grazing nearby? Okay, granted we’ll have to wait and see how the alpaca situation pans out, but the rest is all a hundred percent ours.’

  A glimmer of a smile played on Allie’s lips, ‘You are certainly a tonic, Isla.’

  Isla’s face lit up. ‘I’ll clean these caravans up and persuade Rory and Nate to somehow move them over to the field. There’s already the outside toilet block that the boys use in the day – it would need a fresh lick of paint, mind.’

  ‘I think it’s a genius idea,’ grinned Allie, grabbing her arm.

  ‘Me too!’ Isla squealed. ‘Foxglove Camping – Camping With a Difference.’

  ‘And it’s much better than tents! With vintage campervans you won’t even be treading on Julia’s toes, it’s unique! Your very own little business.’

  ‘I can direct them to the teashop for breakfast if they don’t feel like cooking,’ enthused Isla. ‘And I won’t have to leave the farm. Win/win. What do you think?’

  ‘I think you are on to a winner. I’d run it past Julia first, but if she’s turning people away from the B&B she could send them in your direction. I’m sure she won’t mind in the slightest – it’s extra tourism to Heartcross, isn’t it?’

  Isla clapped her hands in delight. Okay, there wasn’t going to be an influx of money straight away, but if she put her business idea to the bank, surely something could be worked out about the mortgage and loan repayments? Feeling hopeful that things were possibly going to be okay, Isla’s thoughts were running away with her. She wanted this new idea up and running right this very second. It would be the perfect solution, she wouldn’t have to work in a dead-end job and would still be around for her boys. And maybe, just maybe, they would get to save their home.

  Chapter 22

  ‘No … no,’ murmured Isla, this was madness. She recognised the excitement, the goose bumps, the tremble of anticipation, she felt like a teenager again.

  He didn’t listen and she didn’t fight him off. She knew it was wrong but the thrill and excitement of it all spurred her on. She wanted more. He tugged at her dress, inciting desire and panic. Tumbling on to the bed, his naked body covering her, her breath caught and she was dizzy with desire. He was a stranger, but she wanted him, she needed to feel wanted. He leant in, his lips briefly brushing against hers, not giving the consequences a second thought.

  BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

  Isla bolted upright in bed and stretched out her arm and banged off the alarm with her hand. She quickly looked at the space next to her in the bed and felt relieved to see it empty. Thankfully, it was only a dream. Lying back down, Isla stared at the ceiling, what the hell had prompted that dream? But Isla knew the answer to that question. She felt lonely, the distance between her and Drew was immense. She wanted to feel loved, she wanted a pair of strapping strong arms to envelop her in a tight hug and for someone to tell her this whole mess was going to be okay. There was no face to the stranger but feeling a twinge of guilt, feeling
unfaithful, she pushed the dream to the back of her mind and thought of Drew. She wondered how he was feeling, had he slept? She checked her phone but there was no message from him.

  Isla wished she hadn’t drunk that bottle of wine last night, but once she’d poured one glass she couldn’t stop.

  Drew’s state of mind, his dishonesty, had been playing on her mind.

  Pulling on her overalls and pushing her feet into her boots, Isla grabbed her coat. This morning she was milking the cows with Polly. At 5 a.m. the cockerels were crowing and the hens were scratting about the gravel as she headed towards the cow field.

  Isla couldn’t believe her eyes, Polly was already ahead of her, standing by the milking shed.

  ‘Reporting for duty, boss,’ she saluted.

  Isla looked Polly up and down and sniggered.

  ‘What are you laughing at?’ asked Polly, a little bewildered.

  Polly was dressed in a pale-blue cashmere sweater, a skater skirt, opaque tights and ballet-type shoes.

  ‘What are you wearing?’ Isla answered, trying to keep a straight face at Polly’s inappropriate dress sense. ‘You can’t milk cows dressed like that, whatever are you thinking?’

  ‘You didn’t say I had to touch the cows. I’m assuming I don’t have to sit on a stool and pull and squeeze.’

  ‘I think times have moved on since then Pol,’ laughed Isla, thinking that would take forever. ‘It’s simple, the cows line up and enter the milking parlour.’

  ‘Do we have to take a register?’ joked Polly, thinking that every cow looked exactly the same.

  Isla rolled her eyes. ‘I inspect every cow, we clean all four teats, enter them in the stalls and attach them to the milking-machine cluster. The milk is piped directly to the bulk tank where it’s chilled. It takes less than five minutes per cow. They know the routine off by heart. Oh, and once they’ve finished milking, they exit the parlour that way,’ said Isla, nodding towards the exit. Isla watched in amusement as the cows began to filter in and Polly looked horrified.