Foxglove Farm

by Christie Barlow

  ‘Would you like a glass of wine?’ he asked, leaning over and taking the chilled bottle from the fridge.

  For a second Isla was speechless. ‘You’ve done all this for me?’

  Drew took Isla’s hand, ‘I know it’s been a challenging few months, having a new baby in the house, me not being honest with you, but I never want to lose you, Isla. I’ll do anything I can to get us back on track and I want you to know you’re doing a fantastic job.’

  Isla felt choked.

  ‘And I want you to know how much I appreciate what you do for me and our boys,’ he added.

  Feeling emotional, Isla flapped a hand in front of her face, ‘Stop … you’re making me cry.’

  He looked ridiculously good-looking sitting there with his grey tight T-shirt clinging to his muscular toned torso. Her body tingled in his presence.

  ‘I know you will make this business venture work and I’m behind you one hundred percent.’

  ‘Oh Drew, thank you.’

  Drew slipped one arm around her waist, bent his head and kissed her neck. Her mouth hitched into a huge smile. ‘You smell better than you normally do,’ she teased, inhaling his elegant and stylish aroma.

  ‘Are you hungry?’

  Isla was ravenous.

  Drew nodded towards the free-standing cooker in the caravan.

  ‘No way, you’ve cooked? You are a keeper, aren’t you?’

  ‘Well, maybe I had a little help from your gran, but I thought we’d best try out the oven before your first guests arrive.’

  ‘I knew she knew something about this.’

  Drew handed Isla a glass of wine and they stood in the doorway looking out across the orchard.

  ‘I have to say, this is my favourite spot on the whole farm … peaceful … tranquil.’ Isla chinked her glass against his.

  ‘Here’s to you, and Foxglove Camping,’ he said, holding her gaze. ‘I think I have a genius of a wife who took an idea, an opportunity and ran with it … have I told you how proud I am of you, Isla Allaway?’

  Her heart fluttered. ‘Maybe once or twice … And I appreciate everything you do for me and our boys. I love you.’

  ‘I love you too.’

  ‘I couldn’t have done this without Gran and you … good job you bought these old vans, hey?’

  Drew laughed, ‘I knew there was a reason!’

  ‘I had my doubts when Gran turned up, but …’ Isla felt tearful, everyone had worked so hard to pull this together so quickly.

  ‘What we need is a grand opening!’

  ‘We are meant to be making money, not frittering it away before we’ve made any! This is my grand opening now … just me and you.’ Isla planted a soft kiss on Drew’s lips. ‘I can’t believe you’ve done all this for me,’ she said, feeling the happiest girl on the planet.

  ‘You’re worth it,’ said Drew, kissing Isla again.

  ‘How long until food? I’m starving,’ she asked, slowly pulling away and taking a sip of her wine.

  Drew opened the oven door and looked panic stricken.

  ‘What’s the matter?’

  ‘I’ve forgotten to turn the oven on … it’s stone cold.’

  Isla laughed, leaning forward she turned the dial. ‘So, what are we going to do for the next thirty minutes?’

  ‘Mmm,’ said Drew with a wicked twinkle in his eye. He tilted her face upwards then kissed her tenderly, sending shivers down her spine.

  ‘Not sure how this is going to pan out with a cast on your leg!’ She pulled away gently, tapping him on the tip of his nose and raising her eyebrows.

  He gave her a lopsided grin, ‘Me neither, but I’m willing to give it a go.’

  His eyes sparkled as he tugged at her sleeve. Feeling like a teenager, she giggled as he shut the bedroom door behind them.

  Isla’s heart was bursting with happiness.

  Chapter 32

  The next day the heavens opened once more. ‘I won’t be long,’ Isla shouted up the stairs to Drew. ‘I need to check on the pregnant alpaca in the stable, the rain’s coming down hard and the wind’s up again, apparently Fergus reckons she’s settling.’

  ‘Wait there, I’ll come with you,’ said Drew, hobbling to the top of the stairs.

  ‘You will not!’ exclaimed Isla, giving him a stern look. ‘It’s lashing down and how are you going to do that on crutches? The fields are muddy and you’ll end up on your backside, let’s try and look after the good leg. Sit there until I get back,’ said Isla, being forceful.

  Drew sighed and manoeuvred his way to the chair.

  ‘It won’t be long until you are back out there,’ she reassured him, knowing how frustrated he felt. ‘Kit bag, I need the kit bag.’

  ‘It’s all prepared, plastic gloves – short and full-arm length. There’s a bottle of water-based sterile lubrication, iodine, umbilical cord clamp, pocket knife. And there’s a pile of old towels if the crias need to be kept warm and rubbed dry … you should have everything there.’ Drew listed off the entire kit bag.

  ‘Thanks … here goes …’ she said, balancing the towels on top of the kit bag.

  ‘You look sexy in those overalls,’ grinned Drew, as she made her way to the door.

  Looking down at her overalls, Isla knew there wasn’t a cat in hell’s chance she carried this look off well. She looked frumpy and felt frumpy as she plunged her feet into her wellington boots and pulled down a bobble hat over her ears.

  ‘It may be best to give Rory a call if she’s in labour, in case we need him,’ she bellowed back towards Drew before closing the door behind her. Nate was waiting outside, leaning against the wall and tapping away on his mobile. The second he saw Isla he slipped it into his pocket, he seemed to have a habit of doing that.

  ‘Hey,’ Isla said.

  ‘Here, let me take those,’ offered Nate, taking the kit bag and towels from her. ‘I think the birth is imminent, she’s moved away from the main herd.’

  ‘I thought she was already in the stable?’ questioned Isla.

  ‘Yesterday, Fergus let her out into the field because of the glorious sunshine, and now look at the weather.’

  ‘I hope she’s not too stressed.’

  ‘We need both those alpacas to be born.’

  ‘We?’ asked Isla, feeling puzzled about his comment.

  ‘Just a figure of speech. Come on, and watch your step – the field is lethal with all the rain. We could drive over in the tractor, but we don’t want to frighten her.’

  They began to hurry towards the orchard and Isla swung open the gate. Her boots sucked into the mud and squelched. ‘Roll on summer. I suppose the weather in Ireland isn’t as temperamental as Scotland?’ she probed.

  But before Nate could answer she let out a squeal. Her wellington boot was stuck in the mud and she’d landed on her chest with a bump, face down on the ground.

  ‘Ouch!’ she said, pushing herself up to see Nate’s wellingtons standing in front of her.

  He threw his head back and laughed, and even though Isla felt embarrassed she joined in.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ he said, tucking the kitbag and towels under his arm and extending his hand to pull Isla up. ‘I shouldn’t laugh. I told you it was muddy.’

  ‘No, you shouldn’t laugh,’ she said, spitting out the slop of dirt that had smeared over her face.

  ‘You do pull the country look off well.’ His eyes sparkled playfully.

  ‘Urghh Nate, it’s not mud, it’s fresh cow manure.’ Isla heaved.

  ‘Yep, you hum,’ he grinned. ‘But that’s the farmer’s life for you.’

  Isla steadied herself on his arm as she slipped her muddy foot back into the boot and wiped her hands on the back of her overalls.

  Nate was still smiling at her.

  ‘Stop smiling, I feel an idiot as it is.’

  ‘Okay, I’ll stop,’ he said, not taking the broad grin off his face.

  ‘In fact, I’ll nip to the stable, there’s a tap there. I’ll quickly wash my hands.’
/>
  Nate wasn’t listening, suddenly the grin had dropped and his gaze was fixed towards the field.

  ‘There’s no time for that.’

  Nate’s lightning reaction powered his legs across the field. Isla was lagging behind, her feet stumbling across the uneven ground of the field.

  Despite the shelter of the barn and stables, the alpacas had become isolated due to a tree that had been crashed into the gate by the fierce wind.

  ‘Where is she?’ bellowed Isla, scanning the herd, but she couldn’t see the pregnant alpaca.

  Nate had already spotted her lying on the ground, a strewn branch lying across her stomach. He reached her first and placed the kit bag down and balanced the towels on top.

  The rain was lashing down, and he raked his wet hair out of his eyes, quickly tossing the branch away.

  With an awful slow-motion feeling Isla stood behind Nate and watched in horror as he placed a hand on the alpaca’s stomach. The animal lay motionless, stretched out on the muddy ground. Isla knelt down next to Nate and saw the rise and fall of the alpaca’s chest slowing. Isla was too scared to touch her.

  ‘I’m hoping we’ve reached her in time,’ his eyes full of worry. Isla helplessly looked on, feeling useless. She reached out a shaky hand and touched Nate’s shoulder.

  ‘I’ll ring Rory. She can’t lose her babies.’

  Nate nodded and wrapped his arms around the alpaca, picking her up effortlessly.

  ‘I’ll carry her to the barn.’

  Isla scrolled through her phone and hit Rory’s number.

  ‘Come on … come on … answer,’ she was muttering under her breath.

  Finally, Rory answered. ‘Rory, it’s Isla. Drew might have already phoned you, but we need you now. The alpaca is in trouble,’ she said, her voice shaky.

  ‘I’m on my way, Isla,’ he said, and she imagined him grabbing his bag and coat and leaving the surgery at top speed.

  Isla hung up the phone and caught up with Nate. ‘The towels are wet,’ she exclaimed, panting. ‘We’ll need some more. There should be some in the cupboard in the stable block.’ Her voice was carrying in the wind as she ran behind Nate.

  Nate kicked open the stable door and gently laid the alpaca down on the hay. It was more than likely the alpaca had already been in labour for a few hours. The animal’s breathing was shallow and her fleece was drenched from the rain.

  ‘Here,’ said Isla, pressing clean dry towels into Nate’s hands as she turned on the heat lamp in the corner of the stable. Nate began to gently rub the alpaca’s fleece and Isla watched how gentle he was with the animal.

  ‘Do you think she’s going to make it?’ Isla’s voice was low.

  ‘I think she’s in shock, stressed probably from the branch hitting her, but I’ve checked her over and there are no obvious cuts.’

  ‘I grabbed this too,’ Isla passed Nate a stethoscope and he immediately began to listen to her heartbeat.

  ‘Isla, where are you?’

  Isla stepped out of the stable and was relieved to see Rory, ‘In here.’

  Nate quickly moved to the side to let Rory examine the alpaca.

  ‘What happened?’ he asked, running his hand over her stomach.

  ‘This weather is what happened. The wind blew down part of the tree and she’s been hit by a branch.’

  ‘I need to wrap her tail to keep it out of the way, it’s easier to keep the area clean then too.’ Rory looked up towards Isla, ‘The honest truth is, I’ve no idea whether the crias will make it, but these babies need to be delivered, and fast.’

  Isla’s eyes welled up with tears, there was nothing more they could do now except hope.

  Nate stood by her side and they both looked over Rory’s shoulder as he began to clean the perineal area with mild soap and water.

  ‘The pelvic size is good,’ stated Rory without turning around towards them, ‘but the heart rate is high,’ he said, hooking the alpaca up to a small portable machine from his bag. ‘It’s above 120bpm.’

  ‘What can we do?’

  ‘Absolutely nothing. If she was in the theatre we would probably perform a caesarean section but we can’t move her now.’

  After a closer examination, Rory took off his gloves and grabbed a clean pair from his bag. ‘One of the babies is in the birthing canal.’

  The atmosphere inside the stable was tense. Isla had no idea what was going to happen. She didn’t like to see any animal in distress and she had her fingers firmly crossed behind her back that they would all make it through safely.

  ‘Heart rate is decreasing,’ stated Rory.

  ‘What does that mean?’ asked a tearful Isla.

  Nate slipped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a quick squeeze.

  ‘That’s good sign, even though she’s in labour she’s feeling more settled, more relaxed, and she’s warm under the lamps.’

  ‘What’s that?’ Isla’s eyes were wide.

  At the vaginal opening a blackish baseball-sized mass was visible.

  Rory looked over his shoulder and smiled. ‘That’s the birthing sack,’ he said, calmly tearing the sack in front of their eyes as the water spilled out, allowing the baby to receive oxygen.

  ‘Oh my God, is that what I think it is?’ asked Isla, clutching on to Nate’s arm. Her heart was thumping fast.

  ‘Yes, that’s the cria’s nose. The mother is resting now. We need to keep an eye on the time. She needs to make progress within fifteen minutes but she’s doing well, all things considered.’

  They watched as Rory lightly cleared away the mucus from the nose and mouth to allow breathing to become easier.

  ‘What’s she doing now?’

  The alpaca had lifted her head.

  ‘She’s munching on the hay, which is a very good sign … it’s progression.’

  ‘I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,’ admitted Isla, fanning a hand in front of her teary eyes.

  They all watched patiently and in silence. The baby alpaca looked like a contortionist as one leg appeared over the head and another under the chin. The head was fully visible and the baby gasped and began to shake its head.

  ‘It’s here, it’s here,’ Isla’s voice was filled with relief.

  ‘It sure is, but we need to keep calm and quiet. If this cria is healthy she will be sitting up within ten minutes and standing within a few hours.’

  ‘Oh my God, it’s gorgeous, look at the colour of the fleece, how do we know if it’s a boy or a girl?’

  ‘Give me a second and I’ll check.’

  ‘Where is everyone?’ Fergus’s voice bellowed through the stable block.

  ‘Shhh, in here,’ Isla waved him towards the stable. ‘We have a new arrival.’

  Fergus was followed by Drew and they huddled round to watch. ‘Oh my, look at that … boy or girl?’ asked Drew.

  ‘It’s a girl,’ confirmed Rory who’d just finished examining her. ‘And a great weight too.’

  ‘I feel like a proud parent standing here, she’s absolutely beautiful.’ Isla couldn’t take the beam off her face.

  ‘She is,’ admired Drew, slipping his arm around Isla’s shoulder.

  ‘What happens now? What about the second baby?’ asked Isla.

  ‘All we can do is wait.’

  Rory carefully dried off the cria and placed it near the mother and then stood beside the others.

  ‘You did well to carry the alpaca in here,’ said Rory, turning towards Nate. ‘She must have weighed a ton.’

  ‘She definitely felt like it, but there was no choice.’

  ‘Thanks Nate,’ said Isla.

  Drew extended his hand towards Nate, ‘Yes, thank you.’

  Isla gave Drew a smile. She was proud of him and he’d come a long way in the last twenty-four hours. Quickly pressing a kiss to his cheek, she turned back towards the alpaca.

  ‘They’ll keep warm under the lamp, it looks like they’re both doing well,’ announced Rory, who’d changed his gloves and bent down beside the
alpaca. After a close inspection he spoke, ‘This is it, the second one is on its way.’

  ‘What are the chances of survival?’ asked Isla tentatively.

  ‘It’s extremely rare, believe me, but we’ll know very soon. Here’s the second sack now.’

  Trepidation was mounting in the stable and no-one spoke. Isla swallowed down a lump in her throat, emotion surged through her body as she waited, holding on to Drew tightly.

  What seemed like hours waiting for the next birth was only a matter of minutes.

  Isla could tell by the way Rory went to work – focused, not saying a word – that there was something wrong.

  There was silence.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Rory looked up over his shoulder. ‘There’s nothing I can do.’

  Overcome with emotion, the tears burst from Isla’s eyes like water from a dam, drenching her cheeks. Her chin wobbled and she stood outside the stable with her trembling hands pressed against the wall to catch her breath. It wasn’t just losing the animal but a build-up of everything over the last twenty-four hours.

  Life was so unfair.

  She could hear the others talking quietly, as Fergus set to work prepping clean hay, while Nate disposed of the old. Drew turned Isla towards him. ‘Come here,’ he said as she buried her face in his shoulder.

  Her emotion came in waves, seconds of sobbing then short breaths to recover. Losing animals was always difficult. Over the years you’d have thought she’d got used to it, but she never did.

  Isla watched broken-hearted as Rory carried the wrapped body to his van.

  ‘Look,’ said Drew, ‘open your eyes.’ Isla looked up then and smiled through her tears. The adorable survivor with her chocolate fleecy coat was standing on her feet.

  ‘You need to think of a name.’

  Isla nodded. ‘She’s gorgeous, I think I’ll leave that to Finn. He’s going to love her.’

  ‘I’m sorry you lost one.’ Rory appeared back by their side. ‘Nature can be so cruel sometimes.’

  ‘She’s so special, the first baby alpaca to be born at Foxglove Farm,’ admired Isla. ‘I just hope we get to keep her. I couldn’t bear to lose her to those wretched Kerr brothers.’

  ‘Right, my job here is done. Leave them to bond, but check on them throughout the night to make sure the cria is suckling.’