Christmas at Mistletoe Cottage
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Mandy made a growling noise in her throat. ‘You know what I mean,’ she said, baring her teeth at him, then laughing. ‘I don’t know. Something like Wild Winds or Aerial Acres.’ She frowned. ‘Those aren’t right either, they’re a bit twee, but that sort of thing.’
The amused expression had left Jimmy’s face and now he looked thoughtful. ‘What about combining those two?’ he suggested. ‘What about Wildacre?’
‘Wildacre?’ Mandy let the word roll around her tongue. It wasn’t humdrum, that was certain. It suited the little cottage. It had been left to run wild and now it needed to be tamed. ‘Wildacre.’ She said it again. Jimmy was standing on a rock, watching her. She smiled up at him. ‘It’s a lovely name.’ He held out his hand and she took it and he steadied her as she clambered over the final rocky outcrop.
They had reached the summit. Mandy had expected to look at the view for a few minutes, then turn and go back down, but Jimmy had taken the rucksack off his back and set it down in the snow. After rummaging for a moment, he pulled out two brightly coloured folding mats. Handing one to Mandy, he set his down beside the cairn that marked the summit and sat down. Mandy unfolded the green foam mat and lowered herself onto it. It was wonderful insulation against the snow. Hugging her knees, she gazed at the magnificent scene that was laid out before them. The snow had melted from most of the village roofs, and the grey slate stood clear against the white backdrop. Smoke drifted from a few of the chimneys. Mandy pictured her neighbours, bulging with Christmas dinner, stretching their feet towards blazing fires. In the churchyard, the scattered bushes were dark smudges among the higgledy-piggledy gravestones. The blue sky arched overhead.
Jimmy was rooting in his rucksack again.
‘Here.’ He had taken a box from his bag. Inside it, wrapped in layers of foil, were four of Gran’s mince pies. Mandy pulled off her glove. When Jimmy handed her one, she could feel it was still warm. He must have heated them up before coming out.
He pulled a flask out of one of the outer pockets. Unscrewing the two lids, he filled them both, handing the larger one to Mandy. It contained hot coffee made with milk.
The three dogs, realising there might be crumbs to clear up, gathered round. They lay down in the snow, tongues lolling. Sky looked as though she was grinning, Mandy thought.
‘I think we should have a toast!’ Jimmy raised his steaming coffee cup. ‘Here’s to Hope Meadows, to Running Wild, and to making new memories at Wildacre.’
Mandy grinned back at him. ‘I’ll drink to that,’ she said, raising her own cup.
‘But most of all,’ he said, ‘here’s to us. Merry Christmas, Mandy!’
‘Merry Christmas,’ she echoed.
Summer at Hope Meadows
Lucy Daniels
Newly qualified vet Mandy Hope is leaving Leeds – and her boyfriend Simon – to return to the Yorkshire village she grew up in, where she’ll help out with animals of all shapes and sizes in her parents’ surgery.
But it’s not all plain sailing: Mandy clashes with gruff local Jimmy Marsh, and some of the villagers won’t accept a new vet. Meanwhile, Simon is determined that Mandy will rejoin him back in the city.
When tragedy strikes for her best friend James Hunter, and some neglected animals are discovered on a nearby farm, Mandy must prove herself. When it comes to being there for her friends – and protecting animals in need – she’s prepared to do whatever it takes …
Springtime at Wildacre
Lucy Daniels
In the little village of Welford flowers are blooming, the lambing season is underway … and love is in the air.
Mandy Hope is on cloud nine. Hope Meadows, the animal rescue and rehabilitation centre she founded, is going really well. And she’s growing ever closer to handsome villager Jimmy Marsh. What’s more, James Hunter, her best friend, is slowly learning to re-embrace life after facing tragedy.
But when an unexpected crisis causes Mandy to lose confidence in her veterinary skills, it’s a huge blow. If she can’t learn to forgive herself, then her relationship with Jimmy, and the future of Hope Meadows, may be in danger. It’ll take friendship, love, community spirit – and one elephant with very bad teeth – to remind Mandy and her fellow villagers that springtime in Yorkshire really is the most glorious time of the year.