5
Stefan
‘What the hell?’ Stefan stared at his phone, mouth gaping, as he read Florence’s news article about him. He quickly called Rose.
‘Dr Bedford,’ she croaked on answering. ‘Am I late?’
‘No, Merlin’s on duty this morning, and only the nurses have appointments before ten. I’m sorry if I woke you.’
‘That’s all right. You just threw me for a minute there.’ She yawned down the phone. ‘Why are you calling so early?’
‘I wanted to know where I could find Florence Leyland.’
‘Florence? Hmm, this time of the morning? Well, she’s probably mucking out the horses.’
‘Horses?’
‘Yes, she lives over at Silver Wish Farm. The B&B part. She helps with the horses there first thing and whenever she’s not working for the newspaper. Why’s that then?’
Stefan was starting to like the small-town community. They all seemed to know each other’s business, which was handy for him right now, as he had a whole heap of words piled up in his brain for the reporter.
‘I need to speak to her. She’s written a terrible article about me in her paper.’
‘Oh no, surely not.’ Rose sounded wide awake. ‘She’s a nice lady. Why on earth would she do such a thing?’
He really had no idea and didn’t have time to go over the possibilities with Rose. ‘I’ll see you later.’ And with that he hung up and went to wake Lindy.
‘I’m tired, Dad.’
‘I know, baby girl, but we need to go out. Come on, get your teeth brushed.’
Lindy clambered out of bed, walking to the bathroom with her eyes half opened. ‘Where are we going?’
‘To see some horses.’ He marched back downstairs as his daughter suddenly came alive, dashing around for clothes and her flannel.
Stefan knew he needed to calm down, but the article had mentioned Lindy’s deceased mother, and that was totally uncalled for, as far as he was concerned. How dare Florence make comments and assumptions about him and his life. What the hell did she know?
He set about making himself a cup of tea and Lindy some toast, as he didn’t want to rush her out the door on an empty stomach. His mind whirled and his stomach swirled.
‘Surely it can’t be about that one night?’ he mumbled into his tea as he took a gulp.
It was all there, the memory, Florence’s warm body against his. His big idea to start dating again. Damn that stupid party. He wished he’d never gone. Belinda had only died two years before that night. The guilt hit hard the next morning. The last thing he had wanted was to talk about it with the woman he’d spent the night with. He had liked her, but it had all been too much.
I guess she’s bitter. Taking her revenge. It’s my own fault. I should have at least said goodbye .
Three years later, he figured she’d long forgotten him. Of all the places to bump into her again. He shook his head in disbelief. Well, she wasn’t going to get away with such cruelty. He was starting a new life for his daughter’s sake, and his one and only one-night stand wasn’t going to ruin it for him.
He sat down whilst waiting for Lindy, who was at the kitchen table in record time. ‘Did you even wash?’
She pulled back her long blonde locks to show him behind her ears. ‘Yep. See.’
The toast popped, so he went to sort her breakfast. ‘You can eat before we head off.’
Lindy wrinkled her button nose at the early sunlight breaking through the window. ‘Are we going horse riding?’
Stefan smiled for the first time that morning. ‘No, but we should see some horses at the farm I need to pop to.’
‘Are you a vet now, Dad?’
The way things were going, he wondered if he might just be asked to shoe a horse as soon as he got there. ‘No.’ He handed her the toast, which she quickly bit into.
‘I can eat in the car.’
He shook his head. ‘Just slow down.’ He wished he hadn’t mentioned horses now. He knew how much she loved them, not that she’d ever been on one, but the short stories she wrote often included such animals. ‘I’ll get you some juice, then we can leave.’ He brought her over a glass of apple juice, then set about getting their coats and shoes ready.
A strong smell of damp grass hit him as he opened the front door to peer out at his car. All around was quiet and tranquil. Any other morning he’d be delighted to sit outside with his cuppa and simply enjoy the view of open fields and watch the sun rise.
‘Ready, Dad,’ sung out Lindy, hopping into one boot.
Taking a calming breath, Stefan grabbed the car keys.
‘Where are the horses?’ Lindy asked as they set off.
‘Not far. Silver Wish Farm.’
It didn’t take long to find the farm, as Stefan had remembered the name from passing a sign the day before. Both he and Lindy were surprised to see Christmas trees growing in the front field.
‘Whoa, Dad, is this a Christmas farm?’
‘The sign said it’s a garden centre.’ He noticed it also mentioned a café and stables, but the only driveway he was following was the one leading to Silver Wish Stables B&B.
‘I can’t see any horses,’ said Lindy as they pulled up outside a farmhouse Stefan assumed was the B&B.
‘Come on, let’s look around the back.’ He knew he should knock on the front door first, but he just wanted to peek around the side to see if he could spot any stables.
Lindy took his hand as they crossed some grass leading to a pathway. ‘Look, there.’ Her rosy cheeks almost glowed from excitement as they spotted a dapple-grey horse mooching in a paddock. She tried to tug free of his hold to sprint forward, but he held on tightly.
Suddenly, Florence came walking across to the enclosure to place a dark-brown horse inside.
Stefan froze for a moment, his stomach churning. There was no way he was going to march over all fired up. Not in front of Lindy, but with a bit of luck, his daughter could watch the horses whilst he told the spiteful reporter to retract her story. Lawyers came to mind. Court cases. Slander. He had all the words ready as they approached.
Florence stopped walking back to the stables on seeing them, and he could see her frown lines already.
‘Can I feed the horses?’ asked Lindy, before anyone else had a chance to speak.
Stefan went to reply, but another woman came out of the stables.
‘Hello, I’m Rhett Silver. Owner. I’m sorry, but we don’t offer any riding this time of day.’
He stared at her smiling hazel eyes, thinking her quite polite, seeing how he was trespassing. ‘I’m here to talk to Florence.’ His tone was off, but only the women noticed, as Lindy’s eyes were on the two horses in the paddock.
Rhett turned to Florence. ‘Everything okay?’ she asked lightly.
Florence bobbed her head. ‘It won’t take a moment.’ She glanced at Lindy. ‘Would you like to go into the stables with my friend Rhett and see the other horses we have here?’
Stefan felt his daughter’s excitement ripple through their joined hands, but he was reluctant to let go.
Cornflower-blue eyes gazed his way. ‘It’s all right, it’s only there, and both Rhett and I have to be DBS checked to work with children.’
He gave a slight nod to Lindy, then followed her to the opened doorway of the stables, where he stood at the end whilst she skipped happily inside with the owner.
‘You have no right coming to my home,’ said Florence quietly.
Stefan scoffed. ‘And you had no right telling lies about me.’
‘It’s what I heard from people.’
‘I’m pretty sure Josephine Walker didn’t tell you I refused to pull a thorn out of her.’
‘She did.’
‘You must have misheard, because I pulled the thorn from her dog.’ He watched her mouth gape for a moment. ‘Oh, and the man with the mole I apparently ignored, I got him on the waiting list to see a dermatologist.’
‘I—’
‘And as for my wife finding it hard to make friends around here, what with me being such an ogre, Lindy’s mother passed away five years ago.’
Florence looked frozen to the spot. Her eyes glossed over, and her lip trembled. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she mumbled, and he almost felt sorry for her.
Stefan inhaled a dusty smell of manure, trying to keep his composure as he watched his daughter grooming a golden-brown pony. ‘We are starting a new life here, and what you have done to me is unforgivable. If you don’t make amends, I’ll sue you and your newspaper for slander,’ he said quietly.
‘I’ll let my editor know as soon as the office opens.’
He raised his eyebrows, expecting more of a fight. ‘You will?’
‘Yes. I think I rushed in with the story when I should have spent more time doing research.’
‘You think?’
She glanced up to meet his eyes. ‘I was flustered.’
‘Flustered?’
She dipped back to one wellie and slightly tilted her head. ‘Do you remember me?’ she asked softly, showing no sign of malice.
‘I do,’ he replied gently. ‘Is this what this is about? Are you angry with me?’
‘No. We’re grown-ups. We can have a…’ She looked into the stables, then turned back to him. ‘Look, it was years ago, and, yes, I was surprised to see you. More so when I discovered you had a daughter. I put two and two together and—’
‘Came up with twenty-bloody-five.’
She lowered her eyes. ‘I did. I thought you were a cheater.’
‘Well, now you know otherwise.’
‘I really am sorry about your wife.’
‘She was my girlfriend, but thank you.’
A moment of silence fell between them. Each of them staring at the ground.
‘Look, I’m sorry about that night we shared,’ he whispered, thinking it best to clear the air on that subject.
‘You are?’
‘I don’t mean I have regrets. Well, I do, but not about that. Erm, what I’m trying to say is, I shouldn’t have left while you were sleeping. It was hardly the gentlemanly thing to do.’
‘So why did you?’
‘I felt guilty, as though I had cheated on Belinda. Lindy’s mum.’
‘Oh.’
‘It wasn’t easy for me to move on, but I thought I’d give it a try. But please believe me when I say I wasn’t expecting to meet anyone that night. That’s not what I was there for. But I did use the party as an opportunity to mix with women again.’
‘I guess you had to start somewhere, and just so you know, that’s the only time I’ve done anything like that. I normally like to get to know a man first, but you just felt…’
Safe?
That’s how he had felt in her arms, but he decided not to elaborate. Now wasn’t the time, if there ever was a time. He figured they had cleared up all messes, now all he could hope for was a different story to be published about him the next day.
‘Are you sure you pulled a thorn from Jo’s dog?’ asked Florence, leaning closer.
‘Ask her.’ He was done. After what he thought was a sensible conversation, it would appear there were still doubts about his character. He called out to Lindy, who looked upset about having to leave.
Rhett walked over with her. ‘Feel free to sign Lindy up for riding lessons anytime. She was a great helper today with Sunray, so her first lesson is on me.’
Lindy clapped lightly. ‘Please, Dad.’
How could he say no? Given time, he could find other stables, but his daughter was flashing him her best puppy-dog eyes. ‘We’ll sort something soon.’
Rhett smiled along with Lindy. ‘It’ll either be me or Florence who takes her out.’ She pointed to a field. ‘There’s a track that runs along the back of my land that I use for walks, or Lindy can ride around the paddock.’
‘Is my dad allowed to ride as well?’ asked Lindy.
Rhett nodded. ‘Of course.’ She glanced at Stefan, who forced a smile. ‘Give us a call when you’ve made up your mind. I’ll give you our number. One sec, let me get a card.’
He watched her walk over to an internal door in the stables, swiftly followed by Lindy, who had taken quite a shine to the owner.
‘Rhett will take you if you decide you want to ride,’ said Florence quietly, not making eye contact. ‘Please don’t avoid here because of me. I don’t want anything to affect her business.’
‘Shame you don’t care about my business.’ He glared her way as she looked up. ‘Let’s hope my patients don’t cancel their appointments today and put their health at risk just because a reporter who doesn’t do research told them I was uncaring.’
She went to speak, but he turned his back and walked towards his daughter, taking a business card from Rhett. They needed to get home and prepare for their day and whatever else lay ahead.
‘I’ll fix it,’ whispered Florence as she passed.
He really hoped so, because the article was likely to have Dr Tully shoo him out the door.
Stefan pinched the bridge of his nose as Lindy went off to say goodbye to the pony called Sunray.
Rhett and Florence stood on the porch of the farmhouse as Lindy clambered in the car. Rhett waved, then headed in the house, leaving Florence and Stefan staring at each other.
Part of him wanted to sprint over to her and say something. He wasn’t sure what exactly, but just something to clear the air once more, as he could see she was mortified by her actions.
His phone rang in his pocket, distracting him, so he leaned on the car to take the call, noticing it was Dr Tully.
‘Good grief, Stefan. What on earth has happened?’
Stefan assumed the doctor had seen the news.
‘I’ve already spoken to Josephine Walker,’ added Dr Tully, before Stefan could reply. ‘She says you helped her dog. So why has Island News written such nonsense?’
‘The reporter got the wrong end of the stick and thought I wasn’t helping people because she failed to follow through with the gossip she’d heard.’ He felt that was the long and short of it.
‘Leave this with me. I know who owns that paper.’
Stefan went to respond but Dr Tully hung up. He turned back to the farmhouse. Florence was gone.
‘Dad, I’m going to write a story about Sunray,’ called out Lindy, tapping on the car window.
He climbed inside and started the engine. ‘And you want riding lessons here?’
Lindy squealed. ‘Yes, yes, yes.’
‘All right. I’ll check the diary later, then call Rhett and see what we can squeeze in to our busy lives.’
Lindy giggled. ‘If you get another doctor to help you at the practice, you’ll have more time to go horse riding with me.’
He really could do with another doctor helping out, but after the news written about him, he was sure the locals would just want Dr Tully back and nothing else.
Pulling up outside the windmill gave him palpitations, and seeing Rose waiting outside didn’t feel like a good sign.
‘Go in the house and sort your school things for the day, Lind.’ He gave her the door keys to the cottage, then approached his receptionist. ‘Rose?’
‘Phone’s been ringing off the hook all morning, Doc.’
His shoulders drooped before he had time to tell his brain he was deflated. ‘All bad?’
Rose waggled a hand from side to side. ‘A few, but mostly folk annoyed on your behalf.’
‘Really?’
She nodded. ‘I know you’re new here, but just so you know, this is not the Pepper Bay way. We’re a friendly bunch, and the last thing anyone around here would want is for you and your daughter to feel unwelcome.’
‘Thank you, that’s very kind. I won’t lie, Rose, my heart’s been in my throat all morning.’
‘So you went off to have it out with young Florence, eh?’ she said knowingly.
‘I had to get a few things off my chest.’
‘Yeah, and how did that work out for you?’
Stefan shrugged one shoulder. ‘Lindy’s having riding lessons.’
Rose chuckled. ‘Well, at least some good came out of this mess.’
‘Florence apologised. Said she’d fix it.’
‘So she should. Her article didn’t shine you in the best light, Doc, and we can’t be having that. Not here.’
‘Did any of the patients cancel their appointment today?’
‘One tried, but I talked him down. Told him it was all a big misunderstanding, and Island News would apologise soon enough.’
He quirked an eyebrow. ‘What made you so sure?’
‘Because I know you’re not a horrible git. Anyway, Dr Tully is on the case now, so all will be in order by this time tomorrow. You wait and see.’ She lightly patted his arm. ‘Now, you get yourself sorted. You’ve got your first patient at ten. Oh, and word of warning, it’s Ronnie Hadley, which means he’ll chew your ear off about how onions cure all. Not sure why he bothers with doctors when he thinks that, but there you go.’
Stefan walked back to his cottage, wondering what the hell had happened to his life.