Chapter 10
End of May
As Lettie walked along the narrow country lane on her way to the village she breathed in the sweet country air and felt the tension in her neck go and her shoulders relax.
She wondered when she would next see Brodie. She was bound to bump into him at some point now that he was working in the village. She remembered his younger reputation as a fun-loving, friendly guy. Not that she had known him well, only having a secret crush on him back then. Apart from that solitary kiss after a school Halloween disco when they were teenagers, he hadn’t paid her any attention and she had to accept that he wasn’t interested in her. She had her pride. She might have done her best in the intervening years to keep her attraction for him a secret, embarrassed to think her kiss wasn’t exciting enough to make him want to see her again. It had stung for a long time that to know she hadn’t made enough of an impression on Brodie for him to ask her out on a date, like he had said he would do when he had taken her number that night. And now it seemed that he didn’t even remember her.
‘I’m clearly more forgettable than even I thought.’ She sighed and picked a long strand of grass growing from the granite wall she was passing. ‘I’m not here to find a boyfriend though, am I? No, Lettie Torel, you’re here to prove to your parents you have what it takes to run the farm.’
She wasn’t sure why she was talking to herself, but reminded of her ambitions, Lettie strode on breathing in the fresh air, sweet with wildflowers. It really was refreshing to be back home again and exciting to embark on a new chapter in her life.
Lettie neared the post office. She had received an email earlier asking her to collect a parcel and hoped it was the new overalls (two pairs) and wellies she had ordered for herself weeks before, ready to start work. She wasn’t sure if her sense of excitement matched her nerves, but hoped that being dressed correctly might help reassure her a little that she did have what it took do this job. The days had passed far more quickly than she had expected and it was intimidating to think that she would be starting work on the farm first thing tomorrow.
As Lettie rounded the corner to the post office, she spotted Uncle Leonard and increased her pace, hoping to catch up with him before he reached his car.
‘Uncle Leonard, wait up a sec.’
He turned and seeing her beamed. ‘You’re back then?’
‘I am.’
‘I bet your father hasn’t wasted any time getting you out working these past few weeks.’ He laughed and walked over to her, giving her one of his big bear hugs. ‘It’s good to have you here again full-time, little one.’ He wrapped his arms around her.
She was hardly little at five feet seven inches, but he was around six feet three, so she supposed to him she was still relatively small.
‘I’m a bit anxious about how much I’ve taken on,’ she admitted as his arms dropped from around her.
‘Don’t be. Your dad will still be around to help you for the next week or so until he and your mum leave for their much-needed holiday, and I’ll be here to answer any questions you might have. I’m sure you can do this, Lettie. You just need confidence in yourself. You were born and raised on that farm and whether you think so or not, you’ve probably absorbed far more about the running of it than you assume.’
‘I suppose you’re right,’ she said, praying he was. ‘I feel better for speaking to you anyway.’
‘Good, I’m glad.’
‘How are the twins?’ she asked picturing her twin cousins who were a year younger than her and had grown up spending all the school holidays and weekends mucking about with her and Zac.
Leonard smiled, a twinkle in his eyes belying a nonchalant shrug. ‘The same. Adam seems to be doing well in his finance job. He was promoted to assistant manager at the accountancy firm where he works and recently passed another exam.’
‘Good for him. He must be happy about that,’ she said, always amazed that her once tearaway cousin had settled anywhere long enough to start making his way up the career ladder. ‘Any news on Damon?’
Her uncle gave her a knowing smile. ‘Only that he’s now in Japan for a few weeks. Other than that, no fixed return date yet.’
Damon had always been the more introverted of the brothers, and it never failed to astound Lettie how he was the one to go off travelling by himself, whereas Adam had settled contentedly on the island. ‘I see.’
‘I’m glad he’s seeing some of the world and having experiences I never got to enjoy, but I miss him and can’t help hoping he chooses to settle down here when he gets back.’ He smiled at her. ‘I know your dad is secretly delighted you’ve come back to live on the island too.’
Lettie knew he was but it was warming to hear his brother say as much. ‘That makes me very happy.’
‘Why? Didn’t you think so?’
She recalled her father’s reaction to her wanting to take over the running of the family farm and shook her head. ‘I know he never understood me and Zac moving away from Jersey, unlike Mum who always insisted travel was the best education anyone could have, but I wasn’t sure how he felt about my decision to work on the farm. I think it makes him a bit anxious to leave me in charge.’ She gave her uncle an apologetic smile. ‘And how my decision has messed up your plans.’
‘Don’t worry about Gareth and me. We’re tough farmers and we’re used to plans going awry. I’m sure I speak for both of us when I say we’re happy that you’re wanting to give things a go. You just enjoy the farm as much as you can.’
Did she sense doubt in his voice? ‘And if I fail?’
He frowned. ‘There’s no such thing as failing in this regard,’ he said his voice gruff. ‘The fact that you’re giving it a try is good enough for me. And for your dad. If you decide this life isn’t for you, then at least you know that for a fact and can take your future in a different direction. If you decide you want to carry on with it, then we’ll have to figure that out when the time comes.’ He puffed out his cheeks. ‘This isn’t an easy life, as well you know, but it’s a satisfying one and I wouldn’t change my life for anything. I could never have survived having to sitting behind a desk every day like Adam does.’
‘Hmm, doing that didn’t suit me much either,’ she admitted.
‘I’d better get going, but don’t forget to call in and see us sometime. And—’ he raised his eyebrows ‘—don’t hesitate to ask for help whenever you need it, you hear?’
‘I do. Thanks, Uncle Leonard. I feel much better having spoken to you.’
‘Good. I’m glad.’
She watched him getting into his car and went into the post office. Being the only one out of her cousins and brother to make a point of wanting to work on the farm made her feel proud, whatever happened in the end. Lettie gave a satisfied sigh. She was bringing her father and uncle’s ideas into the twenty-first century and that could only be a good thing. It felt good to surprise them. Now all she needed to do was prove she had what it took to do the job.
Back at the farm, Lettie tried on a pair of overalls just as her mother knocked on her bedroom door.
‘Can I come in?’
‘Sure.’ She waited for her mother to open the door and see what she was wearing.
‘You’re all kitted out then?’ she said proudly. Her mother tilted her head to one side, taking in her look. ‘We’re very proud of you for wanting to do this, you know.’
‘I do,’ Lettie said happy to hear her mother say so and reaffirm her uncle’s comment. ‘Thanks, Mum.’ Her mother went to leave. ‘Did you want me for something?’ Lettie asked.
‘I’ve made a batch of rock cakes downstairs, if you want to join me for one with a cuppa.’ Lindy Torel turned back to her again. ‘I almost forgot. Your dad asked me to arrange for that nice vet to come over later and help check over some of the goats.’
‘What for?’ She hoped nothing was wrong with them and didn’t have to deal with problems on her first day.
‘Nothing to worry about – just their immunisations.’ Her mother pushed her hands into the pockets of the pinny she always wore when she was baking. ‘You need to develop a good relationship with the vet, Lettie. He’s going to be one of your most important contacts, if not the most important one.’ She stared at Lettie looking as if she was considering her next words carefully.
‘What is it, Mum? I can tell you’ve got something on your mind.’
‘It’s been playing on my mind about Zac mentioning that Brodie thought he recognised you.’
Lettie cringed inwardly and hoped her mother didn’t recall her teenage angst after Brodie hadn’t asked her out after their kiss.
Lindy stepped into the bedroom and pushed the door almost closed. She lowered her voice. ‘Isn’t he the boy you liked after that school party? The one you kissed and who never called you?’
Lettie cringed. Feeling her face reddening, she wanted to deny it, but her mum was no fool and they always joked about her having the memory of an elephant. It was one of the things her father didn’t like about his wife, mostly because she never missed anything he did wrong.
‘Yes, Mum,’ Lettie whispered, unsure why she was keeping quiet when her father was either out somewhere on the farm or downstairs reading his newspaper. ‘But I don’t feel that way about him now, so can we forget that ever happened?’
‘You were very upset though, Lettie.’
Lettie took a calming breath. ‘Mum, I was fifteen and he wasn’t much older. These things happen. Anyway, I got over my crush years ago,’ she fibbed. ‘Can we agree not to mention it again please?’
Lindy stared at her thoughtfully for a few seconds before giving a firm nod. ‘Whatever you say.’ She opened the bedroom door again. ‘Shall I pop the kettle on then?’
‘Yes, please.’
Not wanting to dwell on her humiliation, Lettie picked up her hairbrush and scooped her hair back into a ponytail, securing it with a band and tucking any stray bits behind her ears. There, that was better. She studied her reflection in the mirror and sighed. She looked exactly like what she was: a wannabe farmer wearing brand-new, immaculate dungarees and trying to be something she wasn’t. She pushed her shoulders back. She might not be yet, she told herself, but she had every intention of proving herself.
She walked into the kitchen just as her father looked away from his newspaper and stared at her. ‘I see you’re dressed for the part,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘Don’t you have anything less, er, smart?’
‘Smart?’ She realised he was only saying what she had just surmised upstairs in her bedroom. ‘Ah, I see what you mean.’
‘Take no notice of the fashion police,’ her mother said with a wave of her hand. ‘He’s just so used to being scruffy that he assumes that’s the way to look. Sit down and I’ll bring you over a drink. You’ll soon have those clothes all messy and creased and will look like you’ve been working on the farm for years.’
‘I suppose I should make the most of being this tidy while I can.’
Her father shook his newspaper and focused on it again. ‘You probably should. Hurry and drink up, then we’ll get outside and you can start work.’