Chapter 6 #2
‘Put one foot on that strong rail about halfway up, then the other foot on the top.’ He smiled impishly.
‘Don’t worry, Red Riding Hood, I will catch you.
’ She had little option but to obey. He almost lifted her bodily over the top and she clung to him automatically.
His body was strong and firm, and she felt secure in his arms.
‘You can put me down now. Your mother sent me to restrain your enthusiasm — for big trees,’ Roxie mumbled. His arms tightened and he grinned wolfishly, bringing the colour back to her cheeks.
‘Are you afraid I might turn into the big bad wolf when I get you to the forest?’ he asked, putting on a gruff voice.
He held her close to his chest with one strong arm while he opened the door of the pickup with the other, then deposited her on the passenger seat, chuckling to himself as he went round to the driver’s side.
His blue eyes danced with mischief as he glanced at her.
Roxie ignored him. ‘I have brought a tape measure. We measured the height of the hall where the tree has to stand. Is that woodland in front of us part of the farm?’ Ciaran was silent for a moment as they continued bumping over the grassy field.
‘Yes, that stretch of wood is part of Oaklands Farm, but the young trees at the front are not oaks. The trees make a good shelterbelt for the cows when the wind blows from the east. If you look the other way, the land on the other side of the public road is ours and it stretches up to the oak woods near the top of that hill. That is our boundary, but the area of woodland beyond that belongs to the Forestry Commission. We should miss the shelter up there if they ever clear-fell it.’
‘My father planted some areas of woodland in various places at Willowbrook. He said the land where he planted was wet and rather poor anyway, and trees would be more benefit as shelter for the cattle.’
‘Your father sounds a wise man.’
‘Yes, I think he was.’ She sighed. ‘I’m afraid my brother, Tommy, didn’t agree.
I hope he will see things differently now he’s in charge.
’ She sighed again, biting her lip and struggling to hold back tears as thoughts of her father sprang into her mind.
‘My father made a new will. It was shortly before Tommy got married . . . The trouble is, I suspect Dad changed his will because Tommy and Gilda were determined to get married so quickly. They hadn’t had much time to get to know each other. ’
‘It probably made him anxious if he thought they were rushing things.’
‘Oh, he was very anxious. Dad wasn’t sure whether Tommy would stick to farming if he and Gilda were on their own, or whether Tommy would knuckle down and make a success.’
‘Had he any reason to think that?
‘Dad was anxious because he didn’t think Gilda would make a farmer’s wife, but Tommy had always wanted to farm, even though he never liked milking cows.
Dad added a condition that if Tommy sold Willowbrook within ten years, he must pay half the value of the land to me.
I’m sure Tommy must resent that. I know Gilda did when she heard the will read, even though she has nothing to contribute herself, not even her help. ’
‘It seems to me your father was unsure about Tommy’s future and he was being very cautious.’
‘I’m sure we would all have accepted them being married if it hadn’t been so hurried.
I think the solicitor was partly responsible for the way things were worded in the will, though, and I realise everything has to be set out in legal terms, but it does stir trouble.
We have known him a long time. I think he wanted to make sure I was repaid for looking after my father and working at home, instead of following my intended career as a pharmacist.’
‘A pharmacist?’ Ciaran sounded astonished. He took his eyes off the rough ground and Roxie fell against him as the pickup tilted.
‘Sorry!’ Ciaran grinned. ’A pharmacist, you said? I can’t imagine you doing that?’
‘I thought I would when I was eighteen. I doubt if I would be happy spending all my time indoors now, not after the years I spent working with my father. Anyway, I felt the decision had been made for me. Dad was . . . he was so lost when my mother died.’ Her voice wavered.
‘Even though we had known it had to happen,’ she added gruffly.
‘So, you don’t regret staying home?’
‘Not at all. I think it was the happiest time of my life, helping him with the cows and sharing his interest in breeding and the pedigrees. We got on so well . . .’ She was silent for a moment or two, then she said vehemently, ‘I suppose the law has to cover all circumstances, but Tommy would never have known about the new will, or Dad’s doubts and fears, if only he had not died so soon.
He would probably have changed his will several times over the years. ’
‘I’m afraid legal affairs do sometimes cause trouble when none was intended,’ Ciaran said seriously. ‘A person can only express his or her wishes as things stand at that time, though. Whoops, sorry,’ he said as Roxie bounced against him. ‘The ground is a bit rough near this boundary.’
‘’The ground or the driver?’ Roxie quipped with a chuckle.
‘Not the driver! You were saying about your sister-in-law?’
‘Gilda and her family don’t know anything about farming.
They don’t understand that most of the money is tied up in stock and machinery.
That doesn’t help Tommy. He wanted me to stay and continue working as I had done with Dad.
’ She gave a slightly bitter laugh. ‘It would never have worked for any of us. I would have been an unpaid herdswoman, cook, housekeeper and general factotum, and I know Gilda didn’t want me around.
’ She hesitated, then said in a rush, ‘Tommy has never even called or sent me an email or — or anything.’ Her voice was husky with unshed tears.
‘Dear Roxie,’ Ciaran murmured softly, and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. ‘Their loss is certainly our gain. I am as happy as Mum is that you decided to come to us.’
‘Th-thank you, Ciaran. I shouldn’t have burdened you with my worries. It’s just that building up the pedigree herd was my father’s life work. He was well known as a breeder. I do hope Tommy doesn’t let all the pedigree records lapse. I do worry.’
‘He’d never do that. Surely? What was the name of your herd? I’m grading up my own herd to get them all pedigree eventually, so I often study up the sales catalogues and pedigrees. I always read the monthly journal.’
‘Do you?’ Roxie asked eagerly, turning to look into his face.
‘Our herd is called Caldbrook. My father had gradually changed from British Friesian to Holstein for higher yields, but he was careful not to include the extreme Holsteins. I could never have managed the arable and machinery side of Willowbrook, but I loved the cattle. I often went with my father to the sales and to shows.’ Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and for the first time Ciaran realised the extent of the upheaval she must have been through over the past few months.
He stopped the truck near the trees and they both scrambled out.
They measured the circumference of several trees, as well as estimating the height, but Roxie kept insisting they were too big.
‘It’s a shame to cut a good tree down and then have to saw off a great chunk to get it into the house,’ she said. Ciaran grinned at her.
‘I can tell Mum has been warning you.’
Eventually they agreed on a tree and Ciaran brought his saw to cut it down, and she helped him load it into the back of the pickup.
‘There’s still quite a bit hanging over the back,’ Roxie said with a glint in her eyes. ‘Anything bigger would have been far too tall.’
‘All right, boss!’ Chuckling, Ciaran saluted her.
* * *
When they arrived back at the bungalow Ciaran helped Roxie plant the tree firmly in the large tub his mother kept especially for the occasion, then he carried it through to the hall and placed it carefully on the big mat Roxie had placed for the purpose.
‘That is splendid. It is the perfect size for the space available,’ Amy said, clapping her hands.
Ciaran smiled at his mother. ‘I know it’s not quite lunchtime, but I was hoping I might be invited to stay after all that effort.’
‘We expected you would say that. Roxie put in a big rice pudding this morning. As you suggested, Roxie, I have taken out three of the cottage pies you put in the freezer, so that is dinner sorted.’
‘Yes, there is a layer of carrots and onions already in the pies, but I’ll wash my hands and cook some peas from the freezer.’
‘Sounds good to me. It’s ages since I had rice pudding. I always loved it.’
‘It’s so easy to make,’ Roxie said. ‘You could put one in your own Aga and leave it all morning, so long as you don’t put it in the hottest oven, long and slow with a stir or two early on. Don’t forget to add a pinch of salt. It brings out the flavour, even though it is a sweet pudding.’
Ciaran nodded. ‘Write it down in detail and I’ll give it a go. Can you also please remind me to reach the decorations down from the top cupboards after we have eaten?’
‘I’m sure I shall manage to reach them with the stepladder,’ Roxie said.
‘We don’t want you falling and breaking a leg too. It’s bad enough Billy, my dairyman, being off with one, but at least I can milk my own cows. I wouldn’t make a very good job if I had to cook the Christmas dinner. We should probably end up having mince and tatties.’ He chuckled.
‘Ah, Roxie,’ Amy said suddenly. ‘I almost forgot! There is a letter for you. I put it on the stairs so you would be sure to see it when you went up.’
‘Oh, thank you. Perhaps Tommy and Gilda have sent a Christmas card after all.’
‘We-ell, I don’t know . . .’ Amy said hesitantly. ‘It looks a bit official. It has, er, a Darlington post mark.’
‘Oh?’ Roxie frowned. ‘I don’t know anyone from Darlington. I’ll go and get it right now.’ She was tearing open the envelope as she returned to the kitchen, frowning a little as she withdrew a smaller envelope with large loopy writing that was totally unfamiliar.
She gasped. ‘Well! I never expected this!’ The paper was thin and lined as though taken from a notebook.
She began to read and gasped again. ‘It’s from the grandmother of the little boy we rescued during the car crash.
Gosh, I . . . but, oh, I’m so glad to know he is well and loved.
She writes, I want to thank you for taking care of Richie after the crash.
I have wanted to write before this, but I could not get an address from the police.
Richie’s dad, my son, has had several operations on his leg.
They thought they would need to amputate but now they are fairly sure it can be saved, although he will have a limp.
As soon as he was able, he asked his friend to take him to the police station in person and he explained we wanted to write to you to thank you.
They promised to forward a letter if we sent it to them, so I do hope you receive it.
‘My word, I can’t believe it!’ Roxie said with delight.
‘She says, We can never thank you enough for our dear little Richie who is sitting up now and smiling, and making our hearts so glad. As Christmas draws near, we grieve even more for the loss of his dear mother and my darling granddaughter, Daisy. On behalf of my husband and son, I send you our heartfelt thanks and wish you great happiness in your own life. Isn’t that lovely. ’ Roxie blinked away tears.
‘It is wonderful to know the wee boy is being well cared for. You deserve their thanks, Roxie. It is good you have heard from the family,’ Amy said warmly.
‘It is. I think we all wondered how things would work out after we saw how awful it was on the news,’ Ciaran said.
‘I wondered if the driver would even survive. His mother has included her own address, so I shall send a note to let her know I received her letter and thank her,’ Roxie said.