Chapter 14 #2
‘If she’ll have me.’ Ciaran grinned, suddenly feeling full of joy and thankful he had made the long journey. ‘It is wonderful that Roxie has got her furniture back. She was so upset.’
‘Indeed, she was,’ Beth said.
‘I wonder if we should take it back with us while I have the lorry here.’
‘I don’t know.’ Beth pondered. ‘Would you have room for it in your lorry if you buy some cows? Has Roxie room for it where she stays?’
‘I have plenty of room in my lorry, and in my house,’ Ciaran said. ‘I’ll ask Roxie.’
‘If you decide to take all her furniture, let me know. My cousin is a joiner and he can come and show you how to take the big wardrobe into three sections. He’d help you load too, if you want. He knows what he’s doing for that kind of work.’
* * *
Showered, changed and still eating her breakfast, Roxie returned to the kitchen to find Ciaran at ease and laughing with Maggie and Beth. She poured herself another cup of coffee and offered Ciaran some.
‘No, thanks. I see some people have started to arrive and a man is showing them where to park. My lorry is well out of the way, though.’
‘Shall we go for a proper look through the rest of the cattle now, then?’ Roxie asked, standing up as she quickly drank her coffee. ‘I didn’t show you where the heifers are, or the young stock. We tried to keep them well spread out so as not to get dirty again.’
Outside they were just crossing the farm yard when they met a smartly dressed man. Roxie stopped suddenly, recognising him. His appearance jolted her memory.
‘It may be worth introducing you to this man,’ she said in a low voice. ‘It is his artificial insemination company who bought Sunwick Best Boy from Dad. I’ve just remembered something . . .’
‘Good morning, Roxanne.’ The man greeted her cheerfully. ‘I heard you’d moved to Scotland, but I wondered if you would be here for the sale. Selling the Caldbrook herd was a surprise to a lot of us.’
‘I know, but dairying is not Tommy’s favourite type of farming.
I’m pleased he’s not waited any longer to dispose of Dad’s lifetime’s work.
I’ve been here all week helping. Seeing you reminded me your firm has twenty-five straws of semen from the Sunwick bull.
My father reserved them in case he wanted to use him again later. ’
‘Yes, we have.’ He grinned exultantly. ‘But your brother will have no use for them now.’ Roxie reached for Ciaran’s hand and squeezed hard, shooting him a look that seemed to him half pleading, and yet excited.
Whatever it meant, he gently pressed her fingers in response.
‘Tommy doesn’t need them, but my fiancé does.
’ To Ciaran’s amazement, she drew him forward.
His heart soared. ‘He’s here to buy some of the Caldbrook stock.
He’s grading up his own herd.’ Roxie knew she was talking too fast, but she felt Ciaran’s firm clasp around her fingers and she knew he understood her silent message.
He didn’t seem to mind her claiming him as her fiancé.
‘There was me thinking we could sell the semen for twice the price,’ the man said, looking disappointed.
‘It’s already twice the price it was early on,’ Roxie said. ‘You bought five straws, didn’t you, Ciaran? I couldn’t believe they cost so much.’
‘Have you used them yet?’ the man asked with genuine interest.
‘Yes, I’ve three in calf and two straws in reserve,’ Ciaran answered readily.
‘What’s the name of your herd? Maybe I could call on you when I’m up in Scotland, perhaps at the Highland Show time.’
‘I’m still grading up so only half the herd is fully pedigree. The herd name is Oaklands.’
‘You’ll not be long before you have them all pedigree when you have Roxanne for your wife.
Her father always said she could pick out a good animal as well as he could.
Well, well, that is a piece of good news.
I am only here to have a look how the progeny of the Sunwick bull has done and to see whether there is anything else we should be keeping an eye on.
I am on my way south, so I need to get away promptly. ’
‘We shall leave you to look, then,’ Roxanne said, drawing Ciaran away while chewing on her lower lip in the anxious way he had come to recognise.
She lowered her voice. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve complicated things, claiming you as my fiancé.
I never thought he might want to visit you at home in Scotland.
You will have to invent an excuse for b-breaking a phoney engagement, but I thought you might as well benefit from the free semen, if possible.
His firm have made a fortune out of that bull already. ’
‘Roxie, stop talking a moment,’ Ciaran said softly, pausing and turning her to face him.
‘If I had my way there is nothing, absolutely nothing, I want more than for us to be truly engaged and planning our wedding. You must know by now how much I want you. I love you. The question is could you ever learn to love me? Love me enough to be my wife, I mean, on days when I’m a bad-tempered bugger, the way I was the first time we met?
’ He was pleading with her boyishly. ‘As well as the good days?’
‘Ciaran! Are you saying that to make me feel better about telling fibs?’
‘I’m saying it because it’s true! Much as I appreciate you procuring some valuable semen for me, I would be the happiest man alive if I thought you would marry me.’
Roxie stared up at him. The anxious look in her eyes was replaced by pure joy.
‘I do love you, Ciaran,’ she said softly and he couldn’t doubt her sincerity. ‘I don’t know why, when we argue, or how you can arouse such longing in me when no one else has ever made me want more than a brief kiss, but — but somehow . . .’
‘Dearest Roxie, do you truly mean that? Do you love me enough to be my wife? Could you live with me and love me for a lifetime?’ He looked deep into her eyes and she couldn’t doubt the earnestness she saw there.
‘Oh, Ciaran, it would be a dream come true,’ she whispered huskily.
He didn’t care if they were in a cowshed where anyone could come in, he lifted her off her feet and kissed her passionately.
When he glanced up, he saw the man from the AI company standing at the end of the shed grinning.
He gave them a thumbs-up, then turned on his heel.
* * *
The sale went extremely well. Ciaran was successful in buying six of the cows he had marked, including Roxie’s favourite.
He had also bought an older cow on a whim after a remark Harry had made in his youthful wisdom.
As the young man had predicted, she was a low price, due to her age, but she was in calf to a well-bred bull, and she had a fine pedigree as well as good milk records, so the calf alone could prove valuable in time.
He went on to buy the two in-calf heifers.
He was well pleased with his day’s purchases, even though he had spent considerably more money than he had intended.
It had been an incredible day in so many ways — and there she was.
Roxie. He’d managed to catch her on her own.
Resisting the urge to pull her into his arms, he grinned at her instead, with no doubt a very goofy smile on his face.
He asked if she’d like him to take her furniture back with them while he had the lorry.
‘You would never have room. I’ve been worrying how you’ll manage to transport so many animals home.’
‘I was drunk with love, my darling. If I could, I would have bought them all for you. Harry says there are four young calves, still unregistered. I bought the mother of one of them. He said the other day you told him you would take them all with you if you’d had anywhere to keep them, so if we can fit them in comfortably we will take them too. ’
‘What size is your lorry? It must be huge!’
‘It is. It is far too big. To tell the truth, this is only the second time I’ve driven it with the container on.
I bought it second-hand to use as a flatbed truck for carting straw at harvest time.
I buy straw from Kelso and North Yorkshire.
We never have enough for bedding in our area.
I have a man who drives for me if I’m too busy to go myself.
Normally the transport costs more than the straw, so it’s a help to have my own lorry.
The elderly man who sold it to me included the container for free.
It had been his son’s enterprise until he was killed in a motorbike accident. It broke his father’s heart.’
‘That’s tragic . . .’
‘I know, but that’s the reason I have such a big lorry. So shall we load your furniture first, then I can put the partition up to protect it from the cows?’
‘If you’re certain we can get everything in.’
‘I can. Maggie said I was to tell you she’s cooked us a proper dinner, which we must eat before we set off for home.
There is no hurry because Harry is going to milk the cows and the roads will be quieter in the evening.
’ Resisting no longer, he drew her close and gave her a hug and a lingering kiss.
‘I can’t tell you how happy you have made me, my darling Roxie. ’
* * *
Much later, Roxie was amazed how little room her furniture took, with Beth’s cousin helping to carry the larger pieces and carefully pack everything with sheets and blankets for protection.
Harry waited to help load the cows safely, then tuck up the four young calves in a small pen well bedded with straw at the very back of the lorry.
Roxie had a feeling Harry was near to tears as he saw them all loaded.
She wondered if Ciaran thought so too because he said, ‘Keep in touch with us, laddie. Call to see us if you’re up our way.
If ever I need a herdsman, I’ll let you know in case you happen to be looking for a change of job. Isn’t that right, Roxie?’
‘If you say so. Good luck, Harry, in whatever you do, and thank you for being such a willing helper.’
Roxie felt near to tears herself now almost all the sheds were echoing and empty, the last remnants of her father’s working life were gone.
Tommy sensed her feelings. He felt empty himself now that his father’s beloved herd had been scattered to various parts of the country.
He turned to hug Roxie and whispered huskily, ‘He would have understood, and forgiven me, I hope. He would have been so proud of all you have done to make such a successful sale, Sissy. You made it a fine conclusion to his life’s work and achievement. ’
Roxie nodded, blinking back her tears but too full of emotion to speak.
Tommy cleared his throat and urged Harry towards the kitchen, telling him dinner was waiting for them, before he turned one last time to give Roxie another hug, almost reluctant to see her leave Willowbrook again, but he promised to keep in touch regularly from now on and wished her well for the future.
He shook hands with Ciaran, promising to travel up to Scotland for their wedding.
* * *
Darkness was falling as Ciaran drove the large lorry steadily up the motorway. He and Roxie discussed the sale, the events of the day, and the people Ciaran had met and looked forward to meeting again when they came up to Scotland for their wedding.
‘I can hardly believe we shall be planning a wedding so soon,’ Roxie said a little breathlessly. ‘I hardly dared believe you would ever want to marry me, Ciaran.’
‘My darling Roxie, you got under my skin the first day you arrived, even if I was a bad-tempered brute. Every day since, I’ve wanted more and more of you.
I can hardly believe it. Even now, I can’t believe how lucky I am.
And I like your brother. I think he’s had a rotten deal, even though he does say it was his own fault. ’
‘Oh, I’m so glad you think you can be friends. It will take him a long while to get over this episode, I think.’
‘I suspect that lovely lassie, Beth, might help him put his past behind him,’ Ciaran said shrewdly. ‘Your friend, Maggie, was overjoyed when she heard we were getting married. They think a lot of you, those two women.’
‘I have known Maggie most of my life and she couldn’t have been kinder or more helpful when Mum took ill. She never let us down.’ In spite of the excitement, gradually they both began to yawn as the engine purred steadily along.
‘I think we should stop and have a rest,’ Roxie said, knowing Ciaran must be even more tired than she was herself.
‘I agree. We’ll look for the next road services. I don’t want to stop in a layby in case some scoundrel opens the doors to let the cows out for sheer devilment.’
‘I never thought of that.’
It was not many miles further before they came to a suitable service station with plenty of space for large transports.
They went to the toilets before they settled down.
Although there were lights on all night, Ciaran clasped her hand all the way to the door.
He was waiting outside to escort her back and he couldn’t resist giving her a quick kiss the moment she appeared.
As they got back to the lorry, he said a little diffidently, ‘I’ll lay two blankets on the fold-down bed and open up my sleeping bag so it will act as a quilt to cover us.
We shall have enough room if we cuddle up close.
’ He gave her a tender kiss. ‘I’m too tired to do anything but sleep, so don’t worry, my darling. ’
‘I’m not worried, Ciaran. I trust you completely,’ Roxie said simply.
They slept soundly, curled together, secure and warm in their love. It was a good two hours later before either of them stirred.
‘What do you think your mother will say to our news,’ Roxie asked sleepily when she realised Ciaran was also awake.
‘It’s her birthday tomorrow. Oh, no, it’s today now! Our news will be the best birthday present we could have given my mother. She loves you like a daughter already, Roxie. Sometimes I think fate brought you to us, and yet it is as though she has had you made to order and sent by special delivery.’
‘I do hope you’re right that she will be pleased with our news, because she has been as kind to me as any mother could be.’
The second half of the journey passed more quickly than the first, with the roads less busy as they travelled north. Dawn was beginning to break on another May morning as they drew into the farmyard at Oakfield.