Chapter 7
PRESENT DAY
Looking around the barn, it suddenly struck me that it was half-term but there were no children present so I asked Paula about it.
‘Glen and I debated that for a long time,’ she said, ‘but we decided on a minimum age of eighteen.’
Either Mam hadn’t seen that when she booked or she’d decided Maddie was close enough at seventeen.
‘We often get guests wanting to bring children but it’s a firm no. It’s a safety thing but it’s also about the quality of the experience. We’re in here for ninety minutes. Do you know any children who can keep quiet and still for that long – even really well-behaved ones?’
I could totally see that. What made this so special was the tranquillity. It was something for adults – a unique space where they could switch off and leave their stressful lives behind while they quite literally embraced nature.
A break for drinks and cakes came next before moving onto the final activity – pairing up once more to take some of the young fluffies on a walk around the farm on their halters, passing the fields where most of the older cows were kept.
As Isla was a regular visitor and I’d told Paula what I did for a living, she said we could have our own cow each rather than walking one as a pair.
I found myself at the back of the group with Paula, leading a one-year-old called Macduff.
‘It’s been amazing,’ I said. ‘You’ve got something really special here. You must be so proud of what you’ve done.’
‘Thank you. We are and we’ll be sorry to let it go.’
‘You’re stopping the cow cuddling?’
‘We’re not meant to be telling anyone yet,’ she said, her voice low.
‘My parents and Glen’s have developed some health challenges and need our support.
We’ve got a buyer lined up to take over in July but they have a different view to us on how farms should run.
They’re strongly against inviting the public onto their land so they won’t be continuing with the cow cuddling. ’
‘I’m sorry about your parents,’ I said. ‘That must be hard for you and I can imagine letting go of the farm hasn’t been an easy decision.’
‘Lots of sleepless nights but we both know it’s the right thing to do. We’re blessed to have reached our late fifties and still have all four parents so we want to spend as much time with them as we can.’
‘What will happen to the cuddle cows?’ I shook my head. ‘I don’t know why I asked that. I was raised on a dairy farm so I’m well aware of what happens to retired dairy cows.’
‘We’re farmers,’ Paula said. ‘It’s how it works but I will admit that it’s going to be harder with the cuddle cows. They’re like part of the family.’
My mind was racing once more. What if Paula and Glen sold their cuddle cows to us?
Mam and I were both experts in dairy cow care and we had plenty of barns and fields we could use on our farm.
Our farm. I already thought of it as home.
I couldn’t say anything to Paula just yet but if – when – Hazelwick Farm was confirmed as ours, I’d be straight on the phone to her to see if a deal could be done.
* * *
‘That was one of the best surprises ever,’ I said to Mam as we drove back towards Parsley Meadows a little later. ‘Thank you so much for that.’
‘My pleasure. It was even better than I expected and I think Maddie enjoyed it too, didn’t you?’
Maddie was scrolling through her phone, looking at the photos and videos she’d taken but she looked up, smiling. ‘It was brilliant, Nanna. Thank you.’
I twisted round in my seat to look at her. ‘What was your favourite part?’
Her smile faded and she shrugged dismissively before putting her earbuds in. Heart heavy, I turned back round. I should have known that her positive mood wouldn’t last – or at least not around me.
‘You and Paula looked deep in conversation when we were walking the fluffies,’ Mam said.
‘We were. She let it slip that they’re selling up.’ I shared Paula’s revelation about the farm selling. ‘How would you feel about working with cows again?’
‘I love cows nearly as much as I love horses and—’
But she didn’t get to finish that sentence because my phone rang.
‘It’s the estate agent,’ I said, my heart pounding as I switched the phone to speaker so Mam could hear the conversation.
‘Hi, Grace, it’s Darren from Brigham & Crane. I’ve just spoken to Mr and Mrs Garstang and I have some great news for you. They’ve accepted your revised offer on Hazelwick Farm. It’s all yours.’
My heart leapt. ‘That’s fantastic news, Darren. Thank you so much.’
Mam glanced at me with the biggest grin on her face. We had the farm and I was certain that Mam would be up for introducing cow cuddling experiences. This was it. This was the fresh start we all needed and I couldn’t wait to move in.