Chapter 25
I was so relieved to discover that Clemmie’s injury did indeed look worse than it actually was.
Caleb suspected she’d caught her leg on some barbed wire and, although the cut was long, it wasn’t deep.
He was so calm and gentle with her as he cleaned her up and gave her some antibiotics that I felt a stab of guilt for my earlier negative thoughts about him.
‘I don’t normally keep a supply of these at home,’ he said as he fastened a cone round her head to prevent her from licking the wound, ‘but this was Gouda’s.’
I wrapped Clemmie in a clean towel and cuddled her to me. ‘Thank you for everything.’
‘It was no bother. She’s a lovely cat.’ He went over to the sink and washed his hands. ‘I’m going to make a brew. Would you like one?’
‘I’d love one but I’d better get back and let my mam and Maddie know she’s safe.’
I’d have messaged them when we returned to Peartree Cottage but Caleb had asked me to hold Clemmie still while he cleaned her up so, as far as they knew, she was still missing.
‘No worries. I’ll see you out.’
He opened the front door for me and I stepped outside. ‘Thanks again.’
‘My pleasure.’
It made a change to see him smiling at me instead of looking grumpy or confused.
I wasn’t sure whether it was the smile or the discovery that he was also a vet but now I could see that he had a kind face and smiley eyes.
A feeling of guilt prodded at me once more.
I was usually good at reading people but it seemed I’d been very wrong about Caleb.
Mam had suggested I might be projecting my frustrations with Maddie onto him and it looked like she was right.
‘See you around,’ I said, giving him a warm smile. Even though he had no way of knowing what had been going on in my head, he might have picked up some negative vibes from me and I wanted to start over on a more positive footing.
‘Will do. And if you do ever fancy that brew, just knock.’
Mam and Maddie were in the kitchen and Maddie burst into tears as soon as she saw Clemmie.
‘She’s all right,’ I said. ‘She’s got a cut on her leg – long but not deep – so she’s had some meds and needs to wear the cone.’
‘Where did you get the cone and meds?’ Mam asked.
‘Caleb’s a vet too so he helped me find her – one of his cat’s favourite haunts – and then he fixed her up.’
‘I’m so sorry, Mum,’ Maddie said.
I was still angry with her for being so careless, but the important thing for now was that Clemmie was home and safe.
‘We’ll talk about it tomorrow.’ I kept my tone strong so Maddie was clear that it wasn’t going to be an easy conversation.
‘Right now, I want to get her settled in her bed and soak my hoodie to get the blood out.’ I groaned as I realised that I hadn’t picked up my hoodie after wrapping Clemmie in the towel. ‘My hoodie’s still at Caleb’s.’
It was my favourite and, if I didn’t soak it tonight, the blood might not come out.
‘I can get it for you,’ Maddie said, ‘or I can settle Clemmie.’
I pictured Caleb’s expression as he’d invited me to drop by for a brew another time and wondered if he’d been reflecting on our less-than-friendly encounters so far.
The offer could have been him holding out an olive branch, which I probably should have accepted.
He’d said he’d explain why he was a vet and a farrier after he got Clemmie fixed up and presumably he’d planned to do that over a drink, but I hadn’t given him the chance.
‘Please trust me to do something right, Mum.’
The pleading tone in Maddie’s voice brought tears to my eyes. This was my olive branch moment with her too and letting her retrieve my hoodie would not demonstrate any trust in her. I had to let her look after Clemmie.
I fixed my gaze on Maddie. ‘If I leave Clemmie with you, do you promise to stay with her for longer than a few minutes?’
‘I promise.’
‘I mean it! I might have a brew with Caleb.’
‘I’ll stay with her until you get back.’
I carefully passed Clemmie over as though she was a newborn baby. Maddie cuddled her close and whispered that she was sorry before leaving the kitchen.
‘She knows she messed up badly,’ Mam said in a hushed voice.
‘I’d be worried if she didn’t. I can’t talk to her about it yet. I’m so annoyed with her that I need overnight to calm down or I’ll make things worse.’
‘Completely understand. I’d be the same. Let’s hope some good will come of it and this’ll be a wake-up call for her to start listening and stop being so selfish.’
‘Would be good if it was.’ I sighed and shrugged. ‘Are you okay if I leave you again?’
‘Take your time. What was that about staying for a brew?’
‘Caleb offered me one and I said no but I’m thinking I should maybe have accepted, especially after how helpful he was tonight. I might have misjudged him. He actually seems really nice.’
‘Oh! Really nice, eh?’ Mam’s eyes twinkled with mischief.
‘As a neighbour and perhaps a friend,’ I said, shaking my head at her. ‘So put your Cupid’s bow down.’
‘Who said anything about matchmaking?’ she asked with feigned innocence. ‘I was just repeating what you said.’
‘Yeah, sure you were. I’ll see you later.’
As I made my way up to Peartree Cottage, I smiled to myself.
What was Mam like? As if I could even think about being with somebody new when the ending with Laurie was still so raw.
Perhaps if I knew why it had ended, there’d be some chance of me moving on but, as long as I remained in the dark, I couldn’t imagine wanting to get close to anyone again in case I was the problem and lightning struck twice.
Besides, Caleb was far too young for me – maybe a decade younger – and, with those good looks and the caring nature I’d seen tonight, he probably already had a girlfriend.
I hadn’t noticed any visitors to Peartree Cottage but I hadn’t exactly been watching for them either.
Caleb looked surprised to see me.
‘I realised I’d left my hoodie and I need to soak it to get the blood out,’ I said, ‘so I thought I’d collect it and take you up on that offer of a brew after all, if that’s still okay.’
‘Sure, come in, but your hoodie’s soaking already. I realised you’d left it and I didn’t want to disturb you so I thought I’d get the blood out.’
The thoughtfulness rendered me speechless.
‘Did I do the wrong thing?’ he asked, his expression uncertain.
‘No! It’s just that… I’m stunned. It’s so kind of you.’
He ushered me inside and told me to join Scampi in the lounge while he made the drinks.
The lounge, like the kitchen, ran front to back.
It was a beautifully decorated room with modern furniture which managed to work well with the open fire and the ceiling beams. While I hated myself for being stereotypical, the colour scheme and soft furnishings didn’t strike me as the sort a man would choose.
Anna Garstang had told me Caleb lived alone but I wondered if a woman might have lived with him previously.
‘How come you have Scampi?’ I asked, as he handed me a mug and sat down in the chair opposite the two-seater sofa I’d chosen.
‘The Garstangs didn’t want to take him with them.’ Scampi jumped up onto his lap and Caleb stroked his back.
‘So they asked you to have him?’
‘Not exactly.’
Picking up on the sharp edge to his tone, I sensed there was a story. What was that comment he’d made about the tumbledown shed where we’d found Clemmie? It’s a hazard but that’s typical of the neglectful approach of the Garstangs.
‘I get the impression you don’t think much of them.’
There was a moment’s hesitation before he answered. ‘We weren’t close.’
Willow had asked if I was friends with them before she opened up and, at the time, I’d thought it was an odd thing to ask but Caleb was giving off those same guarded vibes.
Anna had lied to me about so many things so it wasn’t a stretch to think she might have lied to Willow and Caleb about the relationship she had with me, perhaps making out we’d become close during the sales process.
‘I’m not friends with them so you can say what you like. I only met Doug briefly during our viewing. I thought Anna was really nice but I think devious is the term I’d use now. I understand why you said good luck with that the day we met.’
He winced at the sarcastic tone I used when quoting his words.
‘Sorry about that. It wasn’t about you. It was about them. You’re definitely not friends with them?’
When I nodded, he continued. ‘In that case, no, I don’t think much of them at all. Do you know who Shelley is?’
‘Their daughter. Willow told me she’s the one who introduced the heavy horses here.’
‘That’s right. Shelley’s great – thankfully nothing like her parents. She’s getting married to my best mate, Adam, in August. Are you aware that her parents bought the farm with a lottery win?’
‘Yes, Willow told me that too. She told me a load of other things I didn’t know like Shelley leaving and the café closing. I’d appreciate your take on it if you’re happy to share.’
Caleb nodded. ‘Anna and Doug never gave Shelley a penny from their win – something I’ve never been able to get my head around – but Shelley isn’t materialistic so it didn’t bother her.
As far as she was concerned, they made her dreams come true by letting her bring the heavy horses here and investing in the stables.
She built up a successful business from nothing but she needed help to keep it running and they wouldn’t give her it.
‘Doug used to be a farmer but the lottery win changed him. Suddenly he didn’t want to do the hard work himself so he got a manager in and spent all his time on the golf course or fishing.
He hadn’t travelled much before but one of his golfing buddies had played on some of the best courses around the world and Doug decided he was going to do that too.