Christmas on Lily Pond Lane: A fabulously festive, heartwarming romance (a standalone in the Lily Pond Lane series)

by Emily Harvale

  Chapter Nineteen

  Mia opened the door of Sunbeam Cottage and gasped. 'I told you not to come out in this weather, Hettie. Ella, Mum and I can manage. Jet, please take her home this minute. What are you still doing here anyway? I thought, after dropping us off and seeing the reindeer hanging from the roof, you were getting Gill to come and help secure it back in place?'

  Jet raised his brows. 'That's exactly what I was doing. I was driving away when Hettie jumped out in front of me and virtually demanded I walk her to the door. And I know better than to argue with Hettie.' He shook his head and grinned as Hettie stepped into the hall.

  'Jumped out in front of you indeed, deary. I did no such thing. You know that's how my dear Hector died. But it's the second time this week. Someone almost ran me down yesterday morning around this time. I think it's those people staying in Corner Cottage.' She clasped her hands beneath her bosom and pursed her lips, as usual, leaning forward as she did so. 'Single mothers, both of them, so I heard. The little ones are sweet though. Fred and I saw them playing in the snow early this morning, and the vicar had a chat with them. He says they are very nice. But then he would say that, wouldn't he? Anyway, I'm here now so let's get on. I want to help get this place spick and span before your second lot of guests arrive tomorrow. Assuming they can get here in this weather. But listen to me, talking ten chickens at a time. And what are you still doing here, young man? You're letting all the heat out and the cold air in.' She stared at Jet. 'Don't you have a farm to run? Just because your girlfriend's rich, it doesn't mean you can become a slacker now, you know.'

  'A slacker?' Jet glared at her. 'I don't think you could ever accuse me of that, Hettie. And it's Mia's money, not mine, so the fact that Mia's rich doesn't affect my life in any way.'

  'Oh goodness me. I've hit a nerve haven't I, deary?'

  Jet sighed. 'No, Hettie. You haven't. But you're right. I do have a farm to run. Goodbye.' He leant forward, kissed Mia on the cheek and was gone before Mia could say goodbye in return.

  'I have you know, deary.' Hettie nodded. 'Hit a nerve, I mean. You know how some men are. They don't like their partners having more money than them, and you know how stubborn that young man is.'

  Mia had no idea what was going on. Jet hadn't seemed at all bothered about the money issue – until today. Or perhaps there was another problem. Perhaps he was already sick of her living at Little Pond Farm, even though she had only been there since yesterday. Perhaps after seeing the state his kitchen was in this morning had made him think. Or perhaps he was tired of ferrying her about, even though he had been the one to offer, saying he had four-wheel drive and his car could cope in this weather much better than hers. Or perhaps … Perhaps Hettie was simply wrong, and Jet was merely annoyed that once again, she was poking her nose into other people's business. He had worked so hard to get his farm. To call him a slacker would certainly rub him up the wrong way.

  'Is that Hettie?' Ella asked, coming into the hall. 'You must be able to smell the teapot.'

  'Oh? Am I in time for a cup of tea?' Hettie took off her hat and coat and handed them to Mia to hang up. 'I've just had one with the vicar, but I'm sure another one won't hurt. Well, come along now, deary. We haven't got all day.' She shooed Mia along the hall towards the kitchen. 'I'm convinced the vicar has his eye on our Jenny. Oh, hello Lori.' She pulled out a chair and sat beside Mia's mum. 'Did you see him at the supper party? He walked her to the door, you know. And he's in and out of that bakery like a cockerel in a chicken house. Not that dear Glen is anything like a cockerel. More like a mouse. At least he is when he's around Jenny. Goes all coy and tongue-tied, deary. But I've told them both about the Wishing Tree so if anything's to come of it, we'll soon find out.'

  Ella put a cup of tea on the table in front of Hettie and refilled everyone else's cups. 'Er. Wishing Tree, Hettie? This is the first I've heard of a Wishing Tree. And what's it got to do with Jenny and Glen?'

  Hettie looked surprised. 'Haven't I told you about the Wishing Tree? Deary me. Mind you, I suppose I thought you wouldn't be needing it, seeing as you're all so happily in love. It works for things besides Love, of course, but it grants more wishes for Love than anything else.'

  'And?' Ella persisted as Hettie smiled and drank her tea.

  'And what, deary? Oh. You mean you want to hear about it?'

  Ella rolled her eyes and glanced at Mia.

  'Yes, Hettie,' Mia said. 'We want to hear about it.' This was unusual for Hettie. She didn't usually require encouragement; she normally blurted everything out, whether you wanted to hear about it or not.

  'Well, as I told both Jenny and the vicar, it's near Frog's Hollow, so no wishing on a Monday, remember. You can't miss it. It's an ancient oak and fairly rare for these parts because it's a white oak. It often keeps its leaves in winter although they dry and turn a tan colour, making the tree look even more beautiful, deary. It sits alone on a small raised patch, just before you get to the pond. You make a wish and write it down and then place it at the foot of the tree, or tie it to a branch. No pins, only ribbon or string. Ribbon's so much nicer though. And you're asking the tree to grant your wish so the least you can do is tie it with something pretty, don't you agree, my dears? And if the tree decides to grant your wish, seven days later, it'll come true.'

  'Seven days later?' Lori asked.

  'Within seven days,' Hettie said. 'Some wishes take longer to grant than others.'

  'So if your wish doesn't come true after seven days, it won't come true at all?' Ella asked.

  Hettie nodded. 'Precisely, deary. And you mustn't ask twice. Not within the same year in any event. And it's only in December. The tree won't grant wishes any other month. You can ask on the last day of December and that's fine. But I think it's rude to ask for a wish at the very last minute, deary, don't you?'

  Mia, Lori and Ella all exchanged glances.

  'Absolutely,' Ella said, clearly stifling her laughter. 'I can understand the tree being rather annoyed by such bad manners.'

  'I've got everything I could ever want,' Mia said, throwing Ella a reprimanding look. 'I don't think there's anything I need to wish for.'

  Lori nodded. 'I feel the same.'

  'Me too,' said Ella. 'I suppose.'

  'Which is why I didn't need to tell you, my dears. Now Jenny and the vicar, on the other hand. They're an entirely different kettle of fish. There are one or two things those two could wish for, deary. I'm fairly sure about that.'

  'Speaking of Jenny.' Mia got to her feet and grabbed her bag. 'I fancy something sweet with this tea. Shall I nip across the green and get some cakes?'

  'That's a great idea,' said Ella. 'Better get a couple for Jet and Gill. They'll probably want a cake after they get down from the roof.'

  Lori shook her head. 'They've got to get up onto the roof first. And with it covered in snow, I'm not sure that's an easy task.'

  Mia frowned. 'But Jet said he'll be fine. He just needs to get the right ladders. God. The last thing we need is Jet or Gill to fall off a roof. Perhaps I should tell them to leave it.'

  'Yeah. But on the other hand, you can't have a reindeer swinging by its neck when your guests arrive, can you?' Ella said. 'It's a bit macabre, don't you think?'

  'You're right. And then there's the snowman on Corner Cottage. We can't risk that blowing off.'

  Ella snorted with laughter. 'A farting snowman. Those kids will love that.'

  Mia tutted. 'You know what I meant. We can't risk it blowing off the roof if we have another blizzard. Or even a strong wind. If it hits one of the kids, or the adults, or anyone in fact, we could be sued. Well, I could. But I don't want Jet to fall off the roof either.'

  'There, you see deary,' Hettie said. 'There is something you could wish for. Not that you could wish for that today. Even the Wishing Tree needs a little bit of notice.'

  Mia rolled her eyes. 'I'll go and get those cakes.' She went to the hall, put on her coat and gloves and headed towards Lake's Bakes.

  'Mor
ning, Mia!' a voice called out.

  Mia turned to see Cathy walking up the lane towards her and she waited.

  'Hello, Cathy. Jet and Gill will be popping down later to do something about the snowman. They won't disturb you, I hope, but if you hear footsteps on the roof, it's them, not Santa and his reindeer coming early.'

  Cathy laughed. 'Thanks. I'll make sure I tell the kids or they'll be getting excited. And as we're on the subject of reindeer. Did that one decide he couldn't face another Christmas?' She pointed to the reindeer hanging off the roof of Sunbeam Cottage and smiled, before suddenly becoming serious as a far-away look appeared in her eyes. 'Sorry. That was in bad taste.'

  'No, it wasn't. And you should've heard what Ella said about the snowman.' Mia rolled her eyes. 'Where are you off to?'

  'I'm going to the bakery to get some crusty rolls, if they have them. We're having soup for lunch and there's nothing as nice as a warm crusty roll with a bowl of soup.'

  'Jenny does the most delicious rolls. I'm headed there myself. I'll walk with you. Although I think we may need snowshoes to get across the green.'

  Cathy nodded. 'The vicar made it earlier. You can see his footprints.' She pointed to the line of prints. The only line, save for several tiny prints made by various birds. 'He came and introduced himself, and invited us to the charity carol evening on Saturday, which was very nice of him. I told him you'd already invited us.'

  'And you'll probably get more invitations as you meet more people. This is a very friendly village. For the most part.'

  'It certainly seems to be. We're already glad we came. Your cottage is really lovely and I couldn't believe how peaceful it was this morning. Once the blizzard had stopped, of course.'

  'That was one of the things we first noticed. We lived in London and on our first night here, we were a bit freaked out. It was as silent as the grave, but the foxes, owls and various other wildlife take a bit of getting used to, as well as the silence. Now, I can't imagine ever being able to sleep in London for all the noise. We're going up to spend one night in the New Year, so we'll see how we get on. Gill is taking us to see Swan Lake, the ballet. But that's another story and I don't know why I'm boring you with this.'

  'It's not boring,' Cathy said. 'Don't tell Daisy about the ballet though. She's ballet mad. Or she was.' She cleared her throat. 'She had to give it up a couple of months ago.'

  'That's a shame. Any particular reason?'

  Cathy shrugged. 'Things have been a bit difficult. But we'll be fine now. And this holiday will do us all the world of good. I'm so pleased we found this cottage on the internet. I was getting pretty desperate.'

  'I'm so sorry things haven't been going well. Hopefully they'll improve next year.'

  'They will,' Cathy said, far more enthusiastically. 'At least I hope they will. No. They definitely will.'

  Mia gave her a sideways glance. 'This is utter nonsense of course, but then again, the cave worked, so perhaps it might. Sorry. Thinking aloud. Um. There's a woman in the village called Hettie. She lives in Duckdown Cottage. That's the one there.' Mia turned around and pointed at it.

  'Oh gosh. I nearly hit someone coming out of there, yesterday morning when we arrived. She appeared from nowhere. The vicar mentioned her this morning.'

  Mia smiled. 'That was Hettie. And yes, Glen would. She's a bit of a character. And a gossip, but she's lovely when you get to know her.'

  'He said she has a pet white rat.'

  'Prince Gustav. Yes. He's gorgeous.'

  'Sorry. You were saying?'

  'Yes. Hettie is a bit of a one for superstitions. The curse of Frog's Hollow and such. She's just told us a new one. And I know it's all very silly, but sometimes there are things beyond our comprehension, and what we were saying about hoping next year will be better, reminded me. There's apparently a Wishing Tree where you can go and make a wish and within seven days, it'll come true. Or not. I'll tell you all about it and you can decide for yourself. But whatever you do, don't go there on a Monday. Don't worry. I'll explain all about that too.'

  'A Wishing Tree? I like the sound of that. And I know exactly what I'd wish for.'

  Chapter Twenty

  The snow stopped shortly after Thursday lunchtime and the blanket of white was dappled with pale lemon rays of sunshine. Mia spent the afternoon helping Jet with things at the farm although all she really did was fill the chickens' feeders and water bowls and stand amongst some cows. In truth, she had been more of a hindrance than a help but Jet had been incredibly patient with her. Until she had mentioned the money.

  'It doesn't bother you, does it? Me having all the money Mattie left me.' She was trying to catch a chicken at the time so it was possibly the wrong time to ask.

  'Of course not. Why would it bother me? Concentrate on what you're doing or you'll end up flat on your face.'

  'It shouldn't. But when Hettie mentioned it today, you snapped at her.' She caught a couple of tail feathers but they, and the bird, slipped through her fingers.

  'I didn't snap at her. I merely set her straight because yet again, she was sticking her nose into someone else's business and getting the facts all wrong. You need to get your hands around the front and the wings, not grab at its tail.'

  'She's always sticking her nose into people's business. That's what she does. But she doesn't always get it wrong. And you did snap. I really hope the money isn't an issue, Jet because you know how much I love you and the money is as good as yours as well as mine.'

  'Can we please forget about Hettie and your money? Are you going to catch a chicken or just chase them around the barn? They're getting a little distressed and this isn't good for their blood pressure, or mine.'

  She stopped and stood up straight. 'And now you're snapping at me. Is something wrong, Jet? Are you regretting suggesting I move in with you? It's only temporary. I'll leave on the 2nd of January.'

  A startled look swept across his face. 'I'm not regretting anything. Except perhaps suggesting you try to pick up a chicken. Let's leave this for today. I'm cold and hungry and I'm tired. I need a long bath, a good meal and a very early night.'

  'It's a good thing Gill's cooking dinner then,' she said, turning to walk away.

  Jet grabbed her arm. 'Mia. I'm not regretting it. Honestly I'm not. I'm loving having you here. Well, not here in this barn if I'm going to be completely honest and the chickens aren't too keen either, so let's get out of here and let them settle down.' He grinned and pulled her into his arms, kissed her briefly on the lips and walked her towards the door. 'I'm loving having you here at the farm. It's just that Christmas is a difficult time for me. It's the anniversary of Mum's death and it always brings back memories.' He stopped to close the door behind them.

  'Oh Jet. I'm so sorry. I didn't think of that.'

  He shrugged and looked into her eyes. 'It's okay. They're happy memories mainly, but there are some sad ones too. And having the farmhouse full of people is making it feel different somehow. I don't expect you to understand this because I'm not sure I understand it myself. But it feels like a home again. And it hasn't felt like that since Mum was alive. I think it's made me miss her more, that's all.'

  'I do understand, Jet. I still miss my dad and he's been gone for years. Christmas makes us miss those we love. But it should also make us value those we have, even more than we usually do. It's harder for you because this is also when she died, but surely having your house feel like a home again is a good thing, isn't it?'

  He nodded. 'Yes. Of course it is. But it just feels odd, that's all.'

  'So it's not about the money?'

  He brushed a wisp of hair from her face and smiled into her eyes. 'It's not about the money. I couldn't care less about the money. And besides, if you didn't have the money, we wouldn't be getting four real live reindeer for Christmas would we? Assuming they can get here, of course.'

  'They should be here by this time tomorrow.' Mia couldn't keep the excitement from her voice. 'And look. The snow's already melting and we've
only had a couple of hours of sunshine. It feels warmer too, and the forecast for the morning is sunny spells, so let's keep our fingers crossed that they can make it here.'

  Once again, the forecast was accurate and the sun rose with the dawn on Friday morning. The temperature shot up by several degrees and by lunchtime, the snow was noticeably starting to melt.

  At exactly three p.m. on Friday afternoon, the reindeer arrived, along with Jane Doe, the lovely woman from the reindeer farm, who was going to teach Mia, Jet and everyone else at Little Pond Farm, how to look after them. Jet had said they should leave Little M indoors because they weren't sure how she would react to the arrival of the reindeer.

  'Hello Jane,' Mia said, before Jane had even got out of the driver's seat of the horsebox. 'We're so excited to see the reindeer. And to meet you, of course.'

  'Hi Mia. I'm happy to be here. Forty-five miles isn't a long way to come but the roads are still quite treacherous in places and it's taken some time to get here. I'd like to get the reindeer settled in before dark. May I see the barn? It looked perfect in the emails you sent, but I want to check before we begin to unload.'

  'Of course. This is Jet. He owns the farm.'

  Jane said hello to Jet and to everyone else as Mia introduced them.

  'Is your name really Jane Doe?' Ella asked, grinning.

  Jane grinned back. 'It is. So it was either a career with the police, or working with deer. I chose deer, because they're more fun.'

  'The barn's this way,' Jet said, smiling at Jane, who followed him and Mia down the path.

  'Love the reindeer,' Jane said, nodding at the twig reindeer beside the path. 'You certainly love Christmas, don't you?'

  'Most of this is thanks to Mia,' Jet said, taking Mia's hand. 'I usually have a tree indoors and a few decorations, but this year we've pushed the boat out. Are you a fan of Christmas?'