Springtime at Wildacre: the gorgeously uplifting, feel-good romance (Animal Ark Revisited Book 3)

by Lucy Daniels

  Sky whined again, then gave a little bark. Mandy hugged her before standing up. Together, they made their way back down to the cottage.

  An hour and a half later, Mandy and Sky turned out of the post office and walked across the green towards the little grocery store on the corner of High Street. Mandy had pinned up a notice about the red squirrels and the planning permission, asking whether anyone who had legal or planning experience could help. It was a long shot, but the post office was one of the hubs of the village. Perhaps she would find someone who had more information. She had also written a second letter and posted it to Westbow for good measure.

  When she came out of the grocery clutching a bag of tagliatelle, she saw Harriet Fallon standing in a small group of villagers outside the door of the post office. Mandy raised her hand to wave at Harriet. Harriet looked straight at her but didn’t wave back. In fact, she looked a bit upset.

  Mandy crossed the road. ‘Is everything okay, Harriet?’ As she approached, she saw that Mrs Ponsonby was part of the group, holding Fancy, her Pekinese. Sally Benster, the mother of Mandy’s old schoolmate, Tania, was there too, as well as William Hastings, who Mandy had known since he was a small child a few years below her at school. They all looked a bit grim as well.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ Harriet replied, turning to face Mandy. Her mouth was set in a thin line. ‘I just saw your notice in the post office. Are you trying to stop the factory from being built?’

  Mandy stared at her. ‘Not exactly,’ she said. ‘It’s just that someone found a baby red squirrel on the site where it’s going to be. I’m trying to find out if they’re breeding there. If they are, it’s illegal for the building to go ahead.’

  ‘A likely story,’ muttered William, whilst Harriet bent over her buggy to straighten the triplets’ hats.

  ‘I’ve nothing against the factory itself,’ Mandy went on. ‘It’s just red squirrels are really rare. It would be awful if these ones were put in danger.’

  Harriet straightened up and, for the first time, looked directly at Mandy. ‘I know how much you love animals,’ she said, ‘and so do I, but wild animals can look after themselves. Once the builders move in, they can find somewhere else to live. People do need jobs, you know.’ Her face reddened as she spoke. Mandy didn’t know what to say. The factory obviously meant more to Harriet than she’d realised.

  ‘That’s right,’ Mrs Ponsonby added. ‘We need to think about what’s best for the village.’ Mandy wasn’t sure why Mrs Ponsonby was so concerned with the employment opportunities in Welford since she hadn’t had a job since before Mandy was born, but she felt that now wasn’t a good time to point that out.

  ‘My Tania’s hoping for a job there,’ said Sally Benster. ‘She’s working on the far side of York right now, but she wants to come home. My niece can’t find a job at all. It would be selfish to stop it.’

  ‘I’m afraid they won’t find somewhere else,’ Mandy explained. She very much wanted them to understand. ‘There aren’t many places here they can breed. They’ve almost been wiped out. If there are places where they can live, it’s important they aren’t destroyed. Wouldn’t that be more selfish?’

  ‘You can’t put some squirrels above people!’ William spluttered. ‘Lots of my friends need jobs. It’s easy to be high and mighty when you have a comfortable line of work.’

  Mandy was beginning to feel overwhelmed. To her dismay, another three villagers came out of the Fox and Goose and joined in the discussion. Mandy wanted badly to make sure the squirrels were safe, but she felt apprehensive. She had spent a long period last year worrying about ill-feeling towards Hope Meadows when a young man had started a campaign against her. She’d had no idea her notice would cause trouble.

  ‘Hello Mandy.’ Mandy turned when she heard yet another voice hailing her. It was Mr Chadwick and for a moment, Mandy wondered whether he was going to lay into her as well. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked. He held up his hands when they all started to talk at once, but then listened as they listed their grievances one by one.

  ‘I’m sure Mandy doesn’t want to stop the factory being built,’ he said, once he had caught up with the conversation. ‘Do you, Mandy? She just wants to make sure the squirrels are safe.’ Mandy sent him a grateful glance. It was a relief to feel that someone understood. Mr Chadwick’s presence seemed to calm the group. ‘I think we should stop arguing about who’s right,’ he added, ‘and try to find a better way. There must be somewhere else the factory can go.’

  Mrs Benster looked for a second as if she was going to argue, but she looked at Mr Chadwick’s face and thought twice. He was an imposing figure, Mandy thought, though his expression was benevolent.

  One by one, the crowd of people melted away and Mandy was left alone with Mr Chadwick. ‘I don’t know about the legal aspects, I’m afraid,’ he told her, ‘but I’ll try to find out if anyone knows anything more about the situation.’ He smiled.

  ‘Thanks, that’s really kind of you,’ she told him. He gave a brisk nod, his expression satisfied.

  ‘Let me know if there’s anything more I can do in the meantime,’ he said. ‘Good luck with your search.’ With a final smile, he turned towards the shop and disappeared inside. Mandy looked down at Sky, who had been sitting politely at her heel through all the kerfuffle. ‘Come on,’ she said. ‘Time to go home.’

  Chapter Thirteen

  Mandy was only just back when her mobile rang. Pulling it out of her pocket, she checked the screen. It was Jimmy.

  ‘Hi love. Abi and Max are here for the night,’ he told her. ‘Would you like to come round? To make up for the squirrel thing?’

  Mandy’s smile faded. Why should she ‘make up’ for anything? The twins had been in the wrong to take the squirrel home. It was up to Jimmy to make that clear.

  Did she really want to go over and ‘make up’ for the mistake she didn’t make in the first place?

  ‘I’m actually really busy,’ she told him. ‘The rescue centre’s full. It’ll take me ages to get through the evening feeds.’ It was the truth at least, even if it wasn’t the whole truth. ‘And I was going to go up to Wildacre afterwards,’ she added, thinking of this on the spot. It would be lovely to hide away in her perfect home-to-be after the day she’d had …

  There was silence on the line, then Jimmy’s voice again. ‘I know it’s difficult,’ he said, ‘but it’s important to me.’ There was another pause. Mandy could feel her face reddening. Jimmy could always tell what she was really feeling – most of the time it was wonderful, but right now it was just irritating.

  ‘If you’re busy with Hope Meadows, couldn’t we come over to you?’ he asked finally. ‘We can help.’ His voice was patient. Mandy rolled her eyes.

  ‘Okay, if you think they’d enjoy it.’ She tried to sound genuinely happy about it. However hard it was to get on with the kids, Jimmy was obviously making an effort and she should too. None of this was the twins’ fault.

  ‘We’ll be there in half an hour,’ he told her, sounding pleased. Mandy wished she felt more enthusiastic.

  With a sigh, she put the phone back in her pocket. She hadn’t expected to be entertaining anyone this evening. Had she known the twins were coming, she would have bought some biscuits. There wasn’t time to go back to the shop before they arrived. She opened the cupboards and then the sparsely-stocked fridge. Not that long ago, there would have been plenty of snacks. She felt a little guilty about how much of the household organising Emily normally did, and how obvious it was when she wasn’t able to keep it all up. There were plenty of staples, but nothing very appealing. There wasn’t time to bake anything either. Eventually, she decided to cut up some carrots. There was a tub of hummus and one of tzatziki in the fridge. They could dip the carrot sticks.

  As she finished cutting the carrots, Mandy heard a car pull up outside. Rinsing her fingers under the tap, she shook the water off and went to open the door.

  ‘Hello you.’ Jimmy smiled at her as he ushered Abi and Max in
and then hugged her. He didn’t seem remotely self-conscious in front of them. Despite their slightly strained phone conversation, Mandy felt her heart lift a little as she hugged him back. ‘I’ve brought you this,’ Jimmy told her as they parted, holding out a small object in camouflage colours. Mandy recognised it. It was the wildlife camera he had used last year to catch the criminal who had attacked Hope Meadows and broken into Wildacre. ‘I thought you could use it to look for squirrels,’ he said.

  ‘That’s a great idea! Thanks, Jimmy.’ She wanted to reward his thoughtfulness with a kiss, but settled for squeezing his hand, not sure if kissing in front of the twins was the right thing to do. ‘Hello Abi, hello Max.’ She tried a grin. If Jimmy was making an effort, then she would do the same. But the twins only lifted their eyes briefly as they muttered their greetings. Jimmy sent her a reassuring smile and a wave of determination filled her. Between them, they would make this evening work. She would take them to see the kittens first, she thought, then to Holly and Robin afterwards. She knew the twins loved the little grey donkeys with their long ears and inquisitive faces.

  The twins were delighted with the kittens and on Mandy’s suggestion, quickly slid down onto the floor for a cuddle. Mandy lifted Jasper first. ‘This is Jasper,’ she told them. The kitten let out a piercing mew.

  ‘Can I hold him?’ Abi gasped when she saw the little ginger and white cat. Mandy put the tiny animal into Abi’s hands. Abi seemed quite confident and very soon Jasper was gazing up at her with his wide orange eyes. ‘This is Myler.’ She handed over the tabby to Max. She could hear both kittens purring as the twins stroked them. They had grown so much in the past few weeks. Soon she would start to wean them, but for now, Mandy was still giving supplementary milk. ‘And this one is Button.’ She placed the black and white kitten in Jimmy’s hands. He seemed just as enamoured as Abi and Max. ‘Would you like to give them some milk?’ she asked. ‘Their mum wasn’t well when she came in. She’s much better now, but I’m still topping up their food.’

  Their eyes widened. Even Jimmy looked excited. ‘Can we really?’ Max asked.

  ‘Yes please,’ Abi added.

  For the first time since they’d arrived, Mandy found her smile easily. ‘Of course you can,’ she said. ‘Do you think you can look after them while I make up the bottles?’ She addressed her question to the twins, rather than Jimmy.

  ‘Yes!’ Max and Abi nodded their heads. They seemed to take the responsibility seriously and Mandy felt a rush of relief. Wasn’t this what Helen and James had said? Having access to all the animals in the rescue centre would make things easier with the children. It was easier than trying to find something to say across a table. And while they were feeding the kittens, she could get on with doing her evening rounds.

  She quickly measured out the milk powder and water and separated the liquid into three bottles.

  ‘I need to take the dogs out. You’ll be okay here, won’t you?’ she asked when she went back. Jimmy nodded at Mandy, then returned his gaze to Abi and Max, who seemed enraptured. How happy he looked, Mandy thought. It was all going to be okay.

  When her tasks were complete, Mandy returned to the kitten room. The kittens had finished their milk. Abi and Max had swapped, and Abi was now petting Myler while Max observed Jasper, who looked half asleep.

  ‘Shall we go inside for a snack?’ Mandy asked, wondering whether they would prefer to stay with the little cats, but both twins handed over the kittens, looking content. ‘Can we come back to see them another day?’ Jimmy whispered as they made their way back outside to the paddock.

  ‘Of course,’ Mandy whispered back.

  Mandy led Jimmy and the twins back into the cottage to wash their hands. While they were at the sink, she took the carrot sticks and dips on the table and put the kettle on.

  ‘What would you like to drink?’ she asked Jimmy.

  ‘Coffee, please,’ he replied.

  ‘And what for the children?’ Mandy asked. She only had water or milk, she realised, unless they liked hot drinks.

  ‘Milk would be fine,’ Jimmy told her.

  Abi and Max were not impressed.

  ‘Do we really have to eat those?’ Abi asked, pointing to the plate with the chunks of carrot and the two bowls of dip.

  ‘Don’t be cheeky, Abi. Look they’re lovely.’ Jimmy reached out and took one of the sticks, dipping it in the hummus before putting it in his mouth and crunching.

  ‘I’m not really hungry,’ Max told Mandy, his face apologetic.

  ‘Come on, guys,’ Jimmy said, taking another of the sticks. ‘Mandy’s made the effort to chop these for you. You could at least give them a try.’ He dipped his stick in tzatziki this time.

  ‘It really doesn’t matter,’ Mandy said. ‘Don’t worry if you aren’t hungry.’ She ignored Abi, who was gazing at the glass of milk with a look of disdain.

  ‘Would you like to bring some of the carrot sticks to the donkeys?’ she asked a few minutes later.

  ‘Yes!’ said Max, but Mandy suspected his enthusiasm was more for getting rid of the carrot sticks than for the donkeys themselves. She would have to put most of them back into the fridge and use them later. Even Jimmy had given up chomping after only a few mouthfuls.

  ‘Come on then,’ Mandy said as she beckoned them over to put their boots back on. She was still doing her best to keep up the enthusiasm. Max was warming up to her a little, but it didn’t seem as if Abi was ever going to like her.

  Hopefully Holly and Robin would buy her some more points with Abi, Mandy thought as the girl walked out in front of her. She lifted Holly’s pink headcollar from the hook and gave it to Max. She handed Robin’s blue one to Abi and was pleased to find that the twins remembered all her instructions about how to approach. After only a few minutes, Holly and Robin were tied up to the fence together, and Abi was stroking Robin’s cheek with an unguarded smile.

  Mandy brought out the brushes and began to show the twins how to groom the rather shaggy grey coats. ‘You can start with this,’ she said, holding out the rubber currycomb to Abi. ‘They’re losing their winter coat at the moment. Give Robin a good brush over his back.’ Abi took the currycomb. ‘And you can start with this,’ Mandy handed over a softer body brush to Max. ‘That one’s for the more sensitive areas where the hair is shorter. Holly likes her face being brushed and her legs, but she’s not so keen on her ears being touched. Make sure you do them, but be gentle so she doesn’t get scared.’ Max nodded, his face serious as ever. Abi was already running the rubber comb over Robin’s shoulders. His coat really was coming out in clumps and for a few minutes, the air was filled with donkey hair and the twins’ chatter as they cooed and fussed over their fluffy charges.

  ‘So, have you heard anything more from Mr Warry?’ Jimmy asked, his voice quiet. Mandy had told him on the phone about her visit.

  ‘He’s coming round one evening this week to see them,’ Mandy told him, ‘then all being well, he’ll collect them at the beginning of next week.’

  ‘Collect who?’ Abi’s voice piped up. Mandy hadn’t realised she had been listening. The girl had stopped her brushing and was gazing at Mandy with interest.

  ‘Holly and Robin,’ Mandy said with a smile. ‘I’ve found a lovely new home for them. They’re going to go and live on a children’s farm, so it’s great that you two are helping. It’s really important they’re used to kids.’ She glanced round at Jimmy. Surely this was a good angle to take with the twins? They would be happy to know they had helped the little animals, wouldn’t they?

  Jimmy looked pleased, but to Mandy’s dismay, when she looked back at Abi, the girl was glaring at her. ‘You’re getting rid of the donkeys?’ It sounded like an accusation.

  Now Max had stopped his grooming too. He wasn’t looking at Mandy, but his hand had halted in mid-air and he was obviously listening. ‘I’m not getting rid of them.’ Mandy tried to explain. ‘I’ve found a new home for them. That’s what the rescue centre is for. I can’t keep all the anima
ls for ever. There isn’t space.’ She found herself hoping the girl would understand, but Abi was scowling.

  ‘Don’t you love them?’ Was Abi trying to be deliberately difficult, Mandy wondered. But then when she was younger, hadn’t she wanted to keep all the animals she rescued? She had grown up with Mum and Dad’s rules about not keeping them and she had become used to it, but it had been a difficult lesson.

  ‘I do love them,’ she said, meeting Abi’s stubborn gaze as best she could. ‘Very much. But it’s best for them that they get a new home.’

  ‘Best for them, or best for you?’

  Mandy’s heart sank. Of course, from Holly and Robin’s point of view, they had a great home here. Mandy’s aim was to help as many animals as she could. Part of that task was to ensure every new home she found was as good, if not better than the care she could give here at Hope Meadows, but she wasn’t sure whether that would cut any ice.

  ‘I can give them a good home here for a little while,’ she said. ‘But their new owner will be able to look after them just as well. They’ll get lots of attention, I’ve been out to see where they’ll be living and it’s lovely. I’ve spoken a lot to Mr Warry who’s taking them. He’s really nice. I can’t keep them forever, no matter how much I’d like to. I need the space in case there are other animals that need help.’ She glanced again at Jimmy, who sent her an encouraging look. It was a bit like the squirrels again, she realised. Sometimes the most appealing thing wasn’t the same as the right thing to do.

  Please understand, she thought. And Jimmy, it wouldn’t hurt to weigh in right about now either …