by Heidi Swain
‘Um,’ I shuddered, remembering just how close to catastrophe I had come.
‘Well, now you know. Gwen always had my number on hand in case madam here did herself a mischief,’ he added, stroking Minnie’s head. ‘And I’m never further than a phone call away.’
‘Thank you,’ I said. ‘I’ll certainly bear it in mind in the future.’
‘Although of course,’ he reminded me, ‘you’ll be able to drive yourself here in perfect safety next time around, won’t you?’
‘Um,’ I said again.
‘Now come on, let’s go and find that bike and check on your hens.’
The power at Cuckoo Cottage was still down, of course, but Will was familiar with the situation and it didn’t take him many seconds of fiddling about with the fuse box before the kettle was boiling and the fridge had gone into overdrive.
‘As much as I appreciate it, I wish you hadn’t done that,’ I said, letting out a long breath as I watched him wash his hands at the sink. ‘I did say I was happy to wait for the electrician.’
‘I know,’ he said, ‘but what would have been the point? I’m here and I knew what to do so it made sense for me to just get on with it. Resetting it isn’t a job that requires a qualified spark anyway and at least I’ve saved you a few quid.’
‘You’re very resourceful, aren’t you?’ I mused, thinking back to how he had taken charge when Minnie and I had landed in a saturated heap in his arms.
He hadn’t been in any way bullying or overbearing, but his decisive actions had meant that the calamity was soon over and I was grateful for that.
‘Of course,’ he said proudly, assuming that I was referring to his hands-on handyman approach, rather than his ability to manage in a crisis. ‘Who do you think converted the barn you’ve been sitting in all afternoon?’
‘Did you really do all that yourself?’ I asked, gazing up at him in awe.
I know Amber had said that he had taken the barn on when it was in a crumbling state, but having now seen it for myself I couldn’t believe that the beautiful work could have possibly been carried out by anyone other than a specialist team of craftsmen, and a huge one at that.
‘Pretty much,’ he said, sounding slightly more humble, ‘and as a result I can turn my hand to most things when I put my mind to them. I enjoy it.’
‘Blimey,’ I said, feeling truly impressed. ‘I really had no idea. So when I made that dig about you being a builder the other day—’
‘Yeah, well,’ he grinned, ‘you were in a bad mood so I thought I’d just let that one go.’
‘So where did you learn to do all that stuff?’
‘Some things I learnt during my time in the army. Make do and mend comes in handy in a war zone, but the more specialised stuff I studied and perfected as I went along.’
‘That’s amazing,’ I said.
I had no intention of fawning all over him, but the barn was so stunning it was incredible to think that he’d achieved that standard of finish and finesse more or less on his own and I was pleased that he had mentioned the ‘A’ word so readily and without a hint of the self-consciousness that I had seen before.
Having worked on the caravan and camper conversions, I did have my own specific skills, of course, but I didn’t rank them anywhere nearly as high as Will’s and they certainly didn’t stretch far enough to give me the confidence to carry out the work that Matt had said needed doing on the cottage. There was no way I was going to blunder in and make a hash of any of the repairs on my beloved little home, especially when Gwen had already picked a handyman she knew she could rely on.
‘I can’t even change a plug,’ I admitted to Will. ‘My practical household skills are pretty much non-existent.’
‘But I thought you had a hands-on kind of job back in Lincoln,’ he frowned.
‘Oh, I did,’ I agreed, ‘but I wouldn’t have a clue how to tackle that wretched fuse box.’
The rewiring and plumbing in the conversions had always been the domain of Eric and John, which was a shame considering the work I now needed to fund.
‘Well, that’s probably no bad thing,’ said Will. ‘But I could teach you some stuff if you like,’ he offered, taking the mug of coffee I passed him. ‘Just a few day-to-day basics that will help around the house.’
‘Would you?’
‘Of course.’
‘That would be great,’ I said, thinking that I could transfer my new skills to the caravans as well, assuming they were up to scratch, of course. ‘I’d really appreciate that.’
‘No problem,’ he said. ‘I really miss the work now the barn’s all finished.’
‘Well, you can always come and help out here,’ I joked. ‘I’ve got a list as long as my arm of things I need to sort out before winter comes.’
‘Is that your list or your builder friend’s list?’ Will frowned.
‘Mine,’ I fibbed. ‘I’ve spotted lots of jobs that need doing.’
‘Well, in that case, count me in,’ said Will enthusiastically. ‘I’ve been dying to strap the old tool belt back on for ages.’
Oh dear. I really had let my mouth run away with me this time. Of course, I was delighted that Will was so keen to help out, but according to Matt I’d apparently already promised the work to him. I might not have been able to remember saying the actual words after the party at Skylark Farm, but nonetheless I had felt obliged to accept the generous ‘mates’ rates’ terms he had offered to Gwen and promised to honour for me. Having Will suddenly turn up bedecked in his overalls was bound to lead to trouble.
‘But are you sure you’ll have time?’ I asked, not wanting to put Will off completely, but keen to temper his enthusiasm a little.
‘Absolutely,’ he said, ‘and especially if you don’t mind me popping in at the weekends. I can’t tell you how often I find myself rattling around with nothing to do when I’m not on call. I’m planning to extend the garden,’ he rushed on, ‘but I won’t be starting that until next spring. We’ll get cracking here as soon as we’ve got you on the road. How does that sound?’
‘Perfect,’ I said, taking a swig of my coffee and hoping that if Will just came at weekends I would be able to split the work between the two men and stop them crossing drill bits. ‘Thank you,’ I nodded, ‘that couldn’t be better.’
It would be tricky not letting on that Will had helped, of course, but if I could convince Matt that I was the one getting stuck in to save myself some money then how could he possibly object?
Having telephoned Simon after Will left to tell him his services weren’t required that afternoon, we made arrangements for him to come out the next day and, true to his word, early the next morning he was hammering on the house door armed with a wonderful array of tools and devices all designed to transport Cuckoo Cottage into a new era of electrical safety.
‘Morning,’ he puffed, as he staggered in. ‘You must be Lottie.’
‘I am,’ I said, taking a step back, ‘and I’m guessing you’re Simon.’
‘What was it that gave me away?’ he asked, with a cheeky grin, not dissimilar to his cousin’s. ‘Was it the van or this lovely new piece of kit?’
He deposited his cargo and held up what I guessed was the shiny new fuse box.
‘I take it you survived the storm all right?’ he carried on before I had a chance to answer. ‘It was quite something, wasn’t it?’
‘I suppose that’s one way of putting it,’ I said, hoping I wouldn’t have to face anything like it again in the near future.
‘So who sorted the fuse box then?’ he asked. I had been sparse with the details the day before. ‘You didn’t fiddle about with it, did you?’
‘God, no,’ I told him. ‘I wouldn’t have known where to begin. A neighbour who happened to know what to do dropped by and sorted it, so no harm done.’
Simon shook his head and tutted.
‘Fair enough,’ he said, ‘but I’d far rather you’d let me deal with it. I’m hoping there isn’t a fried corpse hidden
under the stairs, is there?’
‘No,’ I said. ‘Don’t even joke about it.’
My body gave an involuntary little shudder as I realised that Will really had put himself in danger for the sake of the contents of my fridge.
‘I guess you were lucky that someone with a bit of know-how happened to pop in, weren’t you?’ said Simon, eyeing me astutely.
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I suppose I was.’
I knew he was digging to find out who had muscled in on his electrical turf, but I wasn’t going to tell him. There was already enough friction between Matt and Will and I certainly didn’t need to be throwing another disgruntled tradesman into the mix.
‘Well, at least by the end of the day you won’t have to worry about it any more. If it goes off again you’ll be able to see exactly where any problems are and then just flick a switch when they’re sorted.’
‘That sounds like a far more satisfactory situation,’ I told him. ‘But I hope I won’t have to deal with it too often. To tell you the truth, it’s the only thing that’s really worried me since I moved here. There are plenty of other things that need sorting, of course, but nothing as hazardous as this. There’s not been a day go by when I haven’t worried about it, or missed having a shower.’
‘Well we can’t have that, can we?’ Simon smiled. ‘Why don’t you quickly boil the kettle while I get organised and then I’ll crack on? By the end of today you’ll be able to shower in perfect safety.’
Armed with a mugful of tea, Simon set about turning off the power again and pulling the understairs cupboard to pieces and I gathered together some things to take down to the barns. Minnie had been behaving herself, up to a point, but I could see she was on edge and thought it would be best all round if I took her out of harm’s way, just in case temptation got the better of her and she decided to have a go at Simon’s ankles.
I packed lunch for the pair of us along with a flask and pulled on my wellies, which still felt damp from my storm chasing the day before.
‘You don’t need me for anything, do you, Simon?’ I called up the stairs as he was crashing about in the bathroom.
‘Don’t think so,’ he said, his head appearing around the door frame. ‘Are you off out for a bit then?’
‘I’m just going down to the yard,’ I told him, ‘and I thought I might have a walk around the field. I haven’t really got the measure of it yet.’
‘Fair enough,’ he said. ‘I’m going to be here most of the day, is that all right?’
‘Absolutely,’ I reassured him. ‘No problem, but if I lose track of time you will come and find me, won’t you?’
‘Of course,’ he said, ‘I’ll want to give you the rundown on everything before I go.’
I called sharply to Minnie, who had been stealthily creeping up the stairs, and shut the cottage door behind me so she didn’t have the opportunity to skulk back. Having let out my three fluffy girls who, given the egg count, hadn’t been at all fazed by the storm, I found walking down to the barns a totally transformed experience.
Rather than seeing what was actually in front of me, I couldn’t help imagining how it would all look when the glamping site was up and running. Lengths of pretty bunting featured strongly, as did strings of twinkling clear bulbs. I already knew the big shed was going to be the perfect hideaway should the weather do its worst, and there was enough space in there to ensure that every visitor had their own privacy if they didn’t feel like joining in with the parties which I could imagine happening on a weekly basis throughout the summer.
Resting my picnic and folder against the field gate, I climbed over. My feet didn’t sink anywhere as deeply as I had expected, given the amount of rain that had fallen, and I hoped that was a good sign. No one would want to camp out in a waterlogged, muddy field. I was aiming to create vintage chic and Darling Buds of May-style hospitality, not Glastonbury on a bad year.
Minnie tore off, having no doubt caught the scent of something worth her attention, and I walked the perimeter, trying to get a feel for the size of the place and how the vans could be arranged. Concrete pads to set them on would be the best option and I imagined each with its own area of decking, pots of pretty flowers and striped awnings for when the sun shone.
There were groups of young trees dotted around and I hoped that with some careful positioning it shouldn’t be too difficult to provide the seclusion I was hoping for. I also pictured the space with mown paths leading to and from the yard to each van, interspersed with beds of wild flowers and undisturbed rough patches where Grace and her family could hunt.
I really hoped that what I had in mind wouldn’t have a negative impact on the birds and wildlife. Given how passionately Will had talked about the hares and barn owls, I knew he would never forgive me if my business venture threatened the local haven he had played a part in creating. And I would certainly have a hard time forgiving myself.
Minnie barked from the far side of the field and I looked up to the sky, shielding my eyes as I spotted a kestrel hovering overhead. With its wings outstretched and its head perfectly still, it was obviously focused on some delicious morsel and I turned back to the yard lest I should disturb its focus.
Minnie joined me at the gate, dripping wet and with her tongue lolling. She shook herself off and traipsed on behind as I opened up the first barn. There were no scrabbling noises today and I walked to the end and broke off the corner of one of the boards that was covering the window. The view beyond the grubby glass was a perfect panorama of the field, hedge and horizon beyond and I couldn’t imagine I would be able to find an office with a more picturesque view anywhere.
After a brief coffee break, and with Minnie curled up in one of the Cheltenhams, I set to work on the Cherry Tree Bailey, thinking that I needed to come up with a professional plan if I was really going to make this venture work. As lovely as it was dreaming up the perfect colour schemes and layouts for the other three vans, I knew there was no point in getting carried away. Common sense demanded that I needed to think things through carefully before I started ordering fabric swatches and melamine crockery, but in truth my heart was set on pushing on with the project and I couldn’t quite believe it.
Banished was my desire to live the quiet, dull life I had stuck to for so long. Now I was ready to grasp every opportunity Gwen had bestowed upon me with both hands. Unbidden, my mind flitted back to Will unbuttoning my blouse and I wondered what it would feel like to grasp him with both hands.
Resolutely I picked up my tape measure and notepad and set about checking through the lists of everything I was going to need in order to complete the Cherry Tree conversion. Will was totally not my type, I reminded myself. He was far too tall for a start and even though we had reached a new level in our relationship it was purely platonic, and what was more, it was going to stay that way.
Chapter 22
‘Hey Lottie!’
Startled, I looked up from my hammering to find Simon standing in the barn doorway scratching his head and looking at the vans. I felt furious that I’d lost track of time. When I set to work it had been my intention to have everything all locked up before he was finished but I’d become so engrossed in what I was doing, I hadn’t realised the hours had ticked by and now he had had to come and find me.
‘Hey,’ I called back, pulling off my safety glasses. ‘I’ll be there in a sec.’
I was relieved to see him walk back out again and, abandoning my tools and calling to Minnie, I quickly followed his lead and pushed the barn door shut. I had no reason to think I couldn’t trust him, but I still wasn’t ready to share my grand plan with anyone other than Amber and was concerned that if he had the opportunity to look for too long he might start asking questions, or worse still, guess what I had in mind.
‘All done up at the cottage,’ he said, rubbing his hands together. ‘Shower works a treat and the new fuse board is in place.’
‘Oh, that’s great,’ I said, for some reason thinking of the shower in Will’s bath
room. ‘No more baths for me this summer then.’
‘I was actually surprised by how good your water pressure is,’ said Simon with a nod back towards the cottage. ‘Some places round here can barely manage a trickle sometimes, but yours wasn’t all that bad. It wouldn’t have been able to cope with a really powerful shower, of course, but all things considered you were lucky there. You made a good choice.’
I made a mental note to thank Will for the heads-up and guessed that was something else I was going to have to think about when it came to setting up the site. As soon as Simon left I would add ‘water supply’ to my ever-increasing list of queries.
‘That’s a relief then,’ I said.
‘You’ve certainly got a lovely place here, Lottie,’ said Simon wistfully. ‘I’d give my right arm for a spot like this.’
‘I know I’m very lucky,’ I agreed. ‘But I also know there are a few people round here who would rather it wasn’t me who had moved in.’
‘What do you mean?’ Simon frowned.
‘All the gossiping in town,’ I told him. ‘Chris Dempster told me the day I moved in that there were some who were hoping this place would come up for sale and haven’t been too impressed with the fact that Gwen has left it all to me. Bit of a contradiction for a town which prides itself on being so welcoming to outsiders, don’t you think?’
‘Well, to tell you the truth,’ Simon confided, ‘if I’d seen a “For Sale” board anywhere near here I would have put in an offer straight away, but as far as any gossip goes, I haven’t heard anything.’
‘Well, I have,’ I said bluntly, thinking that he was being more than a little economical with the truth. ‘Only last week some chap told me that I would be putting the place up for sale before the year is out.’
I was annoyed that a few sniffs and dirty looks in my direction and one person’s nasty words were still preying on my mind, but they were and I owed it to myself and Gwen to make a success of things, if only to prove the doubters wrong.
‘Well, I shouldn’t worry about it,’ Simon shrugged. ‘It’s no one else’s business who Gwen chose to leave Cuckoo Cottage to and I’m sure you’ll be very happy here.’
