A Family Forever (Contemporary Romance Novella)

by Taylor, Helen Scott

  If he could find a suitable house, somewhere not too far away, somewhere with enough land for Victoria to release her hedgehogs so she had a reason to visit him often. He could focus on development prospects in the UK, spend more time at home, and Harry could attend a normal school.

  His phone chimed to indicate a text. While Victoria continued to massage his neck, he fished the phone from his pocket and glanced at the message from his research guy. Andrews is up to his eyes in debt. Willowbrook Farm owned by the bank. Full report e-mailed.

  "Willowbrook Farm," he murmured. Of course. It was the answer to all his problems.

  Chapter Nine

  A thread of excitement ran through Adam as he drove up the rough driveway to Willowbrook Farm. The eighteenth-century country house was exactly as he remembered. Restored sympathetically, the old farm would make a lovely family home for him and Harry. And maybe even Victoria and Sophie if he were lucky.

  A week ago he'd have had no hesitation in buying the property out from under the miserable old farmer without caring if he had somewhere else to go. But in the last few days, he'd changed.

  Harry running away had been a wake-up call—opened Adam's eyes to the fact that it was easy to make mistakes with family, even when you were certain you were doing the right thing.

  Nothing could excuse the way Andrews had treated Victoria and Sophie, but in his own way, the man probably thought his feelings were justified. After all, Victoria's grandmother had interfered in his relationship with his daughter.

  Anyway, Adam was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. It was easy to judge other people harshly without knowing exactly what had happened.

  Instead of making this a tragedy for Andrews, he hoped he could give him the chance for a fresh start. So he'd brought the farmer's daughter along. Her husband was running the pub to give her the morning off. She sat beside him in the four-wheel drive, her hands knotted tightly in her lap.

  "You okay?" he asked as they approached the house.

  "I haven't been back here for ten years. It was such a lovely house, now it's falling down around him. How could my father let the place get into this state?" Tears glistened in her eyes and Adam prayed that suggesting she come along had been the right decision.

  "I can take you home if you've changed your mind," he said.

  "No. I want to see Dad. You're right. He might need me."

  While Felicity mourned for the home she had once loved, Adam felt a tad guilty for the excitement buzzing inside him at the thought of renovating it for himself. At least the beautiful old place would become a family home again.

  He prayed Andrews took the easy way out of his financial troubles and sold up without a fight. Adam could just as easily buy the property from the bank, but it would take longer and be more painful for Andrews if the bank repossessed the farm and tossed the old man out.

  Adam parked beside the dented Land Rover and climbed out. "Best if you wait here until I've spoken to your father," he said to Felicity. "I'll call you over when the time is right."

  She nodded, and chewed her fingernails nervously.

  As he had last time, Adam approached the back door but halted at a distance, prepared when the barking dogs charged towards him dragging their chains.

  "Mr. Andrews," Adam shouted. "I need to talk to you."

  After a few minutes, the old man plodded out in dirty rubber boots, his usual scowl fixed on his face. "What d'you want this time?"

  "To help you."

  The farmer pulled up and narrowed his eyes, obviously wondering what Adam was up to. "I don't need no help from you, Cantrell."

  "Actually, you do." Adam explained what he did for a living and how he bought distressed properties for renovation.

  "Willowbrook ain't for sale," Andrews snapped and turned to go back inside.

  "You need to face facts, Mr. Andrews. Small dairy farms are struggling. You're not going to turn this business around. Surely you'd rather sell to me and walk away of your own accord than wait for the bank to move in and repossess the place?"

  The old man's footsteps halted. He pulled off his cap and scratched his head. "I can't leave. I ain't got nowhere else to go."

  That was exactly what Adam had suspected. Despite the farmer's bad behavior, Adam's heart went out to the lonely old man. "You might be wrong there."

  Adam beckoned Felicity. The car door opened and she climbed out and walked towards them.

  Andrews stood still as a statue, his gaze fixed on his daughter, his expression unreadable. For long moments nobody said a word, then Felicity spoke up. "There's a place for you at the Plume of Feathers with us, Dad, if you want it. You have two grandchildren who would love to get to know you."

  Andrews turned away. Adam's breath caught in sympathy for Felicity, who'd really put her feelings on the line for the ungrateful old man. But the farmer didn't go inside as Adam feared. He went to the wall and pulled the dogs back, hooking their chains up short.

  "You'd best come inside if you want to look around the house, Mr. Cantrell," he said. "It needs a bit of work, but it's sound. You can make us a pot of tea, Felicity. Everything's in the same place as always."

  Felicity hurried forward and took her father's arm, but he shook her off. "I ain't no invalid."

  Adam smiled to himself as he followed them in, partly with relief that things had worked out, but also because he couldn't wait to look around the house he hoped he would soon call home.

  ***

  Victoria missed Adam so much. The weeks dragged when he was away. Today was their three-month anniversary—three months from the first day she met him—and she couldn't wait for him and Harry to arrive to spend the weekend with her and Sophie.

  At the sound of the door knocker, she rinsed flour off her hands in the kitchen sink and dashed for the front door. Sophie got there first. Squealing with excitement, her daughter threw open the door and leaped into Adam's arms for a hug.

  Victoria smiled with pleasure at seeing her daughter so happy. Sophie wasn't used to her mum having a boyfriend. It had taken her a while to accept Adam. Now she treated him like a father.

  "Hi, Victoria." Harry came inside and she put her arms around him, smiling against his hair as they hugged.

  "You get taller every time I see you." Victoria had bonded with the boy right away and quickly grown close to him. She put that down to their shared love of nature and photography.

  For all four of them, the last few months had been a gradual process of getting to know and trust one another, but now they were becoming a proper family, something she'd never dreamed she would have.

  Once the children had said hello, they ran upstairs to Sophie's bedroom, chattering thirteen to the dozen.

  "Hi there, beautiful." Adam gave Victoria a crooked smile.

  She stepped into his arms, linked her hands behind his head, and kissed him, then pressed her face against his neck.

  "Alone at last," he breathed in her ear, making her go all tingly.

  "Missed you," she said.

  His hand caressed circles on her back. "Missed you too. I've just about tied up the Florida project. I shouldn't have to go out there again." He raised his head and sniffed. "Is that dinner I smell?"

  Victoria punched him playfully on the arm. "We've been apart for two weeks and all you can think about is your stomach."

  "I promise I have more exciting things on my mind than food. I have a surprise for you."

  "A surprise, hmm. Sounds interesting."

  "It is." He called for Harry and both kids came bounding back down the stairs. "Time to go, pal. You know what to do."

  Harry bounced on the balls of his feet, grinning. "I can't wait until they see it."

  "See what?" Victoria asked.

  "Your surprise." Adam dropped a kiss on her temple. "We'll be out for half an hour. Are you ready to go?"

  "Okay. Just let me switch off the oven." Victoria hurried inside and took out the pie she'd partially cooked so it didn't burn.

&
nbsp; She locked up and joined the others outside. Sophie was sitting in the back of Adam's car with a scarf tied over her eyes. Adam held up a second scarf. "Your turn."

  "You're blindfolding me?"

  "It's all part of the surprise."

  Victoria stood still while Adam spread the silky fabric across her eyes and tied it behind her head. Then he helped her into the car and fastened her seat belt.

  "All right, Soph?" she asked, turning her head.

  "This is fun," Sophie answered with a laugh.

  The car started and pulled away. "Do we get a clue?" Victoria prompted.

  Adam's hand squeezed hers. "Nope. But you don't have long to wait."

  After about ten minutes, Victoria gripped the door as the car bounced and bumped up what must be a rough track. Then they stopped.

  "Can we take off our blindfolds?" Victoria asked.

  "Not yet," Adam and Harry chorused.

  "Wait until you get out," Adam added.

  Car doors slammed, then Victoria's door opened and Adam took her hand, helping her out. He gently guided her forward and turned her around.

  "Here we are." He tugged the silky fabric covering her eyes and pulled it off.

  Victoria blinked, getting her bearings. They were in the country, obviously not far from Great Monkton. Chips of brick and splinters of wood lay on the ground in front of her while a cement mixer and dump truck stood nearby. Then her heart lurched at the sight of the house. This was Willowbrook Farm.

  "Adam. What's going on?" She clutched his arm in a moment of uncertainty.

  "You know Mr. Andrews sold me the field behind your cottage?"

  "Yes." She'd no idea how Adam had pulled off that miracle, but it had been a godsend. They'd spent two days picking up the hedgehog boxes from Larchfield and repositioning them in the hedge and the small copse in the far corner of the field. Now all the hedgehogs were safe and had acres of land to roam.

  "Well, I didn't only buy the field," Adam said.

  She'd heard Farmer Andrews had sold up and moved in to the Plume of Feathers with Felicity. Everybody in the village knew that. But she'd never in her wildest dreams imagined Adam had bought the whole farm.

  Victoria glanced around with new eyes, taking in the bags of sand and cement, the heaps of bricks and tools. The rusty farm machinery and old tumbledown sheds had been cleared and replaced with a newly laid car parking area and a brand new wooden building.

  Adam took her hand and led her towards the house. Builders had started work on the property. Already the place looked better. The broken windows had been replaced, the brickwork pointed, and the missing roof tiles fixed.

  "It's looking good. Why didn't you tell me you'd bought this place?"

  "I wanted it to be a surprise. I intended to finish the work before I showed you, but I've run into a problem."

  "What sort of problem?"

  "I didn't know the type of kitchen you'd like."

  "Me?" Victoria pressed her hand to her chest, her heart thumping as the implication of his words sank in. "Who's going to live here, Adam?"

  "I am, and Harry is." He stopped and pulled her into his arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "And one day in the not too distant future, I hope you and Sophie will live here too."

  He pointed back at the new wooden shed. "I've even built a hedgehog hospital for you. In case the lure of being with me wasn't enough, I thought the hedgehog facilities might tip the balance in my favor."

  "Oh, Adam. It looks wonderful." Victoria hugged him tightly, a silly grin on her face.

  "Do you want to go and check out the hedgehog shed first?"

  Victoria took his face between her hands and stared into the warm brown eyes of the man she loved, her heart overflowing with emotion. For the first time in years, the hedgehogs were going to have to take a backseat. She had more important things in her life now.

  "I'd rather look inside the house first." The place she and Adam and Sophie and Harry would call home.

  Adam led her through a lovely tiled back porch and into a huge empty room with a beamed ceiling. "Ta da," Adam said. "Your kitchen. You'll need to get together with the designer and choose the layout and the style of cabinets. Then we can think about appliances."

  The room was as large as the downstairs floor of her cottage. Victoria blinked, her eyes watery.

  "Don't you like it?" Adam's fingers grazed across her cheek, wiping away a tear.

  "I love it. I'm just…overwhelmed."

  The kids had dashed on ahead to explore together. Their laughter echoed back along the hall. Victoria bit her lip, pleased for a moment alone with Adam.

  "I sense a 'but' coming," he said.

  "You say this is to be my kitchen, but…well…"

  He smiled and raised her hand to his lips, kissing her fingers. "I love you, darling. Marry me. Make me the happiest man alive."

  "Yes, oh, yes." The words tripped straight off her tongue. She didn't need to think before she gave him her answer. She loved him, had from the moment he went down on his knees in the dirt in his dress slacks to see her hedgehogs. She leaned into the warm strength of his embrace, this man who had cared enough to make her problems his own and become so much a part of her life.

  Adam stroked loose strands of hair back from her face and kissed her. "Willowbrook Farm will be the family home Harry needs, the family home I never had. Together the four of us will be happier than I ever dreamed possible."

  Epilogue

  The bells pealed in celebration of their wedding as Victoria and Adam stepped out of the church, surrounded by smiling faces.

  Adam pulled Victoria close for a kiss. "Love you, Mrs. Cantrell," he whispered.

  "I love you too, darling." She had to pinch herself sometimes to believe this wonderful man belonged to her.

  "Dad, you need to stand over here by the tree with the flowers on it," Harry instructed. Dressed in a stylish navy suit, the boy had his camera in his hand and a serious expression on his face. He was taking his job as wedding photographer very seriously.

  "We're coming, pal. Give us a moment." Adam took Victoria's hand. She picked her way across the grass in her cream satin pumps, around the clumps of daffodils and crocuses pushing their heads up to find the spring sunshine.

  "Sophie, love, it's time for the photos." Her daughter was in the middle of a group of friends, in her pretty yellow bridesmaid's dress, enjoying all the attention. She skipped up beside Victoria, waving her bouquet.

  They stood beneath a flowering cherry tree and Harry snapped away, giving directions on how they should pose. After a few minutes, Victoria beckoned her mother and father to join them. Her mum parked her dad's wheelchair. Victoria hugged her mother for the hundredth time and bent to kiss her dad's cheek.

  Her mum wiped away a tear. "You look so beautiful, love. Adam's one of the good guys. You make sure to hold on tight to him."

  "I will."

  Next, Adam asked his parents to join them. Drifting between the other guests, they were there with everyone else, but somehow still apart, like exotic beings from another world—and in some ways they were. Corinne and Gregory Cantrell had arrived in a helicopter that landed in the field beside Willowbrook Farm.

  Victoria had never met two more self-absorbed people. They were primped and groomed to within an inch of their lives. She tried to like them but it was difficult, especially knowing they had virtually ignored Adam when he was a child.

  Greg Cantrell stepped up beside Victoria. "You should have booked a proper photographer, you know."

  Victoria gave a tight smile. "Harry is a proper photographer," she said loud enough for Harry to hear. "Your grandson will have a successful photography career, if I'm any judge."

  "Grandson." Corinne Cantrell shivered in distaste. "Please don't say that word. It makes me feel old."

  Adam stiffened and Victoria squeezed his hand in silent support. Adam's parents had no idea what was important in life. They'd missed their son growing up and were now doing the same wi
th Harry. She leaned closer to Adam and put her mouth to his ear. "I feel sorry for them."

  He touched her cheek, a flash of comprehension in his eyes. "I've never thought of it that way before, but you're right. They're the ones missing out."

  "What are you whispering about?" Corinne linked her arm with Adam's, demanding attention, her slender body and perfect face making her appear at least twenty years younger than she was.

  "Nothing, Mother. Nothing," he said.

  When the photographs were over, Adam and Victoria walked the short distance from the village church to the Plume of Feathers. After their small, low-key wedding, the garden behind the pub had seemed like the perfect venue for a reception.

  Adam and Victoria sat with Harry and Sophie at the head table Felicity had laid for them and Adam's best man made the toasts. Then they were served with food while the rest of their guests helped themselves from the buffet.

  After an hour, old Mr. Andrews made his way through the happy crowd seated in the warm spring sunshine, a large wrapped present in his arms.

  "Do you see who's heading our way?" Adam whispered.

  "I do." Victoria bit her lip, not sure how to react. She knew the ex-farmer had moved in to the pub and had purposely avoided him.

  "Mr. Cantrell. Mrs. Cantrell," the old man said. "Congratulations to you."

  "Thank you," they replied together.

  He plunked down the present on the table in front of Victoria. "Wanted to give you something useful."

  "Well…that's great. Thank you." She glanced at Adam, who looked equally bemused.

  "You gonna unwrap it then?" Mr. Andrews said.

  "Of course." Victoria pushed her plate aside and dragged the gift closer.

  "Gosh. It's heavy."

  The old man just nodded.

  She tore off the gold paper to reveal a wooden box.

  Adam's eyebrows rose in question.

  A slow smile spread across Victoria's face. She knew exactly what the gift was and it lightened her heart. This must be the man's way of apologizing.