by Heidi Swain
‘Well,’ he began, ‘I took Bran to the vets this afternoon.’
‘And given that you said the word rather than spelt it out, I’m guessing he got on OK?’ I asked.
‘More than OK,’ said Gabe fondly. ‘He was as good as gold.’
‘Of course he was,’ said Dorothy indulgently.
‘And no worms?’ I couldn’t resist asking.
‘Not a worm in sight,’ laughed Gabe, looking more like himself, ‘for either of us.’
The others were clearly confused by our private joke and Dorothy tutted loudly. I looked at Gabe and smiled and he smiled back. It was the silliest of shared moments, over in a second, but it warmed me to the tips of my toes and I couldn’t help wondering if my pupils were as dilated as his.
‘You mentioned wildlife,’ I reminded him, clearing my throat and pulling myself back together.
‘Hmm,’ he said, still gazing at me.
‘Wildlife, via the V-E-T,’ I prompted.
‘Yes,’ he said, suddenly coming to his senses, ‘sorry, wildlife.’
‘Was it Will you saw?’ asked Anna. ‘He’s dreamy, isn’t he?’
‘Hey!’ said Jamie.
‘Yes,’ Gabe said, ‘it was Will, but I’m not sure about the dreamy part. He’s not really my type, to be honest, but he did have a potential idea for the Winter Wonderland. I hope it was OK to mention what we’re planning?’ he added, looking to Angus.
‘Absolutely OK, my dear chap,’ said Angus. ‘It’s definitely happening now so we can’t keep it a secret much longer otherwise we won’t have any visitors!’
‘That’s all right then,’ said Gabe, ‘because I happened to tell Will how disappointed you were feeling about not having reindeer in attendance and he suggested owls.’
‘Owls?’ said the rest of us all together.
‘Yes,’ Gabe continued. ‘Apparently, there’s a sort of sanctuary around here somewhere and they have a few owls, which they take around to schools and that sort of thing.’
‘I remember reading something about that in the paper this summer,’ said Mick, ‘but I’ve heard nothing since.’
‘According to Will, it’s been a quiet start for them, but they’re looking for ways to raise their profile.’
‘Did he happen to mention who runs it?’ asked Catherine.
‘A young friend of his was responsible for setting it up. A lad called Ed, I think, and his mum. It sounds very much a family affair from what I can make out.’
‘Oh, we’ve heard all about Ed,’ said Angus. ‘There’s nothing that boy doesn’t know about the local landscape and the birds and animals living in it.’
‘He’s our very own little Durrell,’ smiled Catherine.
‘Well, there you are then,’ said Gabe, sounding pleased. ‘The sanctuary should be right up your street, and potentially far less problematic than reindeer.’
‘And owls will look great on the artwork,’ I beamed. ‘Well done, Gabe.’
‘I’ve got a contact number back at the cottage,’ he happily added. ‘You’ll have to give them a ring, Jamie, to see which owl species they could bring and then you can pencil them in, Hayley.’
‘Pun intended,’ I laughed.
‘Absolutely,’ he laughed back.
Chapter 19
The next couple of weeks flashed by, confirming the old adage that time really does fly when you’re having fun. Not that I had been expecting fun. Truth be told, having fun had been pretty low on the agenda when the Connelly father and son duo had first coerced me into taking responsibility for the artistic flourishes of the Winter Wonderland.
Something else I hadn’t been expecting was another shift in my relationship with Gabe. It might have only been a fleeting moment, a silly private joke shared across the Wynthorpe table, but those few seconds smiling at one another over our korma-filled plates had set something in motion.
I couldn’t be sure what exactly, but our friendship flourished and slipped back to what it had been before our post-bonfire heart to heart, and he and Bran had taken to joining me in the studio in the evenings while I quietly worked on the promotional materials and made a start on drawing the map of the Wynthorpe woods.
When Gabe visited he made a point of slipping in and out of the conservatory door, which led to the garden, so no one else was aware of his coming and going, and that suited both of us, but especially me. Anna already had a bee in her bonnet about pushing the pair of us together and I didn’t want her getting the wrong idea if she found out we were spending so much time alone. If she thought there was even the remotest chance of the two of us developing deeper feelings I wouldn’t have put it past her to have Molly on standby at the greenery gathering to perform some kind of hand-tying pagan rite, binding us for life.
Gabe and I didn’t talk all that much. I worked mostly at the table and he sat and read or dozed with Bran asleep at his feet. I found it impossible to get a great deal of work done when he was absorbed in a book because his face, serene and still, was simply too captivating. I had started to sketch both him and the hound, but that was something else I had chosen to keep to myself. I would probably share the drawings with him at some point, but this deep, developing friendship with a man was the first of its kind for me, and its easy-going, no-fuss, quiet manner was taking some getting used to.
Thanks to Gabe and Bran’s calming company in the evenings, it wasn’t until the afternoon before the advert was due to be submitted to the newspaper that my nerves really decided it was time to put in an appearance and, as a result of a last minute addition from Angus, they were quickly cranked into overdrive.
‘But are you sure that bit,’ I said, reaching over Jamie’s shoulder and pointing at the area of concern with a pencil, ‘doesn’t look too cramped?’
‘It’s fine,’ he said again, trying to reassure me.
‘And the text isn’t too small?’
‘It’s perfect,’ added Anna.
‘And you like the snowflake theme?’
I had opted to draw snowflake bunting, rather than candy canes, and had dotted the flakes about the page to tie the different elements together. It was hopefully going to work well with the snowflake ink pads Jamie had bought to include around the woodland trail. Now, appropriately named, The Snowflake Trail.
‘We love the snowflake theme,’ Anna reiterated.
In the early days I had been all for ripping up and starting again a hundred times over, but gradually, thanks to Gabe’s subtle suggestions and encouragement to let the others have a look as I went along, I had got used to them adding their opinions and ideas and I was delighted with the results. I had managed to include everything that would be on offer during the Winter Wonderland weekend, from the crafts in the woods with Gabe, to Dorothy’s sugary and cinnamon delights, along with drawings of the hall, sleigh, owls, grotto and the Cherry Tree caravan to add a festive flourish and, hopefully, even more appeal.
‘Although,’ said Jamie.
‘Although what?’ I jumped in, my eyes frantically searching the page for mistakes.
‘Although, I would like to know why Dad wanted this particular addition,’ he said, pointing at the recently added line that had given my arrangement so much trouble. ‘I don’t suppose he told you what the “surprise” element of the weekend was all about, did he?’
‘No, he didn’t,’ said the man himself as he wandered in. ‘Because I haven’t decided yet.’
‘So why put it in?’ Anna asked suspiciously.
‘To add intrigue,’ said Angus innocently. ‘Folk love anything that’s value added, and if they think they’re going to get something extra on top of what we’re already offering, they’ll flock down the drive to see what it is.’
I was sure he was right, and as long as that ‘something extra’ didn’t involve me making a spectacle of myself in stripy elf tights and pointy plastic ears, then it was fine by me.
‘I better go and get this scanned in,’ said Jamie, pushing back his chair and picking up the
design I had sweated over for so long. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to come with us, Hayley?’
I shook my head.
‘We’re going to the printers to sort the flyers as well,’ he said. ‘You don’t fancy watching your handiwork being prepared to fly off the press.’
I wasn’t sure that would have really been possible, but even if it were, it was the last thing I wanted to see.
‘Please come,’ said Anna, tugging at my sleeve. ‘It’ll be fun.’
‘No,’ I said firmly. ‘I’ve done what you asked, and please don’t think I’m being rude, but I don’t want to even think about it anymore and please, please remember not to mention my name if anyone happens to ask you who drew it all.’
I might have got used to my Wynthorpe family knowing about the talent I had started to use again, but I certainly didn’t want the news spreading further than the end of the drive.
As adamant as I was that I didn’t want to think about either the advert or the flyers now they were finished, my head wasn’t going to let me off the hook that easily. I spent a restless night tossing and turning and was up extra early the morning the paper was due to be delivered, even though I knew it wouldn’t be with us until late in the afternoon.
‘Come over to the cottage this afternoon,’ said Gabe when he popped into the hall for his mid-morning coffee break. ‘I’ve got something that will keep your mind off things.’
I looked at him and raised my eyebrows.
‘Nothing like that,’ he tutted. ‘I just want your opinion on something I’ve been putting together for the Winter Wonderland myself.’
‘I thought you were all for asking everyone their opinion,’ I reminded him. ‘You made me share my design before I was ready to.’
‘Well,’ he said, shifting in his seat, ‘this is a very basic prototype and I was hoping you would consider adding an artistic flourish or two before I present it to the masses.’
‘So really, you’re only interested in me for my skills with a paint palette?’
‘Something like that,’ he grinned.
‘Marvellous,’ I tutted, pretending to be offended.
I made sure I had caught up with my work before I headed over to Gabe’s that afternoon. If ever I had been worried that working and living at the hall was going to be too stifling I needn’t have. The way my life had picked up apace since I had permanently moved in had ensured that I didn’t have a spare second in which to even ponder on that. If anything, I was thinking it was a miracle that I had ever had time to go back to town every evening when I was living with my parents.
‘Come on then!’ I called to Gabe, when Bran eventually shifted far enough to let me over the threshold. ‘What have you got that has the power to stop me obsessing and listening out for the paper guy?’
Back in the hall I had turned the vacuum on and off at least half a dozen times during my last stint on the stairs, convinced that I had heard a van on the drive. I hadn’t of course.
‘I’m in here,’ Gabe called back from the sitting room.
I found him sitting in front of the fire, the carpet covered in a vast plastic sheet and surrounded by what looked like piles of sawn logs. Closer inspection confirmed that was exactly what he was sitting amongst.
‘What on earth?’ I frowned.
‘I know,’ he said, biting his lip. ‘But bear with me.’
‘And all will be revealed?’
‘Don’t start,’ he said, indicating a tiny spot next to him where he wanted me to sit, ‘or you might end up getting more than you bargained for.’
I laughed and sat where I was told. It felt good, being able to spar like this again. Packing away my growing feelings for Gabe had definitely been the right thing to do. There was a comfortable and straightforward flow to our relationship now and I was enjoying getting used to it.
‘You know, you really have a knack for bringing out the worst in me,’ Gabe tutted.
‘It’s a gift,’ I told him with a cheeky grin, ‘and besides, I don’t think you’re half as shy as you made out after our firework celebration.’
‘No?’
‘Nope. You were just covering your embarrassment because I turned you down.’
‘Better luck next time, perhaps,’ he smiled, reaching for the nearest log.
‘Perhaps,’ I sniffed. ‘We’ll just have to wait and see about that, won’t we?’
I wasn’t sure it was me bringing out the worst in him because he was pretty good himself when it came to turning the tables, but that was fine. The opportunity to stretch my innuendo-bingo skills was fun and, given everything I’d been through recently, some innocent entertainment was very much appreciated.
‘So,’ I said, clearing my throat and picking up a log. ‘What have we got here then? A pixie-sized burn-out or something more impressive?’
What Gabe had put together turned out to be far more impressive than a pint-sized bonfire.
‘These are perfect,’ I told him, rocking back on my heels to get the circulation flowing back in my legs.
‘Do you really think so?’ Gabe asked, spinning his creation around to check it from all angles.
‘Absolutely,’ I said, popping my slightly smaller version down next to his, ‘and they’ll cheer Angus up no end.’
‘Well, I hope so,’ said Gabe thoughtfully. ‘But do you really think they’re good enough to be the woodland craft activity?’
‘Definitely,’ I nodded.
Dotted around the floor were half a dozen wooden reindeer, all carefully constructed from pre-cut kits, which Gabe had been working on putting together. The largest log, with four holes drilled into the underside, formed the body which the legs slotted into. There was another hole on top for the neck which then held the head, complete with branchy antlers and a red nose made from a tiny painted bauble and glued into place. Gabe had tied a red scarf around the neck of his and added a pine cone for a tail. For something so simple, they oozed personality and charm.
‘Now that I’ve got into the swing of it,’ he explained, ‘I can put together a kit in a matter of minutes.’
‘That’s just as well,’ I laughed, ‘because you’re going to need plenty.’
‘Really?’ He frowned. ‘You really think so?’
‘Really, Gabe,’ I told him. ‘Families will stand in line to make one of these.’
I watched as his shoulders started to relax and realised that he had been genuinely worried that I wouldn’t think they were any good, when actually they were exactly what the Winter Wonderland needed. No tools were required, which would be a relief to Mr Health and Safety, aka Jamie, and they would appeal to all ages and be a long-lasting reminder of the fun the visitors had.
‘Have you costed them out yet?’ I asked.
I knew that Jamie would be keen to establish outlay as well as safety.
‘Roughly,’ said Gabe, ‘but don’t worry, now you’ve given them your artistic seal of approval I’m going to talk to Jamie about all that.’
I nodded, pleased that he had taken every aspect of the venture into account.
‘And I thought,’ he went on, ‘if everyone thinks it would be worth the effort, that I might make a couple of really big ones, which you could add to the map for The Snowflake Trail.’
‘That’s a brilliant idea,’ I agreed, thinking how excited the younger visitors would be to come across a reindeer hidden amongst the trees, ‘and I know you wanted me to add some extra paint to them,’ I told him, ‘but I think they’re perfect just as they are.’
‘Me too,’ he grinned slyly. ‘I didn’t want you to paint them at all. I just thought that thinking about it might take your mind off . . .’
I didn’t give him a chance to remind me what I had in fact forgotten all about for the last hour or so, but leant over and shoved him hard on the shoulder.
‘You manipulative sod,’ I laughed as he shoved me back and I tried to stand up.
The pins and needles in my feet didn’t help and before I knew what
was happening he had pulled me over, pinned me down and was hovering over me. It wasn’t at all the kind of behaviour I had come to expect from my new-found friend and chivalrous guardian angel, but I couldn’t bring myself to complain.
‘I had your best interests at heart,’ he told me huskily, ‘you were tying yourself up in knots over at the hall.’
‘That’s as may be,’ I told him, trying not to giggle as I attempted to wriggle myself free, ‘but when I get up, I’m going to tie you in knots.’
‘Promises, promises,’ we laughed together and then he lowered his body on to mine.
‘Gabe,’ I gasped, ‘I think I can hear an engine outside.’
‘No, you can’t,’ he said, his lips almost touching mine, ‘that’s just my heart pounding.’
I didn’t think it was, but I couldn’t be sure. My own essential organ was going like the clappers so it was hard to tell. He let go of my hands, pushed my hair out of my face and looked longingly into my eyes before finally kissing me.
His tongue teased my teeth apart, the tip of it sending a pulse of pleasure through my entire body. Unbidden, my arms wrapped around his back and I pulled him down harder on to me, but he wouldn’t be rushed.
When he eventually pulled away I gasped for breath, my mind confused and my body yearning for more. Every man I’d ever been with would have wasted no time in taking the kiss further – much further – but Gabe, in spite of the very green light I was sending him, was putting the brakes on after just a kiss.
Not that his kiss was just any old kiss. This one had been like nothing I had ever experienced before. His firm caress had reached all the way to my toes, stopping en route to play a few enticing tricks of its own, so it was hardly surprising that he had left me wanting to sample whatever other sensuous skills he had tucked up his sleeve – and down his trousers.
‘Are you all right?’ I asked him.
‘I’m not sure,’ he said uncertainly, gently drawing me back up to sit next to him.
I was surprised to see he was frowning. I couldn’t believe he hadn’t enjoyed what had just happened. As far as I was concerned, that all too brief embrace was off the kiss-o-meter and I refused to imagine that he felt differently. But perhaps he was thinking it was too big a bite of happiness for him to cope with? After all, he had made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t looking for a quick fling or a serious relationship, hadn’t he? But for someone who had inferred they were currently living a monk-like existence, he had just failed pretty spectacularly.
