Love Heart Lane

‘Good for him.’

‘He’ll be happy to see you. He always had a soft spot for you. Everyone in the village was deeply saddened by your grandmother’s death. The village is definitely not the same.’ His voice faltered. ‘She was always kind to me. As a wee kid, I used the shortcut at the back of your house on the way to school and your grandmother was always waiting at the garden gate with a sausage roll or a slice of homemade cake for my lunch box. She was an absolute gem. It’s a shame to see the teashop close after all this time though. Isla used to love to escape there for a slice of cake and a cup of tea on the way back from the village.’

Felicity swung round towards Drew. ‘What do you mean, the teashop has closed?’ Surely Drew had got that wrong.

‘Have I said something out of turn?’ asked a surprised Drew. ‘Didn’t you know?’

Felicity shook her head. ‘Mum hasn’t said a thing, well, not to me anyway.’ She felt sad that the teashop hadn’t been open and perplexed as to why she hadn’t been told. ‘How long?’

‘I’d say a good six months. It’s been difficult since your grandmother became ill. Your mum couldn’t keep everything going.’

Felicity’s eyes became glazed with a layer of glassy tears. She brushed them away with her glove. Why hadn’t her mum told her how difficult things had become? ‘I didn’t know Drew, I really didn’t.’

‘Allie thought you may be back sooner to give a hand, but then we all realised it’s not that easy when you have your own job to do and a life in London.’

Felicity nodded, but no words came out. Why hadn’t she come back at Christmas? But in her heart of hearts she knew why – that time of year was always too painful for her.

‘Working in a department store it’s always busy in the lead up to Christmas and then there’s the sales.’ Felicity knew she was saying the right things, but it didn’t sit right with her. Deep down, she knew she’d let her mum down and wished she could turn back time.

Drew nodded, ‘Here we are, Foxglove Farm. It’s been a while since you’ve seen this place.’

‘Too long,’ Felicity whispered under her breath, looking out of the windscreen at the swirling storm of white that was being battered away by the wipers. The usual sight of the farmhouse was nearly hidden by the snow that now swirled densely.

‘What on earth?’ A sudden movement in the bottom field caught Drew’s eye. Felicity shot a look towards Drew, then followed his gaze.

And suddenly, there he was in the distance, waving his arms frantically towards the tractor. Fergus. Felicity’s breath caught in her throat as she recognised him instantly, her heart pounding faster against her chest. She’d never anticipated that he would be here, at the farm, and she had no idea how he was going to react to seeing her for the first time in eight years. This wasn’t how she’d planned it out in her head.

Drew flounced out of the tractor leaving the engine running, bellowing to Felicity to follow him. Before she had time to think she trailed Drew through the blanket of snow, her legs trembling. Snowflakes pelted against her face as she struggled to keep up with him.

‘Drew … I need help.’ Fergus Campbell’s voice was fraught. ‘The Shetland is stranded in the icy water.’

Drew stopped for a second to assess the situation, raking his wet hands through his hair. The pony was struggling to climb up the bank of the river. Each time it tried it slipped back down into the water.

‘We need a rope … wait there, and I’ll bring the tractor back down,’ he cried, turning and striding back past Felicity quickly. ‘You stay with Fergus,’ he instructed with authority.

Fergus hadn’t spotted Felicity yet but it was only a matter of time. Felicity felt anxious, the past dominating her mind. As she moved closer, she could see the panic-stricken face of Fergus, and her nerves jumped all together in every direction. She’d no idea how Fergus was going to react to her arrival back in Heartcross but any second now she was about to find out.

Felicity looked nervously in his direction, and finally Fergus met her gaze. For a split second he narrowed his eyes and remained silent.

She swallowed. ‘Hi Fergus.’ As much as Felicity didn’t want her voice to sound shaky, she faltered.

Fergus just stared at her, then gritted his teeth. There was no welcoming smile, more of a ‘What are you doing here’ grimace.

Felicity felt her cheeks colour fast and that was down to the look on Fergus’s face, not the cold white flakes stinging her face.

‘Well, you crop up in the most unexpected places,’ he said gruffly.

Felicity flinched at his words. She’d dreaded this moment and didn’t know what to say as she swallowed a lump in her throat. The snowflakes continued to pelt against her frozen cheeks, clinging to her eyelashes forcing her eyes into a squint.

‘And don’t look at me like that; what did you expect, that you’d be welcomed back with open arms?’

The tension between them could be cut with a knife.

Felicity felt wretched. She’d not prepared for this meeting and had thought she’d at least have a couple of days to catch up with Allie and Isla first and gauge how the land lay.

‘It doesn’t have to be like this,’ said Felicity, knowing it wasn’t going to be easy.

‘So, you’re finally back then? How long has it been?’ His dark brows sloped downwards in a serious expression and the playful smile she once knew had drawn into a hard line across his face.

Feeling a tug at her heart, Felicity felt shameful. Fergus was a decent man and she knew she hadn’t been fair to him. He’d needed her, but she hadn’t been able to cope. Call it self-preservation but the only person she could concentrate on at the time was herself. She’d been young, but she’d treated him badly, and he had every right to speak to her this way even though it saddened her that it had come to this.

‘Eight years,’ she said regretfully.

Fergus’s hazel eyes didn’t look any different from all those years ago, and she could still sense a sadness in them. He stood and raked the snow from his swooping fringe that revealed the kind face Felicity had once loved to kiss. He was handsome all right, but his character was also beautiful on the inside. He was slim yet muscular and his face almost symmetrical with his sharp jawline and chiselled cheekbones. She felt a pang in her heart and wished she could turn back time.

To Felicity’s relief, the icy silence was interrupted by the drone of the tractor making its way back through the snow towards them.

Once at the river bank, Drew jumped out, leaving the engine running. In his hands he grasped a rope.

‘I’m not sure how we’re going to do this?’ Drew shouted down the bank, the blizzard now coming down thick and fast.

Fergus looked between him and the Shetland. ‘I’m not sure how close I can get.’

The river ran along the bottom of Foxglove Farm’s boundary. Felicity remembered many hot summers swinging on the rope swing with Isla and Allie, all of them without a care in the world. The banks had been alive with nestling ducks taking advantage of the tall reeds providing shade but today everywhere was stripped bare. The river had an eerie feeling about it, and was wider than she ever remembered, flowing swift and strong.

Drew threw the rope down the bank towards Fergus who gradually began making his way into the water. The Shetland pony was now wedged against an old oak tree that must have fallen into the water after a storm.

Felicity shivered at the very thought of the icy coldness of the water against Fergus’s skin.

‘I’m going to tie this end to the tractor mate, keep hold of the rope and we’ll pull you out.’

Fergus nodded, taking in the instructions as he stumbled into the fast-flowing freezing water, which was now attempting to knock him off his feet. Suddenly he lost his footing, the water gushing over his head. Without thinking, Felicity let out a scream. She watched on in horror, her heart banging against her chest willing Fergus to reappear, her brain now in full panic.

‘There he is,’ she exhaled with relief, pointing to where Fergus reappeared above the water line. The river was bashing against his body, as his head went underneath the water for a second time.

Drew cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted with all his might. ‘FERGUS!’ He turned to Felicity. ‘I’ll have to go in after him.’

‘Wait … look!’ She pointed.

Fergus’ limbs moved slowly through the water as he managed to claw himself back up and grasp on to the fallen tree strewn across the water. Felicity gasped in relief to see he’d managed to get himself upright. The river was flowing around his thighs, swirling around his stomach and splashing into his face as he waded towards the Shetland which was now within grabbing distance.

‘The water is too fast … I can’t … I can’t…’ His voice petered out as he slipped again under the fast-flowing water.

Felicity’s heart was in her mouth. ‘Please let him be okay,’ she whispered to herself as she saw Fergus fight to get to his feet once more, his exhausted but strong arms powering through the water.

They both watched in anticipation as Fergus looped the end of the rope and tied it securely.

‘Throw it,’ instructed Drew.