Page 47 of A Cosy Christmas with the Village Vet

Snow had been falling steadily for the last hour and by the time they’d finished posting the notes through all the letterboxes in the village the temperature had dropped significantly. As Brogan crossed the road to join him, Nick noticed she was shivering. A layer of snow had settled on her hat and shoulders, her face was pinched red and she looked frozen to the core. As she reached him a snowflake landed on her cheek and without thinking, he gently brushed it away. Brogan’s eyes met his, electricity sparking in the frosty air around them. Not for the first time he thought how beautiful she was as he felt the strong pull of attraction in his gut. His breathing deepened. He was seconds away from stepping closer and placing a kiss on her plump, rosy lips when Wilf charged by, kicking snow everywhere, crashing unceremoniously into their moment.

‘Wilf!’ said Brogan.

The Labrador seemed oblivious to the cold and was snapping playfully at the snowflakes while Maudie looked on, joining in occasionally. Despite his disappointment, Nick couldn’t help but smile. Wilf had definitely brought out Maudie’s playful side, though she could still muster up a haughty expression when the need arose.

‘Do you still fancy that trip to the tearoom?’ he asked, his eyes roving Brogan’s face, taking in the damp curls that had escaped from beneath her hat. Much as he’d like nothing better, he knew it was pointless trying to step back to where they’d been before they’d been interrupted by Wilf’s enthusiasm. The moment had gone.

‘I’ll go if you want, but to be completely honest, I think I’d prefer to head home and get changed into something warm and dry,’ Brogan said through chattering teeth, acting as if nothing had happened between them. ‘I’ve got some homemade soup in the fridge, we could have that. It’d help us thaw out.’

‘Mmm. Sounds good.’ He felt a wave of relief. Much as he’d love to sample some of the delicious-smelling food at the teashop, his feet felt like blocks of ice and his fingers were so cold, he was struggling to use them. He’d been secretly hoping she’d choose to go home. And the thought of a bowl of steaming soup was enough to start the thawing process.

They trudged up Church Street, two solitary figures and their dogs, their feet sinking into the freshly fallen snow. ‘Jeez, I don’t think I could get much colder. I can’t feel my toes,’ said Brogan, smiling when her eyes met Nick’s which made his pulse jump to attention. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could go on like this, without saying something.

By the time they reached the main road, large feather-like snowflakes were swirling around them. They hurried towards the car, heads bowed. Nick would be glad to get back to Pond Farm and get parked up for the rest of the day. He was used to Middleton-le-Moors winters, and though the town wasn’t that far away from Lytell Stangdale, the weather never got as extreme as it did out here on the moors, where it was more exposed and could change in a heartbeat.

They’d just got Maudie and Wilf ensconced in the boot space when their attention was taken by the unmistakable sound of the snow plough scraping along the road. ‘Sounds like Camm’s out and about,’ said Brogan. A moment later, the man himself rumbled by, waving cheerily as he went, the plough making short work of the snow, pushing it out of the way. ‘He does a brilliant job of keeping the roads round here clear. It’s mostly so the milk tankers can get through to the dairy farms, but he’s been known to plough the smaller lanes to farmsteads when the snow’s got really bad.’

‘Yeah, he’s a decent bloke,’ said Nick, as he brushed snow from the windscreen of his car while Brogan busied herself clearing the rear window.

‘Yeah, he is, and he’s been so good for Molly since Pip passed away.’

‘Oh?’ said Nick as the pair climbed inside. Nick set the engine away, the fans blowing bitterly cold air at them.

‘Yeah, Molly’s first husband died in an accident a few years ago now. As you can imagine, Moll was devastated. Apparently Camm – who’s not from round here – came along at just the right time, made her smile again.’

Nick waited a moment for the condensation to clear from the windscreen. ‘Right. I’d never have guessed she’d been through something like that. It must’ve been hard for her and her kids.’

‘I can’t even begin to imagine. From what I can gather Kitty and Vi were really supportive; did their best to make sure she was okay.’ The passenger window had steamed up and Brogan rubbed a circle clear with her gloved hand.

‘Now that I can believe. In fact, I don’t think I know anywhere that has such a strong sense of community as the villages round here. Jimby’s idea for Christmas is awesome, and the fact that the other committee members were keen says it all really. Everyone seems to look out for each other.’

‘It’s pretty-close knit, that’s for sure.’ Brogan’s voice tailed away as she peered out of the window. ‘Which reminds me, I wouldn’t mind calling in on old Bert Hoggarth over at Broad View Cottage at some point before it gets dark today,’ she said. ‘It’s not far from Pond Farm so won’t take me long to walk. Only, I had a text from Ella who’s taken over walking his Labrador, Nell. She thought he seemed a bit out of sorts when she saw him this morning. Though she said he did his best to reassure her otherwise when she asked if he was okay. It’ll give me chance to remind him he and Nell are still welcome to spend Christmas day with Wilf and me.’

‘I’ll drive you over, if you like? Save you having to adopt the abominable snowman look again.’ Nick glanced over at her.

‘Are you saying I’m abominable?’ she asked, her eyebrows arched in mock outrage.

‘Perish the thought.’ He chuckled.

‘Well, that’s all right then. And are you sure you wouldn’t mind? Taking me over to Bert’s?’

‘Course not. I know Bert and Nell from my time at the surgery in Middleton. It’ll be good to see him again.’ Nick smiled at her, a hint of warmth finally blowing through the fans.

‘That’s great, thanks.’ She beamed at him.

* * *

Back home,and changed into warm, dry clothes, Nick found Brogan in the kitchen. She was leaning over the Aga, stirring a pan of soup, its mouth-watering aroma making him salivate.

Wilf and Maudie, fresh from a thorough drying with the towel – which had made Maudie’s coat look extra fluffy – were sat keeping watch from their usual position, the familiar drool dangling from Wilf’s chops.

Nick chuckled, shaking his head as he wandered over to the Aga. He peered in the pan at the rich, red liquid that was simmering gently. ‘Mmm. That smells seriously good.’ And he couldn’t help but think that it also felt seriously good to be standing this close to Brogan.

‘Tomato; homemade, has a little hint of chilli so it should be extra warming.’ She glanced up at him and smiled, sending a charge through him. ‘There’s some crusty bread over there if you fancy slicing it?’

‘No problem.’ He smiled, reluctantly pulling his eyes away from hers. If they were going to carry on like this, pretending that nothing had happened between them, then he was going to have to make a concerted effort to rein his feelings in. Which, judging by the emotions she stirred in him, was going to get more challenging by the day.

They were halfway through their lunch, chatting away, when Brogan said, ‘I think I’ll take some soup for Bert when we call in on him. I’m not sure he does much in the way of cooking for himself. I don’t want to offend him, but just with Ella saying he didn’t look his usual self, there’s a chance he might be glad of it. I’ll take him some bread too, something to fill him up.’

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