Page 73 of A Cosy Christmas with the Village Vet

He sat for a moment, wondering as to the best course of action, the wind whistling round the vehicle. It sounded bleak. At a guess, he’d say he was roughly five or six miles from Pond Farm. Should he walk it? Or would he be better off staying in his car until the weather eased? He thought of Brogan, sitting at home worrying about him driving in this. She had tried to warn him. He should have arranged to meet Loretta another time, then he wouldn’t have found himself in this situation. If only he’d remembered to charge his phone, he could have called Brogan, put her mind at ease. He knew Camm would be out with the plough – this was one of the main routes – but he didn’t know when. Weighing up his options, he decided the best course of action would be to sit it out. Stupidly, he’d forgotten to put his wellies in the back of his car so walking in such deep snow was out of the question. He cursed himself for being so forgetful. At least in the car he could turn the engine on now and then; get a blast of warmth from the heater. That decided, he reached over to the back seat and grabbed the blankets there, wrapping them around him. Pulling one up to his face, he prayed Camm wouldn’t be long.

* * *

He'd been huddledup for a several long hours when a beam of light shone into his car. He raised his hand to shield his eyes, his body stiff from being in the same position for so long. Seconds later, he was aware of the sound of a tractor engine, the low scrape of the plough on snow. Camm! Nick couldn’t remember feeling so relieved. He opened the car door, braving the elements that raged around him, his head bowed against the snow.

Shouting over the howling wind, Camm told Nick that he’d plough the road back to Pond Farm and that Nick should follow. ‘Stick in a low gear and you’ll be all right,’ Camm said.

Concentrating hard and driving steadily, Nick followed the tractor, snow dancing in the car’s headlights. The conditions made the journey take twice as long, and Nick was glad and relieved in equal measure when they finally took the lane to Pond Farm.

Camm brought the tractor to a halt in the farmyard. Nick climbed out of his car and went over to him, blinking snow from his eyes. ‘Thanks, Camm. I owe you one,’ he shouted up to him.

‘No problem. Get yourself in where it’s warm.’ Camm gave a thumbs up before turning the tractor round and heading out of the yard.

Before Nick got to the door it was flung open and Brogan appeared, her face drawn with worry. Wilf and Maudie shot out, gambolling around him, delighted he was back.

‘Oh, thank goodness you’re okay!’ she said as they embraced.

‘Yes, thanks to Camm I am.’

Though she was visibly relieved, the hesitance she’d worn before their heart-to-heart seemed to have returned, which puzzled him.

In the warmth of the kitchen, with Nick practically hugging the Aga, he gradually began to thaw out – he’d used the car engine sparingly to keep warm on the moortop since it was low on fuel. The lateness of the hour meant neither of them could face a big meal. Instead, they dined on buttery toast and mugs of hot chocolate prepared by Brogan as he recounted the events of his evening. She listened intently, pausing her chewing when Nick reached the part where Loretta had got flirty. He noticed her body tense. It struck him that this was more than likely the reason she seemed a little cool.

‘Were you tempted?’ she asked, anxiety lurking in her eyes.

He shook his head emphatically. ‘Quite the opposite. It made me realise how little Loretta and I have in common.’ He set the toast he was holding back on the plate. ‘Made me realise a lot of things actually. In fact, it made one thing glaringly clear.’

He could feel the weight of her gaze on him as she anticipated his next words. He so wanted to tell her, but he didn’t want to sound stupid. After all, they hadn’t known each other long. But he couldn’t just leave it hanging unsaid.Okay, here goes.‘It made me realise…’ He hesitated. Was he doing the right thing? Should he wait?Oh, bugger it!‘It made me realise how I feel about you.’

‘It did?’ Her breathing deepened.

He nodded.Say it!‘It made me realise I’m falling in love with you.’

45

BROGAN

She looked at him, unable to speak as her mind processed his words. Had she heard right? He wasn’t going to get back with beautiful, glamorous Loretta? He was falling in love withher? ‘You are?’

‘I am.’ He gave a small laugh. ‘I hope that hasn’t scared you off.’

She cast her eyes down to her plate, marshalling her thoughts. Surely this was a dream?

‘I’ve scared you. I should’ve kept my big mouth shut,’ he said, his voice flat.

Her head shot up. ‘No, I’m glad you told me.’ A smile broke out on her face. ‘I feel the same. It’s just taking some sinking in. I mean, after you didn’t come home my mind started thinking all sorts, and not just that you’d got stranded or had an accident.’

‘You thought I’d got back with Loretta?’

She nodded, feeling suddenly foolish.

He reached across the table and found her hand, his fingers closing over hers. ‘Brogan, I promise you, Loretta and I are never getting back together. Tonight confirmed that to me. It’s you I want to be with. I don’t want anyone else.’

Happiness surged through her; it felt like she was dreaming. All this with Nick had happened so suddenly, yet nothing she’d experienced before had ever felt so right. ‘And I want to be with you.’ She beamed at him.

In the next moment, he was standing beside her. He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. Cupping her face in his hands, he looked into her eyes, smoothing his thumbs over her cheeks. Her heart was performing somersaults, and she wasn’t sure how much longer her knees would hold out without crumbling beneath her. And then he kissed her.

‘Wow!’ she said when they finally pulled apart, dizziness making her sway.

---