Page 4 of Starting Over at Halesmere House
‘So you have thought about it?’
‘Maybe a little,’ she replied, and they both laughed.
‘So I’d better get running.’
‘You really should. Who knows how far those sheep have got by now; they seemed pretty determined.’
The plan sounded simple enough and he disappeared while she reversed the van and blocked the lane as much as she could. It was warm inside and she was tempted to stay put, but a couple of minutes later six sheep were charging towards her with the driver in pursuit. She jumped down, waving her arms wildly for good measure, and at the last minute the sheep swerved sharply into the farmyard. Alice slammed a gate behind them and shared a grin with the driver as he caught her up.
‘Nice work.’ He raised a hand, and she hesitated before letting hers meet his in a celebratory high five. The briefest of touches, and she felt the sting of it on her palm. ‘We made a good team.’
‘We did. Thanks.’
‘And thanks for not stealing my van; I need it.’
‘You’re welcome. I could actually do with a van but not one that big, so I decided not to take it.’
‘Cheers.’ He leaned an elbow on the gate to face her. ‘So am I right? You’re a tourist visiting out of season?’
This exceptional landscape was her home now and happiness ran through Alice. This wasn’t a visit when she’d have to leave and return to Sheffield, to the embers of the life she’d lived there. Halesmere was her new start, and suddenly she couldn’t wait.
‘I’m not a tourist.’ She was surprised to realise how much she was enjoying their continuing conversation. It felt nice for a change, to play this game with a man as attractive as he was.
‘Staying with friends?’
‘Wouldn’t that also count as holiday?’
‘I suppose it would.’ He stuck one foot on the lowest bar of the gate and Alice remembered he was supposed to be rushing as well. He didn’t seem in such a hurry now, and that was a thrill.
‘I thought you had to run?’ Testing him, trying to discover why he might be lingering.
‘I do. But I’m curious.’ He straightened, removing the phone from his pocket to check it before fixing his gaze back on hers. ‘About everything, and I like answers. So, go on, tell me. What brings you here?’
‘Right now?’ Alice ignored the quick disappointment that she was unlikely to see him again. At least her flirting skills had gone up a notch. ‘Buying milk from the community shop. And I have to run too, before they close. Thanks again for stopping.’
‘You’re welcome.’
She’d only gone a few yards up the lane before his words, loaded with laughter, were carried by the wind to reach her.
‘Do you think I could have my coat back please? And my keys?’
Chapter Two
For a few bleary moments the next morning, Alice thought she was actually on holiday when she woke up. It had been an unsettled night, the first here on her own, and she fumbled for a lamp in the darkness. The silence, too, had been something else. She blinked as the lamp flared into life and her new bedroom was revealed. Pale green walls, a dressing table at the opposite end of her wrought-iron-framed bed, shelves in the alcove on one side topped by a thick oak beam, a narrow chest of drawers in the other. A double wardrobe was crammed into the space beyond her bedside table, the bright colours of a patchwork quilt she’d thrown over her duvet the only other colour.
She sat up, rearranging the pillows to make herself more comfortable. The barn was an upside-down house, with three bedrooms and bathrooms all on the ground floor, the open-plan kitchen and dining area between them. Upstairs was the sitting room, which led onto a garden room and outdoor terrace with stunning south-facing views of the valley. The garden wrapped around three sides of the barn, and it was one of the reasons why she had fallen in love with the house.
She’d spent her life until now in Sheffield, and through her career Alice was as familiar with the entire motorway network as she had been with her own office. Losing her dad suddenly two and a half years ago had been a terrible shock and she still felt his loss every day. He’d been the heart and centre of a business he’d grown from a rough breaker’s yard and a couple of vans until it offered state-of-the-art haulage solutions for their many clients.
They’d always been close, sharing a love of cars, and after college she’d made herself at home in the yard and learned the business from the ground up. Her dad had offered no short cuts or concessions for being the boss’s daughter, and she hadn’t wanted any as she shadowed the mechanics, admin staff and the drivers, and drove the huge HGVs he sent out all over the country.
Her dad had lived for his family, work and his cars, and his last restoration project had been the yellow Porsche Boxster for her. Alice couldn’t part with it, no matter how impractical it was, especially now with her move to this Cumbrian valley, with narrow lanes and challenging winter conditions unsuited to a sports car. But sense didn’t come into how she felt about the Porsche, and she adored driving it, never closer to her dad than when she was behind the wheel and revelling in its power.
Each new morning brought a sharp reminder that her busy, capable dad was gone, as though it was a lesson she had to keep on learning and couldn’t quite grasp. He’d always told Alice he wouldn’t be going anywhere until she had her own family he could dote on, just like her younger brother, Steven. That thought was another stab of sorrow and as she sat in bed, she waited for the hurt to pass.
Her dad’s sister, Sandy, was the rector of the church at Halesmere and one of the reasons why Alice had decided to make the move here. Ten years younger than her dad, Sandy’s relationship with Alice fell somewhere between a doting aunt and a fun-loving friend who shared her other passion for gardening. Sandy had wanted to call last night after a parish meeting, but Alice had told her not to worry when it ran on late and that she was ready to crash into bed after a long day.
She was desperate for tea so pushed back the duvet and got out of bed. Kelly was always trying to persuade her to make the switch to green tea, but Alice simply couldn’t face it first thing, a legacy from those morning-brew-and-briefing meetings at the yard. Everything was unfamiliar here and even the carpet beneath her feet felt different. It was like being on holiday, as though in a week she’d go back to Sheffield and pick up her life where she’d left off.
