Page 43 of A Scottish Love Story
‘You needn’t worry about him. Roxie could have had her pick of half the men around here, but she has never been serious about any of them. I’ve never heard her say any of them were special either,’ she added, giving him a cheeky grin. ‘Are you going to marry her?’
‘If she’ll have me.’ Ciaran grinned, suddenly feeling full of joy and thankful he had made the long journey. ‘It is wonderful that Roxie has got her furniture back. She was so upset.’
‘Indeed, she was,’ Beth said.
‘I wonder if we should take it back with us while I have the lorry here.’
‘I don’t know.’ Beth pondered. ‘Would you have room for it in your lorry if you buy some cows? Has Roxie room for it where she stays?’
‘I have plenty of room in my lorry, and in my house,’ Ciaran said. ‘I’ll ask Roxie.’
‘If you decide to take all her furniture, let me know. My cousin is a joiner and he can come and show you how to take the big wardrobe into three sections. He’d help you load too, if you want. He knows what he’s doing for that kind of work.’
* * *
Showered, changed and still eating her breakfast, Roxie returned to the kitchen to find Ciaran at ease and laughing with Maggie and Beth. She poured herself another cup of coffee and offered Ciaran some.
‘No, thanks. I see some people have started to arrive and a man is showing them where to park. My lorry is well out of the way, though.’
‘Shall we go for a proper look through the rest of the cattle now, then?’ Roxie asked, standing up as she quickly drank her coffee. ‘I didn’t show you where the heifers are, or the young stock. We tried to keep them well spread out so as not to get dirty again.’
Outside they were just crossing the farm yard when they met a smartly dressed man. Roxie stopped suddenly, recognising him. His appearance jolted her memory.
‘It may be worth introducing you to this man,’ she said in a low voice. ‘It is his artificial insemination company who bought Sunwick Best Boy from Dad. I’ve just remembered something...’
‘Good morning, Roxanne.’ The man greeted her cheerfully. ‘I heard you’d moved to Scotland, but I wondered if you would behere for the sale. Selling the Caldbrook herd was a surprise to a lot of us.’
‘I know, but dairying is not Tommy’s favourite type of farming. I’m pleased he’s not waited any longer to dispose of Dad’s lifetime’s work. I’ve been here all week helping. Seeing you reminded me your firm has twenty-five straws of semen from the Sunwick bull. My father reserved them in case he wanted to use him again later.’
‘Yes, we have.’ He grinned exultantly. ‘But your brother will have no use for them now.’ Roxie reached for Ciaran’s hand and squeezed hard, shooting him a look that seemed to him half pleading, and yet excited. Whatever it meant, he gently pressed her fingers in response. ‘Tommy doesn’t need them, but my fiancé does.’ To Ciaran’s amazement, she drew him forward. His heart soared. ‘He’s here to buy some of the Caldbrook stock. He’s grading up his own herd.’ Roxie knew she was talking too fast, but she felt Ciaran’s firm clasp around her fingers and she knew he understood her silent message. He didn’t seem to mind her claiming him as her fiancé.
‘There was me thinking we could sell the semen for twice the price,’ the man said, looking disappointed.
‘It’s already twice the price it was early on,’ Roxie said. ‘You bought five straws, didn’t you, Ciaran? I couldn’t believe they cost so much.’
‘Have you used them yet?’ the man asked with genuine interest.
‘Yes, I’ve three in calf and two straws in reserve,’ Ciaran answered readily.
‘What’s the name of your herd? Maybe I could call on you when I’m up in Scotland, perhaps at the Highland Show time.’
‘I’m still grading up so only half the herd is fully pedigree. The herd name is Oaklands.’
‘You’ll not be long before you have them all pedigree when you have Roxanne for your wife. Her father always said she could pick out a good animal as well as he could. Well, well, that is a piece of good news. I am only here to have a look how the progeny of the Sunwick bull has done and to see whether there is anything else we should be keeping an eye on. I am on my way south, so I need to get away promptly.’
‘We shall leave you to look, then,’ Roxanne said, drawing Ciaran away while chewing on her lower lip in the anxious way he had come to recognise. She lowered her voice. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve complicated things, claiming you as my fiancé. I never thought he might want to visit you at home in Scotland. You will have to invent an excuse for b-breaking a phoney engagement, but I thought you might as well benefit from the free semen, if possible. His firm have made a fortune out of that bull already.’
‘Roxie, stop talking a moment,’ Ciaran said softly, pausing and turning her to face him. ‘If I had my way there is nothing, absolutely nothing, I want more than for us to be truly engaged and planning our wedding. You must know by now how much I want you. I love you. The question is could you ever learn to love me? Love me enough to be my wife, I mean, on days when I’m a bad-tempered bugger, the way I was the first time we met?’ He was pleading with her boyishly. ‘As well as the good days?’
‘Ciaran! Are you saying that to make me feel better about telling fibs?’
‘I’m saying it because it’s true! Much as I appreciate you procuring some valuable semen for me, I would be the happiest man alive if I thought you would marry me.’
Roxie stared up at him. The anxious look in her eyes was replaced by pure joy.
‘I do love you, Ciaran,’ she said softly and he couldn’t doubt her sincerity. ‘I don’t know why, when we argue, or how you canarouse such longing in me when no one else has ever made me want more than a brief kiss, but — but somehow...’
‘Dearest Roxie, do you truly mean that? Do you love me enough to be my wife? Could you live with me and love me for a lifetime?’ He looked deep into her eyes and she couldn’t doubt the earnestness she saw there.
