Chapter Five
‘I’m sorry I’m so late.’ Mandy stood on the doorstep of Lilac Cottage, where her grandparents had lived for as long as she could remember. Thank goodness she had finished work for the day. She had been called out to a calving after her chat with Emily, then got stuck behind a tractor on the way back. This had made her late for evening surgery, which had been Monday evening crazy.
Dorothy Hope, Mandy’s grandmother, smiled. ‘At least you’re here now,’ she said, holding out her arms for a hug. She led Mandy inside.
Grandad Hope, who was waiting in the hallway, took her coat and hung it up. ‘You’re so busy these days,’ he said.
‘I hope I haven’t ruined your lovely food,’ Mandy said apologetically.
There was laughter in Gran’s eyes. ‘I had enough years of your dad being late for meals that I know not to cook anything that would spoil when I have a veterinary surgeon coming for dinner,’ she said. Mandy followed her grandparents through into the dining room. ‘I’ve made some soup,’ Gran told her.
Tom Hope pulled out a chair and ushered Mandy into it. There was a crusty loaf on the table. How Gran still managed to find the energy to do so much baking seemed like a minor miracle to Mandy, whose cooking skills were woefully basic. She really should try to learn, she thought, as Gran brought in the soup. It was winter vegetable, filled with onions and sweet potatoes, and with an unexpected kick of chilli.
Tom Hope finished buttering a slice of bread and looked up. ‘Anything interesting happen today?’
‘I only went on two calls,’ Mandy said, ‘but they were certainly challenging.’ Gran and Grandad were looking at her with both sympathy and interest. ‘The first was to a lame sheep up at Ainthrop,’ she continued.
‘Oh. The smallholding up near Jack Mabson’s place?’ put in Tom Hope.
‘That’s the one.’ Mandy nodded. Her grandfather’s local knowledge never ceased to amaze her. ‘It took ages to catch the ewe with the sore foot,’ she said. ‘Then I had a calving just before surgery.’ She flexed the hand that was now grasping her spoon. The muscles of her forearm protested. The calf had been breech and it had been painful working inside the cow as the uterus contracted down on her arm. She had managed to get the rope around the foot eventually, but there had been times when she felt as if her arms had turned to putty.
‘Was the calf okay?’ Grandad was looking at her proudly, as if he was already confident that everything had been perfect.
‘It was fine.’ Mandy smiled. Once she had corrected the breech, the calf had slipped out easily. The cow had turned and started to lick the little creature, which in turn had lifted its head. It had started to make its first wobbly attempts at standing up before Mandy had left the farm. She had popped her head back inside the byre after washing up. The calf had managed to stand up with its hind legs and was trying, in ungainly fashion, to co-ordinate its front end.
‘Well done you. Should I cut some more bread?’ Grandad offered, reaching for the bread knife.
‘Yes, please.’ Mandy watched as her grandfather carved off a thick slice and moved the plate towards her.
‘I was in the post office today.’ Gran pushed away her empty bowl and leaned back in her chair. ‘They had the most wonderful handpainted Christmas cards. And Gemma Moss was telling me that Reverend Hadcroft has invited the nursery children to perform this year’s Nativity in the church. That’s something else to look forward to.’ She looked at Mandy, who had finished her soup. ‘Would you like some more?’
‘It’s delicious.’ Mandy handed her bowl over for a refill.
‘I can’t believe it’s getting so close to Christmas!’ Gran exclaimed. ‘It feels like no time at all since you were coming back from Leeds and now here you are, quite settled.’ It was true, Mandy thought. The time had just disappeared.
‘We’re so proud of you,’ Grandad put in. ‘Getting Hope Meadows up and running without a sniff of trouble. We always knew you could do anything you wanted!’
For a moment, Mandy toyed with the idea of telling them about Flame escaping and all the trouble with Geoff Hemmings. It was remarkable that Gran hadn’t been told about this juicy piece of gossip when she was in the post office. It would be better not to tell them, she decided. She hoped the matter had been sorted out now that she had spoken to PC Armstrong. It was old news already.
‘So how are things going with that nice young man from Running Wild?’ Gran was sitting back in her chair still, but Mandy could see that this was a topic that was close to her heart. Both her grandparents had been wonderfully supportive when she had parted from Simon, the boyfriend in Leeds, with whom she had been planning a very different life before her return to Welford. Though they hadn’t actively encouraged her to rush into a relationship with Jimmy, she knew that they had heard good things about him.
‘I’m seeing him again on Wednesday.’ Mandy felt a warm glow inside when she saw the approval on the two old faces that were gazing at her. Grandad, in particular, had been uneasy about Simon. She was pleased that he seemed to like Jimmy.
‘How lovely,’ Gran smiled as she held out her hand for Mandy’s empty bowl.
‘I saw him yesterday,’ Grandad put in. ‘He was coming out of Harper’s. He’d been buying food for those two gorgeous dogs of his.’
Harper’s? The feeling of warmth drained from Mandy as she remembered the unpaid invoice.
‘What’s wrong?’ Grandad was looking at her closely. He knew her too well. Gran had taken the dirty plates to the kitchen, but there was no way she could avoid telling her grandfather.
‘There was a mistake in the Harper’s bill,’ she admitted. ‘They hadn’t charged me for October. There’s not enough in the account to pay the whole thing. I meant to call Sally Harper today but I forgot all about it.’ Even as she spoke, she felt guilt rising. How could she have forgotten something so important?
But her grandad was smiling his reassurance. ‘It’s hardly surprising you forgot,’ he told her. ‘It’s easily done when you’re so busy, but it’s easily rectified as well. It was their mistake and Sally is lovely. I’m sure she’ll do everything she can to help.’
Mandy sighed. ‘I know,’ she said. ‘When I opened Hope Meadows, I knew that it wouldn’t always be plain sailing. Things have been ticking over up until now, but it’s just thrown everything out a bit.’
Grandad reached out a hand and gave hers a squeeze. ‘Try not to worry,’ he said. ‘Get in touch with Sally tomorrow and if there is any problem, give me a ring. You know we love helping you out.’
For a moment, Mandy felt tears prickling the backs of her eyes. Her grandparents had always been so supportive, but she wanted so badly to prove herself capable of managing. ‘Thanks,’ she said.
The door swung open and Gran walked in with a delicious looking pink and white Battenburg cake. ‘I know it isn’t quite Christmas yet,’ she told Mandy, with a roguish grin ‘but I thought a practice run was quite in order.’
Mandy found her smile again. Gran loved Christmas almost as much as she did and her baking had always been one of the highlights of the season. Grandad was right. Worrying wouldn’t help. She would call Sally in the morning and deal with whatever came her way.
She watched as Dorothy Hope carved a generous slice of the cake and took the plate her grandmother held out to her, ‘Thank you. It looks wonderful,’ she said.
It had started to rain by the time Mandy set out to walk back to Animal Ark. She strode up the lane, the droplets chilly on her face. Her leg muscles were aching, not just from today’s work but from a hard session yesterday evening, replacing a prolapsed uterus in a cow. It had taken ages to manipulate the swollen organ back into place. Her back was sore too. It hadn’t felt so bad earlier, but Mandy found herself wishing she could go straight into the cottage and fall into bed. Instead she had to go and check her rescue animals. Thankfully, everything was quiet. She stood for a moment with the lights off, gazing out of the rain-smeared window into the darkness, then made her way back over to the cottage and up the stairs.
She met Emily on the landing. Her mum was in her dressing gown, obviously also on her way to bed. ‘Good dinner?’ her mum asked.
‘It was lovely,’ Mandy replied. The earlier phone conversation with Jimmy popped into her head. ‘Mum, could you and Dad spare me for a couple of hours on Wednesday afternoon, please?’
‘I don’t see why not,’ Emily replied. ‘I think you’ve earned a few hours off.’ Mandy was glad when Emily didn’t ask for more details. Both she and Adam had been very good since Mandy had moved back in. They rarely interfered or pried into her private life.
Emily gave her a tired smile and Mandy was reminded of her concern for her mother’s health. The thought leaped into her mind that perhaps she should cancel Jimmy’s invitation and spend the afternoon with her mum instead. Emily had turned away, heading for her bedroom and for a moment Mandy toyed with the idea of calling her back, but it was too late tonight to call Jimmy anyway. She stood on the landing, gazing at the now closed bedroom door, then opened the door to her own room and went in.