‘If it means having you back working for me, Tasha, then I’ll happily do all those things.’
She was amazed and took a few seconds to gather herself enough to speak.
‘Fine. Then I’ll come back and work for you. Not until I’ve had a couple of weeks’ holiday though.’
He shrugged. ‘Whatever you want.’
‘We’ve got news of our own,’ Erin said, grinning.
‘What now?’ Callum asked, shooting Erin an anxious look.
She laughed. ‘No need to panic. It’s just that now we’re married, Riley will be able to live here, so that’s what he’s going to do.’
Tasha couldn’t believe it. ‘Really?’
Riley nodded. ‘I’ve moved into Erin’s flat above her salon for the time being while we look for our own property. Which is why you taking a couple of weeks off works well with our plans to get straight on and search for something.’
Tasha laughed. Typical Riley, always agreeable when it suited him.
53
CALLUM
After Erin and Riley left, Callum decided he and Tasha should get out of the flat.
‘It’s another beautiful day,’ Callum said, looking out of the window at the cloudless blue sky. ‘Why don’t we go and see how they’re getting on at Hollyhock Farm now the filming has ended?’
‘I love that idea,’ Tasha said, getting to her feet. ‘It’ll be fun to go back there. I’ll need a couple of minutes to brush my hair, then I’ll be with you.’
‘Great. I’ll send Lettie a text asking if she minds us going there and tell her we don’t wish to disturb her if she’s working.’
Lettie responded within a few seconds, telling him to take as long as they wanted walking around the land and to pop in when they had finished for some tea and cake.
He wasn’t surprised she had invited them in for refreshments. Lettie had been brought up by Lindy, after all, and of all the times he’d visited the farm growing up Callum couldn’t recall one time when Lindy didn’t have something tasty to offer to guests.
Callum was looking forward to showing Tasha more of the property.
As soon as they arrived, he led her to the lower field where the alpacas stood staring at them like three nosy old ladies.
‘They’re adorable,’ Tasha said, stroking the soft noses. ‘And so tame.’
‘Most of the animals here were rescued by Lettie’s father over the years. The few cows he has left are also elderly but when he sold his dairy herd around eleven or twelve years ago to grow organic produce, he decided to keep them and just let them spend their old age where they had always lived.’
‘That’s so sweet,’ Tasha said.
‘They’re a good family. I’m relieved the filming at the farm has brought in an added income. They’ve had a few problems over the past year or so.’ He took her hand and led her away.
‘Where to now?’
‘The wildflower meadow.’
‘I love it there.’
It only took a couple of minutes to walk there through one of the fields and down to a dip on the other side of the part of the farm where all the filming had taken place Tasha stopped and breathed in deeply.
He watched her gaze around them at the poppies, cornflowers, ox-eye daisies, buttercups and then turned to gaze up at him in stunned delight. ‘I think this place will always remind me of you from now on,’ she said.
Callum smiled, liking the idea. ‘I’ve spent many lazy summer days down here with Zac, dozing and dreaming about our futures, keeping our feet cool in the stream.’
