‘I’m sure it will be more than a nice surprise.’
* * *
For the next couple of hours they gossiped, and Julia’s hilarious stories about the villagers’ latest antics had Libby laughing non-stop.
‘This is what I love about this place: it’s a real community. You all work hard, laugh together, cry together and are always there for each other. I’ve lived where I’ve lived for the past ten years and I barely know my neighbours. In fact I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I’ve had a conversation with any of them, and that’s usually only when I’ve taken a parcel in for them.’
‘We’re lucky in Heartcross. I think we all realised just how special this community was when the bridge collapsed. That winter was the worst ever.’
The village of Heartcross had become famous when the worst weather in Scottish Highlands history had caused the bridge to collapse. It linked the village to the next town, and the stranded residents of Heartcross were catapulted into the national news.
‘And wait until you catch up with Isla. Foxglove Farm has expanded! The old barns have been converted and rented out to local businesses. It’s like a small countryside shopping emporium nestled in the heart of Heartcross and is called exactly that: The Heart of The Village. You’re going to love it. Buttercup Barn, the florist’s, is right in the centre. It’s beautiful. Fresh flowers every day, and Florrie, the owner, is just a gorgeous individual. You’ll love her. Flynn has given the contract to Florrie for all the wedding flowers that are organised through Starcross Manor.’
‘I can go and explore it tomorrow.’
‘Then there’s a couple of small boutiques including countryside clothing, a gift shop, the farm shop – which Drew has expanded to include a small butchers – and there’s a pet store, a baked potato van and a crêpe shop.’
‘Sounds heavenly.’
‘And not forgetting there’s the fairy wood for the children and if you feel like walking an alpaca there’s always that option too!’
Libby laughed. ‘I’ll put that on my list of things to do before I go to New York. I can’t see much chance of that happening down Fifth Avenue. Oh, it’s such a treat to catch up with you, Julia. I’ve had a lovely evening.’
‘Is that because I’m here or because you’ve met the boy next door?’
Libby rolled her eyes playfully. ‘Because I’ve spent the evening with you.’ But she had to admit that Guy had been in the back of her mind for most of the evening.
After they’d washed up the glasses and plates, Julia put on her coat and pulled on her boots. ‘There’s going to be plenty of opportunity to catch up. I can organise a Christmas girls’ night too.’ This is what Libby had missed, proper girlfriends whom she could spend quality time with, exchanging gossip and having a great laugh. It wasn’t as though she didn’t have friends, but her college friends had settled all over the country and many were now married and busy with their own families, and although Libby always sent birthday and Christmas cards, over time their invitations to meet up had dwindled and they’d drifted apart.
‘You can count me in, it’ll be great to catch up with everyone.’ Libby opened the door.
‘Keep the warmth in,’ said Julia, pressing a swift kiss to each cheek. ‘Oh, I’ve forgotten the scrapbook.’
‘Would it be possible to leave that with me for a while? I want to take a closer look at your designs.’
‘Of course you can.’
Libby watched Julia walk down the path, the fairy lights twinkling and leading the way back towards Starcross Manor. She stood for a moment enjoying the silence and took in the view. There was something very magical about this place; she felt it every time she visited her family. It was so peaceful. She hadn’t felt this relaxed in a long time. After closing the door, she switched on the TV and curled up with the throw draped over her on the settee. With the scrapbook resting on her knees, Libby began to turn the pages again, looking over Julia’s designs. Along with the wedding that she had to organise for the competition winners, she wanted to surprise Julia and turn her sketch into the wedding suit of her dreams before she left for New York. Even though Flynn had already sourced and provided a large number of amazing fabrics in the studio she knew the precise fabric she was looking for—and if she remembered rightly there was a fabric shop on the other side of the town, approximately a twenty-minute walk away. Her plan was to head there first thing. The delicate 3D flowers on Julia’s design would be time-consuming and she wanted to start on them right away. On the way back from the fabric shop, she planned to visit The Heart of The Village and call in to Buttercup Barn and introduce herself to Florrie.
The weather report followed the news and she was unsurprised to see more snow being forecast. Even though the weather was absolutely perfect for a winter wedding, providing a stunning backdrop, Libby knew that once the snow began to arrive in the Scottish Highlands it was here to stay, and one problem that she could envisage for the upcoming wedding was the travel arrangements for the wedding guests. There were bound to be disruptions and cancellations to public transport and she needed to get contingency plans in place.
Placing the scrapbook on the table, Libby reached for the remote and switched off the TV. It had been a full-on day and sleep was calling.
It wasn’t long before she found herself sinking into a comfortable bed. Exhausted after a long day she reached across and switched off the lamp then jumped as she heard a bark outside followed by a muffled voice.
Libby got up and dared to peep through the gap in the curtain. Outside in the freezing cold was Guy standing in nothing but a pair of lounging pants and boots.
‘Will you hurry up and go to the toilet? This is not a game. It’s freezing out here.’
Libby didn’t want Pickle to hurry up—she was too busy staring at Guy’s toned torso as he wrapped his arms around his body to keep warm!
Pickle was now crouched down and was excitedly trying to catch the fluttering flakes in her mouth.
‘This is not playtime! Now do your business so we can go inside.’
But Pickle had other ideas and was busy running around in circles, still trying to catch the snowflakes. ‘Right, I’ve had enough. I’m not playing this game.’
Libby smiled watching the calamity outside.
