‘Oh, thank you, Jasper!’ she gushed and hugged him.
‘What for?’ he asked bemused.
‘Oh, for… offering it to us,’ she gabbled, then went to hug Adira.
Rory gave him a knowing look and mouthed, ‘Fever pitch,’ making Jasper grin. Both girls gave each other a tight squeeze.
‘Come on, a celebratory drink’s in order,’ said Jasper.
‘Are you sure?’ Rory asked, surprised the newlyweds wanted company.
‘Why not? We’ve a house full already,’ replied Jasper dryly.
The four of them trundled through the frost-glazed fields back to The Laurels. It was late afternoon and the sun was setting. Rory took in the stunning scenery – a burnt orange sky turning to dusk, with the snow-capped hills in the distance. This beautiful place was to be his home. He would have the pleasure of these views every day. Instead of queuing in the smog-filled traffic of north London, to work in an office full of people he didn’t like or trust, he would now start and finish his days here, in Lilacwell, with the woman he loved. A deep, profound happiness overcame him, making his eyes fill with emotion.
‘You OK?’ Cassie touched his arm, noticing he’d gone quiet. He turned and took hold of her hand.
‘Never better,’ he smiled.
As they entered The Laurels, the warmth from the place instantly hit them.
‘Oh, that’s better,’ said Adira, thankful as ever for the Aga’s heat. She reached for the kettle, but Jasper stopped her.
‘Let’s crack open the champagne, we’re celebrating,’ he declared. There were several bottles left from the wedding in the utility room. He popped one open, filled their glasses and proposed a toast.
‘To the barn conversion.’ He raised his glass.
‘To the barn conversion!’ they all chorused.
‘What name are you going to give it?’ Adira asked.
Cassie looked at Rory. She hadn’t thought about that. However, Rory had.
‘The Harvest Barn,’ he announced.
Chapter 35
It was Christmas Eve and on cue Lilacwell had received a dusting of snow to help celebrate the occasion. Parents walked excited children through the sparkling white nature trails, in an attempt to calm their offspring down and wear them out. Snowmen stood on the village green, solemnly staring at snowballs being pelted across them. Families sledged down the slippery hills, squealing in delight with rosy cheeks. The high street shops were open till late afternoon, a godsend to all the last-minute shoppers, of which Cassie was one. But her last-minute gift was bespoke and she had travelled to The Cobbled Courtyard.
Ever since Rory had named their new home ‘The Harvest Barn’, an idea had crept into her head. She was going to have a sign made and wanted Fitz to do it. Cassie had been impressed at the campervan doorstops he had carved for Adira and Jasper’s wedding and thought he would do an excellent job in creating a wooden, handcrafted sign for the barn.
Cassie had entered Fitz’s workshop full of enthusiasm. Whilst she’d known Max most of her life, having grown up with him, Fitz had only moved to Lilacwell about two years ago. He was always polite, but quiet and very much kept himself to himself. Fitz appeared to welcome the suggestion of him making the sign.
‘Have you any design in mind?’ he asked with a smile.
‘Well, as it’s going to be called The Harvest Barn, I’d like something relating to crops in it.’ She looked hesitantly at him. ‘Do you know what I mean?’ she asked frowning.
‘Hmm, how about a sheaf of corn entwined through the lettering?’ suggested Fitz. ‘Something like this.’ Fitz took an artist pad and pencil off a nearby shelf and sketched an outline of his idea. Cassie watched his hand as it deftly moved the pencil across the blank page with swift strokes. He was a natural artist. Within a few minutes he had finished and tilted the pad towards her. ‘What about that?’
‘Perfect,’ she replied in amazement. Fitz had completely captured what she wanted. The lettering was bold, but simple, not too fancy and the sheaf of corn that threaded through it was subtle but extremely effective. ‘That’s fabulous, Fitz.’ Cassie looked up from the page. Fitz just shrugged. He was clearly a very humble artist. ‘When could you have it ready? I appreciate it won’t be tomorrow,’ she laughed.
‘No, you’ll have to tell Rory that Father Christmas was late with this present,’ he joked. ‘But next week probably,’ he added.
‘That’s great, thanks Fitz.’
‘No problem,’ he smiled.
Cassie’s mind was whirling on the drive back. It wasn’t just the barn sign that had entered Cassie’s head. All sorts of ideas were tumbling their way in. Whilst Rory’s head was full of planning applications, architectural designs and ecological assessments, hers had been turning over marketing campaigns. The Harvest Barn wouldn’t be just a house name, they both saw it as a potential brand. As owners of a smallholding, they would indeed be harvesters, sowing and reaping their very own produce. Obviously they would be living off their own land, but would have plenty to sell as well. The Harvest Barn would make an excellent name for their business. Following Lisa’s lead with social media, Cassie imagined websites, Facebook pages, Instagram and Twitter accounts, all with The Harvest Barn blazoned across them. She would record the progress of renovating the barn and building the smallholding and post updates on their blog. People loved that kind of thing, didn’t they? She’d researched various sites online and it seemed watching something grow from nothing and transforming into something spectacular was what the public craved. She thought of crumbling chateaux being restored to boutique hotels, derelict cottages into swanky holiday retreats, even tatty, old horse boxes into groovy mobile homes. The list was endless, as were the renovator’s innovative ideas. And Cassie had plenty of ideas bubbling away in her head. She really wanted to contact the local press, as previously proposed, to get them on board with their journey. It would bring future custom. Cassie knew how Rory didn’t particularly relish attention as the ‘Climate Warrior’ but insisted he ought to milk it. Being dubbed this title had instantly given him exposure, which they could put to good use. Rory once again was reluctant about this, but he did concede that as a business, The Harvest Barn would indeed benefit from all the publicity it could get. And now Fitz had unwittingly designed the ideal logo for it.
