‘You wanted to speak to him so this is your chance,’ Mam said.
‘I’m hardly going to blurt out that I like him in front of the whole family.’
Mam smiled. ‘Perhaps not, but you can always walk him back to his cottage afterwards.’
‘He lives a few hundred metres away. I don’t think he needs a chaperone.’
‘You could take the dogs for a walk,’ Maddie suggested. ‘You’ve got this, Mum.’ She leaned across the counter and fist bumped me, making me laugh, and her suggestion was a good one. Walking the dogs could be the perfect opportunity to talk.
* * *
Caleb knocked on the farmhouse door shortly after Hope, Nick and the kids arrived and my heart started racing as soon as I saw him looking extremely gorgeous in smart jeans and a crisp shirt. I made the introductions and Max declared that he wanted to be a vet because he thought it would be fun to shove his arm up a cow’s bottom – a revelation which pretty much set the tone for the rest of the evening.
I didn’t want to keep comparing Caleb to Laurie but I couldn’t help it. Laurie had been part of my life since the age of eighteen so comparison was perhaps inevitable. Caleb was amazing with Max and Lola – far better than Laurie had ever been around children. He had them in stitches as he shared some of the funniest – typically gross – experiences he’d had during his years as a vet.
I already knew my mam, Maddie and Jude liked him a lot but I could tell that Hope and Nick had warmed to him immediately too and that made me happy. Seeing him interacting with my family and making them laugh reminded me of the side of Laurie that I’d loved so much in the early days but, with Caleb, I knew that there was an emotional beta male behind the laughter – someone who cared deeply and wasn’t afraid to show his feelings. If Laurie had been like that, things could have been very different but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that I was always meant to end up here, without him. Although it had hurt at the time, he’d been right when he’d said that, for us,it just wasn’t meant to be forever.
When Hope announced it was time to get the kids home and to bed, Caleb said that he should probably go too. Everyone headed outside and Caleb thanked Mam for inviting him and said his goodbyes.
‘Dog walk,’ Maddie hissed at me, but Caleb was already heading up the incline with Scampi and it felt wrong – and perhaps a little desperate – to chase after him while my family were still dishing out goodbye hugs. Besides, Caleb had mentioned over tea that he’d been to the coast this afternoon and had worn Scampi out with a really long walk, so the last thing he’d want to do was take Scampi out again.
I wondered if he’d turn back to look at me – one of those telltale signs of being interested – but Max and Lola hurledthemselves at me at the same time, nearly winding me and, when I recovered, Caleb had already gone into Peartree Cottage.
‘He’s a keeper,’ Hope whispered when she hugged me goodbye.
‘We’re not together.’
‘You will be. I saw the way he was looking at you. He’s a smitten kitten.’
‘He is not.’ But my heart leapt at the thought of Hope seeing what I hoped I’d seen.
‘He is too. A loved-up pup, a lovesick chick, a?—’
I placed my hand over her mouth, making her laugh.
‘Just as well you did that,’ she said when I removed my hand, ‘cos I’d run out of animal rhymes.’
When they’d gone, the rest of us returned to the kitchen and cleared away. Wiping down the placemats, I felt a little deflated. I’d had a great day on the farm and it had been lovely to have my family gathered for tea and being so accepting of Caleb, but it hadn’t ended quite the way I’d hoped.
I jumped as Mam placed her hands on my shoulders. ‘Go to him.’
Maddie and Jude were both smiling at me and nodding.
‘I can’t.’
‘You can,’ Jude said.
‘You should,’ Maddie added.
‘But we’ve spent the last few hours together. I can’t just knock on his door and blurt out that I have feelings for him. I’d need to build up to it.’
‘What have you been doing all week?’ Jude asked.
‘Building up to it,’ I admitted, rolling my eyes. ‘Maddie’s suggestion of a dog walk was a great one but you heard him over tea. He’s already worn Scampi out and it would be odd to call for him to ask if he wants to walk Nova and Skye with me, so I’ve got no reason to see him now. Well, I have but, you know…’
‘It’d be awks,’ Maddie conceded and I nodded, grateful that at least one of them understood.
‘I still think you should grab life by the horns and do it today,’ Jude said.
