Love Heart Lane

To Felicity’s relief, the icy silence was interrupted by the drone of the tractor making its way back through the snow towards them.

Once at the river bank, Drew jumped out, leaving the engine running. In his hands he grasped a rope.

‘I’m not sure how we’re going to do this?’ Drew shouted down the bank, the blizzard now coming down thick and fast.

Fergus looked between him and the Shetland. ‘I’m not sure how close I can get.’

The river ran along the bottom of Foxglove Farm’s boundary. Felicity remembered many hot summers swinging on the rope swing with Isla and Allie, all of them without a care in the world. The banks had been alive with nestling ducks taking advantage of the tall reeds providing shade but today everywhere was stripped bare. The river had an eerie feeling about it, and was wider than she ever remembered, flowing swift and strong.

Drew threw the rope down the bank towards Fergus who gradually began making his way into the water. The Shetland pony was now wedged against an old oak tree that must have fallen into the water after a storm.

Felicity shivered at the very thought of the icy coldness of the water against Fergus’s skin.

‘I’m going to tie this end to the tractor mate, keep hold of the rope and we’ll pull you out.’

Fergus nodded, taking in the instructions as he stumbled into the fast-flowing freezing water, which was now attempting to knock him off his feet. Suddenly he lost his footing, the water gushing over his head. Without thinking, Felicity let out a scream. She watched on in horror, her heart banging against her chest willing Fergus to reappear, her brain now in full panic.

‘There he is,’ she exhaled with relief, pointing to where Fergus reappeared above the water line. The river was bashing against his body, as his head went underneath the water for a second time.

Drew cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted with all his might. ‘FERGUS!’ He turned to Felicity. ‘I’ll have to go in after him.’

‘Wait … look!’ She pointed.

Fergus’ limbs moved slowly through the water as he managed to claw himself back up and grasp on to the fallen tree strewn across the water. Felicity gasped in relief to see he’d managed to get himself upright. The river was flowing around his thighs, swirling around his stomach and splashing into his face as he waded towards the Shetland which was now within grabbing distance.

‘The water is too fast … I can’t … I can’t…’ His voice petered out as he slipped again under the fast-flowing water.

Felicity’s heart was in her mouth. ‘Please let him be okay,’ she whispered to herself as she saw Fergus fight to get to his feet once more, his exhausted but strong arms powering through the water.

They both watched in anticipation as Fergus looped the end of the rope and tied it securely.

‘Throw it,’ instructed Drew.

Fergus flicked a quick glance over towards Drew before taking a deep breath. He focused his gaze and threw the rope successfully over the little pony’s head.

‘Yes!’ Drew shouted, triumphantly punching the air. ‘Keep hold of the rope,’ he shouted down the bank before turning towards Felicity. ‘Can you remember how to drive the tractor?’

Felicity thought for a second. There had been many summers she’d helped out at the farm. ‘Yes, I think I do.’

‘You jump in and drive it slowly, and I mean slowly. I’m going down to the water,’ Drew continued, beginning to clamber down the bank.

The snow wasn’t slowing down, and thick flakes pelted against their cheeks, clinging to their eyelashes and hair. Even though Felicity was frozen to her core it was nothing compared to what Fergus must be suffering right that very second in the freezing cold river.

Climbing into the tractor, she was relieved to have shelter from the flakes. She started driving the tractor slowly.

She could hear Drew yelling behind her and opened the door quickly to make sure everything was okay. He was back on the top of the bank and gave her the thumbs up. She continued to drive forward. She’d no clue what was going on behind her but then suddenly Drew was at the side of the vehicle banging on the window. Immediately, Felicity came to a stop and turned off the engine.

‘They’re out.’ The look of relief on Drew’s face said it all. ‘But we need to get Fergus back to the farmhouse ASAP. I’m going to take the pony over to the stable block, but I need you to drive him back. He needs to get out of those wet clothes and get warmed up. His body temperature has dropped considerably.’

Just as Drew was talking, the passenger door opened, and an exhausted Fergus wearily climbed into the tractor and slumped into the seat. He was soaked to the bone, his head bent low, his lips blue and he couldn’t stop shivering.

Felicity’s heart began to race as she took him in. She knew this didn’t look good.

‘Felicity,’ Drew said in a stern tone. ‘He needs to get out of those clothes, wrap him in blankets and put him in front of the fire. He needs a warm drink and make sure he can swallow properly. Any concerns, ring the emergency services.’

Felicity nodded, taking in every instruction even though she knew in this weather there was no ambulance getting over the bridge and up the track into Heartcross today.

Her gaze slid to Fergus again. No matter the distance and time that was between them, Felicity’s attraction towards him had never wavered. His eyes, his skin and his toned muscles still made her pulse race and as much as they had their differences, Felicity didn’t like seeing him like this. She felt worried and knew there was every possibility his condition could worsen. They didn’t speak as Felicity ploughed the tractor through the snow and pulled up outside the farmhouse.

Almost immediately the solid oak door swung open and a very pregnant Isla was standing in the doorway. Felicity jumped down from the tractor while Isla did a double take.

‘Felicity, is that you? It is!’ Isla swooped out of the doorway.

‘Isla, we need to get Fergus inside quick. He’s been in the river.’

Isla stopped in her tracks and glanced towards the passenger side. ‘The river?’ she questioned. ‘In this weather?’

‘A Shetland was stranded in the water. We’ve just rescued it. Drew’s seeing the pony into the stable.’

Fighting against the snow that was still falling heavily to the ground Isla flung open the tractor door with vigour. Taking one look at Fergus, she assessed the situation, knowing that the circumstances were serious, and began to coax Fergus down from the tractor, his body limp and shivering.

Felicity felt heartbroken and hated seeing him like this. He’d put himself in danger and was now paying the price. She knew they needed to act fast so he didn’t deteriorate any more.

‘Can you speak?’ Felicity asked softly.

His words were slurred and his teeth were chattering, ‘I’m freezing,’ he managed to say.

‘He’s not in a good way,’ Isla quickly observed. ‘Help me get him inside.’

Felicity didn’t hesitate and hurling his arms over each one of their shoulders, they helped carry Fergus into the farmhouse.

The second they were inside, Felicity supported his weight, while Isla skinned the sodden shoes and socks from his feet before leading him into the kitchen.

With the welcoming heat from the Aga and the log fire roaring, the kitchen was toasty warm. ‘Peel those clothes off him now,’ instructed Isla, ‘while I grab some towels, blankets and some of Drew’s clothes.’

Felicity hesitated, her face heated.

‘Now Felicity—’ Isla’s tone was firm ‘—time is precious, and it’s not as though you haven’t seen it all before.’ With that, she hurried out of the kitchen.

Inside her head, Felicity gave herself a talking to. Isla was right, there was no time to lose.

‘Is that okay … Fergus?’

With his teeth still chattering he just nodded and Felicity guided him to the rug in front of the fire. He continued to shiver and didn’t object to Felicity helping him out of his clothes, but he avoided eye contact with her at all costs. As she stripped off his damp clothes the familiarity was all too much for Felicity. She gently touched a body that she’d spent time loving but now, he was a distant stranger. She ran her hand over the scar on his shoulder and for a second, he allowed her a moment’s eye contact before quickly looking away.

Suddenly, it hit her hard how much she’d missed him, and a twinge of sadness ricocheted through her body. He was still overwhelmingly sexy, and she knew the second she set eyes on him she was still attracted to him. But there was no going back. She knew from past conversations with her mum that Fergus had moved on and had a family of his own now. These feelings for him were ones she needed to curb for the two weeks she was back home in Heartcross, for everyone’s sake. Fergus and Felicity had a past, as childhood sweethearts who had made plans and dreams. But that was over now.

Felicity sighed inside. What was the point in raking up the past? It wasn’t going to help either of them.

Isla returned a few minutes later, armed with blankets and a set of Drew’s clothes, and while Felicity held a towel around Fergus’s waist Isla quickly began to dress him then draped the blankets over his shoulders. Once he was safely in the old battered armchair in front of the fire she put the kettle on the hotplate of the Aga.

‘He needs warm sweet tea.’

Felicity perched on the edge of the small coffee table next to him and automatically placed her hand lightly on his knee. His eyes skimmed hers for a split second. ‘Are you feeling any better?’ she asked, trying to keep her voice bright.

Fergus looked up as Isla placed a steaming mug of tea in his hand and one in Felicity’s too. ‘Drink this slowly,’ she said to Fergus. ‘There’s a couple of sugars in that.’

He nodded and took small sips.

Isla turned back towards Felicity. ‘I’ll finally say my hellos,’ she said, with her arms open wide. Felicity stood up and hugged her as best she could with Isla’s heavily pregnant stomach in the way.

‘Good grief, you’re sodden too,’ she said, pulling away quickly. ‘Do you need a change of clothes?’

‘Honestly, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me,’ Felicity said, not wanting to make a fuss. ‘I’ll sit here and get warm by the fire. And congratulations! Look at you, all blooming. I believe it’s any minute now for this little one to make an appearance.’

Isla patted her stomach. ‘Blooming fed up. I’m more than ready for this wee one to come out now, and me, you and Allie, we need a proper catch up. I’m so glad you’re home.’ Isla pulled Felicity in for another quick hug.

Felicity felt relieved there was no awkwardness between her and Isla. It was like they’d never been apart. Isla had always been the calm friend, the voice of reason. She always saw the good in everyone and Felicity was thankful she’d welcomed her back with open arms.

Then, her thoughts turned to Allie. She knew it might not be as easy to build bridges with her. Allie was without a doubt the friend with lots of character, the feisty friend, who could hold a grudge until the cows came home … stubborn beyond belief. But even though the three of them had had their spats over the years they’d always stuck by each other no matter what … until Felicity had left the village. It was safe to say Felicity felt nervous at the thought of catching up with Allie.

‘How will Allie feel about that?’ asked Felicity, with a worried expression etched on her face.

Isla took a moment to answer. ‘I won’t try to hide the fact she was mad when you left without telling her. In fact, imagine one of those cartoon characters with steam shooting out of their ears, stomping around … I’m only joking,’ laughed Isla seeing the look of horror on Felicity’s face then taking a swift glance towards Fergus suddenly realising he’d been the reason Felicity had fled so suddenly in the first place. ‘But we know her from old, she’ll be fine,’ she quickly added, giving Felicity a knowing look with a tilt of the head towards Fergus.

Isla knew the heartache and devastation that Fergus had gone through after the tragedy; she and Drew had been left to pick up the pieces. But Felicity had no idea the effect her leaving had had on Fergus. Isla and Drew had never seen him so low, and he’d been lost without Felicity.

Fergus coughed and they both spun around towards him.

‘How’re you doing, Fergus?’ Isla asked, tentatively.

‘I’m okay, I’m just starting to feel a little normal again.’ They both noticed his teeth had finally stopped chattering and it was also a good sign that Fergus’s speech was normal, the colour of his lips gradually returning to a pinkish colour.

‘Is there anything I can get you?’ Isla asked, but before Fergus could answer Drew bounded through the kitchen door, stripping off his own wet coat from his back.

‘How are you?’ Drew placed a hand on his mate’s shoulder.

‘I’m doing okay, the cold was just a bit of a shock.’

‘He looks surprisingly good compared to the way he looked about ten minutes ago,’ Isla added, looking between Drew and Fergus.

‘There was a split second I didn’t think we’d get the pony out of there – or you for that matter.’

‘How is the pony?’ asked Isla placing the biscuit barrel on the table. ‘You need sugar,’ she said to Fergus passing him a biscuit before turning back towards Drew.

‘I’ve dried her off, put the heat lamps on in the barn and buckled on two fleece coats to warm her up, but with her thick coat we shouldn’t have any problems. She’s got plenty of hay. I’ll check on her again after I’ve taken Flick home and picked up Finn.’

‘Or you could stay for tea,’ suggested Isla, looking at Felicity. ‘There’s last night’s leftover curry and Finn would love to meet you.’

Felicity swallowed and shot a quick look over at Fergus, who wasn’t forthcoming with any encouragement – but why would he be? She was probably the last person he wanted to spend any time with.

‘I’d love to, but I’ve only just arrived home and Mum will be expecting me and the logs.’

‘The logs!’ Drew threw his hands up the air. ‘I’ve forgotten the logs with everything. I’ll load them up now and get you home to Rona.’

‘Thanks Drew, I’ll come and help. We’ll do it in half the time.’

‘If you’re sure?’

As Felicity stood to leave, she hovered at the side of Fergus. Her mind was in complete overdrive. She knew there was unfinished business between them, but this wasn’t the right time to bring any of it up.

‘Fergus…’ Felicity took a breath. ‘Can I come and see you?’ Feeling the emotion rise up inside her, she swallowed hard. Fergus didn’t look up but stared into the fire with the blankets still firmly wrapped around his shoulders. His features had suddenly become expressive. Disapproval was etched into every line, but he didn’t respond, leaving Isla and Drew exchanging uncomfortable looks.

Felicity’s lower lip quivered as she followed Isla into the hallway. As soon as they were out of ear shot of Fergus, Isla spoke. ‘He’ll come round, it’s just the shock of seeing you again,’ she said softly, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Felicity tried for a smile; the sad thing was that deep down she knew Fergus was still hurting. She was still hurting too. At one time Fergus would have given her the world but now he could barely make eye contact with her. She’d thrown away everything.

‘I hope so Isla, I really hope so.’

Chapter 4

Back at the cottage the fire was nearly out when Drew and Felicity arrived. Fighting against the blizzard outside, Drew kindly loaded all the wood into the log shed and hauled in a huge basket of wood and placed it by the fire.

‘This should keep you going until morning,’ he said, bending down and poking the embers of the fire before throwing a few more logs into the grate. Within no time at all the fire was thankfully roaring once more.

Rona was more than thankful to Drew and offered him a cup of tea and slice of cake which he was grateful for.

‘Meredith has invited everyone over to the pub tonight for chilli. Are you and Isla going?’ asked Rona turning towards Drew.

‘It’s the first I’ve heard of it but if it’s an open invitation I’m not one to pass up on Meredith’s chilli, and I think it will do Isla good to get out for a while.’

‘Yes, it’s an open invitation. I think she thought everyone would have had quite a day of it with the weather and wouldn’t feel much like cooking.’

‘And she is right, we were having leftover curry. God love that woman, always thinking of others. I’ll pick up Finn from his friend’s and we’ll see you over the pub in about an hour,’ he said, finishing his tea and cake before pulling on his coat that had been warming on the armchair in front of the fire.

‘Good, good,’ said Rona, showing Drew to the front door after Felicity thanked him for rescuing her suitcase and bringing her home.

While she could still hear Rona chatting away to Drew, Felicity wandered through to the kitchen and placed the kettle on the hotplate of the Aga. The sound of the constant dripping from the tap caught her attention but however hard she tried she couldn’t get it to stop. Taking a look around the room she noticed that the place not only seemed tired, but the room felt quite chilly too. She placed her hand on the radiator. It was stone cold and she shivered. The only heat was coming from the Aga. She wandered over to the pantry and opened up the door, astonished to find the shelves near enough bare, when they’d always been packed to the brim with baking ingredients for the teashop cakes.

Felicity could still hear her mum and Drew talking so unlocked the duck-egg coloured door next to the pantry which led into the teashop. She switched on the light and stood and stared.

Drew had been right; this place looked like it hadn’t been in use for a while. Everywhere seemed worn, tired and washed out. Felicity brushed her hand over the counter and a mushroom of dust danced before her eyes. The whole place seemed so lifeless, so colourless. Even the shabby chic coloured bunting that criss-crossed the ceiling looked drab; it had definitely seen better days.

Felicity walked past all the chairs neatly pushed underneath the tables towards the front of the shop. She could visualise her grandmother standing in the front window smoothing down her white pinny before waving madly at her as she walked home from school along Love Heart Lane. Every night, without fail she’d waited in the window at the same time.

Felicity couldn’t help but wonder what had happened here and began to feel guilty and confused. How did she not know the shop had closed? This was her mum’s livelihood.

Through the window Felicity watched Drew climb into his tractor and wave goodbye to Rona as he drove off back home towards Foxglove Farm. The rest of the lane was silent. The line of houses on Love Heart Lane looked like a picturesque snowy Christmas card, with some of the cottages in complete darkness while others were lit up. There was a romantic feel about the place.

Felicity watched Rory, who lived opposite, as he stood in the middle of his living room hugging a mug. She and Rory had grown up together in the village and like everyone else in Heartcross, they had once been good friends. Rory had always known from an early age that he wanted to be a vet. His parents Stuart and Alana Scott ran the veterinary surgery in the village, and Rory was now in partnership with them.

Felicity heard a noise behind her and spun round as Rona appeared by her side. ‘I wondered where you’d got to.’

‘Mum, what’s happened to this place? Why didn’t you tell me the teashop wasn’t up and running?’

The teashop was a place where Felicity had spent most of her free time as a young girl, especially in the school holidays. She’d worked alongside her mum and grandmother helping to bake the scrumptious cakes Bonnie was famously known for, and when she was in her teens she’d waited tables. Early mornings had always been Felicity’s favourite time. The mouth-watering aromas that had drifted from Bonnie’s kitchen were a great start to the day. Before school, Felicity had always helped to arrange the home-baked pastries and cakes in the open counter and on the numerous glass-domed cake stands in exchange for her daily gingerbread man that she took to school without fail.

Most weekends this small teashop would be jam-packed with passing ramblers who’d trek through the mountainous terrain of Heartcross and sample the delicious delights of Bonnie Stewart’s baking. Her grandmother had opened the tearoom on a whim. Her cottage was the last stop on Love Heart Lane before the hikers ventured on the three-hour rocky trek to reach the summit of Heartcross Mountain. It was a great last stop to fuel the body and grab a cuppa and of course use the bathroom facilities.

As Rona pondered the answer to the question a look of pain crossed her face. ‘It’s not been that easy, Felicity.’ Her voice was low and shaky taking Felicity by surprise. Her mum had always been a tower of strength and seeing the look on her mother’s face, she felt numb, an entire stock of emotions running through her body. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked hesitantly.

‘I tried my best,’ said Rona, holding on to the last trace of pride.

Felicity’s heart sank.

‘I couldn’t do everything.’

Feeling wretched, Felicity blinked back the tears that brimmed in her eyes. The business her grandmother had worked so hard for lay in ruins. What had her grandmother thought? The teashop closed, her hopes and dreams dashed. Felicity swallowed hard. She’d never thought in a million years that this place would close. Add in the factor that her mum was clearly struggling, and Felicity felt shaken by it all.

‘I tried to keep things afloat but everything just spiralled out of control. It all got a bit too much for me.’

The comfortingly familiar life and beloved teashop had folded around Rona and Felicity had been none the wiser. She was devastated that she’d been caught up in her own little world and never realised how bad things had got back home. This place had been the heart of the community for decades, and this was a hurdle that they needed to get over. This place couldn’t stay shut. In deep thought, Felicity linked her arm through her mum’s and turned to slowly walk back into the kitchen of the cottage.

‘I’ll make us a hot drink and bring it through. You go and sit down.’

Rona nodded and settled down on the wingback chair in front of the fire. As soon as the drinks were made Felicity slid herself on to the battered old chesterfield.

‘How long has the shop been closed?’

Rona looked up at her daughter. ‘About eight months.’ She let out a breath. ‘Everything seemed to all go wrong at once.’

‘You mean with Grandma being ill.’

Rona nodded. ‘That was the start of it, but not just that, there was this place too. Everything seemed to break at once. The boiler packed up, the tap’s beginning to leak and looking after your grandma full time meant I couldn’t juggle the shop.’ The tone to her voice was sad.

Felicity sat back and digested this information, ‘Did you get any help with Grandma?’

Rona shook her head and took a sip of her drink. ‘No, all those years ago we’d made a pact; when the time came, she never ever wanted to go into a home. I promised I would care for her until the very end and that’s what I did. She dedicated her life to looking after me, looking after us when you were growing up. I couldn’t even afford my own house after your father died, there was no life insurance or any spare cash. We’d always lived here with Mum and after putting a roof over our heads all this time it wasn’t a big ask. I kept my promise.’

A small tear slid down Rona’s face. ‘I miss her so much. And there’s still so much to sort out, her clothes and belongings, but I just can’t face it all at the minute.’

‘I can help with all that while I’m here.’

Rona smiled with appreciation towards her daughter.