A Taste of Home by Heidi Swain (the beginning after the end read novel TXT) 📕

people to make it profitable, but not so big that you lose the exclusive and intimate ambience…’

‘Exactly,’ he said, ‘and as you can see, we haven’t got the capability for anything like that here.’

I tucked the idea away for further thought.

‘Which is a shame,’ Jake carried on, ‘because locals often complain about not having somewhere special to eat in the evenings.’

‘Funnily enough,’ I told him, ‘Lizzie in the Cherry Tree Café was discussing that very thing, just last week. I’m surprised Wynbridge hasn’t got more restaurants given the demand.’

‘There are a couple,’ he said, ‘and they’re lovely, but nothing out of the ordinary and then there’s the pub. Once you’ve exhausted those three, and the takeaways, then there’s nothing else for miles.’

‘I see,’ I said.

‘I’m going to investigate further,’ Jake mused. ‘I know the answer is around here somewhere, I just have to find it.’

We were both lost in our thoughts for a moment and then Annie came out to join us.

‘You’re still here,’ she smiled at me. ‘Would you like some tea? I’m just making a pot for when Amber gets back.’

‘Thank you, but no,’ I said. ‘I really should be going. I’ve been gone ages. I hope Grandad’s all right.’

‘I shouldn’t worry,’ she said. ‘Eliot told me he was planning to pop in on his way past. I’m sure he would have let us know if anything was amiss.’

So, Grandad’s peaceful afternoon had been interrupted after all. I hoped Eliot had made a point of reassuring him that I had been talking about staying on at the farm.

‘Was Eliot all right?’ Jake frowned. ‘He seemed a bit quiet to me.’

‘Lots on his mind, I expect,’ said Annie, looking enquiringly at me. ‘Affairs of the heart, I reckon.’

I bent to fuss the dog to avoid her eye.

‘I should have warned you, Fliss,’ said Jake. ‘Annie can read minds as well as hearts. You have to be careful what you’re thinking around her!’

I hoped he was joking. I didn’t need anyone else working out that Eliot and I were trying to maintain a bit of distance.

‘As if,’ tutted Annie.

‘Right,’ said Jake, thankfully abandoning the subject. ‘Let’s get you moving, Fliss.’

He jogged off and reappeared not on foot, but behind the wheel of a green Land Rover. He turned off the engine, jumped out and tossed the keys to me.

‘She’s a Defender County,’ he said, patting the bonnet affectionately, ‘a two thousand plate, and Bill’s pride and joy.’

‘You’re kidding,’ I gasped, my eyes on stalks. ‘She belongs to Grandad?’

‘His last big investment and she’s as reliable as they come.’

She was also gorgeous and would be a huge help on the farm and in getting me to and from town with fruit for the Cherry Tree.

‘What’s she doing here?’ I asked.

‘She’s been with us for about a year,’ said Annie. ‘Once Bill’s hip really started to play up, he couldn’t get in and out of the cab anymore, so he asked Jake to drive her.’

‘He was never going to part with her,’ Jake further explained, ‘so I said I’d keep her here, out of harm’s way in case anyone saw her standing in the yard and took a shine to her.’

‘Stole her, you mean?’

‘Exactly. Rural crime’s big business and I think Bill felt a bit vulnerable having her at the farm and of course, he wanted to keep her running. He’s planning to drive her again himself as soon as he can comfortably get in and out, but in the meantime, she’s all yours.’

‘He wanted my licence to sort the insurance, didn’t he?’

‘He sure did.’

My hands were shaking as I climbed inside and inhaled the smell all working farm vehicles seemed to have. It was a combination of earth, oil and something indefinable.

‘What do you think?’ Jake asked, opening the passenger door and depositing a bag into the footwell. ‘Everything look familiar?’

‘Yes,’ I said, checking the dials and switches. ‘She’s in great condition.’

‘She’s certainly been loved.’

He was right about that.

‘What’s in the bag?’

‘Just a few bits,’ he shrugged. ‘I promised Bill a jar of honey.’

‘There’s more than a jar of honey in there,’ I laughed.

‘There’s some cider,’ he reeled off, ‘and sausages, a few slices of bacon and a couple of chops, oh and a salve Annie’s made to help Bill’s scar to heal. She’s a bit of a white witch on the side.’

‘I can hear you Jake Somerville,’ she said. ‘If you have to call me anything, I think I prefer healer, if it’s all the same to you.’

He looked at me and raised his eyebrows and I turned the engine over.

Having thanked them for lunch, the tour and the Skylark supplies, I set off, under my own steam at last. Grandad was waiting for me, thankfully alone, under the apple tree and his face was a picture when I gave him a blast on the horn.

‘What do you think?’ he asked.

‘I think I’m in love,’ I told him, as I jumped out. ‘Isn’t she a beauty and she drives like a dream.’

‘I had a feeling she’d be your sort of vehicle. Jake’s been very kind to keep her running and looked after.’

‘It seems to me the whole Somerville clan are kind,’ I said. ‘Wait until you see what he’s sent me back with.’

‘They’re good friends,’ he agreed. ‘But I’ve realised recently that as grateful to them, and everyone else who has rallied around me, as I am, there’s nothing quite like your own family to look after you, is there?’

Thanks to Mum’s letter, I was in a position to begin to appreciate that myself now.

‘No,’ I said, giving him a warm hug. ‘There really isn’t.’

Chapter 14

The next day I started strawing long before the sun was up. Grandad and I had let the hens out into their run together, much to the fascination of the cat who sat on the sidelines and watched, her tail swishing. None of the girls paid the slightest attention to her, so after checking I had everything I needed, and that he