Unable to speak for a moment, Zac cleared his throat and forced his legs to move. ‘See you in a bit then.’
4
MELODY
Fifteen minutes later, having helped her grandmother make up her bed, Melody accompanied her downstairs.
‘What do you think?’
‘I don’t care how hard the work is,’ Patsy said, keeping her voice low. ‘I’m going to make the most of every moment in this idyll.’
So was she, Melody thought, relieved to know that she would be sleeping on a comfortable bed again that night.
‘I hope we haven’t kept you waiting,’ Melody said, entering the kitchen and seeing Lindy, Lettie and Zac already there.
Lindy turned from where she was standing by the stove. ‘Take a seat, both of you, then you can tell me what you fancy to eat.’ She held up a wooden spoon. ‘I forgot to ask if you have any food preferences, allergies, that sort of thing, so we know.’
‘I eat anything,’ Patsy said proudly.
Melody smiled. ‘I’m a vegetarian.’ She hoped that wouldn’t be a problem on the farm. She knew it was an organic businessbut wasn’t sure where the family stood when it came to eating meat. ‘But I like most things other than meat or fish and I don’t have any allergies that I’m aware of.’
The sound of a noisy engine came from inside one of the barns. ‘Useless bloody thing,’ a man she presumed must be Mr Torel grumbled as he exited through one of the large double doors. ‘It was fine until its last service and I’m not going to fork out for another.’ He seemed to notice them all and frowned. ‘I didn’t realise we had guests.’
‘I’m afraid it was all a bit last minute,’ Patsy said.
Gareth smiled at her.
‘Most things are when my wife is involved,’ he joked.
Lindy frowned at him. ‘This is my husband. Gareth. And these ladies are Patsy and her granddaughter Melody.’
‘I’m very glad to meet you both.’ Melody saw him stare at her hair for a couple of seconds before seeming to realise what he was doing. He raised his hands displaying oil on his skin. ‘Er, sorry, mucky hands. What do you think of the place, or is it too early to say?’
‘We’ve only seen our rooms so far, but Lettie is going to show us around a bit later.’
‘Good. She can introduce you to the animals we have here.’
‘We’re looking forward to seeing everything,’ Patsy said, making him smile.
‘They haven’t seen anything of the place yet, Dad,’ Zac said taking cutlery from the drawer. ‘I only brought them here a short while ago.’
‘I hadn’t realised. Been too busy faffing about with that tractor in the barn to notice much else.’
Melody sensed Gareth’s frustration.
Lindy folded her arms across her chest. ‘But you’ve fixed it now, haven’t you? Or should I call that nice mechanic to come and help sort it?’
‘I’m not paying his exorbitant fees. Anyway it’s fine now. I think,’ he grumbled. ‘I didn’t want to leave here with the thing not working and cause Lettie problems. I’ve spent enough time thinking about that now though, and if it breaks down again, I’ll tell her to give the mechanic a call. Do I smell cooking?’
Lindy widened her eyes at Melody. ‘Anyone would think I didn’t cook his meals every single day,’ she said, sarcasm clear in her voice. She cocked her head in her husband’s direction and winked. ‘Maybe I should start training him, now he’s supposed to have retired from farming. I don’t want him getting bored.’
‘Chance would be a fine thing,’ Gareth said.
Lindy smiled and Melody knew she was trying to wind him up.
‘If I thought you’d allow me to cook in your precious kitchen,’ he said, giving her a peck on the cheek, ‘I’d gladly fry us a couple of eggs and some bacon, but you won’t hear of it. Don’t insinuate to these lovely people that I’m at fault for not having cooked anything for us yet.’
Lindy laughed. ‘He’s right. I refuse to let him loose in there. He’d only mess the place up and it would take me longer to clear up and put everything back into its rightful place than it does to cook the food.’
