I found myself at the back of the group with Paula, leading a one-year-old called Macduff.
‘It’s been amazing,’ I said. ‘You’ve got something really special here. You must be so proud of what you’ve done.’
‘Thank you. We are and we’ll be sorry to let it go.’
‘You’re stopping the cow cuddling?’
‘We’re not meant to be telling anyone yet,’ she said, her voice low. ‘My parents and Glen’s have developed some health challenges and need our support. We’ve got a buyer lined up to take over in July but they have a different view to us on how farms should run. They’re strongly against inviting the public onto their land so they won’t be continuing with the cow cuddling.’
‘I’m sorry about your parents,’ I said. ‘That must be hard for you and I can imagine letting go of the farm hasn’t been an easy decision.’
‘Lots of sleepless nights but we both know it’s the right thing to do. We’re blessed to have reached our late fifties and still have all four parents so we want to spend as much time with them as we can.’
‘What will happen to the cuddle cows?’ I shook my head. ‘I don’t know why I asked that. I was raised on a dairy farm so I’m well aware of what happens to retired dairy cows.’
‘We’re farmers,’ Paula said. ‘It’s how it works but I will admit that it’s going to be harder with the cuddle cows. They’re like part of the family.’
My mind was racing once more. What if Paula and Glen sold their cuddle cows to us? Mam and I were both experts in dairy cow care and we had plenty of barns and fields we could use onour farm.Ourfarm. I already thought of it as home. I couldn’t say anything to Paula just yet but if – when – Hazelwick Farm was confirmed as ours, I’d be straight on the phone to her to see if a deal could be done.
* * *
‘That was one of the best surprises ever,’ I said to Mam as we drove back towards Parsley Meadows a little later. ‘Thank you so much for that.’
‘My pleasure. It was even better than I expected and I think Maddie enjoyed it too, didn’t you?’
Maddie was scrolling through her phone, looking at the photos and videos she’d taken but she looked up, smiling. ‘It was brilliant, Nanna. Thank you.’
I twisted round in my seat to look at her. ‘What was your favourite part?’
Her smile faded and she shrugged dismissively before putting her earbuds in. Heart heavy, I turned back round. I should have known that her positive mood wouldn’t last – or at least not around me.
‘You and Paula looked deep in conversation when we were walking the fluffies,’ Mam said.
‘We were. She let it slip that they’re selling up.’ I shared Paula’s revelation about the farm selling. ‘How would you feel about working with cows again?’
‘I love cows nearly as much as I love horses and?—’
But she didn’t get to finish that sentence because my phone rang.
‘It’s the estate agent,’ I said, my heart pounding as I switched the phone to speaker so Mam could hear the conversation.
‘Hi, Grace, it’s Darren from Brigham & Crane. I’ve just spoken to Mr and Mrs Garstang and I have some great news foryou. They’ve accepted your revised offer on Hazelwick Farm. It’s all yours.’
My heart leapt. ‘That’s fantastic news, Darren. Thank you so much.’
Mam glanced at me with the biggest grin on her face. We had the farm and I was certain that Mam would be up for introducing cow cuddling experiences. This was it. This was the fresh start we all needed and I couldn’t wait to move in.
8
FOUR MONTHS LATER
‘I was determined not to cry but look at the state of me.’ Jude blotted her eyes with a damp tissue. ‘What am I going to do without you, Grace?’
I wanted to say something back but the lump in my throat was so huge that there was no room for words to squeeze past it. Instead, I grabbed her in a tight hug, tears running down my own cheeks. Even if I had been able to speak, I doubted I’d have found the words to describe how much I was going to miss her.
‘Do you want me to drop the keys off at the estate agent?’ Jude asked as we reluctantly released each other. ‘Save you the detour.’
‘That would be amazing if you don’t mind. It’s going to be a long enough journey as it is.’
