Page 18 of New Beginnings on Railway Lane

The dog immediately rushed up to Katy and stuck his nose in the crotch of her jeans. Katy jumped back with a shocked laugh.

‘And hello to you too,’ she told the dog.

‘Paddington!’ said Harriet, with a groan. ‘You can’t just do that to everyone all the time. It’s so rude! Sorry, Katy,’ she added, grabbing the dog’s collar and dragging him away. ‘We’re trying to train him.’

‘You know, I’ve had Tinder dates that have done the exact same thing,’ said the petite blonde-haired woman who was wearing a dark skirt suit.

Harriet laughed. ‘Libby, you are awful! Anyway, we wanted to say hi,’ she added, turning her attention back to Katy. ‘You’re up bright and early.’

‘Well, there’s lots to do,’ said Katy, nodding at the mess surrounding her.

‘I’ll say,’ replied Libby, stepping forward to give out a low whistle as she stared around. ‘Wow. And I thought it was bad enough from the outside.’

‘This is Libby,’ said Harriet, by way of introductions. ‘She lives in one of the cottages a few doors along from here and, as you can tell from her outfit, is a flight attendant.’

Libby appeared to be a pocket dynamo as she strode about. Her pale blonde hair, which was swept up into a bun, shone out in the dim overhead lights. She was wearing immaculate make-up which emphasised her pretty face.

‘Just about to jet off to the sunny Canaries,’ said Libby, glancing down at her navy suit. ‘Although I appear to be covered in dog fur.’

‘Don’t worry. I’ve got a roller that will take that off in the spa,’ said Harriet. ‘And this is Flora,’ she carried on, gesturing at the quieter, dark-haired woman standing nearby. They all appeared to be of a similar age to Katy. ‘Flora runs the farm on the other side of the railway tracks with her grandmother.’

‘Hi,’ said Flora with a smile. ‘Lovely to meet you at last. Harriet was chatting non-stop about you yesterday.’

Flora was taller than the others and her face glowed from a life spent outdoors, Katy guessed.

All three of the women were young, attractive and lively. Katy wondered why on earth they had stayed in quiet Cranfield for so long.

But instead, she said, ‘Hello. Nice to meet you all.’ She hesitated, not knowing what else to say to them. ‘Well, I guess you’re all pretty busy with your work,’ she eventually added, dropping a large hint.

But they didn’t take it.

‘Do you know, I can still remember waiting for the trains in here when I was little,’ said Libby, opening the door to the waiting room and peering inside. She blew out a long whistle, presumably at the mess beyond.

‘So can I,’ replied Flora. She gave Katy a smile. ‘We grew up in the village along with Ryan and Ethan, so the railway line was still open when we were young.’

Katy thought they did appear to be of a similar age as Ryan, although she had yet to meet his younger brother Ethan.

‘I just came home for the school holidays in those days,’ added Harriet. ‘And now I live here too.’

‘Worst luck for us,’ drawled Libby, who had an air of prickliness about her. But Katy wondered if perhaps it was just her manner, because she instantly gave Harriet a hug and said, ‘I’m just kidding. Despite your dog shedding lumps of fur all over me.’

‘He doesn’t mean it,’ said Harriet, reaching out to cuddle the dog.

‘Going to Aldwych always seemed so much more exciting on the train,’ said Libby, smiling in memory. ‘Even though it only took half an hour to get there. So what are you doing here?’ she added, looking directly at Katy with piercing blue eyes. ‘I mean, who answers a crazy advert like that? Not that I blame you. This is so typically Ethan behaviour! The man’s a menace!’

‘Libby,’ warned Flora. ‘Be nice.’

‘I can’t be nice about Ethan,’ replied Libby, curling up her lip in displeasure.

Flora gave Katy a soft smile. ‘Anyway, I’m sure Bob is very grateful for the help. I know Ryan is.’

This was news to Katy.

And apparently it was also news to Ryan, who suddenly appeared at the doorway. ‘I’m not so sure Katy would agree with you about that,’ he said, shooting Katy a knowing look. ‘Good morning, all.’

‘Morning. Where are you going?’ asked Libby, spotting the suitcase he had next to him.

‘I’ve got to go back to Rome for a few days,’ Ryan told them. ‘My apartment has flooded.’