Page 111 of A Scottish Country Escape

As I buried my cool hands in my fleece pockets, so many thoughts jostled in my head. My eyes misted at the memories of me, Mum, and Dad traipsing about up here in our wellington boots.

Then I imagined my parents as teenagers, sheltering under the green umbrellas of the trees and exchanging clumsy kisses.

Mum’s description of how my dad almost fell over just before proposing to her and temporarily losing her engagement ring in the process, made my lips flicker. ‘The silly sod was so embarrassed,’ Mum had laughed in that throaty way of hers I loved so much. ‘He told me he was looking for his contact lens,’ she would grin, nudging Dad in the ribs. ‘I would have swallowed that, except your father didn’t wear contact lenses!’

I shifted on the rock, laughing into the lining of my fleece. I scanned the landscape. I felt as though I knew every knot on every tree trunk and every pale stone in the brook.

At least I still experienced that same love for the place, that same familiarity, whenever I came up here. As for the town and the impact the Carlucci family had clearly had on the local community over the years, that was beginning to skew my perceptions.

The way that poor family had been treated by certain members of the community left me with a shifting sense of guilt. It had been like a ripple effect, tossing a pebble into a mirror-still lake and observing the water reacting and moving in response, touching each ring.

I breathed in the fresh, earthy scent and the festive smell of pine needles.

Even though the future of the reserve seemed a foregone conclusion, I couldn’t give up.

Not yet.

I walked back to Pebble Brook, my pink-and-cream fleece keeping me cosy as I strode home.

Today felt like our last chance to appeal to Linda Carlucci. If this didn’t work, I feared it wasn’t only the reserve I was going to lose.

Chapter Sixty-Nine

‘Ready?’ asked Elsa beside me.

‘No.’

She attempted a smile. ‘I’m not either.’

We both remained sitting in my Mini Cooper S, blinking out at Linda Carlucci’s farmhouse cottage the next morning. A ghostly September tinge was clinging on to everything. I was sure I could smell pumpkins and fireworks already.

I tugged my car keys out of the ignition and attempted to still the roller coaster careering around inside my stomach.

‘Come on,’ I urged, patting her hand. ‘We won’t know if we don’t try.’

We made our way up to Linda Carlucci’s cottage, our nerves jangling like church bells.

We knew our options were narrowing and if this didn’t work, I was struggling to think of any other alternative.

Elsa paused on the grassy path and gazed up at the chimney stack and short silky curtains hanging at the windows. ‘I know he can be a cantankerous sod, but I am very fond of Dexter.’

‘I know you are. I see the affection you have for him every time I look at you.’ I smiled encouragingly. ‘Then let’s do all we can to help him.’

I started to walk towards the front door.

‘Elle.’

I stopped and spun round to look at her.

‘You mentioned to me before that you began helping Dexter because your grandmother asked you too, despite your protestations at the beginning.’ She flashed me a look. ‘Is that still the case?’

Pink flipped in my cheeks and I fiddled with the strap of my shoulder bag. ‘It did start off that way.’

‘And now?’

I knew I couldn’t conceal my feelings for Dexter any longer. ‘Now… it’s grown into something so much more.’

Elsa gave a satisfied nod. ‘Sometimes you just have to accept what your heart is telling you.’ She took a steadying breath. ‘OK. Let’s go.’