Page 49 of Not Just for Christmas

I passed him two heavy buckets of calf feed. ‘Your wish is my command. Let’s go.’

I’d already bottle-fed the youngest calves, the older ones were still waiting for their breakfast, so we headed there first.

Pete was hard at work in the milking shed, clearing the passageways between the cubicles with the scraper attached to the tractor. He killed the engine and waved to us. ‘Santa’s arriving at the quay tonight on the lifeboat, are you taking Sam?’ he yelled.

‘Absolutely.’ With the excitement of the Nativity, and Dylan’s arrival, I’d almost forgotten about my favourite of Craggy Bay’s festive events. It was only when Caroline had reminded me this morning that I remembered.

Pete gave me a thumbs-up and started the tractor up again.

‘So Santa travels by boat round here?’ Dylan’s baffled expression made me laugh.

‘Have you seen Devon’s roads?’ I said. ‘Imagine pulling a sleigh around those bends.’

He laughed. ‘So it’s really a thing?’

I let us into the calf shed; the calves instinctively moved to the end of their pens towards us, ready for food.

‘It’s really a thing. Happens every year, everyone turns out for it. Sam loves it, you will too.’ I surprised myself with how much I was looking forward to it. It had all the elements that made Christmas special, and the whole community got involved. ‘There’ll be music, roast chestnuts, mulled wine …’

‘Which if I drive tonight, you’ll be able to drink,’ he pointed out, reaching into the end pen and scratching the calf’s head.

‘Oh no,’ I began to protest. ‘You’re my guest.’

‘I’m your friend. Your old friend,’ he argued, flashing me a pointed look. And it might have been my imagination, but I got the impression he was making a point about Nick. My new friend. Was he jealous? He had no need to be, although I wasn’t about to tell him that.

‘My very old friend,’ I agreed, mischievously.

He grinned at that. ‘OK, no need to labour the point. But seriously, you’ll be doing me a favour – I can’t stand mulled wine.’

I hesitated. I’d been in control for so long that I’d forgotten how to let someone else take over. And the thought of warming my hands around a cup of steaming mulled wine was tempting.

‘Then I accept, thank you,’ I conceded.

Dylan put his hands together in prayer. ‘Hallelujah, finally.’

He watched closely while I checked the calves over and then between us we heaped fresh straw into each pen.

‘I was surprised when you said you would join us for Christmas,’ I said, stopping for a breather two minutes later.

Dylan looked up at me just as a calf lifted its tail and produced a steaming pile of poo on top of its bedding. ‘Are you kidding? And miss this?’

I laughed. ‘Good point. But I thought you’d have plans already.’

‘Oh, I see. You invited me assuming I’d turn you down?’ He quirked an eyebrow and I looked away quickly in case my expression gave me away. I hadn’t invited him at all …

‘I thought you and Amelia were getting on well.’ I let one of the calves nuzzle my hand, and giggled as it tickled my palm. ‘Obviously not?’

‘We were, until we weren’t. Turned out we didn’t want the same things.’

‘You mean she didn’t want to live with a handsome celebrity in a nice Brooklyn apartment after all? Weird.’ I began topping up the water troughs at each pen while Dylan finished bedding down the last few calves.

‘Lucy Oakley paying me a compliment? Weird,’ he shot back.

‘Don’t get used to it.’ I smirked at him. ‘Seriously though, I’m sorry it didn’t work out with her.’

‘Me too.’ He stepped out of my way as I topped up a water trough beside him. ‘But I want kids, Lucy, a partner to spend the rest of my life with. I guess I just assumed it would happen for me by now and it hasn’t. I’m getting older, life is passing me by and I’m not going to waste time with someone who doesn’t want the same things as I do. I’m not sure I’ll ever find the happiness that Jack did with you, but I’m sure as hell gonna try.’

My heart went out to him. He was a nice guy and deserved to be happy, and he’d be a great dad – you only had to see him with Sam to know that.