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‘And that was it? Nothing else?’
‘Nothing else.’
As they reached the school gates, they ushered Finn and Esme towards their line in the playground. The bell sounded and Jessica appeared and waved over towards Felicity and Isla before escorting the children into the classroom.
‘Life is so simple at that age,’ sighed Isla, blowing Finn a kiss as he disappeared through the door.
‘Isla! Isla, wait!’ a voice called out.
Isla spun round to see Julia from the local B&B hurrying towards them. Her cheeks were flushed and she had a look of panic on her face, ‘I’m glad I’ve caught up with you.’
‘Since when have you been frequenting school playgrounds?’ asked Isla, knowing Julia didn’t have any children.
‘I’m looking for you, I tried your mobile, but it went straight to voicemail.’
‘That’s the joys of living in the sticks … no signal.’ Isla was intrigued, ‘What’s up?’
‘Let’s walk and talk,’ said Julia, who attempted to get her breathing under control. ‘I’ve jogged from the B&B and I’m out of breath.’
‘I’m all ears,’ said Isla, fascinated about what was troubling Julia as all three of them headed out of the school playground.
‘I’ve messed up,’ spluttered Julia. ‘And I’m hoping you are the woman to help me out.’ Julia exhaled, ‘And I know it’s a big ask and I don’t like letting anyone down … but …’
Isla stopped walking, ‘Spit it out.’
Julia took a breath, ‘I’ve made a blunder with my bookings, and I’ve double-booked a week on Friday. One of the parties is a rambling group trekking the mountain to raise money for charity and the other one is a booking for a sixtieth birthday … I don’t want to let any of them down.’
‘And how can I help?’
‘I didn’t want to cancel either of them, if word got around it’s not good for business, and I was thinking … who do I know who has enough room to accommodate one of the parties?’
The penny dropped and Isla laughed until she realised Julia was serious, then her expression turned to one of bewilderment before smiling nervously, ‘You are joking, right?’
Julia eyed Isla warily, ‘I wasn’t, to be honest.’
‘Julia, I’ve got a new baby and my gran’s just turned up unannounced to stay. And I’m not sure Drew would want a bunch of strangers traipsing through the farmhouse, and then there’s Finn too, and what about their meals?’
‘You could direct them to the teashop for breakfast or fry up a bit of bacon,’ said Julia with hope in her voice.
As much as Isla didn’t want to let anyone down, she knew that at this moment in time she couldn’t face strangers in the house even though there was ample space and vacant bedrooms.
‘They’d pay the going rate,’ urged Julia, hoping to sway Isla. ‘Sorry … sorry … I shouldn’t have mentioned it … I know you have enough on your plate.’
‘If I could help you out, you know I would. What’s plan B?’
‘I haven’t got one,’ admitted Julia, taking a breath.
‘I’m so sorry Julia, I just can’t help you at the minute.’
‘No worries, if you don’t ask you never know.’
Julia touched Isla on her arm tentatively before sadly walking away.
‘Can you imagine strangers traipsing through my house … no thank you,’ said Isla, knowing that she wouldn’t even feel comfortable mentioning it to Drew after his reaction to Martha turning up.
‘I can see your point, you’ve got way too much going on at the moment with the baby to think about, not to mention you and Drew. Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention, a guy came into the teashop yesterday and I pointed him in your direction, Rory’s too. Did he come by the farmhouse?’
‘What guy?’
‘If I remember rightly, he went by the name David O’Sullivan.’
Isla shook her head, ‘Never heard of him. What did he want?’
‘He had a herd of alpacas that needed re-homing. Prize-winning, apparently. He was looking for a nearby farm to home them.’
‘Oh, Drew never mentioned it, I’m sure I would have known if he’d visited the farm. Alpacas, you say?’
‘Yep, those funny-looking creatures with a tuft of hair bouncing on top of their heads.’
‘Farmed for the fleeces.’ Isla began to turn the information over in her mind. ‘Did he say how much he wanted for them?’
Felicity shook her head, ‘No, but I think he gave Mum a card?’
As they turned on to Love Heart Lane Isla stopped for a second. ‘Come with me,’ she said, quickly striding towards the farm with Felicity struggling to keep up.
As they approached the driveway, Isla traipsed Felicity around the edge of the field, over the small wooden bridge and through the orchard. In the far field there were Shetland ponies grazing alongside sheep and the mountainous terrain in the background. Even when the visibility wasn’t good the view was spectacular.
They stopped to get their breath back as Isla swung her arms open.
‘I don’t get it,’ said Felicity in wonderment.
‘We have acres of space! Can you imagine seeing alpacas grazing here? The children would love it!’
‘It’s not as though you haven’t got the land …’ Flick replied.
‘Isn’t it all the rage these days … alpaca farms? You never know, it might even cheer up my miserable husband looking at the comical creatures each morning. And you know it’s his birthday next week, and what do you get a man who has everything?’ said Isla, mulling it over.
‘A herd of alpacas?’ grinned Felicity.
‘They can’t take that much looking after and I’ve read somewhere they are fabulous with children. You said he gave your mum a business card?’
Felicity nodded as her phone buzzed into life, ‘Talk of the devil.’
‘I’ll walk back to the teashop with you.’
‘Here it is,’ said Rona, pulling the card from the till. ‘David O’Sullivan. I’m not sure where he was from, I’ve never seen him around these parts before.’
Isla turned the card over in her hand. ‘You know what, I’m going to give him a call,’ she said, taking herself to the quiet sofa area in the corner of the teashop. ‘I’m intrigued to know the cost of a herd of alpacas.’
Rona and Felicity watched as she chatted away and hung up the call with a huge grin on her face.
‘Oh my,’ she said, with excitement fizzing inside her.
‘The call went well then?’ asked Felicity, leaning against the counter.
‘Apparently, he’s the son of a farmer over in Glensheil. His father has passed away and has left a herd of prize alpacas that need re-homing. He’s over from Wales tying up the legalities of the farm … Anyway, cutting a long story short, I’m buying them!’
‘Woah, really?’
‘Yes really! He assured me they are self-sufficient, easy to look after, so … I’m going to surprise Drew! As much as he’s moody at the minute, he loves his animals and what a birthday present this is going to be! I can’t wait to see his face.’
Isla had made the decision there and then. Talking to David on the phone, they’d negotiated a price for the herd, and he would deliver them on the morning of Drew’s birthday.
‘Some things are just meant to be,’ exclaimed Isla, pleased with her purchase and feeling impressed with herself. She knew Drew would be over the moon and that this extraordinary gift would definitely bring a smile to his face. Isla was elated, this was just meant to be and farming the fleeces would bring in a hefty sum. The alpacas would pay for themselves in no time at all.
‘But I want to keep this amongst ourselves … no telling Fergus or Drew. I want this birthday present to be a complete surprise!’ said Isla excitedly.
Chapter 8 (#ulink_7c934035-6dfe-5d70-9804-ed949ba0817b)
One week later …
Isla’s eyes opened slowly as she focused on her surroundings. A quick glance at the clock told her she’d slept for a full eight hours. Throwing back the duvet, she saw that Angus was still fast asleep, the second night he’d slept through. Things were definitely brighter after a good night’s sleep.
Drew had already left for market with Fergus, and Isla and Martha’s plan was to decorate the kitchen with banners and balloons for his birthday. Once Drew had fallen asleep last night Isla had left his birthday card on the kitchen table along with a note asking him to be back at the farm by noon. She planned to cook him birthday lunch before the alpacas arrived at one o’clock.
Over the last few days Drew had seemed to be back on an even keel. Yes, he had still seemed tired, but he hadn’t snapped at Isla. Maybe he had just been having an off day. Isla couldn’t wait to see his face when he arrived home, she knew he was just going to love the alpacas.
Quietly, she padded past the cot and pulled back the curtains. Her mood dampened a little when she noticed there wasn’t a chink of sunshine to be seen, only dark clouds looming in the sky. The cows were already shielding themselves from the rainfall that was about to teem down at any minute. She had pictured the alpacas arriving in gleaming sunshine, their mops of hair bobbing on top of their heads as they were unleashed, running across the meadows. Torrential rain was not what she needed today.
Leaving Angus to sleep, she grabbed her dressing gown and wandered downstairs where Martha was busy in the kitchen.
‘You’ve made a start,’ chirped Isla, staring around the kitchen. Martha had already hung up the birthday banners and the colourful paperchains that Finn had secretly made draped the window and the spaces between the picture frames. Even at Drew’s age he was always like a kid on his birthday. Usually they cooked the best steak, followed by birthday cake, always chocolate, and would open a decent bottle of wine to toast another year together.
‘I caught Drew before he went, he seemed in good spirits,’ said Martha.
‘He does like birthdays and I can’t believe we’ve managed to keep his birthday present a secret. I need to pop to the bank this morning and withdraw the cash.’
‘Leave Angus with me.’
‘Thanks, Gran. I’ll drop Finn at school on my way.’
Although Isla had had her doubts when Martha arrived, she was worth her weight in gold. The children loved her, and Isla was enjoying the company around the place.
Once Finn was safely dropped at school Isla drove over to the bank in Glensheil. As the windscreen wipers frantically swished the rain continued to hammer down. The wind swept through the branches of the trees that adorned the river bank, causing them to sway violently. Luckily for Isla there was a car-park space right outside the bank which she pulled into. Tugging her hood over her head, she ran sprightly towards the revolving glass door. Isla wished she’d withdrawn the money sooner but didn’t want to alert Drew, she wanted the alpacas to be a surprise.
‘Good morning, Mrs Allaway.’
Isla pushed back her hood and smiled, ‘It’s brutal out there today.’
Lucy the bank clerk glanced towards the huge glass windows. ‘I’m glad I’m safely tucked away in here until five o’clock. What can I do for you today?’
Isla handed over her bank card, ‘I’d like to withdraw some cash. It’s quite a large amount but I rang through to check that would be okay.’
‘Perfect,’ said Lucy, tapping away at her keyboard while concentrating on the computer screen.
‘Is it for anything special … a holiday?’
‘Would you believe I’m buying my husband a herd of alpacas for his birthday?’
Lucy let out a low whistle, ‘Wow! I’d just be happy with a bunch of flowers!’ she said, counting out the cash, placing it in an envelope and sliding it under the counter.
Just as Isla was safely tucking the money away in her bag her phone pinged, a text message from David O’Sullivan. He’d set off early, the alpacas would be with them soon. She smiled to herself, happy with her purchase, and she couldn’t wait to see Drew’s face.
The second she stepped back inside the farmhouse a jovial Martha beckoned her, ‘Come and take a look at the cake.’ But hearing the crunch of tyres behind her, Isla spun round to see a truck.
‘The alpacas are here!’ Isla shouted down the hallway towards Martha. ‘Grab a coat and come and take a look.’
Isla sheltered in the doorway as a short bald stocky man jumped down from behind the wheel, thrusting his hand forward for her to shake. ‘Nice place you have here,’ he said in a gravelly Welsh accent.
‘Thanks, we like it. I’m Isla.’
‘David,’ he said. ‘The weather isn’t being kind to us today … which field am I letting them loose in?’
Isla pointed and grabbed an umbrella from the hallway before following him to the back of the truck.
‘These creatures are responsible for bearing some of the silkiest, most versatile fleece found in nature. Stronger than mohair, finer than cashmere, smoother than silk, softer than cotton, warmer than goose down … you’re on to a winner with these beauties. Shorn annually for a good price,’ said David.
Isla watched in amazement as he pulled open the door and unleashed numerous docile-looking animals. She couldn’t take her eyes away from the magnificent creatures. Isla had never seen an alpaca up close and was mesmerised by their floppy furry tufts, slender necks. They genuinely looked like they were sporting huge grins.
‘They are captivating,’ said Martha, joining them, not taking her eyes off them. ‘How many are there?’
‘Twelve,’ answered Isla.
Once all of them were unloaded into the field they huddled together, sheltering under the canopy of the trees.
‘Thank you so much, we’ll look after them, I promise. And I’m sorry to hear about your father.’
‘Father?’ said David, looking puzzled as he bolted up the back of the truck. ‘Oh yes, my father. Thank you. All I need now is the money.’ He stood and waited while Isla rummaged around in her handbag and pulled out the envelope of cash.
‘Thank you,’ he said, not hanging around. He jumped into the trunk, started the engine and was off.
‘That was short and sweet … strange little man. He couldn’t get out of here quick enough,’ noticed Martha.
‘Twelve alpacas, all present and correct. Aren’t they wonderful?’ Isla squeezed her Gran’s arm. ‘Let’s get out of this rain.’
They’d only been inside a couple of minutes when they noticed Drew’s van pull up outside.
‘He’s here … quick,’ said Isla, unboxing the birthday cake and placing it in pride of place in the middle of the kitchen table. She risked a tentative look in the mirror, ran her fingers through her hair and quickly applied her lip gloss.
