Kitty's Countryside Dream (20 page)

‘Trust Tom to pick that moment to peer through the window.'

‘Why didn't he knock on the front door? Robin would have been pleased to see him.'

‘That's men for you – always jumping to conclusions.' Jeannie smiled.

‘I thought when he received the phone call saying you'd gone into hospital that he'd shot straight here to be with you.'

‘Nah, the only place Tom shot was up to our farm because my father was here with me and hadn't finished the milking.'

‘I've got this so wrong, haven't I? I don't know what to do now,' I said, shrugging.

‘You go and find him now and that's an order!'

‘Do you think so?'

‘I know so. He cares about you and that's a good thing. I'm sure he's battling the same dilemma. Now go and find him – why are you still here? Go, go, go,' she said, shooing her arms in my direction. ‘And don't come back until you're a couple and living happily ever after.'

‘One last thing before I go, Jeannie. Can I pinch a piece of Lucinda's flapjack off you?' I grinned.

‘If you must, but you can only have one piece – the rest is all mine!'

A
fter my visit to Jeannie
, I travelled straight to the Lodge. I wanted to talk to Tom and sort this mess out but he was nowhere to be found. The office was locked up and his boots were missing from outside his cottage. I asked a couple of the farm workers but they hadn't seen him either. I assumed he must be up at Jeannie's farm helping her father. He was working so hard, but that's the kind of man Tom was – he wouldn't let anyone struggle. No wonder he'd looked exhausted and tired the last time I saw him.

I scribbled him a note and posted it through the door of the cottage. I'd taken the liberty of booking us a table in a fancy restaurant in town. I was hoping that would set the tone; we'd be away from familiar ground and hopefully that would give us a chance to open up to each other. Thinking about it now, I realised it was probably the last thing Tom needed after a hard day's work at the farm. He would possibly prefer to put his feet up and enjoy a takeaway accompanied by a beer instead of getting washed, dressed and making his way to a restaurant he'd probably never heard of.

Me and my bright ideas.

Apart from being nervous, I had no clue what to wear and back at the flat I'd thrown myself into a blind panic. I was beginning to get agitated with myself for not thinking this plan through well enough. In the end I plumped for black leggings, a white tunic and a pair of baby-pink ballet pumps. I was constantly listening out for the phone to ring but it stayed silent.

A couple of hours later I was standing at the impressive entrance to the restaurant. I felt shaky and couldn't make up my mind whether it was down to the cool air of the evening or the nerves. I thought maybe a little of both.

Entering the restaurant, my eyes quickly flitted around the room – Tom was nowhere to be seen. Feeling apprehensive, I was approached by the waiter. After confirming the booking, I followed him to our table.

‘Your dinner guest hasn't arrived as yet but would you like me to bring you a drink in the meantime?' the waiter asked, pulling out my chair so I could sit down.

‘I'll just have a glass of water for now, thank you,' I replied, deciding to play it safe. If Tom didn't turn up I could drink the glass of water and go. I'd not managed a morsel of food since lunchtime and the last thing I needed on Tom's arrival, if he did appear, was to be tipsy on one glass of wine. Sipping on my water, I began fiddling with the strap on my watch. Tom was already ten minutes late. I took my book out of my bag and began to read. Sitting there on my own, I felt as if the whole restaurant must be looking at me, but they weren't. And as my eyes darted around the room, I saw the majority of couples were staring off in different directions, not even speaking to each other. I couldn't make up my mind whether this was sad because they no longer had anything left to say to each other or whether it was a comfort knowing that they were so relaxed with each other that they didn't need conversation all of the time.

Just then the restaurant door opened and I heard the waiter's voice.

‘Yes sir, your dinner guest is already seated; I'll show you to your table.'

Firstly, I was relieved Tom had turned up and secondly, I was speechless. He caught my attention the second he walked through the restaurant door. He was most definitely worth the wait.

‘Hello,' I said, smiling shyly as he sat down.

‘What can I offer you to drink, sir?' the waiter asked now, passing both of us a menu.

Tom turned to me. ‘Do you like red wine?'

‘Yes,' I nodded.

‘Then a bottle of your finest would be grand, thank you,' Tom replied confidently.

The waiter acknowledged Tom's request with a nod and walked away towards the bar area to retrieve the wine.

‘Finest? Is it a special occasion?'

‘I hope so. I was happy to receive your invitation.' He smiled and sat down at the table opposite me but not before kissing me lightly on the cheek. For a moment we sat in silence perusing the menu.

‘Have you chosen yet?' Tom asked. ‘What do you fancy?'

I smiled.

Tom smiled back then laughed. ‘I mean food wise.'

‘Damn.' I raised my eyes playfully.

He grinned at me knowingly and I began to relax.

‘You look lovely.' My heart soared.

‘Thank you – you do too.'

‘I'm sorry I didn't manage to phone you. I got back late and when I read your note I rushed to get ready to make sure I was here on time.'

‘You're forgiven.' I smiled.

The waiter came and took our orders and once we were left alone again I decided to be brave and reveal to Tom what an absolute idiot I'd been, getting the wrong end of the stick about Jeannie's baby.

Once I'd finished talking, Tom didn't speak for a while. ‘Are you going to say something?' I asked gently.

‘Words fail me, and actually I don't know what to say. Did you honestly think that was my style? Really?' He looked saddened, disappointed in me.

I couldn't answer; when he put it like that, I was actually disappointed in myself. All I could manage was a shake of my head.

He paused for a moment while the waiter placed our food in front of us. Once the waiter was satisfied we were happy with our meals he disappeared over to the next table. Tom leant over and squeezed my hand. ‘Kitty, I can't ever be hurt again.'

‘Again?'

‘Yes, it was a long time ago and I never want to be in that position again – ever.'

‘Do you want to talk about it?'

‘I think I do,' he answered, taking another sip of his wine. I began to eat slowly while I listened. He cleared his throat and began to talk. ‘I've not been in a relationship since Rose. I didn't know if I could ever handle being in a relationship again.'

The hurt on his face was clearly visible. He took a bite of his food then he carried on. I remained silent and listened.

‘We met at school. She was vibrant, full of fun, and we soon became inseparable. She was like no one I'd ever met before; I'd had the odd flirtatious moments before with girls, but when I met her it all stopped. I wasn't interested in anyone else, and I wasn't expecting to fall in love – it just happened.

‘Rose was ambitious; she wanted to become a doctor. She was certainly intelligent enough and her grades were always top-notch, whereas I don't have a qualification to my name. I knew I was destined to work in farming – that's what I'm about, the great outdoors. It didn't bother me at all that one day she would earn more money than me. As long as we were both happy, I was all for that.

‘Her studies began to take over her life; it was expected with the amount of work she needed to do. It was her suggestion that we get married. There was no grand gesture on my part, no going down on one knee, but I was happy to go along with it if it made her feel secure. However, things began to change and she began to mix with different circles, distancing herself from our friends. At times it felt like we were an inconvenience; all she ever talked about was her new circle of friends. Hanging out with the medical students and the staff from the hospital started to become a regular occurrence. From what I could gather the majority of them were young, trendy types who were engaged or planning their weddings. I think she wanted to be part of the crowd. She wanted the wedding so she had something to share with the group.'

‘Did you ever socialise with them?'

‘At first she did invite me out for a drink with them on numerous occasions but I felt like a fish out of water – they weren't my kind of people. I felt inferior, often intimidated and I most definitely didn't understand their medical speak. She would constantly put me down in front of them, calling me the farm boy, and sometimes I felt I was only there for their entertainment, so they'd have someone to ridicule. In the end I stopped going along and Rose went by herself. I think she preferred it that way.'

Listening to Tom, I heard the sadness in his voice. How could anyone ridicule him or make him feel like that? It was unacceptable in my book.

‘What happened to Rose?'

‘Apart from her medical career, she wanted to travel the world. I didn't mind that she wanted to experience different places but I was quite happy with the simple pleasures in life, like working on the farm. I had no desire to travel. I thought she was my soulmate and I worked my fingers to the bone saving up for the wedding she wanted, and then it all went horribly wrong.' His tone was sad.

‘What happened?'

‘It was six weeks before the wedding day, everything was booked and paid for and it was a Tuesday – I can remember it vividly, like it was yesterday. I was feeling unwell at work; my body ached and I was shivering. I thought I might be coming down with the flu. I'd gone home; we rented a house, as there was no way we could afford a mortgage. I was going to start to save for the deposit for a house after the wedding. I made myself a hot drink and climbed the stairs. I thought a few hours' sleep before Rose finished work would recharge my batteries. Opening the bedroom door, I was shocked to find Rose was already home from work. She was lying in our bed with one of her medical colleagues. Her wedding dress was hanging in the room next door.'

Staring open-mouthed at Tom, I didn't know what to say.

‘It was grim to say the least,' Tom continued.

‘I'm so sorry, Tom; that must have been awful,' I said gently, squeezing his hand.

‘I was crushed and never saw her again. Within ten minutes of finding them together I removed every single item that belonged to her from the house and you'd never have known she'd lived there. I can only assume he took her in. Soon after, I moved back in with my parents until Agnes offered me the farmhouse. I wasn't entitled to any refunds due to the fact the wedding had been cancelled so near to the day and all the outstanding balances had been paid. I lost nearly £7000. The last I heard of her she'd graduated as a doctor and was working abroad.'

‘And now I feel even worse for jumping to such silly conclusions,' I said.

Tom looked at me and reached out across the table. ‘Let's put all this behind us.'

I swallowed a lump back in my throat and couldn't believe I was getting a second chance. I exhaled sharply. ‘Thank god for that! I'm all for forgetting about the last few weeks.'

We smiled at each other.

We finished our meals and the rest of the evening passed in a lovely blur. The waiter returned and began to clear away the plates. ‘Would you like to see the dessert menu or order any more drinks?' he asked politely.

‘I'm OK, I'm not sure I could manage to eat another mouthful,' I replied. ‘What about you, Tom?'

‘I think I'm all done too. Can we have the bill please?'

The waiter nodded.

‘On the whole it's been a great night. I'm so glad you booked the table.' Tom's eyes met mine and sparkled.

I smiled at him. ‘I'm so glad I did too.'

‘Let's hail a cab and get you home,' Tom suggested.

Standing on the edge of the pavement waiting for a taxi, Tom stood close to me. I shivered in the cool night air. ‘Come here,' he said, pulling me in close, wrapping his arms around me and resting his chin on top of my head. He smelt divine. Tucking my hands deep into the pockets of my coat and leaning into him, I felt so happy and was hoping this bubble wasn't about to burst anytime soon.

The cab pulled up in front of us, Tom opened the door and I climbed in. Sitting in the back of the cab, he never let go of my hand as he gave the driver my address. Watching the lights of the town pass us by, we stayed silent. Our eyes locked and the shadows of the night passed across the contours of his face. He smiled at me and there was one thing I knew for sure: being wrapped up in Tom's arms couldn't come soon enough. I'd waited so long for this moment.

T
om was standing
behind me while I rummaged in my bag looking for the front-door keys. I was all fingers and thumbs. My heart was thumping and I forced myself to breathe calmly. Feeling Tom's presence so close to me, my whole body was trembling. Pausing, I tried to compose myself as I placed the key in the lock. I stumbled through the door and Tom caught my arm; fire ripped through my veins from his touch. My heart was beating so fast I thought I was going to explode; I hadn't felt desire like this in a long time.

A yellow glow shone onto the hallway from the table lamp I'd left on so I didn't come home to complete darkness. Tom shut the door behind him and Alfie appeared in the doorway. Purring, he wound himself around Tom's legs; Tom promptly picked him up and stroked his fur.

Leaning against the hall wall, I smiled at Tom and he placed Alfie gently back on the floor.

I lifted my hand up to Tom's face and stroked his stubble. Our eyes stayed locked; neither of us faltered. He moved my hand towards his mouth and kissed it. I got goosebumps. He pressed his body against mine and I groaned with desire. ‘Kiss me,' he murmured. He lowered his head towards mine. I couldn't wait any longer. I grasped at his hair and my lips met his. I kissed him hard. The electricity was flying. Tom pushed me against the wall. I pressed myself against him; I wanted to be closer. Still kissing, I guided him backwards towards the bedroom; the tingle in my body was immense and I didn't want it to stop.

Animal instinct took over and we started to rip at each other's clothes. I couldn't believe Tom's body: his toned torso, his strong arms. I was scared to look. It had been a while since I'd seen a man's naked body, let alone touched one. Tom's face was in my hair, kissing my neck, his hands tugging at my clothes.

He unbuttoned my jeans. We both fell onto the bed, his hands exploring all over my body. Every nerve tingled as he lifted my blouse over my head and unhooked my bra. He rose above me, his strong arms either side of my body.

‘Kitty, are you sure?'

‘I've never been so sure about anything in my life.' I kissed him passionately.

‘I'll go slowly and if you want me to stop, I shall.'

I was breathless and dizzy.

He entered me. I gasped, and his eyes locked with mine. I didn't ever want him to stop.

L
ying
in bed entwined in Tom's arms, an overwhelming feeling of happiness surged through my body. I tilted my head up and kissed him lightly on his lips. Tom's face was flushed as he smiled at me and kissed the top of my head.

‘Thank you,' I murmured.

‘You don't have anything to thank me for,' he replied softly.

But I did: it was perfect, he was perfect and I couldn't help but smile – this was a night I would never forget.