Escape to the Country Read Online Free PDF Page B

the mud was really only a few
inches deep. That didn't mean she wasn't grateful to Tarragon for
having drawn attention to her plight or for this man having
responded.
    Tarragon wagged his tail enthusiastically, as though he knew he were
being discussed. Perhaps he did. The dog was amazing and this bloke
wasn't half bad either, although they were attractive in different
ways.
    "Oh! You're the dish... er, I think I saw you driving a tractor
yesterday?"
    "Ah. The pink car?"
    "Guilty."
    They grinned at each other.
    "I don't want to seem demanding or anything, but if you're going
to rescue me could you do it quite soon? My feet are going numb."
    "Right-oh!" He removed his waxed jacket, strode forward,
scooped her into his arms, lifted her gently and stood her on his
jacket. Her chilly feet appreciated the warmth from his body retained
in the quilted lining.
    The dishy tractor driver then extracted her boots and put them next
to his jacket.
    "They look a bit big. I think that's your problem."
    "Yes. I borrowed them from my aunt."
    "Best get your own then."
    "I don't think I'll be around long enough to need them."
    Was it her imagination, or did he look slightly disappointed? Maybe
she'd spoken too soon; she didn't have any reason for rushing back to
London.
    Her legs really were feeling a bit numb so she honestly couldn't help
the way she had to cling to him for support as she got her feet back
into the boots. He must have understood as he didn't seem at all
bothered.
    "Are you OK to walk back? I'm not sure I can carry you back to
Primrose Cottage, but I could fetch some transport."
    "I'll be fine, I think. Thanks for your help."
    "No problem. If you like, I could walk part of the way with you,
just to make sure you're OK?"
    She would like that.
    "So how did you get so stuck in the mud?"
    'By moving in with a very dull computer nerd' she could have replied,
but instead she explained about the cows chasing her.
    Her rescuer laughed. "Sorry, I don't mean to be cruel, but I bet
you looked funny."
    "Maybe, but I was frightened at the time. I hadn't expected to
see cows outside in February."
    "It's an experiment we're trying at Home Farm. The milkers are
kept in, but some beef cattle are hardy and can be kept out all year
round. It saves on buildings and bedding and should produce leaner
meat."
    "I suppose this is the idea of the amazing Mr Gilmore-Bunce?"
    "Er, yes. Why do you say that?"
    "Sounds typical of him. Letting the poor cows suffer..."
She trailed off as she saw his reaction. Ranting at a man she'd only
just met and who'd just rescued her wasn't exactly the best way to
impress or thank him.
    "They're not suffering," he pointed out. "It's more
that we're trying a more traditional way of doing things. I do bring
them extra food every day. That's where I was going when you passed
in your car." He spoke very gently, as though to calm her down.
    Leah took a couple of deep breaths. She didn't want to seem crazily
biased against his boss as well as hopeless in the face of mud.
"Sorry. You're right. I over reacted." She had good
reasons for hating Mr Gilmore-Bunce, but her rescuer presumably saw a
different side to him and depended on him for a job. "Are these
special cows then?"
    "Yes, Belted Galloways are a fairly rare and very hardy breed."
    "Funny name."
    "It's because of the white stripe around their black bodies."
    Leah hadn't stuck around long enough to notice their patterns.
    "Oh!"
    "What?"
    "I have to go back that way."
    "I'll protect you - not that you'll need it."
    "You don't know what they're like."
    "Yes I do. They're very nosy so were checking you out. We don't
get many people walking over the footpath."
    Leah hadn't exactly been sticking to the footpath anyway, so maybe
the cows had a right to wonder what she was playing at.
    When they got near the cows, the tractor driver called to them and
they wandered over. Thankfully their speed and enthusiasm wasn't a
match for Tarragon's. This time she was walking close to the