Sunshine Over Wildflower Cottage Read Online Free PDF Page A

seemed such a quiet man, easy-going and settled, even a bit boring. Gaynor had idolised him; and despite her believing that she and Mick had been together for so long that she knew him inside out, she had been the last to discover that he’d been messing around behind her back. The split had hit her hard, but she hadn’t yet worked her way through the natural grieving process that might have healed her. Instead she had stuck fast on the ‘anger’ setting. Gaynor wanted Mick back, and as far as she could see it, clinging on until she had worn down his resistance was her only option.
    Linda suddenly leaped to her feet and headed for the bar area in the corner, returning with a bottle of Prosecco and some glasses.
    ‘Bugger tea, let’s have a glass and wish Viv well. I didn’t know she was that fond of animals, Stel, that she’d want to up and go work in an animal sanctuary.’
    ‘She’s based in their office, not actually hands-on with the animals,’ explained Stel. ‘She wanted a bit of experience working with people in a small business doing accounts and suchlike.’
    Linda handed round the Prosecco and poured her mother a Tia Maria, as she didn’t drink wine of any description. Iris insisted that all wine tasted of feet, and firmly believed every grape had been trodden by some bloke with verrucas.
    ‘
To Viv
. Here’s hoping she enjoys her new home and her new job.’
    ‘To Viv.’
    Four glasses were raised in the air. And Stel Blackbird smiled, though inside her heart was breaking because she suspected the real reason why her daughter had taken up that post had nothing to do with getting experience of a small business at all.

Chapter 3
    Viv followed Geraldine back into the homely kitchen where the small owl bobbed and squawked at them as if to say ‘where’ve you been?’ The kettle was whistling cheerfully on the Aga. Geraldine put some teabags into an old brown teapot and whirled them around with a spoon.
    ‘Is it just the two of you that work here then?’ asked Viv.
    ‘Just the two of us full-time now,’ echoed Geraldine. ‘Though Armstrong likes to come and help out. We pay him in eggs and a bit of pocket money. You’ll have guessed we don’t have a lot of money for wages.’
    Viv had.
    Geraldine poured out the tea and put a plate of buttered cake slices on the table. ‘Made by my own fair hand. Date and walnut,’ she smiled. ‘And fresh butter from the farm up the road.’
    Viv was touched that a cake had been baked in her honour. Her mother did things like that – made cakes for every occasion, though her efforts wouldn’t have exactly had Mary Berry throwing in her towel for fear of the opposition.
    ‘It’s not a very big sanctuary, is it?’ said Viv.
    ‘You noticed,’ said Geraldine. ‘Look, I hope you don’t mind me saying this . . . I don’t want to scare you off but . . . I just want to warn you.’
    Viv froze mid-chew. Warn her? About what?
    ‘You’re very young . . .’ Geraldine sighed.
    ‘I’m twenty-three,’ answered Viv quickly. She considered herself more woman than child, but then she had thought that for several years now. She’d had to grow up fast in her teens.
    ‘Oh, bless you,’ replied Geraldine. Her eyes were blinking as if there was a lot of activity going on in the brain behind them. Then, as if a dam had broken inside her, she opened her mouth and said, before she could stop herself, ‘Look, I’ll come straight out with it. Heath isn’t the easiest man to get on with, especially at the moment. There’s a lot of tension. We’re struggling financially and . . . well . . . he can be difficult, blunt, but underneath he’s wonderful, lovely, kind.’ Then she fell abruptly silent and, as if she had sustained a puncture, her whole body seemed to sag. ‘I might as well be honest, Viv, we need someone here, someone who will stay and adjust to him and let him adjust to them without immediately running off.’
    ‘Ok-ay,’ replied Viv, wondering what