Follow Me Home (48 page)

Does she ever think about her family unless we are here in person? I don't know. I don't like to think about it too deeply.

‘Gran, do you remember Lewis, the shepherd?' I ask as she peers into the bag of sweets and chooses a mint humbug, meaning that her capacity for speech is somewhat inhibited for a while. She nods.

‘We're going to rent a house in Talyton St George along with some land.'

‘You're a handsome young man,' Gran says, and there's the briefest flash of that wicked twinkle in her eye, and for that instant I can almost imagine she's her old self.

I perch on the edge of the bed, giving Lewis a warning glance as he's about to sit on the commode. ‘I'm not sure that will take your weight,' I say, amused.

‘I'll stand,' he says. ‘Thank you for the compliment,
Rosemary. You're looking pretty, gorgeous yourself today.'

Gran's attention returns to the sweets.

‘I reckon she's locked us out,' I say, looking up at Lewis. ‘That will be it for today.' I steel myself to say farewell to this stranger, who looks like my grandmother, yet continues to grow less like her every time I see her. I stand up and kiss her on the cheek.

‘Goodbye,' I mutter, not wanting her to see that I'm choked up with grief.

‘Goodbye, dear,' she says, apparently unconcerned. ‘It must be teatime soon.'

‘Don't ruin your appetite then,' Lewis says, but I don't think she gets it.

‘Thank you for coming with me,' I say on the way home. ‘I'm glad we went. I feel better about it now. It was the right thing to do for both of us.'

‘She seems well looked after,' Lewis agrees. ‘And you seem a lot less stressed. It was a tough decision, but the right one. Can you forgive yourself now?' My forehead tightens when he continues, ‘It seems to me that you don't have to beat yourself up about it any longer. As your gran might have said at one time, it's all worked out for the best.'

On the way back, the landscape doesn't appear quite so desolate beneath a flaming orange sky. Lewis stops the pick-up outside the rusted gate at the perimeter of the industrial estate to let the dogs out.

‘Are you sure about taking that on?' I ask.

‘I'm sure. I can borrow a tractor and trailer from Murray to start clearing it over the winter, then I can
plough and seed it so there's grass for the summer. I have it all planned out.' He reaches out for my hand and raises it to his lips. ‘You know, I'm beginning to wonder if it's all a dream. You'll have to pinch me.'

I pinch the spare fold of flesh at his waist.

‘Ouch, not that hard,' he gasps, laughing. ‘Maybe I'm not dreaming after all.'

‘If you are, we're living the same dream,' I point out, looking towards the horizon, where the sun is sinking behind the hills, leaving the sky streaked with pink and grey clouds. ‘Red sky at night, shepherd's delight.'

Lewis wraps his arms around me and pulls me close.

‘I know this sounds a bit cheesy, but you're this shepherd's delight,' he says with a chuckle in his throat. ‘I love you and I want to live the same dreams with you for the rest of our lives.'

‘I love you too.' I lean up to kiss him. ‘Now,' I add as seductively as I can, ‘hurry up and take me home to bed.'

Other books by Cathy Woodman

Trust Me, I'm a Vet

Must Be Love

The Sweetest Thing

It's a Vet's Life

The Village Vet

Vets in Love

Country Loving

E-book only

The Three of Us

FOLLOW ME HOME

Pegasus Books LLC

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Copyright © 2014 by Cathy Woodman

First Pegasus Books paperback edition 2015

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ISBN: 978-1-60598-800-9

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