department,’ she told the vet. ‘He has to try to lick it into shape or risk it closing.’
Craig winced. ‘I don’t envy you that task,’ he said, nodding towards Sam. He lightly squeezed Ruby’s shoulder. ‘I know how hard Ruby worked to keep things together for as long as she did. Her boss was retiring, so he didn’t have too much of an input in that direction towards the end.’
Sam nodded. ‘Everybody sings her praises.’ He glanced towards her. ‘I should go,’ he said. ‘I’ll call you.’ He inclined his head briefly towards both of them and then began to walk away, his long stride covering the ground in quick time.
Ruby sensed he was troubled, but whether that was because of the vet’s arrival or because of her unwillingness to give him an answer to the work situation, she didn’t know.
Chapter Five
‘W E’RE not collecting so many eggs these days,’ Ruby said, scattering a handful of grain on the rough ground where the hens were pecking for food. ‘Gran says it’s because the hens are getting on a bit.’
‘That may be so, or it could be that you need to introduce new breeds to the farm.’ Craig glanced around, watching the hens as they scratched in the dirt and hunted for food amongst the stones in the yard. It had been a few days since Ruby had first called him out, but now Craig was back on the smallholding to see if the animals were doing any better.
‘Rhode Island Reds are not always the best choice for egg production these days,’ he told her. ‘You could try introducing other breeds, like Welsumer or Marans if you prefer brown eggs…Leghorns if you want white eggs.’
‘Hmm. I’ll give it some thought. It might actually be down to me to make the decision in the end because my grandparents are thinking of giving up the smallholding for good. They’ve found a lovely little retreat on the coast, and they offered me the chance to buy this place at a more than reasonable price, rather than let it go to strangers. I must say, I’m seriously tempted.’
Craig grinned. ‘You’re getting used to this way of life, aren’t you? I could see it happening, even years ago when you cameover here to visit in the summer holidays or whenever you had a weekend free. You’ve always loved the rural atmosphere, haven’t you? It occurred to me that you had a dilemma years ago between choosing medicine or opting for life on the farm.’
‘Well, medicine won in the end, didn’t it? I suppose I thought saving lives would be more satisfying in the long run.’
‘True. I wonder if you’d still be at the hospital if your new boss hadn’t come along? He’s not exactly a people person, is he? Strange that, in a doctor…but, then, I heard the odd snippet about him when I was at university. He comes from a boarding school background, by all accounts. His parents spent most of their time abroad, while he and his brother were looked after by relatives for a good part of the holidays. It doesn’t really make for an all-round happy, integrated soul, that kind of upbringing, does it?’
Ruby frowned, thinking about that. ‘No, possibly not. Are you saying that he studied at the same university as you?’
‘Only for a short time. I just heard of him in passing, so to speak. He was the top student of his year. His family’s fabulously wealthy—old money, and all that, going back through generation after generation.’
‘I see.’ Her brows lifted briefly in acknowledgement. ‘That explains the country estate, I suppose.’ She quickly shrugged off thoughts of Sam’s origins. Thinking about him only reminded her of the way he’d kissed her, and that only served to make her unsettled and added to her indecision. It had been totally unexpected, given the kind of man he was.
‘It’s only now that Sophie has taken off that I’ve had a chance to rethink my options,’ she said. ‘Before she went, I was torn about what to do for the best, but now this whole way of life is beginning to
Craig winced. ‘I don’t envy you that task,’ he said, nodding towards Sam. He lightly squeezed Ruby’s shoulder. ‘I know how hard Ruby worked to keep things together for as long as she did. Her boss was retiring, so he didn’t have too much of an input in that direction towards the end.’
Sam nodded. ‘Everybody sings her praises.’ He glanced towards her. ‘I should go,’ he said. ‘I’ll call you.’ He inclined his head briefly towards both of them and then began to walk away, his long stride covering the ground in quick time.
Ruby sensed he was troubled, but whether that was because of the vet’s arrival or because of her unwillingness to give him an answer to the work situation, she didn’t know.
Chapter Five
‘W E’RE not collecting so many eggs these days,’ Ruby said, scattering a handful of grain on the rough ground where the hens were pecking for food. ‘Gran says it’s because the hens are getting on a bit.’
‘That may be so, or it could be that you need to introduce new breeds to the farm.’ Craig glanced around, watching the hens as they scratched in the dirt and hunted for food amongst the stones in the yard. It had been a few days since Ruby had first called him out, but now Craig was back on the smallholding to see if the animals were doing any better.
‘Rhode Island Reds are not always the best choice for egg production these days,’ he told her. ‘You could try introducing other breeds, like Welsumer or Marans if you prefer brown eggs…Leghorns if you want white eggs.’
‘Hmm. I’ll give it some thought. It might actually be down to me to make the decision in the end because my grandparents are thinking of giving up the smallholding for good. They’ve found a lovely little retreat on the coast, and they offered me the chance to buy this place at a more than reasonable price, rather than let it go to strangers. I must say, I’m seriously tempted.’
Craig grinned. ‘You’re getting used to this way of life, aren’t you? I could see it happening, even years ago when you cameover here to visit in the summer holidays or whenever you had a weekend free. You’ve always loved the rural atmosphere, haven’t you? It occurred to me that you had a dilemma years ago between choosing medicine or opting for life on the farm.’
‘Well, medicine won in the end, didn’t it? I suppose I thought saving lives would be more satisfying in the long run.’
‘True. I wonder if you’d still be at the hospital if your new boss hadn’t come along? He’s not exactly a people person, is he? Strange that, in a doctor…but, then, I heard the odd snippet about him when I was at university. He comes from a boarding school background, by all accounts. His parents spent most of their time abroad, while he and his brother were looked after by relatives for a good part of the holidays. It doesn’t really make for an all-round happy, integrated soul, that kind of upbringing, does it?’
Ruby frowned, thinking about that. ‘No, possibly not. Are you saying that he studied at the same university as you?’
‘Only for a short time. I just heard of him in passing, so to speak. He was the top student of his year. His family’s fabulously wealthy—old money, and all that, going back through generation after generation.’
‘I see.’ Her brows lifted briefly in acknowledgement. ‘That explains the country estate, I suppose.’ She quickly shrugged off thoughts of Sam’s origins. Thinking about him only reminded her of the way he’d kissed her, and that only served to make her unsettled and added to her indecision. It had been totally unexpected, given the kind of man he was.
‘It’s only now that Sophie has taken off that I’ve had a chance to rethink my options,’ she said. ‘Before she went, I was torn about what to do for the best, but now this whole way of life is beginning to
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