Read Online Escape to the Country by Patsy Collins - Free Book Online Page B

wheelbarrow last time she'd mucked out the pigs and had to get
Jayne to help. She'd learnt her lesson, so this time shovelled half
the dirt at a time into the wheelbarrow and wheeled it to the muck
heap. Already her muscles were stronger. She didn't find the task
easy, but she was able to control the barrow.
    Next she checked on Rosemary and Rosepetal. Leah was more than a
little relieved to see their bedding was still clean and their
hayracks reasonably full. All she needed do was to scoop out a few
pieces of straw which had fallen into the younger cow's water trough.
Almost immediately, Rosepetal took a look into the trough, shook her
head sending another couple of stalks into the water. Then she took a
long drink. Leah, remembering Jayne had told her the heifer was
pregnant, wondered if this was some kind of bovine craving. She left
the straw where it was; even if, as seemed most likely, it's
appearance in the trough was accidental, it wasn't going to stop the
cow drinking.
    "Leah! You've done everything!" Jayne said when she came
back.
    "I have. Must admit I feel pretty chuffed with myself, so while
I'm in a good mood I'll offer to cook lunch while you relax."
    "If you're really happy to make lunch, I'll tackle the movement
permits and other records. That's another job I've been meaning to
get done and one that just gets worse and worse the longer I leave
it."
    Leah surveyed the well stocked fridge then took a mug of coffee and
plate of biscuits into Jayne. "This'll keep you going while I
try to figure out that scary cooker of yours."
    "Oh thanks, love. Just what I could do with."
    "Did you have something in mind for lunch, or shall I surprise
you?"
    "A surprise would be lovely. It's so long since I had a meal
without having to think about what to cook."
    Leah didn't want to use anything Jayne might have earmarked for a
later meal, so decided to do something based on eggs. Jayne had a
plentiful supply of them. There were also home-grown potatoes and
plenty of cheese and bacon. Leah made a Spanish omelette, complete
with sun dried tomatoes and frozen peas both courtesy of Jayne's
garden. Never again would Leah moan about the task of trailing round
the supermarket to stock her kitchen cupboards. That task was nothing
compared to growing and preserving the food for herself.
    Leah opened the flue on the Aga and chucked on more dry logs to
increase the heat. It took time to peel the potatoes as they were
soft, from having been stored since last autumn, but that gave the
cooker time to warm up enough to heat a pan of water. Once the
potatoes were on to boil she went outside to pick winter salad.
Fortunately Jayne had neatly labelled the rows and she could gather
rocket, chicory and land cress. Funny how she'd read those names on
imported bagged salad but never known which was which nor realised
the crops could be grown in England over winter.
    Leah was proud of her omelette, souffled in the oven to a light
fluffy texture with a crisp cheesy crust.
    "That was absolutely delicious. Thank you, I feel quite
spoiled," Jayne said.
    "No problem. How did the paperwork go?"
    "It's going. I've got things into order now. I think if I crack
on I'll get it all sorted today." She sounded as though that
would be one less thing to worry about.
    "Can I help at all?"
    "Not really. It's all hand written notes and forms, and half the
information is in my head."
    "I'll leave you to get on with it then and I'll go off exploring
with Tarragon."
    "Take your mobile, then if you get stuck or lost I'll know where
to send the tractor driver to rescue you."
    "Jayne!"
    "Do you mean to say the thought of going over to Home Farm never
crossed your mind?"
    As Leah fully intended to visit the farm she couldn't really deny it.
The reason wasn't the one Jayne was thinking of, but better to let
her believe Leah was planning to flirt with dishy Duncan the tractor
driver than that she was going to confront his boss, Mr Gilmore-Bunce
about the state of Jayne's roof