Page 22 of Sunrise over Strawberry Hill Farm

He went to go inside and the wooden step collapsed underneath his weight. He reached out to feel the timber of the step which had completely rotted.

‘See,’ said Flora with a sigh. ‘It’s just falling apart.’

Nico studied the space inside. ‘I don’t know,’ he said, before taking a slow walk around the whole building. ‘Yes, the timbers need replacing but it would be quite a simple job. I could easily manage it with an extra pair of hands. The joints look pretty secure, thankfully.’

‘How do you know all this?’ she asked, in bemused amazement.

‘I had a carpenter for a grandfather,’ he told her. ‘Lorenzo taught me everything that he knew.’ He shot her a grin. ‘I’m quite an expert with my hands, I’ve been told.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Just when I thought you were getting serious.’

She went to walk away but he reached out and held her arm.

‘I was,’ he told her. ‘Listen, I’ve got a small amount of savings which I was looking to invest into a business. Grow the nest egg, as it were. I could be your silent business partner.’

She was shocked. ‘What are you saying?’ she asked.

He let go of her arm. ‘I’m saying that we make this a partnership. I invest the money for the work required to renovate the stables, work through the legal side of things and get the campsite up and running. Hopefully, we can get some of them rented out in time for the summer season. We could make some money, share the profits and then see where we stand in the autumn.’

She thought for a moment. ‘I don’t know,’ she finally said. ‘What about your own life and work back in Italy?’

‘Actually, I was thinking of taking the summer off,’ he told her. ‘I needed a break after losing Nonno. I was going to do a bit of travelling, but I would be happy to stay here in Cranfield for a couple of months.’

Flora stood still for a moment. Her sensible side reminded her of all the problems that owning and running a campsite, as well as separate accommodation, might incur and how much renovation it would take. And yet, she was comforted to be able to spread the burden of the business and it shocked her. She’d never needed to depend on anyone before now and it surprised her how much she was grateful to lean on Nico. That she wasn’t alone, if only briefly.

So she found herself nodding and saying, ‘Okay.’

‘Deal?’ he asked, holding out his hand.

She hesitated before taking his warm hand in hers. ‘Deal,’ she said, shaking it before she changed her mind.

To save the farm, she could put up with anything over the summer, she decided. Even an unreliable, impetuous Italian playboy.

13

Nico felt almost as surprised as Flora was at his decision to stay in Cranfield for the summer. He knew that he was running away from his problems and yet he found that he couldn’t stand by and not help the Barton family after they had given safe haven to his grandfather all those years ago.

And there were worse places to stay, he thought, looking around. It was the quiet of the countryside that he liked. With just the birdsong and the sound of the wind, it brought a kind of peace that he hadn’t had for quite some time, he realised.

It really was an incredible view, too. A man would be happy to wake up to this every day, he found himself thinking. Which was ridiculous because this wasn’t his home. And yet, for whatever reason, he felt at home in Cranfield. The people were very friendly and it seemed like a proper community. There was also the familiarity of a family-run estate, the countryside and working with the land. He wondered whether that was part of the charm.

Also, there was a link to his grandparents. They had visited often. His grandfather had found refuge here when he had fallen out with his own father. He thought back to the note that his grandfather had left him when he had found the shawl and envelope to hand over to Grams. ‘Go to Strawberry Hill Farm,’ Lorenzo had written. ‘And find your future.’ But did his grandfather mean that he had a future away from Italy? In Cranfield?

Anyway, Nico had made the impetuous decision to invest the majority of his savings into Strawberry Hill Farm and so there was no time like the present to get going.

He looked at Flora. ‘It might work,’ she said. ‘The campsite and the separate accommodation here.’ She looked at the old stable block with a sudden frown. ‘The trouble is, I’m not sure Grams would like it. She’s pretty precious about maintaining the history of the place. Shame, because it might be a decent idea.’

‘Well, I was due one this year at least,’ he drawled. ‘Let’s go ask her and see,’ he added, turning around to walk back up the hill.

‘Hey!’ he heard Flora call out. ‘Wait a moment!’

But Nico kept his head down and kept walking until she caught up with him and they continued up the hill with Flora beside him in resigned silence.

Nico was pleased to see Grams waiting outside for them, on the bench in front of the farmhouse. ‘I wondered where you both were. I was wondering whether to steal your keys and take that car of yours out for a spin.’

‘Be my guest,’ Nico told her with a smile. ‘But before you head off, we have something to run past you.’

‘We?’ Grams looked surprised but pleased as she looked between them.