Page 48 of Winter Magic on Railway Lane

And then it struck him. ‘You’re right,’ said Ethan, looking across at his brother and nodding at him.

‘Of course I am,’ said Ryan, smiling for the first time that morning. ‘About what this time though?’

‘That all’s not lost,’ Ethan told him. ‘We’ll do it again and do it better. Much much better.’ He looked at his dad. ‘We’re going to have a Christmas train right here in Cranfield, just like Grandadwanted. And it’s going to be the best one this village has ever seen!’

Bob was nodding in tearful agreement. ‘That’ll be just the tonic your grandad will need, son,’ he said.

‘But…’ Katy was looking confused. ‘But aren’t you leaving tomorrow? For work, I mean?’

Ethan shook his head. ‘I’ve cancelled the job,’ he replied, before looking at his brother. ‘This is the most important thing in my life right now,’ he carried on.

Ryan raised his eyebrows in surprise but merely gave him a nod of approval in return.

There was a short pause before everyone started talking all at once in excited tones. Ethan turned to look at Libby, who nodded and squeezed his hand once more.

This time, the train idea would work, he promised himself. This time, he would throw every ounce of effort that he could to make it a success. He would give it one hundred and ten per cent and not let his grandad down.

Of course, he would need help and input from his friends and family. And he would also have to accept that he would stay on in Cranfield longer than he had planned. But he owed it to his grandad, and to prove to himself as well that he could contribute. That he didn’t need to run away and let his family down again.

He might not believe in the magic of Christmas, but he could provide it for everyone else, couldn’t he? And hopefully a little magic might just rub off on him too, he thought, looking down at Libby’s hand in his once more.

29

Before leaving Platform 1, Libby had sheepishly asked Ethan if it was okay for her to use his kitchen that day. She felt bad about asking, even though he had told her that it was fine and she believed him. But he had already been through a dreadful evening after Eddie’s stroke and she hadn’t wanted to burden him further.

The fact was, though, that she had a week to her deadline and time was racing on. She had somehow managed to complete over half the order, but there was still a huge amount of work to do to get it done on time.

Ethan had been out all day, after his announcement in the coffee shop that morning about staying on in Cranfield to run a Christmas train. She had been surprised but pleased. She knew how much it would mean to his family and she was also happy that she would see him more often as well, although she tried not to dwell on the reasons why that would please her.

For the past couple of hours, she had knuckled down in the kitchen, working quickly. But despite the hard work, Libby found she couldn’t stop her mind towards thinking of Eddie. Ethan and Ryan had taken Bob to visit him in hospital and,according to the text she had just received from Katy, they were pleased with Eddie’s progress so far. Relieved, Libby forwarded on the news to her dad by text.

Libby put down her mobile, and looked around the kitchen. She was still way behind on what she needed to get done. She had made more chocolates but the flat-pack boxes were still in their packaging nearby, so she had to store the truffles in layers. She could box them up last, she decided. The main thing was to get the chocolate finished. Although that was still such a tall order that she could almost cry at the thought.

She looked at the time. It was already half past four and she knew that Ethan wouldn’t want her there when he got home from the hospital. She had maybe two hours before needing to finish her work for the day. She could feel the hysterical laughter bubbling up inside her. She was just tired, that was all. It had been an emotional twenty-four hours.

Libby checked her phone once more and suddenly weariness washed over her. She swayed a little on the spot and shook her head at herself.Just sit down for five minutes, she told herself.You just need to rest for a short while and then you’ll have more energy.

Everything would be better just as soon as she’d had a little rest.

So she went over to the sofa, her phone in her hand and sank down. As soon as she was sitting, she felt her eyes droop. Maybe a power nap would be best, she decided. What was it that she had read recently? Twenty minutes was the optimum time to give the best results. Twenty minutes and the nibs would be ready in the oven. That was it. That sounded perfect.

Libby went to set the alarm on her phone to wake her up as soon as the twenty minutes was up, but she fell fast asleep before she had a chance to press the Set button.

It had been a long day, but Ethan was glad that they had been able to visit Eddie. The doctors were pleased with his progress and Ethan, Ryan and Bob had been grateful to find him weary but still the same old Eddie that they knew and loved.

‘Wish you hadn’t cancelled your job,’ he’d said when he’d found out that Ethan was staying on. But even Ethan could tell that Eddie was pleased that the Christmas train would become a reality. ‘That’s great, lad,’ he had murmured, squeezing Ethan’s hand with his before falling asleep.

After dropping off Bob, Ryan and Ethan chatted outside for a short while.

Ethan suppressed a yawn. ‘Sorry, bro,’ he said. ‘Long day.’

‘Me too,’ said Ryan. ‘But it was good to see Grandad looking all right. He was, wasn’t he?’

Ethan nodded. ‘Early days, like the doctors said. But yeah.’

They both exchanged a concerned brotherly look as they stood by the front gate. Lights were beginning to be switched on in each cottage as dusk started to fall.

Ryan stepped forward to give his brother a hug before he headed home. But as he slapped Ethan on the shoulder, Ryan suddenly took a sharp intake of breath.