The Christmas Fayre on Holly Field: An inspiring and cosy festive romance

Chapter 1

The madness has started already, Harriet Parry thought, as she pushed her shopping trolley into the supermarket and saw the stacked tubs of Quality Street and Roses chocolates.

For pity’s sake, the kids had only just gone back to school after the summer holidays! The store still had school uniforms and protractor sets on display, and yet there they were, trying to force Christmas down shoppers’ necks.

It wasn’t that Harriet disliked Christmas; it was more a question of dreading it. This would be the second Christmas she would be facing on her own, just her and the children. Last year had been pretty awful, but this year she had the added bonus of knowing what to expect.

Scowling, she marched up and down the aisles, scouring the shelves for buy-one-get-one-free offers and any reduced items. If she was lucky, she might grab a bargain or two and find some meat that had been marked down because the sell-by date was up. Declan’s meanness and inability to pay maintenance on time often meant that meals containing meat were a rare treat. She tried to tell herself that it was better for her family’s health and for the environment to eat a vegetarian diet, but damn and blast, she’d sell her right arm for a roast beef dinner.

With the shopping finally done, she stowed the bags in the boot of her little hatchback and drove home in a cloud of irritation and disgruntlement. She hated doing the monthly shop: not because she disliked grocery shopping as such, but because she was confronted by temptation at every turn, and she could cry when she saw yet another tantalising treat that she couldn’t afford. Still, it was done now, and she could put it out of her mind for another month. In between supermarket visits, she would shop locally in Foxmore, and sometimes she would manage to bag a bargain from the bakery if they had any leftover bread, rolls or cakes that they wanted to get rid of at the end of the day. And when she needed milk or fresh produce, she would pop into the convenience store, although often there wasn’t a great deal that was convenient about it.

As usual, Etta, their three-year-old dachshund, launched herself at Harriet as soon as she opened the door, and Harriet spent a few minutes fussing the dog. Although Etta was supposed to be the kids’ dog, she was Harriet’s fur baby, acquired when Declan had vetoed having another child, arguing that two was more than enough. In hindsight, Harriet realised it had been for the best – because a year later he had walked out on her.

Harriet hadn’t been home more than five minutes, and was still putting the shopping away, when the front door slammed open and her children barrelled through it. She winced, guessing that the dent in the wall from the door handle had probably deepened by another millimetre or two. Yet one more job that needed doing, but wouldn’t get done anytime soon. She tried her best, but DIY had been Declan’s forte. If she ever attempted any repairs, she usually made the situation worse.

Deciding to ignore it (these things added character to a house, didn’t they?), she greeted her hungry children, batting away eager hands as they delved into the bags to see what she’d bought.

‘What’s for tea? I’m starving!’

‘You’re always starving,’ Harriet told her son.

Bobby was nine and growing fast, which meant he was perpetually hungry. She hoped she wouldn’t have to replace his school shoes before Christmas because she hadn’t long bought him a new pair, but she knew she was fighting a losing battle. He grew faster than a weed in a flower bed.

Sara presented her with a different set of problems, because her daughter thought she was eighteen, not eleven. She had only started at the comprehensive school three weeks ago, and Harriet could see the child changing before her very eyes. It was terrifying.

Sara grabbed a cheesy snack, unwrapped it and stuffed it in her mouth, chewing vigorously. Bobby’s prize was a reduced yoghurt and he darted off to his room to eat it, leaving his school bag and coat in a heap on the kitchen floor.

With an overly dramatic sigh, Harriet bent to pick them up and popped them on the table. She would go through his bag later. She should really call him down and tell him off, but as she had managed to dodge the what’s-for-tea question, she let it go. Her lentil and bean version of shepherd’s pie wasn’t their favourite, but it was healthy and filling, and they’d eat it or lump it.

‘I’ve got to take five pounds to school tomorrow,’ Sara said, having finished her cheese and eyeing the remaining yoghurts. ‘Ma-a-am,’ she whined, ‘Bobby’s eaten the strawberry one.’

‘So he has.’ Harriet refused to be drawn. If Sara hadn’t gone for the cheese first, she could have had the strawberry yoghurt instead. ‘Five pounds? What for?’ Her heart sank, but she tried not to show it.

‘School trip.’

‘Where and when?’

Sara shrugged. ‘Dunno. It’s to do with STEM.’

‘STEM?’

‘Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. There’s a letter in my bag that you have to sign.’

‘Oh, right.’ She supposed five pounds wasn’t so bad. She found her purse and counted out some coins. But when she read the letter, her heart sank again. The five pounds was only the deposit. Another eighteen pounds was required a week before the trip took place.

Wordlessly, she signed the permission slip and dropped the coins into an envelope.

‘Oh, and can I have some makeup?’ her daughter asked casually, as she shoved the money into her school bag.

‘No, you’re too young to wear makeup.’

‘Darlene does.’

‘I don’t care.’

‘And everyone else does.’

‘Not listening,’ Harriet said, pouring water into a pan. She knew that was untrue, because Harriet’s friend Kelly didn’t allow Catrin to wear makeup either, and Catrin was in the same class as Sara.

‘Do you want me to be bullied?’ Sara demanded.

‘You won’t be bullied for not wearing makeup. Anyway, it’s against school rules.’

‘I don’t want to wear it to school,’ Sara shot back, flicking her long hair over her shoulder. ‘It’s for Darlene’s birthday party.’

‘When is that?’

‘November. The invite is in my bag, too. I’ve got to RSVP it. That’s French for telling her I’m going.’

Blimey, Harriet thought, fishing it out and looking at the date. Darlene’s mum was very organised. Harriet didn’t usually begin thinking about her kids’ birthdays until a couple of weeks before.

She was about to secure the invite to the fridge door, when she spotted the venue. Deri Castle? Surely that was a misprint?

‘And I’ll need something new to wear,’ Sara declared.

‘Will you now?’ Harriet sighed.

‘Please?’ Sara was starting to whine.

‘We’ll see.’

Her daughter scowled at her. She knew, like all kids, that ‘we’ll see’ usually meant no.

‘I’ll ask Dad.’ Sara’s expression was belligerent.

Good luck with that, Harriet thought. Declan paid the bare minimum towards his children’s upkeep, and because he was self-employed and didn’t declare half of what he earned, on paper he appeared to be living on the breadline.

‘Good idea,’ she said, with false cheerfulness. Maybe Declan would come through for his daughter, but Harriet doubted it.

Sara flounced out of the kitchen and Harriet called after her, ‘Have you got any homework?’ but the only response was the sound of a stroppy pre-teen stomping up the stairs.

Harriet let out another sigh. Being a single parent wasn’t easy. Being a single parent with barely two pennies to rub together was flipping impossible. At least with the kids now back in school, she was able to pick up some extra shifts in the cafe, but she had a depressing feeling that most of any additional income would go on funding school activities and her daughter’s burgeoning social life.

One step forward, two steps back… it was the story of her life.

‘It’s time to take Etta for a walk,’ Harriet said after tea, and she waited for the grizzle of protest from her daughter. Bobby was happy enough to scamper along the riverbank with the dog, but of late Sara had become more reluctant, although she seemed to enjoy herself once she was there.

‘Do I have to go?’

Yep, there it was – the whiny moan. ‘Yes, Sara, you do. You can’t stay in the house on your own.’

‘Why not? Darlene does.’

‘I’m not interested in what Darlene does or doesn’t do. You’re too young to be unsupervised.’ Harriet was already sick of hearing Darlene’s name. The child was swiftly becoming Sara’s best friend, despite the two of them having only known each other a matter of weeks, as they’d gone to different primary schools.

‘Scared I might nick your makeup?’ Sara sneered.

Harriet blinked. This answering back and sassy attitude were new, and Harriet didn’t appreciate it. ‘If you want to pinch my makeup, feel free,’ she said, hoping to take the wind out of her daughter’s sails.

Most of it was old and dried up – a bit like Harriet herself. She’d never worn much anyway, just some concealer for the permanent dark circles under her eyes, mascara and lipstick when she remembered. However, the concealer had dried out, the mascara had gone gloopy and the lipstick wasn’t the most flattering of colours. If Sara wanted it that badly, she was welcome to it.

‘It’s not fair,’ Sara protested. ‘Everyone else has makeup.’

‘That’s life,’ Harriet said, biting back a smile when her daughter thrust out her chin, a mutinous expression on her face. When she did that, she appeared five, not eleven, and Harriet thought she looked adorable. Not that she’d say that to Sara’s face, of course: there was only so much stropping Harriet could take. ‘Put your shoes on.’

Sara narrowed her eyes and for a moment Harriet thought she might refuse, but with a loud huff, her daughter stomped into the hall to retrieve her trainers from under the stairs.

Bobby, bless him, was already wearing his and was hopping from foot to foot impatiently. Etta, sensing a walk was imminent, jumped up at him before dashing around in excited circles.

Harriet threw the dog’s lead to her son and Bobby deftly caught it, clipping it onto the dog’s collar while Harriet made sure she had poo bags and a ball in her pocket.

‘I hate taking Etta for a walk,’ Sara grumbled, as Harriet locked the front door behind them and they set off down the road. ‘It’s boring.’

‘You wanted a dog,’ Harriet reminded her. ‘What happened to all those promises of I’ll feed her, I’ll groom her, I’ll walk her and I’ll pick up her poop?’

‘Mam! Stop it,’ Sara hissed, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one had heard her mother mention the embarrassing subject of poo-picking.

There was no one else on the street, but even if there had been, it was unlikely to be Darlene, or any of Sara’s other friends.

‘Why? If you’ve got a dog, you need to pick up after it,’ Harriet pointed out.

‘Gross.’ Sara gave a theatrical shudder and pulled a face.

‘You used to do it—’

‘Stop talking about it.’

‘I pick up poo, don’t I, Mammy?’ Bobby tugged her sleeve.

‘That’s because you’re a snot,’ Sara said.

‘Don’t call your brother names. He’s being a responsible dog owner.’

‘Snotty, snotty,’ Sara chanted.

‘Mam, tell her!’ Bobby shoved his sister, who promptly shoved him back. ‘Mam, she pushed me.’

‘He pushed me first.’

‘Stop arguing, else you’ll both be poo-picking for the rest of the week,’ Harriet warned.

Sara opened her mouth. ‘That’s not fai—’

‘Shh.’ Harriet glared at her, then glared at Bobby for good measure.

They walked without speaking for a while. The children might be sulking, but Harriet didn’t care – she relished the silence. However, Bobby soon perked up when they turned off the road and onto the path leading to the river, and he let Etta off her lead.

The dog scampered a few paces ahead, her nose down, tail up. This was probably her favourite place in the whole world, and Harriet smiled as she watched the dachshund sniff and snuffle her way along the path. No doubt she could smell the numerous other dogs who were also taken for walks along this stretch of the river, as well as the mice, shrews, voles and rabbits that lived in the undergrowth. Birds were plentiful, even though the swallows and swifts that were often seen swooping and diving over the meadows and fields to either side of the river had now flown south for the winter. There was a chill in the air, and the leaves of the trees lining the banks were turning the most glorious shades of burnt umber, nutmeg and cerise.

Harriet loved autumn. The run-up to Christmas with its fireworks and bonfires, the smell of woodsmoke in the air, the crispness of frost and dried leaves underfoot, the mists that hung over the river…

But although she might enjoy the outdoors, she wasn’t looking forward to what went on indoors over the next couple of months, and her thoughts returned to the thorny problem of being able to afford all those Christmas presents that her children would ask for.

She hated disappointing them, but with Declan giving her only the bare minimum in child support, she had no choice. Sara still believed in Santa Clause, but even if she didn’t Harriet had no intention of burdening her daughter’s young shoulders with the knowledge that the family was only just holding its financial head above water.

As she watched Sara forget the sulk she was in at being forced out of the house for such a dreadful reason as taking the dog for a walk on a lovely September evening, and play hide-and-seek with her brother in the bushes, Etta joining in with gleeful abandon, Harriet shoved her worries to the back of her mind and concentrated on her blessings. She had two lovely healthy children, they had a roof over their heads and they lived in a beautiful part of the world. Not only that, she had an adorable pup and a part-time job that fitted in with school holidays. Aside from wishing she had enough money so she didn’t have to struggle, what more could Harriet ask for?

Love? Romance? She heard Pen’s voice in her head and scowled.

Pen owned Pen’s Pantry where Harriet worked, and the annoying woman had been trying to set her up for some time now.

Harriet loved Pen to bits, but she didn’t need a man in her life. She’d had enough trouble with Declan, and even if she hadn’t, she couldn’t face all that dating nonsense again. She wasn’t in her twenties any more, and she had young children to boot. Maybe when they were older and had flown the nest, she might open herself to romance again. But not right now. Besides, there weren’t many eligible bachelors in Foxmore, and none she fancied – so it was a moot point and Pen was barking up the wrong tree.

Speaking of trees and barking, Etta had managed to chase a squirrel up an ancient oak and was dancing around the base of the trunk, yelping hysterically. The little creature was high up on one of the spreading branches, chattering crossly.

With a smile, Harriet went to rescue the dog.

Chapter 2

What was it that old fella had called him just now? A tree hugger?

Owen Loxton chuckled quietly to himself. He’d been called worse, and the old guy had a point. Owen had never tied himself to a tree as such, but he had been known to protest vigorously about one being felled. These days, though, he did most of his protesting via a keyboard. He supposed he could be called a keyboard warrior, although he wasn’t too keen on the term’s negative connotations. He had paid his dues in the past and had earned his stripes, so to speak, when it came to protesting, and he had nothing to prove and everything to gain by using the powers of the internet to try to achieve effective environmental change.

Today he was in a little village at the southern end of the Snowdonia mountain range, his van parked on the edge of a small green. He had taken the opportunity to hand out a couple of leaflets to passers-by before diving into a cafe for a very late lunch, in the hope that if he had something substantial now, he would only need a bowl of porridge for supper later.

Owen wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing here, but he had seen the sign for Foxmore and had decided to take a look. Besides, he was hungry, and he’d also fancied stretching his legs.

So far, he liked what he saw. The village was nestled in a wide glacial valley, with woodland cloaking its slopes and a river cutting through it. The tops of the hills were hidden by lowering autumn mists and he wondered whether there was any decent hiking in the area.

The village itself was pretty, consisting of a green with a Celtic cross in the centre, an old Norman church, a picturesque pub, and narrow streets leading off it which were lined with stone and slate terraced cottages.

There seemed to be a nice selection of independent shops, too. As he had driven slowly along the main street, he had spotted a butcher, a baker, a shop selling knick-knacks, an antique shop and – his heart had lifted when he’d seen it – an eco-refill shop. Ideally, he would love to see one of those on every high street, but there was some way to go before that happened. He was also pleased to see a cafe, as he had been driving since early morning and his stomach was starting to think that his throat had been cut.

The cafe was busy but there was a free table in the corner and Owen slipped into a chair with a contented sigh. He much preferred independent eateries like this to the national chains which tended to dominate most high streets, and picking up a menu, he scanned it hungrily.

The air was redolent with the aroma of coffee, and he was embarrassed when his stomach rumbled rather loudly.

A giggle made him look up to find a waitress standing next to his table, pad and pencil poised.

‘I take it you’re hungry?’ she asked, smiling.

‘Very. What do you recommend?’

‘The specials are always good.’ She pointed at a chalkboard on the wall behind the counter.

Owen peered past her to read it, but before he got to the end of the list of dishes, his eyes returned to her face.

He wouldn’t describe her as beautiful, but she was arresting. There was something about her that made every other person in the cafe fade into the background.

Or was it just that he’d been without female company for too long?

No, that wasn’t it. There was definitely something about her: navy eyes, sun-kissed skin and a smile so bright that it put the sun to shame. Reflexively, he checked out her left hand and saw she wasn’t wearing a ring on her third finger – although that didn’t necessarily mean she wasn’t in a relationship.

He glanced at her face again, and her smile dimmed, a wary expression creeping into her eyes.

Damn! He was staring, wasn’t he? And it was incredibly rude of him.

To cover his faux pas, he said, ‘Have we met before?’ Not exactly original, but he was relieved when her smile returned.

‘I don’t think so. I’d have remembered you.’ Her eyes widened and she winced. ‘I mean, I’m good with faces,’ she explained hastily.

‘I’m hopeless,’ he said, trying to put her at her ease. He guessed she must have meant what she said – he was no oil painting and he knew it, so he didn’t for one minute think his face was memorable because of his looks.

She smiled politely, and he realised she was waiting to take his order.

‘Sorry.’ He looked at the chalkboard again and picked the first vegan dish his gaze came to rest on. ‘I’ll have the chickpea stew, please, and a tea. Do you have herbal?’

‘Of course.’ She reeled off a selection and he chose camomile.

‘Oh, and could I have some water?’ he asked. ‘Tap, preferably.’

She raised her eyebrows. ‘Certainly.’

‘I just don’t believe in all that plastic-bottled stuff,’ he said, wondering why he felt the need to explain. He didn’t usually bother.

‘Good for you.’ She was about to retreat to the counter when she said, ‘I saw you handing leaflets out earlier.’

‘Er, yeah.’ He cleared his throat as he prepared to explain. He would have given her one of them but he had handed them all out: although, no doubt he would find most of them stuffed in the nearest bin. ‘We’re trying to lobby the Welsh Assembly Government to close all open-cast coal mines in the country. If enough pressure is exerted then maybe, just maybe, we’ll be heard.’

‘We?’

‘Everyone who cares enough about the environmental impact that burning fossil fuels causes, and don’t get me started on the destruction of huge swathes of land.’ He stopped, realising that her eyes were starting to glaze over. He wondered why he bothered. No matter how hard he campaigned, no matter how passionate he was, it didn’t seem to make any difference. It was like whistling into the wind.

‘Right, I’d better sort your order out.’ She tapped her pad with the pencil and he guessed he’d been a little too intense. He had a habit of doing that: unless the person he was talking to was as passionate about the environment as him, he often came across as a bit of a weirdo.

He watched the gentle sway of her hips out of the corner of his eye as she walked away, admiring her figure and how well she filled out her jeans.

Tearing his gaze away, his thoughts turned to work, so while he waited for his food to arrive, he put his tablet on the table, then shrugged his jacket off and hung it on the back of the chair. He might as well make use of the time to check his emails. He also had an article to submit, so he’d send that out while he was here.

When the waitress returned with his water, he asked if the cafe had Wi-Fi and was relieved when she said they did and gave him the password. Living in the van, he always had one eye on his data usage, keen not to go over his limit. He lived frugally and didn’t want to spend money if he didn’t have to.

He opened up the app and was engrossed in checking the article for a final time when he sensed someone at his elbow and realised his meal was ready.

Moving the tablet out of the way so the waitress could put the plate on the table, he smiled up at her.

‘This looks delicious,’ he said, eyeing the stew and accompanying sourdough bread with pleasure.

‘It is. Enjoy. If you need anything else, give me a shout.’

‘Who should I shout for?’

She narrowed her eyes. ‘Harriet.’

He unwrapped some cutlery from a serviette. ‘I’m Owen.’

She cocked her head in an acknowledgement of sorts but didn’t offer anything further. He wasn’t surprised. No doubt she got chatted up all the time. And why should she want anything to do with the likes of him? He was only passing through, and was a bit odd to boot.

Saying that, though, he had nowhere to go and nowhere to be, so he could stay for a few days and explore the local area if he had a mind to.

He had been heading towards the Llŷn Peninsula in the topmost northwest corner of Wales, purely because he had never been there before, but he quite liked the look of Foxmore so maybe he would hang around for a while.

Harriet left him to eat in peace, and as Owen tucked into his food, he checked out the local campsites. He much preferred to just pull off the road and find somewhere to park up, but that wasn’t strictly legal, so he’d best use a campsite.

The cafe had quietened considerably by the time he had finished eating, and when he put his spoon down, he saw Harriet sitting at a nearby table, chatting to another woman, one he had seen serving behind the counter. They were taking a break, and he noticed that Harriet’s sunny smile had disappeared and in its place she wore a sombre expression.

Owen didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but with fewer customers in the cafe he couldn’t help overhearing.

‘She’s growing up so fast,’ he heard Harriet say. ‘She’s only been at secondary school a few weeks and it’s already costing me a fortune. I thought it was bad enough when she was in primary.’

‘In what way?’ the other woman asked.

‘Uniform and all the kit aside, they’re asking for money for school trips, and she’s already been invited to a birthday party. Goodness knows what I’m going to buy the girl for a present. Kids Sara’s age aren’t happy with a colouring book and a pack of crayons.’

The other woman patted Harriet on the hand. ‘Have they ever been? I remember when mine were little; there was always one-upmanship when it came to birthday presents, and don’t get me started on the party bags. It feels like you have to give the kids a present just for turning up. In my day we used to be happy with a balloon and a piece of cake.’

‘Your day?’ Harriet scoffed. ‘Pen, you’re not that old!’

‘No, I just look it and feel it,’ the woman laughed.

‘You do not!’

‘I’ll be fifty-five next birthday. You’re what, thirty-three, thirty-four?’

‘Thirty-seven,’ Harriet said, and Owen was surprised to discover that she