Battle of Hearts by Tania Roberts

Author:Tania Roberts
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Tania Roberts
Published: 2023-09-25T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16

The return journey from Staveley to Orari seemed shorter and conversation was exhausted by the time Moira and Betsy reached Whipsnade Farm after dropping Grace off in Geraldine. The last of the sun’s rays lingered on the peaks of the Southern Alps and in the half-light, Betsy could see the silhouette of people in the calf shed.

Her grip on her posy of zinnia’s tightened as alarm bells triggered. Farm chores should have been completed by now and everybody inside cleaning up for dinner. Why were they still at the calf shed? Who were they? She squinted to get a better view and recognised the side profile of Rosey; her buxomness giving her away as it always did. The other person was as tall and had short hair so wasn’t Peggy or Jean. It was a man. He moved to stand back on, arms hanging at his side or in this case only half an arm on one side. William. Betsy’s breath caught in her mouth.

“Right, here you are then.” Moira stopped the truck beside the path to the house.

Startled, Betsy dropped the flowers, and they splayed across her lap.

“Blast,” she cursed as she scrunched the zinnias into an untidy bunch, one eye still on the pair in the shed and a sense of dread churning her stomach.

“Best you get them inside and into some water before you kill them,” Moira warned.

The flowers were the least of Betsy’s concern and inside was the last place she was going. She clenched her teeth and muttered under her breath. “Bloody Rosey.”

If the day with Alice had taught Betsy anything it was that you held onto the things, be they human or otherwise, that were precious to you. All Betsy could imagine in this instant was that Rosey was doing her best to steal both William and the calf from her.

She opened the truck door and climbed out ready to stride across the yard and confront Rosey.

“Bye,” Moira said. “Thank you for the lift, it was nice spending the day with you, see you again soon.”

Moira’s sarcasm was lost on Betsy. “Yes, bye,” she said, closing the door without glancing back.

The crunch of the departing truck’s tyres on the metalled track drowned out any conversation Betsy was eager to hear. She stopped mid-stride, her head jerked back, and she sucked in a breath as the silhouettes merged into one.

Time stopped in that moment. Like the silhouette, the emotions racing about Betsy’s head all blended into one confused blackness. She blinked; perhaps the image wasn’t real, but the same sight greeted her opened eyes. What should she do? Confront them? Demand Rosey let go of William? Scream that William was hers?

As she stood in the middle of the track, an evening breeze blowing her fringe across her brow, reason and rational thinking slowly edged its way in. William wasn’t Betsy’s. Roland was. It was just a hug; it didn’t mean anything. And even if it did, it was none of her business.

Betsy looked down

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