Leaves for Chloe by Pat Elliott

Author:Pat Elliott
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Driving towards Reading, it felt as if a large mass of indigestible gloop had finally passed through my system. I felt light and carefree. I may even have whistled in time to the music from the ancient radio. A wide smile played across my face. I was going home to Angus. Yes, there would be a few stops along the way, but he was the end destination. Angus and the wonderful loch, where we had our first kiss. London life was consigned to being a phase of growing up and now my real life would begin. The hotel, an honest man, a gorgeous dog and beautiful scenery. The one fly in my particular ointment had been banished and the sun was shining. It was a good day. Greenery passed by and it was beautiful to see. Driving in Nessie was so relaxing, because I drove slower and in the inside lane. The one time I’d driven Howard’s Ferrari, the raw power of it, as I floored it on the motorway, left me feeling breathless and terrified. Almost like Howard’s hypnosis stunt. I shuddered at the memory. My old microbus was perfect for the holiday frame of mind I was in.

‘You look different today, Chloe. What have you done?’

‘It’s what you’ve done, Shell.’ I smiled. ‘You’ve made me see what’s important and we’re on the way to him. Feeling this happy has probably smoothed out a few wrinkles and made my face look more relaxed.’

‘I’m glad you’re happy, hon. Looking on the map, there’s a camp-site at a country park just outside of Reading. It has its own woodland, so I thought we’d stop there tonight. It’s on a little B road. I’ll shout when I see the sign.’

‘Its own woodland? How about we stay there longer than a night and cut down on the Oxford visit. I’d rather spend a week in the woods than a night in the town.’

‘Okay, we can do that. Now look, see that brown sign? That’s the first one telling you the country park is upcoming. Watch for the B road now.’ The turn off was so well signposted, I couldn’t have missed it. We pulled into the country park, amazed at the expanse of nature, so close to two large conurbations. Paying up front for a week’s stay in a premium pitch, we drove into the camp-site amongst the trees. Poppy and Buster looked as excited as young children in a fairground, deciding which attraction to run to first. We took out their leads, hooked them up and went to explore. The woodland was massive, the country park itself extended to over three hundred acres, of which forty was given over to a lake. It was hard to believe we were just over an hour’s drive from Oxford. Walking through the woodland, watching the dogs entangle themselves in their leads in their eagerness to be first to sniff out the latest smell, made me feel at one with the world. Perhaps this was what Barb had meant when she said her farm walks made her feel grounded.

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