The Season for Second Chances by Ruth Saberton

Author:Ruth Saberton [Saberton, Ruth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Notting Hill Press
Published: 2017-09-21T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Mark

It wasn’t easy to leave his father in the hospital on Christmas Eve, but the forecast of snow had proved to be extremely accurate and Mark didn’t want to leave Rob alone to deal with the farm. His son seemed to have taken to it like a duck to water but, all the same, it didn’t seem fair to let him shoulder everything. Mark recalled only too well just how much there was to do; even in its reduced state, there would still be a huge amount of work at Tucketts’ Farm. He’d dithered for a while until the half-hearted flurries beyond the window had begun to fall in earnest, at which point he’d kissed his sleeping father goodbye.

The cold air outside had come as a shock after the heat of the ward, and the snowflakes had stung his cheeks. Although it was afternoon and the car park was still fairly full, it was noticeable that the locals were beginning to head home. Mark might have lived away for nearly forty years but he still remembered how quickly the Cornish weather could close in. As he drove away from the hospital, the spires of Truro Cathedral were already vanishing as the valley filled with snow.

Thank God his dad’s Defender was up to the job of getting back home and through the lanes, Mark thought as he headed away from the town and into the whitening countryside. It was a shame it didn’t seem to have a heater that worked though. His fingers were frozen on the wheel and his breath was puffing out in clouds. He’d found a hat and a jacket on the back seat, which should stop him freezing altogether, but it saddened Mark to think that his father had been driving like this – and probably for a long time, too.

Guilt clawed him. His father might say he was a good son but Mark knew the truth was very different. He’d hidden from his family because facing the past was far too painful. Look at him now, sending Rob to deal with Grace’s tree and running away to Truro instead. He had no intention of seeking her out either. He’d lie low over the festive period and spend as much time at the hospital as possible. Then, once she’d returned to her estimable career, he’d think about what was going to happen to the farm.

They’d have to sell up, of course. That was obvious. John was frail and he wasn’t coping. Maybe he’d be willing to move out to Australia and spend the twilight of his life in Cairns? Mark laughed out loud. The thought of his father kicking back on the deck with a tinny and wearing a sunhat was quite simply ridiculous. He’d be totally out of place. John Tuckett hadn’t taken a day off in his life, and if anything would kill him it would be sitting around doing nothing and pining for Cornwall. Yet Mark knew there was no way his father could possibly manage the farm now.

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