This is also a 'prologue' of sorts; a taste of what to expect in the future when the next generation of Aspen Valleyans take over.
NOTE: To avoid SPOILERS be sure to read the entire 5 book Aspen Valley series first!
LAST MILE HOME:
The Prologue
Lucy
shifts on the couch in Jack and Pippa’s living room and grimaces. ‘I’m not
feeling so good,’ she mumbles, placing a hand on her swollen belly.
Pippa, with the
five-week-old Ella wrapped in her arms, looks up in concern. ‘Was it the
turkey? I couldn’t even look at meat with any of these three.’ She nods to a
toddler playing on the rug and a four-year-old boy pulling the plaits of a
little blonde girl of a similar age.
‘No, lunch was
amazing,’ Lucy assures her. ‘I don’t know how you do it.’
‘Well,’ Pippa leans
across in confidence, ‘here’s the trick…’
* * *
In the
kitchen, Jack, Finn and Rhys are manning the cooking. Jack wears Pippa’s
daisy-pattern apron and looks stressed.
‘What do you mean
there’s no non-alcoholic brandy butter pudding?’ he says then lowers his voice
to speak through clenched teeth. ‘We’ve got Kate and Ben here!’
Finn shrugs, not in the
least bit anxious, and takes a slurp of the rum sauce he’s stirring. ‘I wasn’t
to know they’d be comin’. It’s your house.’
‘Which you’re living
in,’ Jack points out with a spatula. ‘Remind me when you and Lucy are moving
into your own place?’
‘January second we get
the keys. That’ll give us a few days at least before the baby arrives.’
Jack groans and falls
back against the counter. ‘God, I’m too young to be a grandfather.’
‘Nonsense,’ Finn says
with a grin. ‘Have you looked in the mirror lately?’
Before Jack can
retaliate, they’re interrupted by the entrance of three-year-old Skyla, the
girl with blonde plaits tearing around the central island, screaming, with
Lucas chasing her, a mischievous glint in his blue eyes.
‘Lucas, take it
outside!’ Jack yells at his oldest son.
‘Uncle Jack! Uncle
Jack!’ Skyla screams.
‘It’s okay.’ Jack’s
voice is world-weary. ‘Sky-’
Skyla aims her water
gun at Jack and fires.
Finn roars with
laughter as Jack stands, dripping in the middle of the kitchen. Rhys, trying to
swallow his amusement, hands his boss a hand towel.
‘TESSA!’ Jack roars.
‘WILL YOU COME GET YOUR DAUGHTER!’
* * *
Upstairs
in the nursery, Tessa and Frankie sit in the quiet while Frankie rocks
two-year-old Jamie to sleep in his pram. The freckle-faced boy is restless, but
slowly his eyelashes sweep lower over her cheeks as he falls asleep.
‘Skyla is also a
nightmare to get to sleep,’ Tessa says in a hushed voice.
‘Jamie’s just
sensitive,’ Frankie replies. She smiles at a thought. ‘He’s going to be just
like Rhys when he’s older.’
Tessa regards her with
heavy lids. ‘Rhys is sensitive?’
‘Well, he has his
sensitive moments,’ Frankie defends her husband as honestly as she can. ‘He’s
more intense. Jamie’s the same.’
‘Sounds like Sin,’ says
Tessa with a mirthless chuckle. ‘Keeps everything bottled up, preferably of the
Johnny Walker Black Label variety.’
‘Things going okay?’
Tessa shrugs and looks
away. ‘Yeah, they’re fine. Or they will be eventually. Ever since the accident
things have been a bit strained in the Sinclair household. And Skyla, well…’ She shakes her head. ‘She’s a
handful, as you can imagine.’
Frankie looks down at
Jamie, her expression grateful. ‘How long will Sin be on crutches?’
‘Another month at
least.’ He’s banned Skyla from pogo-ing in the house now. It wasn’t her fault,
not really. I mean she wasn’t actually using it at the time. He should have
been looking where he was going.’
They hear Jack yelling
from the other end of the house.
‘You think I should go
check on things?’ Tessa asks reluctantly.
Frankie shakes her
head. ‘There’s enough adults downstairs to look after them.’
‘Are you sure? I’m
guessing it wasn’t Jack’s idea to have fifty children round for Christmas
lunch.’
Frankie laughs quietly.
‘He loves it really. Hell, most of them are his.’
‘Lucas adores him,
doesn’t he? Have you seen him when Jack’s around? God, I wish Skyla could be
more like that,’ Tessa says wistfully. ‘Does Sophie have a favourite?’
‘Peace Offering.’
Frankie grins. ‘Rhys and I can go to hell for all she cares. She’s more pony
mad than I was.’
Tessa laughs without
humour.
‘Lucas isn’t the only
one who idolises Jack, apparently,’ Frankie goes on. ‘Sebastian said his first
word a couple of weeks ago. “Dada”. Pippa’s most put out. She reckons she had
to give birth to them, she’s had the sore nipples and she’s changed more
nappies than him, the least they could do is learn her name first. She’s determined
Ella’s first word will be “Mama”.’
They hear a distant
roar from Jack that almost makes the toys lining the shelves to shake, and then
a child crying. They look at each other and reluctantly Tessa gets up.
‘I’d better go see
what’s happening.’
* * *
In the
kitchen, Finn is on his knees, scraping a broken dish and the scattered remains
of a bread and butter pudding into a brushpan. Jack, looking somewhat guilty,
is picking pudding out of a screaming Skyla’s hair.
‘What’s going on in
here?’ Kate de Jager and Aspen Valley’s head lass appears in the doorway. She spots the blubbing little girl. ‘Oh, poor
Skyla. Come here, darling.’
Skyla goes to Kate and
buries her face in her stomach. Kate picks out a raisin from her hair and
glares at the men, then guides Skyla back to the living room.
‘Less temptation, at
least.’ Finn dumps the remnants of the pudding into the bin and puts the brush
and pan away.
Jack looks
unenthusiastically at the bin. ‘My mother-in-law’s going to kill me. She bought
us those dishes.’
‘Blame it on Skyla, it
was her fault,’ says Rhys.
‘Yeah, it usually is,’
Jack mutters in reply.
A moment later, a boy
of no more than eight peeps around the doorway. It’s Sam, Emmie and Billy’s
son. Jack winks at him and the boy summons the courage to step into the room.
‘Uncle Jack, Mum said I
must come ask if you need any help.’
‘If you can find a
cloth, the floor can do with a wipe,’ Jack replies.
‘Sure. This one okay?’
Sam goes to the sink and takes out a cloth.
‘Er… better cut some
fresh cloth. Pippa will probably have something to say if we use her washing up
cloth on the floor.’ He opens the utilities cupboard and pokes around. ‘Dammit,
she’s probably left the roll in the studio.’
‘I can go get it,’
offers Sam.
‘Put some shoes on
first,’ Rhys says, pointing at the boys reindeer socks. ‘You’ll get frostbite
otherwise.’
Sam puffs out his
chest. ‘Nah, I’m tough, Uncle Rhys.’
‘No, I’ll get into
trouble with your mother,’ says Jack. ‘Use my Wellington boots by the door
there.’
Sam’s eyes widen as he
looks from Jack to the boots and back again. ‘Really? Can I?’
‘Course you can. Go on
now,’ Jack says, totally missing the honour in the boy’s voice.
Looking like he’s just
been awarded the key to the city, Sam steps into the too-big boots and stomps
proudly out through the back door.
‘Nice kid,’ remarks
Finn, watching his departure.
Jack sighs. ‘Yeah,
wants a father figure though.’
‘Billy still not come
back from Lambourne?’ Rhys asks.
‘No,’ replies Jack.
‘Thought he might for Christmas, but seems not. Pippa said she thought Emmie
and Billy might be getting back together, but it doesn’t look like –’
He’s interrupted by the
smoke alarm going off and Finn jumps into action.
‘Shite! I forgot the
rum sauce.’
* * *
Through
in the lounge, Pippa, Lucy and Emmie look up from their conversation at the
sound of the alarm.
‘Do you think they’re
managing in there?’ Lucy asks, her expression doubtful.
‘They’ll be fine,’ says
Pippa with her usual optimism. ‘It was either that or look after the kids.
Skyla, are you feeling better?’
Skyla looks over from
the opposite armchair where Kate is replaiting her hair for her and nods, her
face still stained with tears.
‘It was Lucas’s fault.
He pushed me.’
Lucas glares at her
from where he’s playing with his younger brother on the rug. ‘Did not.’
‘Did too.’
‘Did not!’
‘Did –’
‘Enough, Skyla. God!’
Sin looks up from his chair. He’s resting his leg, encased in a support boot,
on an ottoman, and playing poker with Ben.
Skyla’s lower lip
trembles.
Sensing tears afoot,
Pippa smiles brightly. ‘I know. Lucas, why don’t you show everyone what Santa
got you for Christmas?’
Lucas is up and running
out of the room without needing to be asked twice.
‘What about you, Sin?’
says Emmie, playfully. ‘What did Santa get you for Christmas?’
Sin opens his mouth to
give a droll response but is pipped by Skyla, who says with a pout, ‘Mummy says
you have to be good to get presents
from Santa.’
‘And you are living proof that that rule is
flexible.’
Father and daughter
glare at each other.
‘Crumbs,’ Emmie mutters,
retreating. She catches sight of Lucy, still looking uncomfortable. ‘Lucy, you
okay?’
‘Hmm? Oof, this
indigestion is getting a bit worse, that’s all,’ she says, fobbing off their
concern with her hand. ‘You got any Rennies, Pippa?’
‘I think so. Here, hold
Ella while I go find some. It’ll be good practice for you.’
Pippa hands over her
baby to Lucy and gets up. She curses as she stands on one of Sebastian’s toys
on the floor as she exits.
Ella starts to wail at
the disturbance to her nap.
‘Better get used to
it,’ Emmie tells Lucy over the noise.
Lucy looks helplessly
down at Ella and jiggles her up and down. Ella just wails louder.
‘Here, do you want me
to hold her?’ offers Kate, coming over.
Lucy gladly hands over
the baby. Ella quietens as Kate sways her in her arms.
‘Jeez, you’re good,’
says Emmie in amazement. ‘When are you and Ben going to have kids?’
Kate hesitates. Lucy
elbows Emmie in her side. Emmie frowns at her in puzzlement.
‘Oh, you know,’ says
Kate. ‘When the time is right.’
‘There’s never a right
time,’ drawls Sin from the corner. He adds a couple of counters to his bet and
nods to Ben.
‘Sin’s right,’ says
Emmie. ‘There isn’t a perfect time. You’ve just got to get on and do it… Maybe
not like I did, but you’re not nineteen,’ she adds with a laugh. ‘You must be
what thirty-three, thirty-four?’ Lucy kicks Emmie’s ankle. ‘Ow. What was that
for?’
‘Thirty-five,’ replies
Kate.
‘Plenty of time yet,’
Lucy reassures her.
‘Yeah,’ says Kate,
looking sadly down at Ella.
Sin clicks his fingers
in front of Ben to get his attention. ‘Your go. You going to fold?’
‘Actually, we’re
thinking of adopting,’ Ben says.
* * *
The
awkward silence that follows is relieved by Lucas scampering back into the room
carrying a huge box. He shoves Sebastian and his toys to one side so he can set
things up. Sebastian yells in anger.
Sin leans forward,
showing overt interest to overcome his embarrassment. ‘What have you got there,
Lucas? Scalectrix?’
‘No,’ says Lucas, like Sin’s stupid. ‘It’s a racing stable!’
He upends the box in
triumph. A three-sided plastic model stable block and a dozen horses fall out.
Lucas throws the box
aside, hitting Sin’s leg and making the man gasp with pain. ‘This one’s my
favourite. He’s called Kauto Star. And this one, this is Denman. Have you heard
of Denman, Uncle Sin?’
Sin leans back,
groaning and throws his cards down. ‘Horses, horses, horses. Does it ever end?’
‘Not round these parts,
mate,’ says Ben. ‘I’ve a flush. Beats two pair, thank you very much.’
Pippa returns with
Lucy’s Rennies and steps around the mess on the floor. ‘Here you go, love.
Pudding will be ready in a minute.’
Lucy takes them
gratefully and pops one into her mouth. ‘I don’t think I can handle pudding.’
Sebastian abandons his
toys in favour of his brother’s and picks up Kauto Star. He gnaws sloppily on
the horse’s head.
‘Sebbie! Stop!’ cries
Lucas. ‘Mummy! Tell him to play with his own toys!’
‘Sebastian, stop eating
Kauto Star. Lucas, share with your brother.’
Jack, Finn and Rhys
appear from the kitchen bearing puddings and sauces in their oven-mitted hands
and lay them on the table.
‘Pudding!’ Jack
announces to the whole of Somerset.
Ella wakes up and
bawls. Pippa sighs and gives Jack a dark look.
* * *
It
doesn’t take long for everyone to assemble at their places around the table.
The smell wafts across the table and the kids aren’t the only ones to be
licking their lips.
‘Is everyone here?’
Jack asks from the head of the table.
They all look around.
There is one empty seat beside Lucas.
‘Who’s meant to be
sitting there?’ Pippa asks.
‘Skyla?’ Tessa says,
looking around.
‘Yeah?’ Skyla pouts
from her place beside her new best friend, Kate.
‘Oh, there you are,’
Tessa says with a sigh of relief. ‘Okay.’
‘Who’s meant to be
sitting next to Lucas?’
‘Sophie?’ Frankie says.
‘Where’s Sophie?’ Rhys
says, exhaustion creeping into his tone. ‘I thought you were looking after
her.’
Frankie turns to the
children. ‘Lucas? Skyla? Wasn’t Sophie playing with you?’
Lucas looks longingly
at the steaming pudding on eye level with him. ‘No.’
Frankie stands up
hurriedly, dropping her napkin on the floor. ‘Sophie? Where are you?’
‘It’s okay,’ Emmie says
soothingly. ‘She can’t have gone far.’
‘Sophie?’ ‘Sophie!’ ‘Sophie!’
The house is filled
with shouts as everyone abandons the table and goes off in search of Rhys and
Frankie’s four-year-old daughter.
Lucas looks around to
make sure no one is looking then whips out his spoon and attacks the sticky
toffee pudding. Skyla sticks a finger in the rum sauce and sucks it clean. She
and Lucas laugh at each other’s daring and tuck in.
* * *
Five
minutes later, everyone reconvenes in the living room.
‘Any sign of her?’
‘No. Has someone
checked upstairs?’
‘Nothing.’
‘What about my studio?’
Pippa suggests. ‘Anyone check in there?’
‘Nothing,’ says Rhys.
Even he is sounding a little breathless. ‘When did anyone last see her.’
They all exchange
dubious glances.
‘Lunch.’
‘But that was nearly an
hour ago!’ Frankie cries.
‘What were you doing
for an hour to allow her to be gone so long?’ Rhys demands.
‘I was trying to get Jamie
down, all right?’ Frankie replies tearfully.
‘Okay, okay,’ Pippa
says, placing a calming hand on each of them. ‘Where are you going, Jack?’
Jack is already
striding to the front door. He unhooks his jacket from the coat stand and
shrugs it on.
‘The stables. Come on.’
‘Sam, you’re in charge
til we get back,’ Emmie says to her son.
Sam stares at her in
horror.
‘You can’t leave an
eight-year-old in charge of everything,’ says Ben.
‘I’ll stay,’ pipes up
Sin wearily. ‘It’s not like I’m going anywhere quickly.’
‘Good thinking,’ says
Pippa. She hands Ella to Sin. ‘I think she might need a nappy change. Do you
think you can manage?’
* * *
Three
sets of headlights roll down the misty Gallops to the deserted stable yard. The
place is eerily quiet, staff having left for their Christmas lunches. At
the sound of the people descending on the yard, horses – bay, chestnut, grey –
look out over their stable doors. They prick their ears at the sound of their
desperate calls for Sophie.
Rhys limps over to the
entrance of the indoor school. ‘Sophie?’ His voice echoes around the empty
space. Frankie and Finn catch up.
‘Think,’ says Finn.
‘Where would she go?’
‘She could be
anywhere,’ cries Frankie. ‘She could be on the road. And in this mist…’
‘I know.’ Rhys strides away
from the school with purpose and the others run to catch up.
‘Where – where are we
going? Frankie gasps.
Rhys doesn’t respond.
He hurries to the other end of the yard to the least populated block of stables.
They round the corner to see Jack, Pippa and Lucy already crowded around a
stable.
‘Have you found her?’
Frankie’s voice is desperate.
Pippa nods, smiling,
and puts a finger to her lips. Jack is also smiling. He waves them over and
moves aside to allow them access.
The three hurry over
and look inside. They find Peace Offering lying down on a thick bed of straw,
warm in his winter rug, his unclipped temples white with age. The old bay horse
looks up, long ears pricked at the audience at his door, but doesn’t move. He
lowers his muzzle to the sleeping form curled up against his chest, and
breathes warm breath over the girl’s pink cheeks.
‘Oh!’ Frankie cries in
panic. She scrambles for the door latch and Rhys puts out a hand to stop her.
‘It’s okay,’ he says
quietly. ‘He won’t hurt her.’
Ben, Kate, Emmie and
Tessa suddenly hurtle around the corner.
‘Have you found her?’
‘Is she okay?’
‘Where is she?’
They’re greeted with a
chorus of ‘shhh!’ and they continue with more stealth. Rhys opens the stable
door and approaches Peace Offering. Peace Offering raises his head to his old
partner and whickers.
Rhys strokes the blaze
on his nose then bends down to pick up Sophie.
Thumb in mouth, Sophie
stirs as her father takes her in his arms. ‘Daddy’s horse. Daddy’s Nash’il
horse,’ she murmurs sleepily.
‘That’s right,
sweetheart,’ Rhys says with a small smile. ‘Daddy’s one and only Grand National
winner. Thanks, old pal,’ he says to Peace Offering.
He leaves the stable
and everyone breathes out a sigh of relief.
‘Okay, time for
pudding,’ announces Jack.
Lucy clutches the
stable door and grimaces. ‘Ooh, maybe not.’
‘I told you not to eat
so much turkey,’ Finn scolds her.
‘No Finn, not that,’
she says through gritted teeth.
Jack is the first to
cotton on. His expression turns to horror. ‘What do you mean?’
Lucy holds her belly
and pants. ‘I think – we need – to go – to the hos – pital.’
‘What?’ Finn cries.
‘It’s okay, Finn,’
Pippa says, stroking his shoulder like he’s a nervy horse. ‘It just means it’s
time for the baby to come.’
‘No, no, no, no,’ Finn
says, backing away and waving his hands. ‘It’s not due for another ten days. It
can’t be time.’
Rhys looks down at his
sleeping daughter in his arms. ‘They keep to their own schedule, mate.’
‘Well, what are we
waiting for then?’ says Frankie when shock keeps everyone rooted to the spot.
‘Yes, come on!’ says
Pippa, dragging Jack by his arm.
‘You’re comin’ too?’
says Finn as they all hurry to the vehicles, and leaving Peace Offering without
a backward glance. ‘And you? And you?’
‘If you need us there,
sure,’ says Kate.
‘Ooh,’ moans Lucy. ‘Can
we decide this in the car?’
‘Are we just going to
leave Sin to help with all the children?’ says Ben.
‘Well, we’ve taken one
off his hands,’ says Rhys, gesturing to the bundle in his arms.
‘She can’t come to the
hospital,’ Frankie exclaims. ‘We might be there for hours.’
‘I’ll stay,’ says
Tessa. ‘I’ll take her. I don’t mind.’
‘You sure?’
‘I’d better stay as
well.’ Pippa puts her hand up reluctantly. ‘They might think I’m trying to take
Ella back or something if I pitch up there so soon.’
‘Come on, get in
everyone,’ says Jack, waving them all into the open door of his Land Rover.
‘Hurry up. No, not you, Lucy. You take your time. Do you want to sit in the
front?’
Finn’s eyes are
enormous as he’s bustled towards the car. ‘But-but-but we haven’t had puddin’
yet.’
‘Ah, Finn, bless,’ says
Pippa, pushing him towards the car. ‘You’re in denial.’
‘You’re riding
tomorrow.’ Jack points sternly at Finn. ‘You’re not having pudding.’
‘He is not riding
tomorrow,’ Lucy growls. ‘He’s going to be at the hospital with me.’
‘Damn.’ Jack tuts.
‘I’ll need to find a replacement jockey.’
‘I’m goin’ to be a
father,’ says Finn, rubbing his forearms in panic. ‘Oh, shite, Pippa. I can’t
be a father. I can barely tie my own shoelaces.’
‘That’s okay,’ she
reponds, giving him one last push to get him in the car. ‘They’re all Velcro
these days anyway. Come on, get going!’ She slams the door shut and waves them
away.
* * *
As
everyone bundles into the cars, two heading down the drive to the main road,
one heading back up the hill to the house, Peace Offering stands forlornly in
his stable then pushes the door with his nose. To his surprise, it swings open.
Hooves clopping on the
walkway, the old horse visits all his pals then wanders over to the edge of the
yard to look up at the Gallops and the lines of hurdles and steeplechase
fences. How long it’s been since he last set foot on that track. How long it’s
been since he last went to the races.
He vaguely recalls the
roaring crowds of Aintree, where they were always biggest and loudest, sees the
hubbub of the masses through the mist. Snorting, he turns away and walks,
unhurried, down the path towards his paddock.
He knows just where to
find the juiciest grass this time of year.
And if that many characters in that short a time was a bit too confusing, here's a cast list of the above story.
CAST LIST
Jack Carmichael – champion racehorse trainer, owner of Aspen Valley
Stables
Pippa Carmichael – his wife, artist and ex-racing secretary, owner
of Peace Offering
Lucas Carmichael – Jack and Pippa’s older son, 4 years old
Sebastian Carmichael – Jack and Pippa’s younger son, 1 year old
Ella Carmichael – Jack and Pippa’s daughter, 5 weeks old
Rhys Bradford – champion jump jockey, first string jockey to Aspen
Valley
Francesca ‘Frankie’ Bradford – his wife, ex-amateur jockey, now
assistant trainer at Aspen Valley
Sophie Bradford – Rhys and Frankie’s daughter, 4 years old
Jamie Bradford – Rhys and Frankie’s son, 2 years old
Ben de Jager – retrainer of racehorses, ex-jockey, recovering
substance abuser
Kate de Jager – his wife, head lass at Aspen Valley, childless,
plans to adopt
Finn O’Donaghue – second string jump jockey at Aspen Valley, Irish,
Jack’s son-in-law
Lucy O’Donaghue – Finn’s wife, Jack’s older daughter from previous
relationship, very pregnant
F.D. ‘Sin’ Sinclair – English literature professor, syndicate owner
at Aspen Valley
Tessa Sinclair – his wife, family owns land on which Aspen Valley
sits, jewellery designer
Skyla Sinclair – Sin and Tessa’s only child, 4 years old, a
professional terror
Emmie – work rider at Aspen Valley, Pippa’s best friend
Billy – Emmie’s on-off boyfriend, ex-Aspen Valley work rider, now
based in Lambourne
Sam – Emmie and Billy’s son, conceived by accident, 8 years old
Peace Offering – Pippa’s inherited racehorse, Grand National
winner, now retired
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!
