A Place Called Home. Eleanor Jones

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СКАЧАТЬ she didn’t want to feel, but now that he had, she couldn’t ignore them. Reaching into her pocket for her cell phone, she dialed her dad’s number, not really expecting an answer. When his deep voice with its strong Northern accent filled her ears, she was suddenly struck dumb.

      “Who is this?”

      As usual, he sounded irritable and less than pleased to be disturbed. Remembering how he used to be when her mum was alive, Ellie found her voice.

      “Dad?”

      “Ellie? Is that you?”

      Was she just imagining the lift in his tone?

      “Yes, it’s me, your one and only daughter. How are you, Dad?”“

      He was quiet for a moment. “Business is good—new stallion’s popular.”

      “But how are you?”

      “I get by.”

      “Dad, I thought I might come see you next weekend, stay a night or two.”

      His response was immediate. “You don’t need to.”

      “I want to,” she said, meaning it. “So...what’s the new stallion’s name?”

      His voice brightened. Her dad never had trouble talking about the horses. “We call him Dennis, stud name Grand Design. He’s giving Blue a run for his money.”

      Ellie smiled, recalling how proud her parents had been of their first homebred sire, Into the Blue. His first crop of foals had been born the year before her mother was diagnosed, when everything in their world was still rosy. Grief and homesickness split her in two, and her need to see her dad and all the animals grew stronger.

      “I’ll see you next weekend, Dad.”

      “Suit yourself. I don’t need help, mind. I’ve got by on my own for the last six years, so what’s different now?”

      Ellie hesitated, pondering the question. “Maybe I’m different, Dad...and perhaps you are, too.”

      “I’ve got to go. Jake Munro’s here to see me.”

      Ellie wasn’t surprised when the line went dead. Nothing had changed there, then. Her dad had never been good with emotion. It hadn’t mattered when she was small because her mum had always had enough for both of them. But now it was just Ellie and her dad.

      Taking in her surroundings, Ellie noticed how enclosed everything seemed. Cars and lights and tall, looming buildings. Images of a wide-open sky and rugged hills filled her mind. Her day out in the country and her run-in with Andy had triggered this trip down memory lane. She hadn’t planned on it, but now she felt as if today had released some of her demons. The painful months before and immediately after her mother’s death were difficult to face, but Hope Farm also held the memories of her childhood. For the first time in over five years, she wanted to go home.

      * * *

      TO ELLIE’S SURPRISE, Matt wasn’t too happy when she told him, the next morning, that she was going to see her dad. They were having coffee together in Costa, and Matt’s reaction took her by surprise.

      “But you can’t go,” he announced, a dull flush spreading up his neck.

      Normally, they slid in and out of each other’s lives, few questions asked. Her apartment was on the top floor of a run-down Victorian house in the outskirts of the city. She spent almost all of her spare time painting there, while Matt rented a smart penthouse suite downtown. They both loved their own personal space, and despite having been engaged for several months, they had never really discussed taking the next step in their relationship. It was only now that she realized perhaps they just didn’t want to. It never occurred to her that he might object to her taking a trip.

      “What do you mean, I can’t?” she retaliated. “It’s not until next weekend, and we don’t have any plans. I really believe it’s time I visited my dad. You can come with me, if you like.”

      He rolled his eyes, the flush receding. “You know I hate the country.”

      That put her on the defensive. “Well, I don’t, and I’ve been irresponsible for far too long.”

      Matt took hold of her hand across the table, a pleading expression in his eyes. “I really need to close this deal, and I’ve arranged to meet Jack Noble again next Saturday night. A pretty face just might push him in the right direction.”

      “So basically,” she responded, feeling a prickle of irritation. “You don’t want me there for me, you just want me to flirt with your client. And why can’t you meet him sooner?”

      “He’s out of town until then. Why can’t you go see your dad another time?”

      Ellie drained her coffee cup and set it firmly on the table. “Because I’ve already told him I’m going on the weekend.”

      “It’s not as if he’s going to be bothered if you change your plans, though, is he? You haven’t seen him in ages, and the last time you tried to visit he conveniently decided to go out. Surely that tells you something.”

      “Well, maybe this time I won’t take no for an answer,” Ellie said, pushing her mug away and standing up. “I’m sorry, Matt, but I really do want to go. I need to. I know this deal is important to you, but I’m not changing my plans just to be your arm candy. And besides, you’ve had a deal going down at least a couple of times a week ever since I met you. What’s so special about this one?”

      “Well...” He looked disconcerted. “Nothing, really, just another piece of property I bought from a bankruptcy sale. I’ve stretched myself a bit, though, so I need a quick turnover.”

      Ellie sighed, pulling on her jacket. “Then why don’t you try and find someone else to take it off your hands? I have to go. I’ll call you later.”

      His deep voice followed her. “Don’t bother, I’m going out tonight.”

      “Please yourself,” she responded, to the amusement of the couple at the next table.

      She hadn’t expected to feel so unaffected by their disagreement. Perhaps their relationship had run its course. It was time, she realized, to stop and take stock, to catch up with the past she had spent so long trying to forget. And then she would decide where she was with Matt.

      * * *

      WHEN THE GARAGE called the next day to tell her that her car was ready to collect, Ellie didn’t bother Matt, and took a bus to Tarnside instead. On the way home, she stopped in at Cravendale to check on the fox cub. Paula welcomed her, exclaiming over the little creature’s recovery and promising to let Ellie know when she was about to let it go.

      “It’s so rewarding,” Paula said with a radiant smile. “When they run free again...you should come and watch.”

      Ellie pulled out her camera and took a few shots of the cub before she left, feeling a niggle of inspiration. Suddenly she knew what she wanted to paint next...her own interpretation of freedom.

      For the next couple of days, she threw herself into her painting, embracing the СКАЧАТЬ