Bridging the Gap: Larchdown Valley, #2

By Jem Wendel

Cole

I like my life the way it is—my job, having my family close, my animals—and contrary to what my brother thinks, I don't need to find love. I've never needed to find someone before, so I don't know why he thinks I'm missing out now. But when he brings Johan to help out at the family farm, I discover I just might have some things in common with the Swedish man. This realisation causes me to wonder if my brother was right after all as Johan quickly becomes the first person to ever make me want . . . more.

Johan

Going to England was my chance to bury memories of my cheating ex while following one simple rule: no dating. Despite my best efforts, that rule goes out the window the second I lay eyes on Cole, the gorgeous, smart-as-hell vet of Larchdown Valley. My time in the charming town is limited, so there's no way I can start anything with anyone, let alone someone who shows no interest in me or anyone else for that matter.

Though when we start working together to nurse a dog back to health, I realise it's too late—I'm falling more for him each day, yet time is running out before I have to return to Sweden.

Will I only get my heart broken again? Or will Cole find he does want to share his life with someone, and that someone could be me?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Larking About Press
• Release date: Nov 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9781916758049

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Johan

It’s a blustery autumn wind that blows me into Larchdown. One that creates eddies of russet leaves in corners and carries them along the roads. It’s still slightly warm but with a hint of cold in the air, a promise of a crisp chill soon. I like this type of English weather, much preferring it to the days when it’s damp and everything drips constantly.

I can’t help but be pleased that this is the weather to greet me when I haven’t been in England for several years, but as I am staying for a while, it seems a good omen. I try to ignore the hollow in my chest where my heart used to be. Erik took that with him when he walked out last month. I admit things hadn’t been great for a while, but I thought what we had together had been worth fighting for. Erik thought otherwise. Instead of talking to me about what he was feeling, he’d bottled it up and found solace in the arms of another. I sigh. It’s been weeks but it still hurts, a lot. It takes a while to untangle lives that have been entwined for five years and I still saw him when he came to collect his stuff. Those days were perhaps the most unpleasant.

I don’t know if he had been deliberately hurtful to me or whether I hadn’t really known the man after all. The thought of that somehow cuts even deeper. After he had moved all his things out, I found I couldn’t stay in the flat any longer. The memories were too painful, too recent. It was my father who’d suggested I visit Ben for a while to get away. So here I am, outside my brother’s bakery on an autumn morning and vowing to never date again.

Oh Jo. My half-brother envelops me in a hug when I’ve hardly got through the door.

How are you? he asks when he finally releases me.

I’ve been better, but I don’t want to talk about it now. If ever. I just want to draw a line under the past and stay away from relationships. I want a new start. Ben nods then steps back, reaching to help me carry my bags.

Keith, my half-brother’s husband comes through from the kitchen.

Little Brother!

I laugh at his nickname for me. At thirty-three I am a year younger than him but he’s the youngest of four, and he took to calling me that on the circuit. He bear hugs me and picks me up. I’m big, but considering that Keith is a former Europe’s Strongest Man, a competition he narrowly beat me at, he’s one of the few people who can. Keith scares most people. He is a huge red headed Scotsman with an impressive beard, he also has a wicked sense of humour which some people find too rough and ready, but I know he’s really a big marshmallow of a man. A big softie like me. Luckily, he met my brother, who adores him, so he never got his heart broken. I decide that’s enough of the pity party. Onwards.

It’s nice to see you. He eventually puts me down, thankfully, as I’m running out of breath, but I would never have told him that. But I wish it were under better circumstances. He claps a huge hand on my shoulder. "We’ll mend you, won’t we mo chridhe?" I smile at his term of endearment for my brother. He’d told me once it meant my love. I’d said he could be calling him anything. But it sounds nice and Ben smiles. I love how they’re still so into each other after ten years but it makes my situation feel even worse.

I don’t need mending, Keith. I shrug off his hand, which earns me a frown. I don’t need your pity. He doesn’t deserve my grumpiness, but I want to get on with my life. His look shows he thinks otherwise, but he doesn’t say anything about that.

So you’ll be coming to Jackson and Luca’s party tonight, then? he asks me.

I had learned of the engagement of Luca Winterton from Ben. Luca had inherited Larchdown House from his great aunt, and somehow managed to find himself a handsome gardener who was as much into Luca as he was the gardens. Or that was how Ben had described it to me. I remember he had mentioned that they’d recently become engaged and there was a party being thrown for them in the local pub. I don’t feel like being around loved-up couples right now and I’m about to say that no, I don’t want to go, when I see Keith watching me, daring me. If I say that, then he'd be right in thinking that I need help, so I clench my jaw and smile.

I’m looking forward to meeting them. Ben looks pleased and picks my bags up, to show me to my room. As I pass Keith, he gives my shoulder a quick squeeze and his look tells me he’s not buying it. I’m not either, but I don’t want to talk about it. I ghost him a smile and he nods and lets me go, for now.

I follow Ben up the narrow stairs to the living part of the house, the ground floor being given over to the shop and the kitchen. Despite it being small it’s light and airy. Ben and Keith had built an extension to make the kitchen bigger, so had extended the living accommodation upstairs too. There’s a large living room and dining space, which looks out over the woods that surround the village. There are two large bedrooms with en suites and a further room and storage on the next floor, which is a converted attic. Ben shows me to a room which looks out over the main street of the village and down towards the village green. They don’t have many guests. Occasionally our parents visit but I don’t think Keith’s family comes often. I have stayed a few times over the years. How long I’m going to be here now, I don’t know. I don’t want to be under their feet forever; the last thing they need is me moping around and I’m sure they would like their privacy.

After Ben drops my bags in the room and shows me where things are, he returns with a welcome cup of coffee and tells me, when I’m ready for something to eat, to come down to the kitchen. The shop stays open until around three in the afternoon, so for them lunch is usually a sandwich on the go. After the shop closes, they prepare anything they’ll need for the next day, and are up early in the morning for the baking. This has always been Ben’s dream, and I’m pleased Keith enjoys it as well.

After unpacking, I head down to the kitchen, which is an amazing space. No-one would believe that it exists when they look at the small shop space in the front. It’s set up for catering, with two large ovens and several industrial mixers, but is also quite cosy and comfortable. At the far end, where glass doors open out onto a small garden, are some chairs and a table. Keith fixes me a sandwich and I sit in one of the chairs, trying not to think at all. The change in location hasn’t eased the pain and unless I find something to do, I’m going to wallow in self-pity. Still, it is early days yet.

Though I’ve only stayed in Larchdown a few times, on visits to Ben and Keith, one thing I love about it is, there’s always a friendly welcome. I’m not in the mood for mixing with people, but being greeted like a long-lost member of a large family cheers me up nonetheless.

Johan, glad to see you around here again, calls Darla, as I follow Ben through the antique door of the Blacksmith’s Arms, Larchdown’s local pub, and the heart of the social community.

Hello Darla, nice to see you, too, I reply, vowing to keep a little distance, remembering how good the pub’s owner is at obtaining information from her patrons.

Ben leads me over to one end of the bar where a couple is sitting.

Jackson and Luca, Ben introduces us. Jackson stands and offers his hand before I get drawn into a hug.

Pleased to meet you. Ben’s brother, eh? No doubt he’s looking at the differences between us. The only similarity in us is the height and the blonde hair, but where Ben is lithe and willowy, I’m built more like Keith.

Half-brothers, I explain. Same father.

He nods, apparently not needing any further explanation, though Ben’s mother is the only mother I have known, my own passing away when I was very young. He continues. You staying long?

Don’t know yet, I shrug. But I don’t want to talk about me. Congratulations. Ben says the village is buzzing, as there hasn’t been a wedding for a while.

Thanks, Jackson’s smile widens. I haven’t been here all that long myself but this community is amazing. He’s right, I’m already starting to relax a little.

Have you fixed a date yet?

Not quite, but it’ll be in spring, early May.

Just then Ben lets out a laugh; he’s been talking to Luca.

Well, if that’s what you want, Ben is saying. Luca doesn’t answer but is grinning as he stands up and slips an arm round Jackson’s waist. He offers me his hand to shake, while Jackson asks, Is this about the cake?

You’ll have to wait and see, won’t you? he shoots at Jackson. Turning to me he says, Pleased to meet you, Johan. Ben has told us all about you.

I’m about to reply, but Jackson whispers something in Luca’s ear which has his full attention, and a look that suggests they won’t be staying long. I try to ignore the pang of jealousy that I don’t have someone to look at me like that. But no, not dating is my rule, so those days are over. I sigh and allow Ben to draw me away to some of his other friends.

Keith hands me a drink as soon as I sit down at the table and introduces his friends. Harlen, whom I’ve met on my previous visits, smiles and welcomes me back. Sally and Paul, who run the hairdresser’s and barber’s in the village. Tom, who’s a farmer, and his wife Megan. Also, Tom’s brother Cole. Ben sits down on the other side of me. Whatever they’ve been chatting about stops when I become the focus of their attention and I get the usual questions. I don’t want to explain the real reason I’m here. No one wants a sad tale, but I tell some tales of when Keith and I were both competing in the strong-man circuit. These are well received, and Keith takes over and tells a few. I guess he’s told some before, as Tom suddenly pipes up.

Oh, this is that Johan. You told us he was a weakling. The group laughs and I cross my arms, and look at Keith in mock offence, waiting for his response.

Well, he grins. I have to make myself look good somehow, don’t I?

I uncross my arms but I’m not going to let him off the hook that easily. The way I remember that story, it has a slightly different ending. He gives me a quick glance, which reminds me that underneath all that bluster and rough talk is a soft-hearted and sometimes vulnerable man. I certainly don’t want to out him to his friends, that I had won the competition that day, so I just say, But what happens in Oslo, stays in Oslo. And I clasp my arm round him in a big hug and plant a kiss on his cheek. Everyone laughs and the tension eases.

The group clamours for more stories, except for Cole. He picks up his phone to stare at it for the umpteenth time. I’ve been trying to not look at him, but find my eyes sliding that way frequently. Who can blame me, the man is adorable. Black hair and dark brooding eyes, a body that looks lean and strong, the sort that happens through hard work rather than working out. Ben had introduced him to me as the local veterinarian, but he also runs a small animal rescue centre for any local waifs and strays that people bring him. I turn my head away again, remembering my no dating rule.

When he picks up his phone again, Tom turns and says something to him, low enough for only him to hear. He looks furious, gets up, and stalks off. I catch a glimpse of his stormy eyes before he turns, and tamp down the immediate attraction I feel. No dating! I don’t realise I’m watching him walk away until Tom’s voice calls out with a laugh, Good luck there mate.

I turn back, startled. No. Oh sorry, I wasn’t …

There hasn’t been a man or woman this side of the valley, and many beyond, who hasn’t wanted a piece of Cole Walker, laughs Megan. But I haven’t seen him date anyone in the twelve years I’ve known him.

Tom shakes his head. Nope, my brother is a hopeless case.

I pity the rich horse-owning women in the area. It’s amazing how many horses go lame on the days when Cole is on duty. Megan gives another laugh.

Does he have a… I take a breath; I’m really not going to ask. But I don’t have to, and even what I do say draws the attention of my brother, who gives me a sideways look.

What? Women, men, or horses? Megan replies with a playful look in her eye. Who knows, though my money is on horses. You’d certainly get more attention if you were a horse. Preferably an injured one.

Cole is certainly a conundrum and I know I’ll be facing questions from Ben later, so I start to talk to Harlen instead. He tells of his work as a tree surgeon and we get onto the topic of logging, which I had done a fair bit of in Sweden when I was younger. Cole comes back a while later and I determinedly don’t allow myself to look at him. I talk about how, when we were in the denser parts of forest and it was inaccessible to the heavy machinery, we used to use horses to drag the logs out. Harlen is interested and asks lots of questions. I don’t know if Cole’s interested, or why it matters to me, but he keeps quiet. I don’t notice if he looks at his phone or not as I dare not get caught looking at him again.

CHAPTER 2

Cole

That was an evening I’ll never get back. I slam the car door as I get in.

My brother and sister-in-law both climb in. They’ve given me a lift as our parents have been minding their children. My brother is driving as he rarely drinks.

What would you have done instead? Tom confronts me. I don’t want this right now.

I could have been on call.

You spent so long checking your phone you might as well have been.

I hate that he’d noticed and had called me out on it. I know the emergency number that I share with several other vet practices was set to ring someone else, but if they needed help they knew they could call me.

I might have been needed.

So you would’ve preferred to have tended to sick animals than spend a social evening in the pub with your friends, celebrating their engagement? The way he makes it sound has me looking like the bad guy. He doesn’t mention going behind my back and asking one of the other vets to cover the Friday evening shift, removing my excuse.

Yes. I don’t have a more suitable answer. I always spend Friday evenings on call. Everyone knows that.

Why can’t you be normal, Cole? So he did really want an answer, even though he knew why. He’s known me all my life.

I can’t do people, Tom, you know that.

Have you ever thought that might be because you don’t try to?

Of course I did, but I can’t talk