AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That’s mine. That’s Roberts,” Des said, pointing to the two beds at opposite ends of the room. “The divider was for when we had married folks here but they’re gone now. We kept the privacy curtain ‘cause we could. Pick any other bed you want. It won’t bother me or Robert none, whichever you pick.”
Percy opted for one in the middle against the far wall and put his rucksack on the foot of the bed. “This is great, thank you.”
“Albie said you’re good with horses,” Des said.
“Uh, yeah. Born and raised around them.” He couldn’t help but feel a little scrutinised, as if this was a test on Albie’s behalf. “But I can do most anything around the farm if you need. I’m not afraid of hard work.”
Des studied him for another long second. “We’ll see about that.”
Chapter Five
“Don’t you think you should tell him to stop?” Albie asked from the window. He sipped his mug of tea.
“Nah,” Des replied. “I reckon we should see how long it takes before he stops all on his own.”
So far, in the first few hours of Percy’s arrival, he’d mucked the stables, rotated the feed hay in the loft with a pitchfork, fed the pigs, covered the chickens from the cold, and now he’d chopped enough firewood to last them a week.
“He takes pride in his work,” Des said. “I’ll give him that. Got those stables in neater order than you, and that’s no small feat.”
Just then Percy came inside with his arms full of chopped wood. His nose was red, as were his fingers. “I rotated the wood,” he said, kneeling by the fire to stack the wood. “This is from the driest of the lot. And the rains are about to hit. Those clouds are real dark. Never seen ’em so low. Or is it because we’re up so high? Feels like I’m walking in them.”
“Because you are.” Albie poured some hot tea into a mug, and when Percy stood up and turned to face him, Albie handed him the mug. “You’ve done enough for today, and you’re cold and damp to the bone. Warm yourself by the fire. Have you got an oilskin coat? You’ll need it up here.”
Percy wrapped his fingers around the warm mug and sighed as he sipped it. “Thank you. I appreciate this. And no, I don’t. Have another coat, that is.”
Albie pursed his lips and tried not to be mad about it. The weather in the mountains had claimed more lives than most, and to be ill-prepared was foolish. But he reminded himself that Percy wasn’t from here.
He didn’t know where he was from, exactly. The qualifier of ‘from down south’ could have meant anywhere.
“Stay here,” he said, urging Percy to sit in the seat closest to the fire. He disappeared into his room and came out with his old oilskin coat and gloves. “Here,” he began. “They’re not fancy by any means, and I grew out of them before I could wear them through. But it’s a damn sight warmer than the one you have on now.”
Percy put his mug of tea down and stood up. “Oh, I don’t need to be a bother. I mean, you don’t have to?—”
“I’ll not have you catch your death on my farm,” he barked, quickly taking Percy’s coat off him. Yes, he knew Percy was a little shorter than him, his pants only held up by his suspenders because he was so lean. Maybe too lean. And he remembered that he’d overheard Percy say he’d perhaps have to eat grass with his horse...
Albie put that out of his mind for now and helped Percy into his old coat. “Here, try this on.” He slid his arms through, then tugged the front to see the fit of it. “It fits anyhow. And like I said, I outgrew it so it was of no use to me. At least you’ll be warm and dry.”
Albie picked up Percy’s damp coat and hung it by the fire. It was a fine coat. Maybe it had even been expensive at some point, but it was no match for winter in the highlands. “This will serve you best in warmer months, but you’ll wear this one in winter.” He turned back to Percy and flattened the lapel at Percy’s collarbone, ignoring the realisation that he’d just touched him in a manner not usually fit for a man...
Ignoring how Percy was watching him with those big blue, imploring eyes and ignoring the prettiest blush he’d ever seen...
“Right then,” Des said loudly, making them both startle. “Robert’s back. I’ll go explain the new horse in the stable and tell him to wash up for supper.”
“Yes, please. And thank you,” Albie said, remembering his place.
He was the boss now; he needed to act like it.
Des closed the door behind him and Albie, needing some distance between him and Percy, turned for the kitchen. “Supper’s in thirty minutes,” he announced.
“Oh,” Percy said, bringing his mug of tea with him over to the stove. He peered into the pot of stew. “Did you cook this?”
“I did.”
“I thought you said you couldn’t cook.”
“I can’t.”
“Smells good to me.”
