August
It was mid-August. The weather had been overcast much of the day—a refreshing break for a warm summer when she’d been working so hard. A light drizzle here and there. Andie had spent much of her time harvesting berries in the tunnels; she was exhausted.
Doc had helped and then offered to whip them up a little breakfast for supper. He’d brought his laptop with him. They sat on her little sofa, cuddled together while she watched the telly and he attempted to write.
Somewhere in the middle of a farming show and Andie arguing with Rupert over treats, Doc found his inspiration. He switched to a new Word document. A new title. A fresh start. He barely noticed when she slowly drifted closer and closer until her head rested against his shoulder.
His typing didn’t seem to bother her. Rupert shuffled closer as well. He stretched out across them, so his body was draped across their feet.
It was warm and cosy. Lovely. Doc wished he could bottle up the sensation for himself. To revisit over and over. He didn’t quite understand the feeling, but it was beautiful.
His fingers flew across the keys. He barely registered Andie leaning more heavily against him. She mumbled in her sleep, which made him chuckle to himself.
It was magic.
When Doc finally stopped writing, he’d managed two complete chapters. He yawned widely, glancing down to find Andie and Rupert deeply asleep. They had him pinned in with no way to get up without waking either of them.
Saving his document three times, just in case, Doc shut down his laptop and set it to one side. His mind was buzzing with excitement. He had a story; he had words.
Somehow, in the comfort of Andie’s home, Doc had found his creative drive once again. He relaxed back into the cushions, careful not to wake his slumbering companions. He dragged the blanket across all three of them more fully.
His arm slipped around Andie, holding her more securely. Doc didn’t think it was a coincidence that words had returned with her. In her home. In the easy comfort they’d almost always had with each other.
He dozed off from one second to the next. No dreams. Just a blissful rest after finally making progress. He woke up long before Andie or Rupert.
His mind was already buzzing with ideas for the next few chapters. Doc grabbed his laptop and immediately began working on his manuscript. A fire had definitely been reignited in his muse.
Time flew by. Doc wasn’t even aware of Andie waking up until a hand appeared in front of his face. She snapped her fingers a few times, laughing when he reared back from her in surprise.
“You hungry?”
Doc shook his head, keeping his gaze focused on the screen. He didn’t want to lose the thrust of the idea. The words might slip through his fingers like sand, and he couldn’t risk that happening again after such a long drought.
“How about coffee or tea? Do you want some caffeine to get you going?”
Doc barely managed a shrug.
“Right. Okay.” Andie sat up and shoved the blanket off both of them. She stood beside him, stretching for several minutes in silence. He barely noticed it. “Okay. C’mon, Rups. Why don’t we go for a walk? Doc?”
Doc blinked a few times when fingers touched his head. Finally, he glanced up at her. “Yeah?”
“You know what, never mind. I’m just going to back away slowly.” Andie walked out of the room, laughing to herself. “Careful, Rups, let’s not disturb the process.”
Dragging the blanket around his shoulders, Doc situated himself more comfortably. His mind was going almost too fast for his fingers to catch up. He had to slow himself down a number of times when even spellcheck couldn’t decipher a typo.
Maybe time to take a breath and slow my mind when even spellcheck goes, “what the bloody hell is that supposed to be?”
He’d managed another chapter when a mug appeared between him and the laptop. “Coffee…”
“I’ve made a breakfast wrap for both of us. Here. Coffee and sustenance to keep the writing juices flowing.” Andie set the plate on the coffee table and handed him the mug. “Someone has to take care of you while you drift on a sea of imagination and prose.”
Doc nodded absently. He finally glanced away from his screen when her hand covered his on the mug. “Yes?”
“Figured maybe you wanted to make it all the way to your lips before you tilted the mug?” Andie grinned when he noticed how far from his mouth the cup was. “Want me to hold the wrap for you?”
Doc shoved her hand away but had to laugh at himself. “I may be a little distracted this morning.”
“Found your words?” Andie sipped from her own mug.
“I did. Somehow.” Doc didn’t know how to put into words how at ease he’d felt in her space with her. “I’m afraid they’ll vanish on me if I stop for even a second.”
“So I take the thesaurus off hold at the bookstore?” Andie teased him while finishing up her wrap. She took one last bite, nudging his leg with her foot when he went back to typing. “At least have some breakfast before disappearing into your imagination again.”
“Are you going to need help on the farm?”
“From you? Today? Not a chance. You’d probably walk into every tree in the orchard.” Andie grabbed her mug and plate, heading into the kitchen. “I’ve got a couple helpers coming in this morning to help for a few hours. We’ve got one last tunnel full of berries to harvest. Then it’s time to prepare the orchard.”
“How’s it been with the helpers?”
“Odd. I have everyone wearing masks, which feels quite like science fiction. We stay six feet apart.” Andie shrugged. “I’d rather be overly cautious and keep them all safe than deal with the alternative.”
After bullying him into taking a few more sips of coffee and bites of the wrap, Andie left him to his writing. He was surprised she hadn’t kicked him out of the cottage. The tiny house was supposed to be his residence at the moment.
But she’d welcomed him.
He didn’t have time to dwell on his thoughts and feelings. On the way her care and concern had touched him. Words were itching to get out of his brain.
Another thousand words flew by. Doc forced himself to stand up and stretch. His bladder didn’t necessarily appreciate the prolonged delay in moving.
He saved the manuscript several times and then made his way out of the farmhouse. Andie waved from the barn when he passed by. He needed a hot shower and a change of clothes.
His back hadn’t appreciated sleeping on a sofa. And it didn’t enjoy half a night spent sitting up either. He was getting a little too old for that.
Feeling a little more human after his shower, Doc decided to spend some time outdoors. Words hadn’t abandoned him. And being with Andie had seemed to bring them back to him.
“The writer emerges from a deep dark cave. He sees the light for the first time in ages. He lives,” Andie called dramatically. She’d moved from the barn and appeared to be stacking boxes onto the trailer attached to the tractor again. “He lives!”
“You are not nearly as amusing as you think.” Doc dodged Rupert, who dashed by him, racing after a bumblebee. “How goes the harvest?”
“This is the last of the berries for now.” Andie hefted up the last basket. “I staggered my planting so I won’t have another polytunnel harvest for a few weeks. It’s on to the orchards and a lot of climbing ladders. The brewery is thankfully staying open, or I’ve no idea what I’d do with barrels of apples.”
“A host of pies.”
“You are not nearly as amusing as you think.” Andie threw his words back at him with a wry chuckle. “Fancy a ride with me down to the end of the lane?”
“In the back of the trailer?”
“We can squish together on the tractor.” Andie held her hand out toward him. “Afraid of my driving?”
“I’ve seen you drive that into a ditch.”
“Is that no?” Andie laughed again when he caught her hand.
Doc climbed into the tractor seat, and a second after, Andie situated herself on his lap. “Comfortable?”
“Immensely.”