The autumn afternoon was fresh and bright. Catherine stood on the back doorstep of Plum Tree Cottage gazing out at the fields beyond. The leaves on the trees were changing from green to red and gold, and the air was cooler now as October settled over Penhallow Sands. The breeze was fragranced with the autumnal flowers that grew in the garden and with the salty tang of the sea, and Catherine thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever smelt.
A meow from behind her made Catherine turn and she smiled at Bob and Ginger. Mark had suggested that she bring them to his cottage seeing as how she was spending most nights there, and after a few days of worrying that they might run off, both cats seemed settled in their new home. Catherine’s mother would be returning to the village at the end of the month, and Mark had suggested that Catherine and the cats move in with him. Bob and Ginger wandered past her into the garden and Catherine watched as they found a patch of sunlight to lie in then proceeded to wash each other.
She hugged herself. After so many years of being afraid and holding back on life, she was now living with a man. She had made the leap and taken the chance because Mark had told her that he loved her and cherished her and would never hurt her. She still had wobbles when she worried that he might change his mind, but she was learning how to cope with those times and knew that she could always seek reassurance from Mark, which she was learning she would always find in his words and in his arms.
‘Hey you.’
She turned at his voice and smiled.
‘Hey yourself.’
‘How’re you feeling?’
‘A bit nervous.’
‘It’ll be okay. You know that, right?’
She glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall.
‘I hope so.’
‘Are you sure you want me to stay?’
She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist the pressed her face into the curve of his neck.
‘I definitely want you here with me, Mark. I don’t want to do this alone.’
‘I’m here and I love you.’
‘I love you too.’
He pressed a gentle kiss on her mouth and she sighed with contentment.
A knock at the front door made them jump and Catherine’s heart pounded against her ribcage. Frequent emails and several phone calls had brought her to this point.
‘I’ll get it,’ Mark said. ‘Deep breaths, now. I’ve got you.’
He squeezed her shoulders then left the kitchen.
She heard two male voices then Mark returned to the kitchen followed by an older man. As soon as she saw him, her eyes filled with tears.
‘Hello, Catherine,’ he said, his deep voice now familiar, then he crossed the kitchen and took her hands.
‘Hello, Dad.’
For a moment it was strange, gazing into the eyes of the man she had loved as a child, seeing how life and time had changed him, and she felt a bit shy, a bit awkward, but then he opened his arms and she stepped into his embrace. This was a starting point and the conversations might not be easy, but with Mark at her side, Catherine knew that she wouldn’t be afraid any longer. She was learning how to put her faith in people again and it was, unexpectedly, liberating.
And she was home now, with the man she had fallen deeply in love with, the man she trusted and adored more each day, and they were about to begin a whole new adventure at the cottage at Plum Tree Bay.