She turned to Sam with an excited grin, her hands splayed out in the air. ‘Okay, imagine this…’ She walked over to the fireplace. ‘The log burner is crackling away with a fresh pine log… there’s an evergreen and berry garland stretched across the mantle…’ She gestured wildly to where the adornment would sit, and then moved to the corner of the room. ‘Over in this corner is a real Christmas tree, not one of those plastic artificial things…’ Her nose scrunched at the thought. ‘No, a real tree trimmed with baubles and beads, filling the air with its fresh scent.’ Glancing over to where Sam stood in the centre of the room, she crouched. ‘Under the tree are little brightly coloured packages, tied up with ribbons, waiting to be opened…’ She rose again and moved back over to the fireplace and waved her hands at the empty floor space. ‘There’s a rug in front of the fire and Ruby’s curled up fast asleep…’ Crouching again, she reached out her hand. ‘Eventually… maybe there’ll be a mini Sam or Mallory sitting, wide-eyed, waiting for Santa to come… although, explaining how he’ll get through a stove may be tricky.’ She laughed as she imagined that scenario. Standing, she moved over towards the door that led through to the kitchen and closed her eyes. ‘There’s a delicious aroma of spiced fruit cake floating through the house…’ Her fingers flickered around in the air. ‘And in the background Bing Crosby is singing about snow…’ She brought her arms around her body and sighed. Breaking herself from her vision, she turned to Sam. ‘Hey, are you okay, honey?’
His eyes had misted over. He strode across the room and wrapped her in his arms. He kissed her forehead. ‘Mally, I can honestly say I can seeevery little thingyou just described and it’s perfect. I can’t wait for it all. I can’t wait to share it all with you. What you described… it kinda took me back to my Christmases at home. My family will love this place. My dad would have loved it.’
She tiptoed to brush his lips with her own and smiled lovingly. ‘You big softy. It’ll be perfect because we get to have this adventure together. And I can’t wait for your family to see it. We have to get this house, Sam.’
He laughed. ‘We haven’t even seen the rest of it yet.’
She shrugged. ‘Don’t have to. I know when something’s right. I just know.’ She pulled away and took his hand.
They walked through the lounge towards the back of the house to find the kitchen. The walls were fitted with rustic pine units and granite worktops, very similar to those at Railway Terraces. It needed freshening like the lounge but it wouldn’t take much. There was enough room for a small table where you could sit and look out over the pretty garden – once it had been tidied up; it was rather overgrown in its current state.
They exchanged smiles and walked from the kitchen almost in a circle back around to another room at the front of the house. This was the dining room they had longed for. There was an open fire in this room too and plenty of space for a large table, right in the middle, which would look wonderful surrounded by friends and family at Christmas time. It would certainly beat dinner on a tray which is what their friends were subjected to when they visited their current home. There was room by the window for Sam’s old writing desk that he had found at an antiques fair in Leeds and the beat-up old leather chair he bought from a charity shop, insisting it was the comfiest thing he had ever sat upon.
Back to the hallway and up the stairs. There were two smaller bedrooms, one to the front and one to the back. Both felt spacious despite the lower than average ceiling heights but they would be fine for guests. One could even be an office. They could decide later. The master bedroom had a small en-suite shower room in one corner and a window that overlooked the little front garden and the view out to the water beyond. It was so beautiful.
‘Wow, Sam. Imagine waking up to that every morning.’ Mallory slid her arms around her fiancé’s waist as he soaked in the view.
‘It really is a beautiful place, Mally. We’ve always loved it here. Since we visited on our first holiday as a couple we always said we wanted to live here eventually. And now we’ve seen this place I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.’
‘Come on, let’s go look at the bathroom.’ She grabbed his hand eagerly once again and pulled him to the door which led onto the landing and finally the bathroom.
They both stood open-mouthed at the large roll-top bath with its antique brass taps and telephone style shower head. The stone walls had been left exposed, giving the room an old world, rustic feel.
It was Sam’s turn to slide his arms around Mallory. ‘Mmm, I think that tub is big enough for two, honey.’ He nuzzled her neck, sending shivers tingling down her spine.
She turned in his arms and kissed him languorously. ‘I think we need to makethatthe first thing we try out.’ She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, making him laugh.
Sealladh-mara Cottage had so much potential and the details really didn’t do it justice at all. It felt so much more spacious inside, rather like Doctor Who’s Tardis.
The back garden was totally overgrown, but at the end of a long path was another building – her workshop. Mallory almost ran towards it and Sam dashed after her. She shoved the stiff door open and looked inside. A wave of disappointment washed over her.
‘What is it?’ Sam asked, with a hint of concern in his voice.
‘It’s going to take a lot of work to get this place in a fit state,’ she grumbled
Placing an arm around her shoulder, he leaned close to her ear. ‘Ah, but with your vision, like you had back in the lounge, surely you can see it for what it could be?’
He was right. She had vision and determination. With the pair of them going at it together they could do it. They could make it the perfect place to runLe Petit Cadeaufrom. Positivity reigned supreme.
The couple reluctantly tore themselves away and handed the keys over to Mr Warriner with a promise to be in touch. Once they were alone again they went for a stroll. The pub was closed but they peered in through the windows and decided it would definitely be a cosy place to spend an evening or two at the fireside with a pint of beer or glass of wine. Continuing on, they stood on the midpoint of the stone bridge and looked out over the Atlantic Ocean.
Sam slipped his arms around Mallory’s waist and pulled her to him. She gazed up into emerald green eyes that sparkled today like she had never seen them before. She was mesmerised.
He kissed the tip of her nose. ‘So whaddya say, Miss Yorksherr? Are we going for it? We would have our favourite bridge right on the doorstep. We could walk up here with Ruby every day and look over that massive expanse of sea and it would be just like it was our own.’
Stroking a finger down his cheek and with no further thought needed, she gave her reply, ‘I say let’s do it.’
After heading back to take one more look at the outside of the cottage, they took a long drive to Glenfinnan to sit by the Loch and take in the view. The air was chilled, but they huddled together and sat on the old tree trunk that had been there for years. As the sun began to descend, they made their way back to the B and B where they were booked in for dinner, seeing as the owner had given them the option on check-in. It meant they could share a bottle of wine and relax whilst they discussed the house.
Sam tucked into his steak. ‘Hey… you okay?’ he asked.
Realising she must have been daydreaming, she lifted her gaze to his. ‘Oh sorry. I think I was back in the cottage for a moment.’ She shook her head as if to bring herself back to the present.
‘And?’
‘Well, all I can say is I never expected it to be so… so…’
He tilted his head. ‘Perfect?’
