December had been throwing some wild weather their way, thought Abby, and today was no exception. Peering into the mirror by her front door, a tall, willowy woman with deep brown eyes started back at her. She momentarily fiddled with her long black hair to try and sculpt it into some sort of shape but quickly gave it up as a bad job. Instead, grabbing her coat and the dog lead, she led her spaniel Poppy out into the gusty, bracing air. Given her experiences over the past few days, a good, long walk was exactly what she required.
Her friendship with Tom had been so damn confusing recently and although she yearned to see him again and to experience so much more than the devastating kiss they had previously shared, she still didn't really understand if he felt anything more than friendship for her. His ex-wife seemed to loom large in many of his conversations and Abby, in turn, continued to hide her true feelings from him, in an effort to protect herself. Why was life so damn complicated?
As Abby trudged through the forest several miles from home, the wind became so strong that the rain was driven almost horizontally into her face. She looked down at her poor, cold, drenched dog trying to battle forwards, and felt a flash of guilt. The weather seemed to have come from nowhere and they were still a long way from shelter. Pulling her scarf more firmly around her neck, Abby heard a set of rapidly approaching horses' hooves as an ominous rumble of thunder began rolling its way around the nearby valley.
'Abby? Is that you?' called a deep voice on the horse, the collar of his jacket lifted up to try and offer some protection from the weather.
'Tom,' she breathed, spinning around to face him, annoyed that her body was immediately reacting to his presence; her pulse had already increased whilst a warm, excited glow flooded through her body. Tall, blond, ruggedly handsome and fit from all the hours he spent in the saddle, Tom was incredibly kind-hearted, known by those who knew him as a gentle giant.
'Have you got your car nearby?' shouted Tom through the rain. He was fighting to control the strong, jumpy Monty; a horse who was somewhat unpredictable on a good day. Monty was slamming his huge feet down and turning sideways against the biting wind.
'No, I walked here from home.'
'The weather's turning nasty,' stated Tom. 'Let me give you a lift back? I'm parked just up this track.'
'No, it's OK, said Abby shaking her head. 'Thanks,' she added, attempting to be polite.
'Abby,' said Tom seriously, dropping his head to try and protect his face from the driving rain. 'It's dangerous out here and we need to head for shelter quickly. Please don't argue with me. The horsebox is a five-minute walk up this track. By the time you reach it, I should have boxed up this bugger and we can all get home safely. I'm not leaving without you. OK?' Abby nodded as thunder bellowed nearby and Poppy yelped in fear. Not wishing to be outdone, Monty reared up into the air.
'See you in a minute then,' shouted Tom, as he clattered up the track at speed.
***************
By the time the horsebox came into Abby's line of sight, the wind felt almost hurricane speed and the tall trees around her were creaking ominously. Running to the passenger door and lifting a shivering Poppy into the foot well, Abby clambered up into the vehicle gratefully and slammed the door. The engine was already running and hot air was starting to pump into the cab. Water was dripping from Tom's hair and his cheeks were rosy red.
'Let's get out of her,' breathed Tom, releasing the clutch as Monty kicked out noisily in the back of the lorry. Between Monty's efforts and the strong wind, the lorry swayed precariously, making all the passengers rather nervous.
'Look, do you mind if I head straight back home and drop you back later?' asked Tom. 'Monty's a bit geed up and the quicker I get him back to his stable, the better.'
'Of course,' replied Abby, just grateful to be out of the wind and rain. 'No problem.'
'There are some towels and a spare jumper in the back if you need anything for yourself or Poppy,' explained Tom. Resigned to leaving her wet clothes sticking to her skin, Abby did grab one of the towels and wrapped it around a shaking Poppy.
'I don't know if she's shaking from cold or fear,' murmured Abby, rubbing her much beloved pet dry. 'I feel really guilty taking her out now.'
'It's just the adrenalin pumping round her body. Fear. Excitement. They're pretty closely coupled.'
A silence fell over them, as they travelled the remaining few miles back home. Tom pulled up outside the house, the engine still running, and ran to unlock the front door.
'There's a fire in the lounge for Poppy,' instructed Tom. 'Go and help yourself to a shower upstairs and grab some clothes. I'll be back in about twenty minutes. I just need to deal with the nags, OK?'
'Thanks,' said Abby quietly as Tom left her in the warm, dry house and ran back out to the horsebox through the wild weather.
***************
An hour later, Tom and Abby were warm, dressed in dry clothes and huddled around the roaring fire in the lounge. Poppy was snoring contentedly on the thick rug, her feet twitching rapidly as she chased pheasants through her exhilarating dreams.
'Look, Abby...' began Tom.
'Yes,' she replied. Turning to look at him, she noticed his blues eyes glittering from the light of the fire.
'I'm sorry. I've been...really crap recently. My emotions have been all over the place and it's taken me a while to get my head straight.'
'Is it straight now?'
'As straight as a die.'
'I've never understood that phrase,' smiled Abby.
'Me neither,' agreed Tom. 'You wouldn't...'
'What?'
'You wouldn't stay here with me for a bit, would you? Have some dinner?' asked Tom. 'Or do you need to get back home soon?'
'No,' said Abby shaking her long, dark locks. 'I don't have anywhere I need to be.'
'It's just the weather sounds really bleak outside and I'd love to stoke up the fire and just snuggle up here with you and talk.'
'That sounds...really nice,' murmured Abby.
'I'll just go and put the oven on,' said Tom, standing up.
'Can I help?' asked Abby, following him through to the kitchen.
'Definitely not! You relax,' smiled Tom, grabbing some ingredients out of the fridge.
'Do you normally eat so well when you're on your own?' asked Abby, observing the large steak, luxury chunky chips, triple cooked in goose fat plus a tray of roasted vegetables.
'Not usually, no,' said Tom quietly.
'So, why today?' pressed Abby.
'Well...it's my birthday,' Tom admitted begrudgingly.
'Oh! Tom! Happy birthday!' she said. 'I'm sorry, I didn't realise.'
'It's no big deal. I said I'd celebrate it with everybody when they're all around next week. Besides, when you're as old and decrepit as me, you don't want too much of a fuss made.'
'How old are you then?'
'Thirty-six.'
'Ancient, then?' giggled Abby.
'Hey!' said Tom, playfully nudging her shoulder with his large hand. 'Enough of your cheek!'
***************
A couple of hours later and Tom and Abby were replete, as was Poppy, whose new favourite treat was rump steak. They had enjoyed a delicious meal, followed by a luxury chocolate mousse, all washed down with a very fine bottle of red wine. Back in front of a recently stoked fire, Tom looked across at Abby, drinking in her features and trying to commit them to memory.
'Abby,' he said shyly a short while later. 'Is there any chance I could ask you for a birthday present?'
'You can ask,' laughed Abby, her heart starting to race. 'Would you like me to do the washing up?'
'No,' smiled Tom, laying his arm along the back of the sofa. 'I'd really love a cuddle.' She looked up slowly into his eyes and felt a pulse of electricity shoot down to her core.
'Sure,' she said quietly, shuffling her body across the sofa until her head naturally rested on Tom's chest and her body was pressed up against his side.
'Mmmm,' sighed Tom with pleasure, wrapping his arm protectively around her. They both sat in silence, gazing intently at the fire and a still-sleeping Poppy, not knowing what to say.
Over time, Tom's fingers began to play randomly with a lock of Abby's hair. As Tom clamped various handfuls of Abby's hair between his fingers and gently pulled against her scalp, she sighed as delicious sensations began to shoot around her body. Later, Tom's fingers walked their way towards the back of her neck, where he gently stroked her delicate skin.
'Hmmm,' she groaned, unable to prevent herself from doing so.
'Is that nice?' murmured Tom.
'Yeah,' breathed Abby, her hand migrating across Tom's body to stroke his broad, firm chest. Just as Abby was summoning up the courage to turn her head and look directly at Tom, which would have put their lips just inches apart, they heard an almighty crash outside and the lights went off.
'Shit,' groaned Tom, leaping up and looking out of the window. 'I think one of the big oak trees has come down.' In the warm firelight which bathed the room, Tom opened a nearby chest of drawers and pulled out various candles, matches and torches. 'I'd better go and check outside and make sure the horses haven't been spooked,' explained Tom. 'Can you light some candles? I'll be back in a few minutes.'
