A Family Forever by Helen Scott Taylor Page A

back. "Missed you too. I've just about tied up the Florida project. I shouldn't have to go out there again." He raised his head and sniffed. "Is that dinner I smell?"
    Victoria punched him playfully on the arm. "We've been apart for two weeks and all you can think about is your stomach."
    "I promise I have more exciting things on my mind than food. I have a surprise for you."
    "A surprise, hmm. Sounds interesting."
    "It is." He called for Harry and both kids came bounding back down the stairs. "Time to go, pal. You know what to do."
    Harry bounced on the balls of his feet, grinning. "I can't wait until they see it."
    "See what?" Victoria asked.
    "Your surprise." Adam dropped a kiss on her temple. "We'll be out for half an hour. Are you ready to go?"
    "Okay. Just let me switch off the oven." Victoria hurried inside and took out the pie she'd partially cooked so it didn't burn.
    She locked up and joined the others outside. Sophie was sitting in the back of Adam's car with a scarf tied over her eyes. Adam held up a second scarf. "Your turn."
    "You're blindfolding me?"
    "It's all part of the surprise."
    Victoria stood still while Adam spread the silky fabric across her eyes and tied it behind her head. Then he helped her into the car and fastened her seat belt.
    "All right, Soph?" she asked, turning her head.
    "This is fun," Sophie answered with a laugh.
    The car started and pulled away. "Do we get a clue?" Victoria prompted.
    Adam's hand squeezed hers. "Nope. But you don't have long to wait."
    After about ten minutes, Victoria gripped the door as the car bounced and bumped up what must be a rough track. Then they stopped.
    "Can we take off our blindfolds?" Victoria asked.
    "Not yet," Adam and Harry chorused.
    "Wait until you get out," Adam added.
    Car doors slammed, then Victoria's door opened and Adam took her hand, helping her out. He gently guided her forward and turned her around.
    "Here we are." He tugged the silky fabric covering her eyes and pulled it off.
    Victoria blinked, getting her bearings. They were in the country, obviously not far from Great Monkton. Chips of brick and splinters of wood lay on the ground in front of her while a cement mixer and dump truck stood nearby. Then her heart lurched at the sight of the house. This was Willowbrook Farm.
    "Adam. What's going on?" She clutched his arm in a moment of uncertainty.
    "You know Mr. Andrews sold me the field behind your cottage?"
    "Yes." She'd no idea how Adam had pulled off that miracle, but it had been a godsend. They'd spent two days picking up the hedgehog boxes from Larchfield and repositioning them in the hedge and the small copse in the far corner of the field. Now all the hedgehogs were safe and had acres of land to roam.
    "Well, I didn't only buy the field," Adam said.
    She'd heard Farmer Andrews had sold up and moved in to the Plume of Feathers with Felicity. Everybody in the village knew that. But she'd never in her wildest dreams imagined Adam had bought the whole farm.
    Victoria glanced around with new eyes, taking in the bags of sand and cement, the heaps of bricks and tools. The rusty farm machinery and old tumbledown sheds had been cleared and replaced with a newly laid car parking area and a brand new wooden building.
    Adam took her hand and led her towards the house. Builders had started work on the property. Already the place looked better. The broken windows had been replaced, the brickwork pointed, and the missing roof tiles fixed.
    "It's looking good. Why didn't you tell me you'd bought this place?"
    "I wanted it to be a surprise. I intended to finish the work before I showed you, but I've run into a problem."
    "What sort of problem?"
    "I didn't know the type of kitchen you'd like."
    "Me?" Victoria pressed her hand to her chest, her heart thumping as the implication of his words sank in. "Who's going to live here, Adam?"
    "I am, and Harry is." He stopped and pulled her into his arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "And one day in the not