Love Mends by Leslie K Rose Page B

work?” she asked.
    “I didn't used to, but recently—yes, quite a bit. I’ve never been anywhere like this before though. I spend most of my time on motorways. This is the first time I’ve travelled to a job on a boat, or ridden in a horse-drawn carriage.”
    Out of the corner of her eye, Anne noticed Tom take something out of his pocket.”
    “Where’s the best place on the island to get a signal?” he asked.
    “Signal?”
    “For my mobile.” He held up a small phone.
    “There’s no coverage on the island.”
    “Nowhere? None at all?”
    “No. There are two landlines in the village. One in the general store and one in the doctor’s surgery.”
    “Well, I guess I won’t get pestered by my office. I was going to tweet that I’d arrived on the island.”
    Anne wondered if she’d heard him correctly. Maybe ‘tweet’ was a colloquialism she hadn’t come across before.
    “Is there Internet access on the island?”
    “No.”
    “What do you do all day? Watch TV?”
    “We don’t have television either. My father has a radio.”
     
    “Can I look in your toolbox?” David asked.
    “Okay, but don’t take anything out.”
    “Great! Thanks.”
    “Is the hotel much further?” Tom asked.
    “You’re staying with us.”
    “There’s no need. A hotel will be fine.”
    “There aren’t any hotels or B&Bs.”
    “None at all?”
    “We get very few visitors to the island. West Isle isn’t a tourist destination.”
    “I guess not. It’s very kind of you to put me up. Will I be staying in the house with your family?”
    “No. There’s a separate cottage. It used to be my grandma's. You’ll be staying there.”
     “Right. Is it far?”
    “We're almost there.”
    “I expect you’re used to the boat,” Tom said.
    “No. I hate it.”
    “Really. Don't you make the crossing regularly?”
    “I’ve only been to the mainland twice.”
    “I’ve never been,” David said.
    “Only twice? Really? How old are you? If you don’t mind me asking?”
    “I don’t mind. I’m nineteen. Twenty in January. Not many of the islanders travel to the mainland. I had to go to the hospital there once, and another time, I went to the dentist to have a wisdom tooth removed.”
    “I don’t imagine there’s a dentist on the island.”
    “No, but we do get a visiting dentist—he comes twice a year. The wisdom tooth was a bit of an emergency.”
    “You said you have a doctor though.”
    “Yes. Doctor Nolan. He moved here from the mainland a few years ago. He’s retired really, but he has a surgery in his house twice a week.  Here we are—that’s Marley—that's where I live.”

Chapter 4
     
     
    “Welcome to Marley, Mr Riley.” Anne’s mother came out to meet the carriage.
    “Thank you for allowing me to stay here. Oh, and please call me Tom.”
    “Tom it is. And you must call me Jean. Arthur, my husband, will be back shortly. We hope you'll join us for dinner tonight.”
    “I wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble.”
    “Another place at the table is no trouble at all. You’ll want to get settled into the cottage first, I imagine. Dinner is at seven.”
    “Thank you.”
    Tom followed Anne and David across the yard to a small cottage. As they walked, he studied his surroundings. The farmhouse was located on the slope of a hill. Below them, fields stretched down towards the cliffs. All around, as far as the eye could see, sheep grazed. There were no other buildings in sight. He'd never known such isolation, and wondered how he was going to cope for the next two weeks.
    “More storms are coming in tonight,” Anne said. “I hope you're able to sleep.”
    “I can sleep through most things,” Tom smiled. “Besides, I’m pretty beat.”
    “Would you like any help with your unpacking?”
    “No thanks. I’ll be fine.”
    “I’ll see you at dinner then. Come on David. We have to go.”
     
    All alone in the cottage, Tom wondered what he’d let himself in for. After years of being based in the