Free Coming Home by Gwen Kirkwood Page B

giving him a poke in the ribs.
    ‘ Be good or I shall leave you here,’ he teased her, as he and Sam had done when they were children. She sighed.
    ‘ We had some happy times didn’t we?’
    ‘ Aye and nobody can take away our memories, Meggie. Come on, I’ll roll that big stone into the middle of the burn. Then you can jump from it to the other side. I’ll go first and catch you.’
    ‘ All right, but if you let me fall in I shall get my own back,’ she warned, her eyes glinting. She watched Steven leap across with ease. She stepped across to the stone and balanced precariously. She still had more than half way to jump.
    ‘ I don’t think I can jump that far.’
    ‘ Of course you can.’ Steven reassured her. ‘Grab my hand as you jump.’
    Megan jumped. Steven grabbed her and together they fell backwards on the bank of the burn, breathless and laughing. Their eyes met. Time seemed to stand still. Steven was intensely aware of Megan’s small soft body lying half on top of him. He knew by the flare of emotion in her eyes that she was fully aware of his feelings, and possibly even shared them. But this was not the time or the place to find out, certainly not with Megan, his trusting young friend. He scrambled to his feet and helped her up. There was a slight tension between them now but he kept hold of her hand and they continued their walk. Gradually the old easy familiarity was restored, at least on the surface, and when Natalie Turner saw them returning, they were walking hand in hand, happy and smiling with the ease of old friends.
    Steven enjoyed the weekend. He accompanied Megan and her father to morning service at the parish church. He thought his mother might be there too but she wasn’t. The Turners were in their usual pew at the front and he knew he had offended her when Natalie scowled at them on her way out. On Monday morning he was up early to help Megan and her father with the milking before he left. The Oliphants were allowed to keep a pig and a few hens and they had free milk and potatoes, all as part of their wages. Chrissie made them a huge breakfast of porridge and cream, followed by her famous tattie scones, bacon, eggs, mushrooms fresh from the field, and newly baked soda scone.
    Natalie had been up earlier than usual too. She rarely ventured near the farm yard but she was determined to waylay Steven on his way from the dairy.
    ‘ Father says you’re leaving today. I’ll drive you to the station, Steven,’ she said. He looked at her, one eyebrow raised, and with his head on one side as he tried to decide whether it was a command or an invitation. Then he gave a crooked smile.
    ‘ That’s kind of you, Natalie, but I must decline your offer. You see I have some business to do before I catch my train and I made my appointment to fit in with the bus. Another time perhaps?’ Without waiting for an answer he went on his way back to the byre with the empty buckets leaving Natalie frustrated and angry.
    Later he offered no objections when Chrissie Oliphant suggested Megan might accompany him on the bus. ‘Miss Byers has ordered some knitting wool for me and you could collect it while Steven is seeing to his own affairs. It would be nice for him to have someone to wave him off at the station.’ She turned to Steven. ‘It will be a long while before we see you again, laddie. Just remember there’ll always be a welcome for ye at our fireside.’ Chrissie was sincere in her offer but she was secretly relieved that Steven would be tied up with the army for another eighteen months. While he was away she hoped Megan would settle down at teacher training college rather than throw away the opportunity of a good career.
    Steven thanked them for their hospitality.
    ‘ You’ve earned it lad. You’ve helped at every milking,’ John Oliphant said. ‘You’ve given Chrissie a wee holiday.’
    ‘ You have indeed, Steven.’ She hugged him warmly and he knew the tears were not far away as she