Free The Circle Now Is Made (King's Way Book 1) by Mac Fletcher

wild men of the woods are about now," he was to remark to Bart one day, he and his brother Simon having volunteered to help with renovation during their spare time. Their assistance had been invaluable with the kitchen re-installation, as well as insulation and re-lining of the plastered walls. It reduced costs considerably, the only labour outlay going to local tradesmen hired to give professional finishes to all the work.
    So as not to deplete the cash he’d clung to, Greg elected to live even more sparsely than to date. Having reduced his alcohol intake dramatically, the frugal wage he drew from Sarah paid his way, and eventually he was able to move his caravan onto the field below the cabin. That meant a saving on rent also, albeit a small amount. Greg became skilled at making inexpensive stews - from local veg. bought cheaply from neighbouring farms - though he didn't heed Eddy’s recipe for making broths from bacon wrappers and empty crisp-bags.  Bart, on hearing Eddy’s proposal, came up with an even more novel idea.
    “Me an' Si wuz reared by our dad's parents, so they 'ad a real struggle on,” he told Greg. “Granddad 'ud come 'ome pissed every Saturday and Sunday dinner, an' fall asleep in front o' the fire. 'Ardly a penny left for us poor buggers, so granny used to grease 'is chin wi' fat, and get us kids to chuck peas at him.” Bart paused to swig at his tea before continuing, “When he woke up askin' for 'is dinner, gran used to say: You've had it you dirty ol' bugger. It’s all down you, look! ’”
    Greg thanked Bart for his help. “I’ll get you to grease my chin if I’m desperate.”
     
    *
     Fortunately, the cabin needed little outlay on materials either, the most important requirements being preservatives, insulation, plasterboard and paint, etc. It had seemed a thankless task until, one afternoon Bart, Si, Greg and Jan had stood back to view their progress before the light faded. Gazing through a frame of hedges from the point where Greg had first seen the cabin, they could at last see a reward for their efforts.
    It looked sharp and bright, the darkly stained wood given firm contrast by the solid base beneath, in turn softened by a few spontaneously planted shrubs and firs in the border they'd cut.
    “If we can get the catering gear up and running before I leave, we’ll have nothing to worry about,” said Greg happily. “We'll have weeks to spare before opening at Easter.”
    “Tell me it's none of my business if you like." A flash of doubt, almost hurt, crossed Jan’s face; she looked at the floor as she spoke. "I know I offered to have Red, and I will, but why are you so insistent on joyriding - if you can call it that, when you… we… would be better occupied here?”
    “We've almost done, though, and as you say, you made the offer...” Greg stopped and considered for a moment. “Jan,” he said eventually, “there are things I should explain.”
    Greg excused himself and led Jan into the cabin to recount events preceding his journey to Cornwall. He was glad to get it off his chest, conscious that his assumed identity was likely to cause embarrassment when finance was required.
    “I didn’t set out to deceive anyone,” he explained. “I wanted to leave the past behind and be someone other than Greg Alison for a while. Then it became difficult to retract – embarrassing, even.”
    Jan hadn’t been as slow on the uptake as Greg had imagined. “I thought you seemed to handle Sarah and her manager professionally - you certainly showed more composure than your average down and out. And I'd guessed there was more to you: you're a good lookin' bloke, Greg, but no one gets those lines under their eyes with a past as uncluttered as you made out.”
    Greg then took Jan further into his confidence, enough to tell her of his ex-wife's debts and to entrust her with the bulk of his savings whilst he was away. "Do you mind, Jan. I can't bank it for good reasons."
    "It's no problem as