Two Kinds Of Truth(60)

I put the potatoes and vegetables into saucepans and leave them sitting on the stove, then go over to one of the fireside chairs and sit and wait for the men to return, but I simply can’t get Ally out of my head.

Jumping to my feet, I head over to the front door, find a pair of boots with a thick sole and put them on. I grab my coat, hat and gloves and head outside, shocked to see the trees laden with snow. I head down to the stables. At least if I get the horses fed it’ll be one less job for Jamie and Callum to worry about.

The wind has dropped, the world out here now seeming calm and peaceful, and I smile to myself. I’m almost at the stable block when the wind whips up from nowhere and carries a sound—voices. I stop to listen.

“That’s impossible.”

“I knew you wouldn’t believe me, but I’m telling you it’s true.”

I creep behind the stable block and closer to the main farm buildings. Turning a corner, my heart skips a beat.

Callum is standing by one of the corrugated sheds, talking to someone I can’t quite see, his body blocking my view. I take a step closer, snow crunching underfoot. Their voices rise; they’re arguing. Callum’s back is towards me and I watch his arms fly up into the air. I’m terrified of what I may overhear yet still I put one foot in front of the other. Slowly, I make my way towards him, and when I’m roughly six feet away, my stomach heaves as Callum’s white breath rises into the once more still air.

“I’m telling you, she isn’t having an affair with Jamie.”

He moves slightly to one side and my heart lurches in my chest—he’s with Ally.

“But I’ve seen the way they are together,” she says.

“I don’t care what you think you’ve seen; I know you’re just looking for an excuse to make me leave her.”

Ally shoves her hands deeper into her coat pockets and lets out a sigh.

“Either way, it’s time Maddie learned the truth.”

“Don’t make me do this,” Callum says.

“You don’t have a choice. You have to tell her.”

“You know I can’t. It will kill her.”

“But you can’t keep living a lie,” to which Callum lets out a deep sigh.

“I hear what you’re saying, but if she finds out what’s happened between us, it’ll destroy her.”

I look down at my hands, jittering of their own accord, and clench my fingers into fists to try and make them stop. I clear my throat but the wind whips away the sound. “Callum,” I then say, “what are you doing here with Ally?”

His shoulders arch, as though a cat-o-nine tails had just sliced through the skin on his back, then he seems to recover and spins around to face me. His eyes are wide, and his mouth drops open at the sight of me.

“Maddie. What are you doing here?”

I back away, no longer wishing to hear anything he has to say, but Ally takes a bold step forward and points a gloved finger in my direction.

“Callum, you need to explain everything—now.”

“I’m going back to the house,” I say, my terror rising a notch.

“Jesus, Ally,” Callum hisses. “This is not how she should learn the truth.”

“I don’t want to know,” I cry, shaking my head, hearing my own panic rising in my voice and hardly able to breathe.

He rushes towards me, but I hold my hands out to make him stop.

“Stay away from me,” I plead. “Just don’t touch me.”

“I’m so sorry, Maddie. I never meant to hurt you.”

“You’re having an affair?” I say, astonished. “How? When?” then I turn away from him, ready to run, but he lunges and grabs my arm. He pulls me so hard I whizz around to face him.

“No, it’s not like that. I’m not having an affair,” he cries.

I stare at him as though he’s told a big fat lie, but then I feel my brows furrow, and for a brief moment, a sense of relief washes over me. “But…I…don’t…”

“Tell her, and get it all out into the open,” Ally interjects, and Callum’s hands slide up to my shoulders.

“I’m sorry, Maddie, there’s no easy way to say it, so I’m just going to come straight out with it.”

I nod, like one of those dippers that can be won at the fair.

“Okay, I’m listening,” I finally whimper.

Callum takes a deep breath. “Six years ago, before we got together, I was in a long-term relationship with Ally.” His eyes shoot towards the vet and then back at me.

“As you’ve probably guessed, it didn’t work out and we went our separate ways. Ally found herself a job in Chelmsford and I relocated. We stayed in contact because we both wanted to remain friends.”

“Yet…you never told me about her. Why?”

Callum shrugs. “No reason other than I didn’t wish to mix the past with the present.”

I lick my lips. “So, what changed? Why is Ally adamant she wants you back? Do you want to be with her? Is that it?”

He lets go of me then and glances down at his feet and shakes his head, but then he looks me straight in the eye. “It’s far more complicated than that. I received a call from Ally a few weeks after you and I hooked up together. She said she needed to see me.” For a moment he hesitates, takes another deep breath.