It's 1972. Fifteen years earlier, teenage Laurie Henshaw came to live at Webber's Farm with his elderly uncle and settled in to the farming life. Now thirty-two, Laurie has a stroke in the middle of working on the farm. As he recovers, he has to come to terms with the fact that some of his new limitations are permanent and he's never going to be as active as he used to be. Will he be able to accept the helping hands his friends extend to him?<br><br>With twenty successful years in the city behind him, Phil McManus is hiding in the country after his boyfriend set him up to take the fall for an insider trading deal at his London stockbroking firm. There's not enough evidence to prosecute anyone, but not enough to clear him, either. He can't bear the idea of continuing his old stagnating life in the city or going back to his job now everyone knows he's gay.<br><br>Thrown together in a small country village, can Phil and Laurie forge a new life that suits the two of them and the makeshift family who gathers round them? Or are they too tied up in their own shortcomings to recognise what they have?

Taking Stock

“Early days,” Phil said. “But there’s no need to rush back. Portnoy said they’d hold my job for a while. He’s feeling guilty. And the Board are terrified I’m going to drag their name through the mud and bring it out in to the open, I expect. They won’t want that kind of scandal. Better for the firm if they let it all go quietly away.”


Adrian made another noise of assent. “I’ve been watering your plants,” he said. “Shall I just bring them round here?”


“You’d better. If that’s all right.”


The said goodbye after a few more minutes of catching up with each other’s lives. Phil felt much more grounded afterwards.


He needed to go and see Laurie.  19: Father


Saturday morning and Paul and Tommy had taken a few of the ewes with lambs at foot down to the market. Jimmy had the weekend off, Sally was cleaning for Phil, and God knew where Cat was. He’d have to answer the door himself.


Chapter 39