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

“But Phil, I don’t know that I’m ever going to get any better than I am. No-one can tell me. I might. But I might not. I don’t want you to feel obligated to stay with a cripple.” His tone was as harsh as the words he used. “If I don’t get any better, then I’m never going to be able to drive—a car or a tractor. I can’t manage the livestock. I could probably handle a chicken if I had to…” His voice became edged with grim humour. “But if it flapped I’d be stuck.”


He paused for breath and Phil didn’t interrupt. Laurie clearly needed to get this off his chest.


“Anyone who lives with me…whether we’re shagging or not…is going to end up looking after me to a certain extent. I hatethe idea of that. I hate the idea of being reliant on other people.”


Phil allowed himself a dry interjection. “I had noticed,” he said.


Laurie shoved his shoulder with his own. “Shut up,” he said. “Let me finish, else I’ll never get it all out. I hate talking about this sort of thing.”


Chapter 44