Page 95 of New Beginnings on Railway Lane

Katy sighed. ‘I know. It doesn’t make sense.’

Harriet nodded in agreement. ‘Love never does.’

Katy sat bolt upright. ‘Love! I never said love! Nobody said anything about love!’

‘Woah,’ said Libby, holding up her hands in defence. ‘Take a breath.’

At that exact moment, Ryan came inside and greeted them all. His hair was glistening wet from the rain and he had dew drops on his eyelashes that Katy suddenly found she wanted to kiss. She gulped and took a big gulp of coffee, accidentally sloshing some down herself.

‘Hey,’ said Ryan, laughing. ‘Good job it wasn’t scalding hot! The electrician is doing a great job out there, so I’m going to make him a coffee.’

‘Of course,’ said Katy, fixing a grin on her face. ‘Great.’

He looked a little perplexed but didn’t say anything, merely shooting her a questioning frown as he wandered away into the kitchen.

Was it love? She had a terrible feeling that she was most definitely in love with Ryan. She had never been in love before and it made her nervous. To trust her heart again, despite knowing that Ryan would never hurt her, still made her feel vulnerable and out of control.

‘Listen,’ said Libby, dropping her voice to a whisper. ‘You can either have a dull, safe life in London or you can stay here where you can enjoy gin night every week with us before cuddling up to your man afterwards.’

Katy shook her head. ‘I can’t.’

But later on, as the night drew in once more and she locked up the waiting room to head upstairs, she stood on the platform for a moment. It was a cold clear night and she could see her breath in the air. The moon was full and bright and she stared up at the spectacular sky for a moment, looking at the stars.

She knew she had to leave her friends and Ryan behind and restart her life somewhere else. But it would break her heart to do so.

51

Ryan found that the remainder of January was a whirlwind of trying to get everything ready for the grand opening of the railway carriage accommodation for Valentine’s Day weekend, as well as keeping up with the coffee shop, pizzas and restaurant businesses.

Valentine’s Day fell on a Sunday that year, but both he and Katy were keeping everything crossed that they would have their first booking for the accommodation. As the time grew closer, she was becoming more and more anxious about it until, finally, she had a stroke of luck.

A hotel blogger that she had heard of when working in London was able to come and stay but only until Sunday morning. Katy told him that the blogger had a huge number of followers on Instagram and that any good review would ensure many future bookings.

‘Does it matter that it’s not actually booked for Valentine’s Day itself?’ she said to Ryan as she stood inside the carriage, pinning up a pair of curtains. ‘It’s on the same weekend anyway.’

‘I suppose not,’ he said. ‘But do you trust this woman?’

Katy nodded. ‘Oh yes. I’ve met her a few times. Normally she likes the five-star hotels.’

Ryan grimaced. ‘Isn’t Cranfield going to be a bit of a shock for her then?’ He wandered over to the window and saw his dad walking along the platform in his old filthy overalls.

‘She has been known to take on more bijou places,’ said Katy.

‘Bijou?’ Ryan laughed. ‘Is that what we’re calling this place?’

Katy tossed her hair back. ‘Nope, I’m calling it cute. Cosy. Perfect.’

He nodded in agreement as he looked around. He couldn’t quite believe the transformation, but it had worked. Just like the station, Katy had transformed the old, draughty carriage into a warm and inviting place to stay.

From the outside, it looked like a brand-new railway carriage, freshly painted in racing green which blended in perfectly with the countryside. Cute lamps were placed either side of the front door, as well as fairy lights to give it a magical air.

Katy had also put out some terracotta pots full of red winter flowers, helped by his grandad no doubt. The outside walls had been polished and shone in the winter sunshine.

Inside, the curve of the ceiling reminded anyone staying there that they were in a railway carriage despite the majority of the walls being taken down, except for the bedroom and bathroom. Details like the old clock and first-class stickers had been carefully placed on the windows and even the luggage racks still remained although they were now sprayed silver and gleamed. Everything was cosy but traditional. Modern but warm and inviting. The results were sensational.

To add to the Valentine’s Day theme, Katy had hung a few heart-shaped wreaths of dried roses across the mirror and on the front door. She had also arranged some heart-shaped red candles and a pillow. It all matched the theme of red and white perfectly.

It wasn’t only the place that had been decorated for Valentine’s Day. Platform 1 had also been decorated with heart-shaped bunting and red candles.