Page 92 of Under the Mistletoe with You

‘The Countryside Code?’

Dear God, this country.‘What the hell are you talking about?’

‘Just do it!’

Nash slams the van door again, just for good measure.He weighs up the risk of breaking some kind of quaint British law against how fun this argument with Christopher could be, and decides to shut the gate behind them.After all, it is a weather emergency and letting errant creatures wander off in it would probably make this whole situation about twenty times worse.

‘Thank you,’ Christopher says, as Nash gets back in.

‘You owe me for my frostbitten fingers.That must come under short-term lets insurance, right?’

Christopher harrumphs at him, which is enough of a normal Christopher response for Nash to feel relieved that they’re back on semi-familiar bickering ground.

The tiny dirt track opens up to a farmyard containing a small farmhouse, completely blacked out through lack of power, and a few farm buildings.

Nash points at one of the furthest away buildings in the yard, from which emanates a soft golden glow.‘He must be in there.’

‘In the barn?’Christopher pulls on a woolly hat that covers his ears, which have gone a different kind of pink to the more familiar embarrassed scarlet.‘That seems strange that he wouldn’t be in the house?’

‘Well, but the power’s out, isn’t it?Who knows what he’s up to.’

Nash reluctantly gets back out of the van, which wasn’twarmbut was still a darn sight warmer than out in the cold.

He can hear sheep softly bleating coming from the direction of the barn, and the rich, earthy scent of hay fills the air.Hopefully any and all livestock are safely secured and comfortable.

The door to the barn is closed, so Christopher raps on the wood with the back of his knuckles.‘Hello?’

There’s no answer, and Christopher is hanging back, clearly unsure whether to knock again.It’s far too cold to hang around, and this could be an emergency, so after a fewseconds of courtesy, Nash cautiously opens the door, just in case there are animals inside looking to escape.

But instead of animals, he’s met with a tirade of what he can only presume is Welsh from an ancient, tiny man sitting cross-legged in a pile of straw next to a Border collie.He’s wrapped in several layers of coats, but he looks absolutely frozen, the poor guy.Well, he’s not frozen solid at least, because he’s very animatedly yelling at them.

‘Hi!Sorry!We’re here to help!’Nash’s shouts are drowned out by the continued flow of yells from the tiny cold man.

Christopher follows him in and shuts the door behind them.‘How did you upset him so quickly?’

‘I didn’t do anything,’ Nash growls in return.Turning his Hollywood charm back on, he approaches the tiny farmer, who must be Dai Jones, with palms face forward in anI come in peacegesture.‘Hello,’ he says slowly and clearly.‘I’m Nash.We’re here to help.’

‘Bloody hell,’ says the farmer in English, peering up at Nash’s face with intense scrutiny.‘You’re that fella off the telly, isn’t it?’

To say that this was not what he was expecting, especially given the man was up until a few moments ago yelling profanities at him in Welsh, would be a major understatement.His fanbase are usually married heterosexual women with a kid or two for a start, and then of course there’s the slew of young queers on the internet.Apparently, he has quite a dedicated TikTok fandom, in fact, but he’s pretty sure this elderly farmer is not part of that crowd.Then again, you never know these days.

‘Nash Nadeau?’Dai prompts.

‘That’s me,’ he says.

‘Well, good job you’re here.Nessa here needs some help.’

Nessa, who must be the black-and-white Border collie, breathes heavily.

‘I think you’ve mistaken him for someone else,’ suggests Christopher, kneeling down in the hay.

‘I have not,’ says Dai archly, as though Christopher is not paying attention properly.‘He’s always saving animals, isn’t he?An American vet, but I’m sure you know your way around a farm dog.’

‘Canadian,’ corrects Christopher.

‘Well, technically I usually amplaying an American one,’ Nash says.

It’s not just in theChristmas at the Clinicseries where Nash plays a veterinarian, now.He’s played a vet in several TV guest spots too, and a handful of other Christmas films as a background character.It’s almost become a trope, a kind of meta-joke that nods to the audience –oh look, he’s a veterinarian again, everyone.It’s one of those Officially Sanctioned romance movie jobs.After all, who doesn’t love a sensitive man who rescues animals?