Disclaimour: I do not own Heartbeat

Chapter 1

Lydia pulled over onto the shoulder of the road and stopped the Landrover. She then got out and walked to the front of the vehicle so that she could look out over the mist-laden moors.

"Wow," she breathed as an icy wind slapped against her face and sliced through her wool-lined coat. It was at that very moment, as she stood by a damp North Yorkshire moor, that she realised just how far from home she really was.

Fresh out of vet school, Lydia had decided to leave her warm, sunny homeland of Australia for the frost and icy winds of Yorkshire. It had been a decision that her parents had contested vehemently. They had promised and threatened all sorts of things. Yet, here she was 10,000 miles from home.

She had secured the position of veterinarian in Aidensfield, a small village on the North York moors. Lydia was overwhelmed by the world of opportunity that was before her; new country, new people. She was also overwhelmed by all the things that could go wrong. Lydia was no fool; she knew that just like any other rural village in Australia or England, Aidensfield would be dominated by proud men who would not take kindly to a young female vet. Such was the way of the world.

Lydia was just climbing back into her Landrover when she heard a motorbike approaching from over the crest of the rise on which she was parked. When she at last saw the rider of the bike, she realised that it was a police officer. She waved to him as he passed, deciding that there was no time like the present to begin getting acquainted with her new neighbours. To her surprise, the police officer stopped, parked his bike and walked back to her.

"Is everything alright, ma'am?" he questioned her. Lydia could see that the officer was rather handsome, now that he had removed his helmet.

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied with a smile. "I'm new here, though, so I might need some help to find my way around at some point. I guess I'll see how I go."

The policeman frowned at her for a moment.

"You're from Australia?"

"Yes. I'm Dr Lydia White, Aidensfield's new vet."

"Pleased to meet you, Dr White. I'm PC Mike Bradley. If you need any help finding your way around, I would be happy to lend a hand. Where are you staying?"

"Thank you. For now I am staying at the Aidensfield Arms. I think I should be able to find my way there."

"That's where I am headed. You can follow me, if you like."

"Thank you." Lydia smiled as she watched the policeman climb back onto his bike. So far so good.

The overwhelmed sensation returned to Lydia as she followed PC Bradley into the pub. The cosy building was a bustling mixture of warm air, unfamiliar faces and loud conversation. PC Bradley led her up to the bar where a pretty girl about the same age as Lydia was serving drinks.

"Hi Gina," he greeted her as she turned to them.

"Hiya Mike," she grinned. "Who's this then?" she indicated to Lydia.

"This is Lydia White, our new vet," Mike replied.

"Hi Lydia. You had a room booked, didn't you?"

"Yes,"

"Great! Well, I'll show you there now."

Once Lydia had settled her luggage in her room and freshened up, she walked back down to the bar. She was hungry after her long drive that day. She also wanted to meet a few more people before she started work the next day. She paused at the bottom of the stairs, feeling a little bit lost. The sea of unfamiliar faces seemed to press down on her as she searched for PC Bradley.

"Lydia! Over here," she turned toward the voice and saw PC Bradley waving to her. He was sitting at a table with a red-haired man and two women; one with short dark hair and the other with longer brown hair. Lydia walked over to them.

"Lydia, this is Phil, Jackie and Maggie. Why don't you join us? I'll get you a drink." Mike stood up.

"Sure, I'd love to join you. I'll have a lemon squash, thanks."

It was quite late when Lydia at last got to bed. She had had a good night with her new friends.