The Coop Next Door

<p><strong>One grumpy farmer. One sunshine vet. And a village that refuses to mind its own business.</strong></p><p>Jimmy Thymes has built a quiet life on Rook's Nest Farm. His routines are simple his world is steady and the company of three thousand organic chickens suits him far better than people ever have. After a bruising marriage and a hard-won peace he intends to keep his distance from anything that might complicate his days.</p><p>Then Beth Pickup arrives next door.</p><p>At thirty-five Beth has fled city burnout for a fresh start in Cleobury Mortimer taking on a neglected farmhouse a demanding veterinary route and the kind of rural community where news travels faster than broadband. She has a ginger cat steady humour a stubborn streak and a warmth that unsettles Jimmy far more than he's willing to admit.</p><p>Neither of them is looking for romance. Beth is still mending after past heartbreak and Jimmy has sworn off emotional entanglements altogether. But in a village where everyone knows everyone their paths keep crossing. Small kindnesses turn into shared routines. Quiet moments deepen into something that feels dangerously like hope. And when misunderstandings old wounds and an unexpected visitor threaten to undo it all Jimmy must decide whether to retreat to silence or step forward into something new.</p><p>Set in the heart of the <strong>West Midlands</strong> countryside <em><strong>The Coop Next Door</strong></em> is a warm gently funny and deeply human later-in-life romance about second chances village gossip stubborn animals mud tea and learning that love can arrive long after you've stopped expecting it.</p><p>Perfect for readers who love:<br>• real rural life<br>• grumpy/sunshine dynamics<br>• slow-burn character-led romance<br>• West Midlands humour and community<br>• animals winter nights and cosy English lanes</p>