Page 67 of Best Laid Plans

And any day their baby would arrive and they’d be a family.

At last.

This morning, Will refilled the water troughs and pulled down extra bales of hay which he spread for the pregnant ewes, and he checked the three healthy lambs that had been born overnight.

Satisfied that all was well, he returned to the warm kitchen, ready for breakfast, and found Lucy already up and busy at the stove. His heart lifted as it always did when he saw her.

She was wearing one of his baggy old football jerseys – blue and yellow stripes – over blue maternity jeans and her feet were encased in fluffy slippers.

‘Hey there,’ she said, turning to smile as he entered.

He came up behind her, slipped his arms around her and kissed her just below the ear. ‘How’s my favourite farmer’s wife?’

‘Fat, pregnant and in the kitchen.’ Lucy laughed as she leaned back against him and lifted her lips to kiss the underside of his jaw.

‘That’s exactly how I want her,’ Will growled softly, dipping his lips to trap hers for a longer, deeper kiss.

When they sat down to eat, he was surprised to see that Lucy had nothing besides a mug of tea.

‘Aren’t you hungry?’ he asked, feeling guilty that he’d already started on his mushrooms and toast.

She smiled and shook her head.

‘That’s not like you.’

‘It’s just a precaution.’

He felt a stab of alarm. ‘A precaution?’

‘I’ve been having contractions.’

Will almost choked on his food. ‘Lucy. My God, what are you doing, sitting here watching me eat breakfast? I’ve got to get you to hospital.’

‘It’s okay, Will. There’s no rush.’ She smiled at his dismay. ‘The contractions are still twenty minutes apart.’

‘Twenty minutes?’ He couldn’t have been gone much longer than twenty minutes. ‘How many have you had? When did they start?’

‘They began around four this morning.’ She must have seen the panic in his face and she laughed. ‘Don’t worry. With a first baby it might take ages. I could go on like this all day.’

‘But you might not. And it’s a good hour’s drive to the hospital.’ How could she sit there looking so calm? Was she crazy? ‘Shouldn’t you ring the doctor?’

Lucy nodded. ‘I’ll ring him when I’m certain that it’s not a false –’

She didn’t finish the sentence. Without warning, her entire manner changed. She sat very still, her face concentrated. Inward. Breathing steadily but deeply. In, out. In, out.

Nervously, Will watched his wife. If Lucy was in labour, he wanted her safely in hospital, surrounded by a team of medical experts.

‘Phew,’ she said at last. ‘That was stronger.’

‘What about the timing? How far was it from the last one?’

She looked at the clock. ‘Gosh, it was only ten minutes.’

‘That’s it then.’ Will lurched to his feet. ‘Come on, we’ve got to leavenow.’

Lucy caught his hand. ‘Are you sure you don’t want your breakfast?’

‘Not now.’

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