Page 56 of A Cosy Christmas with the Village Vet

* * *

‘That was a brilliant night,’said Nick as they drove out of Lytell Stangdale, snowflakes curling down from the inky-black sky. ‘It was hilarious hearing all those stories, especially the ones about Granny Aggie. Sounds like Molly’s got her hands full with her.’ He flicked the windscreen wipers on.

‘I think she has, but Molly’s got a real soft spot for her, and for all she gives off a vibe of being quite outspoken and feisty, Moll’s actually very patient.’

‘Yeah, I sensed that.’

‘Vi and Jimby’s Christmas parties are always the best. Mind, it’s a shame Freddie and Lucy couldn’t come, Lady Caro and Sim too.’ Brogan’s last words were almost swallowed by a yawn.

‘It is; it would’ve been nice to get to know them better too.’

Lady Caro and Sim were busy overseeing proceedings ran smoothly at a wedding that had taken place at the castle that afternoon, while Lucy and Freddie had been too anxious to leave their premises unattended since the dark-grey van had been seen loitering outside their shop once darkness had descended earlier in the evening.

‘And you didn’t tell me you could sing!’

‘Oh, well, I don’t very often, just at the music night at the pub, and things like tonight’s party,’ Brogan said with a shrug.

‘You should sing more; you’ve got a beautiful voice.’

‘Thank you.’

He was distracted by the glare of a car’s headlights on full beam approaching them. He squinted, his eyes dazzled. The vehicle appeared to be charging towards them.

‘Blimey, I wish they’d dip their lights.’ Brogan squealed as Nick was forced to swerve violently out of the path of the oncoming vehicle and into the side of the road. ‘Oh, my God!’

How the vehicles didn’t collide, Nick didn’t know. His stomach clenched as he felt the wheels skid, the anti-lock brakes kicking in as the car shot over a thick patch of ice. ‘What the—’ he said, adrenalin coursing through him, making his heart pound as they narrowly avoided crashing into the metal post of a road sign.

The car came to an abrupt halt. Nick hissed out a lungful of air, his pulse racing. ‘Who the hell was that?’ he said, turning to Brogan whose chest was heaving, her breathing coming out in shallow bursts.

‘I don’t know. Their lights were too bright for me to see anything, but if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say it was that dodgy pair in the dark-grey van.’ There was a discernible wobble in her voice.

‘Are you okay?’ Even in the dim light, he could she looked shaken.

‘Yeah, I’m fine, thanks. Just a bit shocked. How about you?’

‘Same.’

She nodded.

‘Let’s get home,’ he said.

35

BROGAN

As they pulled up in the yard of Pond Farm Brogan tensed. Though there’d been no fresh tyre tacks on the lane, she knew instantly something was wrong. She swallowed nervously and peered out of the window, hastily scanning the yard. She gasped as the outside light revealed where numerous footprints had trampled over the light covering of snow that had fallen since they’d gone out.

‘Oh, no! Wilf! Maudie!’ Panic gripped her. Her heart rate gained pace and her pulse started thrumming in her ears, Ella’s warnings looming large in her mind.

‘It’s them! It’s them with the van! They’ve been here. The bastards!’ Fighting back tears, Brogan leapt out of the car, slipping and sliding over the snow, overwhelmed with relief when she heard the sound of Wilf and Maudie barking loudly from the cottage. ‘Oh, thank goodness!’ The tightness in her chest suddenly easing, she took a moment, glancing around her.

‘Brogan, be careful!’ Nick hurried towards her, but she barely registered his voice as her attention was caught by one of the sheds where the door was blowing open in the wind, bashing against the wall. Her stomach churned when her eyes alighted on the jagged splinters of wood where the lock had been forced.

Nick was behind her in a moment as she rummaged in her bag for the torch on her keys, her fingers rendered clumsy in the panic, her chest heaving.

‘What can I do to help?’ he asked, snow swirling around them.

‘I’m just trying to find my torch.’ She found his presence reassuring. She couldn’t imagine how it would feel to face this on her own; she’d be terrified.

---