Page 87 of Someone For Everyone

Geraldine smirked. ‘Are you volunteering for the job?’

‘I was thinking of asking Nelson.’

Kate ended the call. ‘Nelson’s covering for Hanna. Don’t worry, I’ll go.’

Esme looked hopeful.

Geraldine looked appalled. ‘Then we’ll have two people missing.’

‘But he could be injured,’ Esme said, sounding exasperated. ‘Lying in a ditch somewhere. Or worse, supposing his heart’s given out?’ She sagged against the table. ‘Oh, God, he’s had a heart attack, hasn’t he?’

‘I’m sure he hasn’t,’ Kate said, praying he hadn’t. ‘He’s probably in the pub having a beer.’

Esme rubbed her chest. ‘Then why isn’t he answering his phone?’

‘Bad signal?’ Kate was clutching at straws, but panicking wouldn’t help. ‘To be on the safe side, I’ll go and look for him.’

Geraldine scoffed. ‘What makes you think you’ll cope with the conditions any better than him? Supposing you do find him, and he’s injured, what then? How are you going to get him home?’

The woman had a point. ‘I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, we need to know what’s happened to him. The longer we leave it, the darker and colder it’s going to get.’ She headed for the door. ‘I’m going to look for him.’

Rowan almost bumped into her, as he entered the kitchen. ‘Look for who?’

Geraldine flicked her tea towel at him when he pinched a mince pie. ‘Oi, those are for tomorrow! Get your mitts off them.’

Rowan took a defiant bite. ‘Delicious, darling… Now, who’s missing?’

‘Calvin.’ Esme pushed away from the table. ‘He’s not back from the village.’

‘Oh, that’s not good.’ Rowan wiped pastry crumbs from his waistcoat. ‘Are we hatching a rescue plan?’

Kate tried to sidestep him. ‘I’m going to retrace his steps and see if I can find him.’

Rowan caught her arm. ‘On foot? Not a good idea, darling.’

‘How else am I going to find him? The roads are inaccessible.’

Rowan looked up at the ceiling. ‘What’s that, Ursula…? Horseback? Excellent idea.’ His eyes dipped to Kate’s. ‘Ursula suggests you travel by horseback.’

‘Well, Ursula is not being helpful,’ Kate said, trying not to roll her eyes. ‘We don’t have a horse.’

‘Yes, we do.’ Rowan disappeared from the kitchen.

Kate turned to Esme and Geraldine. ‘Any idea what that’s about?’

‘Not a clue.’ Geraldine banged down her dough. ‘Unless he’s referring to Bernard.’

Kate looked at Esme, who shrugged and said, ‘Don’t ask me, I’ve no idea.’

Fifteen minutes later, Kate wondered if she’d been transported to a parallel universe. One where it was considered normal to be wrapped up like the Michelin Man and perched precariously on top of a stone pillar about to mount a humungous great shire horse called… unsurprisingly, Bernard.

Natalie secured the reins. ‘I would offer to go myself, but Jacob’s refusing to have his nap and he’s grumpy from teething. I don’t want to leave him.’

‘It’s fine, really,’ Kate said, faking a confidence she didn’t feel. ‘It wouldn’t be fair to ask you to go anyway.’

‘But I’m the one who can ride.’ Natalie flipped the reins over the horse’s head.

‘Kate will be fine!’ Rowan yelled from the care-home steps, clutching Esme as they huddled together. ‘You said it yourself: Bernard only travels at walking speed, and he knows these lanes backwards.’

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