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Lara appears in the kitchen, having taken her turn to shower and dress. ‘Is everything okay – are the pups okay?’ she asks, seeing Luke’s screwed-up face.

‘Turns out that maybe –’ his face screws up some more – ‘when some idiot was walking Dinky the day before she was due to go to be mated, because the idiot was worried she wasn’t getting enough exercise with the dog walker not turning up, maybe he might have let her off the lead, and . . . Well, I didn’t think it had actually happened. Didn’t give it a thought really, and now . . .’ He flops down onto one of the mismatched pine kitchen chairs, dropping his head into his hands.

I stare at him. We all do.

‘Are you saying . . .?’ I ask gently, and look at Lara and then Horse. Will looks up at me and I pull him to me. And then Luke lifts his face, clearly upset.

‘The pups aren’t the pedigree pups that she thought she was getting after all!’ He puts his hand to his forehead and covers his eyes.

‘God, I’m an idiot!’ He shakes his head.

Will looks at him and then back at me. ‘Why is he upset?’ he whispers.

‘It means they’re not sure who the dad is,’ I say to Will. ‘It’s not who they thought it was going to be.’

‘That’s okay,’ says Will to Luke. ‘I don’t know who my dad is, but having no dad is better than having a crap one!’ He shrugs. ‘That’s what my mum used to say, anyway.’

Luke drops his hand from his face and looks up at Will standing beside him and then at me, and we both give a smile and nod in agreement.

‘You’re not wrong, Will. You’re not wrong.’

Chapter 22

Luke has to leave, but he comes round again before lunchtime the following day.

‘Sorry – I would have been here earlier, but, erm, bit of an upset with Scarlett this morning,’ he says. I can only imagine the conversations they’ve been having about the puppies.

‘It’s no problem. Dinky’s been fed. Lara popped in before work to see her.’

‘Morning, Horse,’ says Luke. ‘Thanks for keeping an eye on the puppies again last night.’

‘It was no trouble,’ Horse says, and he means it. There’s no side to Horse, I’ve come to realize. He simply says what he thinks.

‘It can’t have been comfy in the barn, though,’ I say.

‘I’ve slept in worse,’ he smiles. ‘It was plenty comfortable enough.’

‘I’m going to cook,’ says Will. ‘What are we cooking, Horse?’

‘Whatever takes your fancy, little man,’ Horse tells him, and then looks up at me. ‘If that’s all right with Gwen.’

‘Be my guest,’ I say, and blush; I have no idea why. I give a little laugh, like a woman half my age. ‘I mean, not my . . .’ I wave a hand. ‘You know what I mean.’

‘Let’s make eggs,’ says Will, taking eggs from the basket on the side. ‘Spicy eggs. This time with onion and tomatoes and chilli!’

‘Would you like some?’ I ask Luke. ‘I’m sure there’ll be plenty. Will loves to feed his friends.’

Luke hesitates. ‘I don’t want to outstay my welcome. You’ve been really kind helping me out with the puppies.’

‘I told you, there’s no rush on moving them.’

‘It would be great if you didn’t mind me being here a bit to keep an eye on them, and on Dinky.’ He looks like a man with worries on his mind. ‘Just until I work out what to do from here.’

I put my mug down on the table.

‘Won’t they go back with you to yours and Scarlett’s house?’

He shakes his head. ‘She doesn’t want them there. Says I’m to get them to the dog rescue.’ His face seems to drain of colour as he says it.