Tara’s eyes filled with tears, and her heart wailed, But I’m not good enough.

Toby didn’t reply. He shook his head, then wrapped his arms round Tara for one quick hug that said everything she needed to hear.

‘No time for this,’ he said, breaking it off with a final squeeze. ‘We need to find this runaway sister.’

The sky was darkening. Tara’s legs protested as she trudged through the mud, and Toby’s voice was now hoarse. How far had they walked? Two miles? Three? The mobile signal dropped out, then reappeared, only to fall away again.

They carried on taking turns to yell, ‘Molly!’ and ‘Lloyd!’ until Toby suddenly stopped and pointed to the far corner of the field, where something small and pink was wandering along the path away from them.

‘Molly! Thank God!’ shouted Tara.

Molly turned and waved. But there was no sign of Lloyd.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Tara nearly slipped over twice in the rush from one end of the muddy field to the other, and Toby had to grab her by the hood. Molly hurled herself into Tara’s open arms and sobbed into her coat.

‘It’s OK, Molly, we’re here.’ Tara stroked her hair and mouthed, ‘Dog?’ at Toby.

‘I’m so sorry!’ Molly’s voice was muffled. ‘I’m so sorry!’

‘No need to be sorry!’ Tara hugged her. ‘You got a bit lost. No harm done.’

Toby crouched so he wasn’t looming over her. ‘Where’s my pal Lloyd?’ He said it in his kid-friendly voice, but it set Molly off sobbing again and it took another five minutes to calm her down.

‘I thought I could be useful if I took Lloyd out for a walk,’ she hiccupped heartbreakingly. Rain had soaked her pink coat magenta, and her jeans were crusted with mud. ‘He was chewing things, and I could tell you were getting cross with him.’ She tried to speak but her sobs were swallowing whole words. ‘We were meant to go the way we went yesterday but I got … I got lost! The trees look the same!’

‘Deep breaths.’ Tara rubbed her narrow back. ‘Deep breaths.’

‘We came out on a road and …’ Molly struggled. ‘There was a fire engine, with its siren on, and Lloyd was scared …’

Tara and Toby exchanged dismayed glances over her head.

‘And he … he tried to run away, and I couldn’t hold on to him, and I don’t know where he went!’ she finished up hysterically. ‘What if he’s been run over?’

‘He won’t be run over,’ Toby reassured her. ‘It’s a quiet road, and everyone’s at home because it’s raining. If anything, he’s more likely to …’

Tara glared at him.

‘Labradors are excellent swimmers,’ he said.

That set off fresh sobs. Molly clung to Tara, suddenly much younger than eleven. ‘He’s lost! He must be so scared! It’s my fault.’