He looked at her with concern. ‘You’re not feeling unwell, are you?’

Willow looked back at him, confused. ‘Why would you think that?’

His gaze dropped to her baby bump.

‘Oh,’ she said with a laugh. ‘No, no, don’t worry, I’m not about to go into premature labour, I’m a long way off from that.’

‘Thank God for that,’ he said as they sat down. ‘I reckon I’d be pretty useless if that were to happen.’

‘Between you and me,’ she said, making herself as comfortable as she could, ‘I reckon I’m going to be pretty useless too. I try reading the books and the stuff online, but it just scares me all the more.’

‘From the way he was talking last night, Rick sounds like he has it all figured out, so you’ll be in safe hands with him.’

‘I can’t help but think he’d make a better job of it than me.’

‘I doubt that very much, and if I’m not mistaken, you have the distinct advantage over Rick in that your body is made for giving birth, and his most certainly isn’t.’

She smiled. ‘I’d willingly swap.’

‘You know what, you might actually surprise yourself and breeze through it.’

‘Only a man could say that.’

‘Fair point,’ he conceded. Leaning back, he tilted his head up towards the pale October sun, his hands resting on the sand behind him.

‘Can I ask you something?’ he said after a lengthy silence.

Willow scooped up a handful of sand and let it trickle slowly through her fingers. ‘Yes.’

‘Did you and Rick plan to have the baby you’re expecting?’

‘Are you asking that because you suspect you know the answer is no?’

‘I guess so. You just don’t seem to be as taken with the idea of motherhood as your sister is.’

She sighed and as she felt the baby move inside her, as though stretching out her legs, Willow scooped up another handful of sand. ‘It’s because I don’t feel ready for it,’ she said. ‘Martha and Tom were trying for a baby, they had it all planned out, whereas it happened by mistake for Rick and me.’

‘Maybe that’s the best way for something life-changing to happen. Just see how the cards fall and go along with it. Which would appear to be your forte.’

‘It’s yours as well, isn’t it?’

‘Yeah. I’ve never been a great planner. Things just seem to happen at the right time and in the right place for me. Born lucky, my gran used to say.’

Willow was about to say she wished she had met his grandmother, when the sound of crunching stones had her turning to look back the way they’d come. Walking towards them, his hand in the air waving to her, was Rick.

‘Looks like your knight in shining armour has come to rescue you,’ said Lucas.

There was a slight edge to his voice that made Willow feel protective of Rick.

She had felt the same thing yesterday when Martha had asked Rick if he’d buried any more cats recently. He’d smiled politely at her and said that since they were there for a funeral, maybe she ought to think twice about making a joke in such poor taste.