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Back The Cottage Save as PDF
Chapters (82)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. ONE
  4. TWO
  5. THREE
  6. FOUR
  7. FIVE
  8. SIX
  9. SEVEN
  10. EIGHT
  11. NINE
  12. TEN
  13. ELEVEN
  14. TWELVE
  15. THIRTEEN
  16. FOURTEEN
  17. FIFTEEN
  18. SIXTEEN
  19. SEVENTEEN
  20. EIGHTEEN
  21. NINETEEN
  22. TWENTY
  23. TWENTY-ONE
  24. TWENTY-TWO
  25. TWENTY-THREE
  26. TWENTY-FOUR
  27. TWENTY-FIVE
  28. TWENTY-SIX
  29. TWENTY-SEVEN
  30. TWENTY-EIGHT
  31. TWENTY-NINE
  32. THIRTY
  33. THIRTY-ONE
  34. THIRTY-TWO
  35. THIRTY-THREE
  36. THIRTY-FOUR
  37. THIRTY-FIVE
  38. THIRTY-SIX
  39. THIRTY-SEVEN
  40. THIRTY-EIGHT
  41. THIRTY-NINE
  42. FORTY
  43. FORTY-ONE
  44. FORTY-TWO
  45. FORTY-THREE
  46. FORTY-FOUR
  47. FORTY-FIVE
  48. FORTY-SIX
  49. FORTY-SEVEN
  50. FORTY-EIGHT
  51. FORTY-NINE
  52. FIFTY
  53. FIFTY-ONE
  54. FIFTY-TWO
  55. FIFTY-THREE
  56. FIFTY-FOUR
  57. FIFTY-FIVE
  58. FIFTY-SIX
  59. FIFTY-SEVEN
  60. FIFTY-EIGHT
  61. FIFTY-NINE
  62. SIXTY
  63. SIXTY-ONE
  64. SIXTY-TWO
  65. SIXTY-THREE
  66. SIXTY-FOUR
  67. SIXTY-FIVE
  68. SIXTY-SIX
  69. SIXTY-SEVEN
  70. SIXTY-EIGHT
  71. SIXTY-NINE
  72. SEVENTY
  73. SEVENTY-ONE
  74. SEVENTY-TWO
  75. SEVENTY-THREE
  76. SEVENTY-FOUR
  77. Suggested topics for reading-group discussion
  78. Keep Reading …
  79. Lisa Stone also writes under the name of Cathy Glass.Don’t miss her latest book …
  80. About the Author
  81. Books by Lisa Stone
  82. About the Publisher

Pulling the duvet over her, she lay still and listened. The minutes ticked by. Eight-thirty came and went. Nine, nine-thirty. Tinder slept at her feet. Another hour passed, but no sound from outside. Jan felt disappointed. She should have asked Ruby what time she’d heard them. They were usually here before now. Was it possible they knew she’d set a trap and was lying in wait to photograph them? She’d never left food out before, or had the curtains open after dark. Were they really so clever that they could see her intention by a change of routine? An icy chill crept up Jan’s spine and she pulled the duvet closer around her.

By midnight Jan was struggling to keep her eyes open. She dared not get up and make a coffee, for if they were out there watching they would see her and bolt. They never stayed once they’d been seen; but always ran away. She would need them still for a few moments to take the photo – hence the piles of food.

She shifted position and willed herself to stay awake. As one o’clock approached, her eyes closed. Then suddenly she was awake, startled by a noise outside. Senses tingling and her breath coming fast and shallow, she felt for her phone.

Keeping low and out of sight, Jan carefully slid the phone from beneath the duvet and slowly began to raise it. Just high enough over the back of the sofa so she could take the photo. At the same time she carefully drew herself to her knees. She’d only get one chance. But at that moment Tinder heard it too and, leaping from the sofa, ran towards the back door, barking loudly. Jan took the picture anyway but knew even before she looked at it she’d been too late. Just a view of the reflection of the flash on the glass. Tomorrow she’d try again, shutting Tinder in her bedroom first, and with the flash turned off.

FORTY

Ian was still awake in the early hours of Wednesday morning, angry, upset, confused and agitatedly trying to decide what to do next. Moller had lied. The DNA results had shown that while he and Emma didn’t have any inherited genetic conditions, they did share the same biological father. Little wonder they looked similar, Ian thought bitterly. They were half brother and sister! It was the worst possible outcome and Ian was struggling to cope.