If she was back at her own place Kate might have talked to Sarah about her health concerns but not now, since their…what would she call it? Friends had disagreements, patched them up and went on but this was different. It wasn’t an argument but Sarah having a baby would change their relationship forever. The baby would always be a point of difference between them. She would normally share her feelings with Sean but she was too frightened, worried they were on different pages too. Her mum was the only one she felt she could talk to about all this. Kate sighed and moved her weary body into the house.

Laura was alone in the kitchen. She was loading the esky and a box with containers.

“Where’s Mum?” Kate asked.

Laura looked up. Her face had lost the usual Laura sparkle. “I don’t know. She’s not in the house. I thought she might have gone up to the shed. I haven’t seen her since breakfast.”

“We haven’t seen her. Did you check the house?”

“Yes.” Laura locked the lid on the esky. “Can you help me? I’ve got to get this lot up to the shed.”

Kate looked at the load of items to be transported. “I’ll bring my car to the back door.”

“Thanks.” Laura’s face crumpled into a grateful smile. “I thought Mum would be here to help.”

Kate took her keys from the rack beside the door. “Won’t be long.”

Bree strode towards the house. Tailing was going well and her dad was keeping his cool. He was usually edgy on the first day of any big job, always watching for potential problems, but today he was almost a different man, as if his mind wasn’t fully on the task. She’d had to remind him a couple of times to move the sheep on.

With only a short time till lunch, she’d slipped away for a quick bathroom break and she planned to call Owen.

Ahead of her Kate hurried through the back gate towards the car shed. Bree let herself inside, went to the bathroom and arrived in the kitchen to find Laura lugging a box towards the back door.

Bree looked around the chaos that was their kitchen. “Where’s Mum?”

“Bloody hell,” Laura spat. “I don’t know. I’m not the mum police.”

“Steady up.”

Laura shoved the box at her. “Make yourself useful and take this to the car. Kate’s driving to the back gate.”

“Mum’s car’s not in the garage.” Kate had come in behind her.

“Perhaps she’s gone into town,” Laura said.

“Not without telling anyone, surely.” Kate’s brow creased in a frown. “Are you certain she didn’t say anything to you before she left, Laura?”

“I didn’t even know she had left.”