Greg halted, trying to judge where it had come from, who might be shooting, and at what.

It was open season on stalking, but they had no shooting parties booked in, so it had to be Colin keeping numbers down, or possibly a local lad trying his hand at poaching.

Even as he considered which it might be, the injured deer appeared, crashing wildly towards them in its fear. Greg pulled Joanne into the shelter of a tree.

The shot had failed to kill, whoever had fired it, which meant the creature would wander round in pain until it was put out of its misery.

‘What will you do?’ Joanne said.

‘I’ll get you home, pick up the dogs, find it and kill it.’

When they reached the cottage, he ushered her inside.

‘Think you can manage until I get back?’

She’d looked around and smiled.

‘I’m sure I can,’ she assured him.

Joanne

Now

She waved goodbye as the Land Rover headed off, and heard him sound the horn in reply. Even after the vehicle disappeared from view, she continued to stand at the door, enjoying the sun on her face, thinking about being here and how she felt about that.

She realized that she felt safe. The safest she’d felt in some time. They’d talked about how they’d each coped with lockdown and it was clear that Greg’s story had been very different from her own.

Of course, she hadn’t been entirely truthful about her own experience. Instead, she’d painted a picture of being shut up alone in a city flat without a garden for months on end.

She’d stopped there, unwilling to say any more. At which point Greg had drawn her into his arms and told her she was safe here to do whatever she liked. Plus she would have him for company.

Although, you don’t really know him, she thought. And he definitely doesn’t know you. Or why you’re really here.

An image of their most recent coupling sprang to mind, and with it that recurring sense of excitement whenever he was around. Something she hadn’t foreseen.

But that, she thought, was par for the course. You met someone new. You slept with them, then you got to know them, and very quickly found out you didn’t want to be with them for anything other than sex. And maybe not even for that.

She came back inside and fetched her mobile. Checking her messages, she found three from Lucy, one from last night and two this morning. Lucy was obviously keen to know how things were ‘up there, in the wilds of Scotland’.

Joanne poured herself a cup of the freshly brewed coffee Greg had made, and sat down at the kitchen table to return Lucy’s call.

The mobile was answered almost immediately.