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Back The Village Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. START READING
  6. PROLOGUE
  7. CHAPTER ONE
  8. CHAPTER TWO
  9. CHAPTER THREE
  10. CHAPTER FOUR
  11. CHAPTER FIVE
  12. CHAPTER SIX
  13. CHAPTER SEVEN
  14. CHAPTER EIGHT
  15. CHAPTER NINE
  16. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. CHAPTER TWELVE
  19. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  21. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  23. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  24. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  25. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  55. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Within seconds, John was placing the ladder against the loft hatch, telling her it was safe to come down.

‘Can I be cheeky and pass you a couple of boxes first?’ she said with a grin.

Grabbing the video tapes and journal, Naomi tucked them into the boxes before passing them down.

‘Thanks John, you’re a lifesaver,’ she said, as she finally made it to the floor. ‘Have you seen Morgan?’ She was ready to have it out with her stepdaughter once and for all.

‘No sign of her,’ he replied. ‘Are you OK?’ He raked his hair with his fingers before giving her a knowing look. ‘That ladder didn’t just fall down, did it?’

‘It was probably just a prank,’ she said with a shrug. ‘But I can’t sit around all day waiting for her to put it back. How much do I owe you?’ she continued, rifling in her jeans pocket for cash.

‘Don’t be silly.’ John gazed at her with such intensity that she had to look away. With looks like his, she imagined he wasn’t short of damsels in distress. ‘Does she do this often? Play pranks, I mean.’

‘Sometimes,’ Naomi said, reddening as a thought entered her head. ‘I mean . . . it wasn’t me, if that’s what you’re thinking.’

‘Sorry?’ A smile touched his lips.

Oh Lordy, she thought, she had done it again. Gone and shoved her size fives straight into that mouth of hers. ‘I mean . . .’ She pursed her lips as she tried to recover the situation. ‘I didn’t mean to waste your time.’

‘I could hardly see you stranded.’

Naomi shook her head at the craziness of the situation. ‘Can you imagine me calling the local police to report I’m stuck in my own loft?’

‘I wouldn’t call them at all.’ John’s face darkened at the prospect. ‘You don’t want to get involved with them . . .’ His words stilled as he was interrupted by the ring of his phone. ‘I’d best be off, my customer is calling.’

As John disappeared down the drive, his words played on her mind. What had he meant by that?

Her thoughts turned to Morgan, who had left her in a precarious situation. What if she didn’t have her phone on her? How long would she have been stuck in the loft?

‘Morgan!’ she called, checking the bedrooms before approaching the living room. ‘Come out or I’m calling your dad.’ She switched off the TV, which had been playing unnaturally loud. Where the hell was she? A thought occurred as she drew up the Friend Finder app on her phone.

‘What the . . . ?’ she said aloud, as the location pulsed. Morgan wasn’t in the house. She was two miles from home.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX