Epilogue

I waved to Jack as we passed him in the Range, but Rick and Carl hardly noticed him, they were too busy looking at the yard beyond. Happy birthday, he mouthed, and I gave him a thumbs-up.

"Fuck," Rick said. "This is really coming on."

"Last few days really," I said, and I was proud and excited. I couldn't take the grin off my face.

We parked up on the new flash paving and I let out a groan as I dropped from the Range, waving away the guys as they tried to fuss me. After all I was pregnant, not an invalid, and I'd had worse, so much worse.

A stint in a wheelchair had made pregnancy feel a doddle in comparison, even if I was waddling like a big fat penguin.

The new stable block was almost constructed, a gleaming brick and steel structure directly opposite the old stalls. "They're bigger," I said. "A lot bigger than the early plans."

"Only the best for our furry boy," Carl said. "He'll love that." He peered inside, and so did Rick, and I knew it looked good, I knew it all looked good here.

I'd been dreaming about it long enough.

"Talking about our furry boy." Rick grinned, and held up some mints.

I led the way, slowly, not just because my swollen belly took the breath from me, but because there was so much for them to see. A refurbished school, piled high with new woodchip and bordered with decent solid fencing. A new jumping paddock, with really swish poles and fences — not that I'd be the one using them, not for the foreseeable, if ever.

These days Samson didn't come running when we arrived at his gate. His limp was less pronounced than it used to be, but he was still lame. It didn't seem to bother him all that much, not with a couple of new little field buddies to keep his interest.

He took his time to join us, letting out a snort as he presented his snout for his mint treat, and the ponies came trotting up, wanting in on the action.

"I'll miss you," I said to him, scratching his ears. I pointed at my belly, as though he might understand. "I'll be back soon, just as soon as I can. You'll have to put up with Auntie Verity in the meantime."

Carl and Rick mock groaned.

"Auntie Verity!" Rick laughed. "Bloody hell, Sammy, she'll have you doing all that poncey footwork again. What a bummer, eh?"

It turned out Verity was as tenacious in all aspects of life as she had been in the office. She was still adamant Samson would recover enough to hack out again. I hoped she was right.

One of the ponies nipped at Carl's leg through the bars, just playing, but it was enough to make him groan. "Vicious, these little bastards," he said. "They hate me."

I laughed. "They don't hate you."

"I don't know how those kids aren't scared of them, I really don't."

But the village kids weren't scared of them at all. Not even close. The village kids loved them, just like I'd always hoped.

And I hoped our little girl would, too. Just as soon as she was old enough to meet them.

After all, I'd chosen them for her, just in case. Just in case she shared my insatiable love of all things equine.

"We'd better get going," Carl said. "Table's booked for half-one, we'll be cutting it fine."

"They can entertain themselves if we're late." I let out laugh. "Just as long as Olivia doesn't laser Mum to death with her evil eyes."

"I'm sure they'll draw a truce for one day," Carl said.

"You're the birthday girl." Rick kissed my cheek. "We're on your timetable."

"Yes," I said. "Quite rightly so. And I'm expecting birthday favours." I grinned. "Butlers in the buff when we get home tonight, I expect to be hand fed chocolates and showered with rose petals."

But fate it seemed had other plans.

I'd only managed a couple of steps across the school, three at most, when I felt the gush of fluid down my legs.

"Oh shit," I said. "Oh God, oh my God." I looked at Carl and Rick and they were looking at me, eyes wide. "It's happening, it's really happening."

They smiled, they really smiled, and I did, too.

My heart pounded, and I couldn't hold back the giggles, laughing to myself as Rick and Carl dithered with phones and car keys.

They cancelled lunch before I was in even back in the Range, changed our destination in the Sat Nav, like we needed it. Like we didn't know exactly where we were headed. We'd driven it a hundred times, just to make sure, just to practice.

I put my hand on Carl's wrist before he turned the key in the ignition, took one last breath before our final journey as a family of three.

"This is it," I said. "This is really it, I hope you're ready."

"We're ready," Carl said. "We've been ready since the moment we met."

"Are we ever fucking ready?" Rick added. "We couldn't be more ready."

And so was I, I was ready, too.

Ready to meet our little girl.

THE END