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“Well, it might not be Ashton who wrote the note,” Bec said weakly.
“Who else would it be?” Lily demanded. “It could only be someone who knows Henry and Ashton.”
“It could be one of Ashton’s brothers, or … or Jesse or Mac, or someone who works for one of them.”
“It’s possible, I suppose,” Lily agreed reluctantly as fear clutched at her heart. “One thing is sure, I won’t rest easy knowing that at any moment, Angry Ashton could turn up on our doorstep and demand retribution for stealing his pig.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” Bec‘s eyes went wide. “What could he demand?”
“He might put us to work shoveling pig manure on the farm,” Lily said dramatically. “Or make us stand on the street with signs around our necks telling people about our crime as they did in the olden days.”
Bec gasped. “He wouldn’t!”
“Well, if it came to a choice between that or going to the police …” Lily let the words trail off. “I told you nothing good would come of this crazy idea.”
Bec clasped her hands together, a worried look on her face. “Oh, I just hope my friends come back soon,” she said. “I thought we’d get away with saving Henry, but now my hopes are fading.”
“Just wait until Gloria can talk again,” Lily said darkly. “Then the whole world will know what we did. Prepare yourself, because it will undoubtedly happen.”
“But hopefully Henry won’t be here by then, and no one will believe her because she’s a busybody who tells wild tales all the time.”
“That’s the only thing in our favor,” Lily replied.
Bec raised her eyes to the ceiling and let out a sigh as she clasped her hands together beneath her chin. “It will be worth it if we save just one life.”
“Going to jail? You might not think so if it actually happens. Pig theft is a crime, you know. It would only take someone to go to the police …”
“And I would languish in my cell knowing that I had set poor Henry free.” Bec did her best Anne of Green Gables impersonation.
“Except he isn’t free,” Lily pointed out. “And it would be bad for everyone if he were. He would roam around digging up every garden in sight, lie in the middle of the road, and squeal at cyclists passing by …”
“Not that free,” Bec said hastily. “He still needs to be in a pasture.”
“Well, he isn’t in one now, and he’s less free than he was on the farm. You have to practise what you preach, you know.”
Bec looked indignant. “It’s only a temporary stopover here before he goes on to better places. Be patient.”
“Bec, we don’t have time to be patient. You know that as well as I do. Hiding Henry in our yard is like a ticking time bomb. One day soon, it will go off and life will never be the same again.”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic.” Bec looked at her watch. “I must go or I’ll be late for work.”
After she’d gone, Lily stood at the window looking out into the backyard. Henry walked past the window on his way to the hole he’d dug behind the garden shed. It was already warm and the hole was shaded by a tree that hung over the fence from Winifred’s yard. Lily guessed it was a good place to cool off on a hot day. She sighed and turned to get ready for work. She had a business function to cater for in the afternoon.
“Lily. We meet again.”
Lily looked up to see Ashton reach for a cupcake on the stand she’d just refilled. Her heart skipped a beat, and she was unsure if it was because of Henry or because Ashton looked hot in his best jeans and blue shirt. He filled both out to perfection, and she blushed for even thinking about him in that way.
“Hey, Ashton,” she murmured, keeping her head down. The last thing she wanted him to see was the guilt she was sure was written all over her face.
“I had no idea you’d be catering for this seminar when I signed up for it,” Ashton commented, brushing a crumb off his lip.
Lily tried not to think about what it felt like to kiss those lips as heat stole across her face once more.
“Uh, they don’t usually advertise the caterers,” she murmured.
“It’s been worth my while to come,” Ashton continued. “I was especially interested in hearing about how to make raising hogs more productive. But that was before I lost Henry. That was a setback.”
Lily was sure the furious blush on her face was about to set the room ablaze.
