Page 26 of The Christmas Catch

Then something up ahead flashed in the dark.

Something about knee-height.

Was that a pair of eyes?

Ali swallowed hard, and every muscle in her body tensed.

“Don’t move,” she whispered to Morgan. She had no idea what she was going to do next, but she knew they were trespassing on territory that belonged to whatever animal it was. This wasn’t their patch.

“Is it a fucking cow?” Morgan asked, so softly it was barely audible.

“Not sure,” Ali whispered back. “It looks dense. Plus, aren’t cows’ eyes up high?”

“They have to bend down to eat grass.”

She had a point.

That tickled Ali.

This was an absurd situation. And cows had to bend their heads to eat grass.

Amusement rose up through her throat, and she let out a stifled snort.

Morgan twisted her head. “Are you laughing?” Her tone was incredulous. She was on the edge.

That caused Ali to stifle more laughs. This was areallyinopportune time to get the giggles, but she couldn’t help it. She gulped back another laugh, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Sorry, it’s just, cows can move their heads…” Another wave of laughter sailed through her. She clamped it down, then took a deep breath.

Then Morgan shook too. “Keep it together,” she whispered.

The same noise filled the air again. This time, it was definitely something akin to a moo.

“Do bulls moo, too?” Ali asked, her breath coming thick and fast now. They had to act, otherwise they’d be here all night. Standing in the middle of a field, held in place by a cow.

“What am I, an expert on bulls?” Morgan hissed. She clutched Ali tighter. “I don’t know if I can walk past it.”

“You’re going to have to if you don’t want to freeze to death and wait for his mates to turn up.”

That comment made Morgan jolt. “Okay, but let’s do it quickly.”

The cow’s eyes were on the right, now raised in the air. If they walked left, they could pass without disturbing it. Ali took a deep breath, clutched Morgan’s hand in hers, then pulled her left. Together, they edged up the path, and it was only when they drew level with the cow that Ali realised it was on the other side of the wall. It was only the cow’s head that was straying into the path. It was a nosy cow, come to see what the noise was about.

Whatever, she wasn’t hanging around to have a chat.

She tightened her grip on Morgan’s hand and pulled, breaking into a jog when they were far enough away. They didn’t stop until some streetlights came into view a couple of minutes later. Then, Ali bent over, hands on her thighs, panting. Then she started laughing again. This time, she allowed herself to do so. Once she started, she couldn’t stop.

Eventually, Morgan joined in.

In moments, they were both bellowing deep, round belly laughs into the night sky, rich with relief.

“Cows can bend their heads,” Ali rasped. She sucked down ice-cold air and coughed some more.

“I know!” Morgan wheezed, clutching Ali’s arm. “Fuck a duck, we’re such wusses.”

“We’re city girls. Dave was right. What would our Devon families say? They’re much better with animals.”

Ali drained herself of laughs, then straightened up. She waited until she got her breath back before she spoke. “I’m not terrible with animals. I’ve got a cat, but she hates me. Spends her days covering me with fluff.”