“How much have we made?” Sam asked, as they packed up at teatime.
“Twenty pounds!” Lauren beamed. “So that’s seventy altogether. And there’s loads more apples we can pick. But I don’t think I’ve got any more old toys.”
Lauren’s mum and dad were so pleased she was getting on with Sam that they didn’t ask what they’d been doing all afternoon. And they didn’t mind at all when she and Sam and the dogs disappeared off again the next morning.
It was the middle of the morning, and they were doing quite well, when a car pulled up by the stall.
“Would you like some apples?” Sam asked, sounding very professional, and the man smiled and dug around in his pockets for some change.
“Actually, I’m looking for Redhills Farm,” he explained, as Lauren handed the apples through the car window.
“It’s down there.” Lauren pointed down the lane.
“Thanks. I’ve come to look at a beagle puppy – is that the mum? She’s beautiful.” He nodded at Bella, who was sitting by Lauren’s side. He couldn’t see Lucy, as she was curled up asleep, half inside Sam’s hoodie top.
“Y-yes…” Lauren stammered, and the man waved and drove away.
Sam and Lauren stared at each other in horror. The man had come about Lucy! They were too late!
Chapter Eight
“What are we going to do?” Lauren whispered. “We can’t let him have her, we can’t! Mum didn’t say anyone was coming, he must have just turned up.”
Sam nodded. “We’ve nearly got enough money, as well. It’s just not fair.”
Lauren looked at him, frowning. “If Lucy’s not there, he can’t see if he likes her…” she suggested slowly.
“You mean we should just stay here?” Sam asked.
Lauren shook her head. “No. Because he’s seen us, and Mum knows we’ve got Lucy. We have to hide. Come on!”
“Where are we going?” Sam asked.
“I don’t know yet. Let’s just get away from here.”
“OK.” Sam zipped up his hoodie, and used it like a bag to carry Lucy, while Lauren grabbed Bella’s lead.
Lucy woke up as they ran back down the lane, as Sam was jiggling her around inside his top. She gave an indignant squeak, and tried to wriggle out.
Lauren turned back. “I’ll take her, she’ll be quieter with me. Shhh, Lucy!” Lucy snuggled gratefully into Lauren’s arms, as Sam handed her over.
As they peered round the corner of the barn, they saw the man’s car parked in the yard. The top half of the back door was open and they could see him talking to Lauren’s mum in the kitchen.
“Let’s hide in the barn,” Lauren said quickly. “If we go behind the bales of straw, we’ll still be able to see if they come out.”
They sneaked through the open doors, and settled themselves at the back of the barn.
“Shhh! I can hear my mum,” Lauren whispered.
“Lauren! Lauren!” They could just see Lauren’s mum, looking a bit embarrassed. “She’s probably in the orchard, playing with Lucy,” she said.
“I’m sorry, I should’ve called first,” the man said. “I saw the ad and thought I’d just drop in, as I was coming this way. There were two children up at the top of the lane with a beagle.”
“Oh! Well, that would be Lauren and Sam. I hope they haven’t gone along the road, Lauren knows not to. I’d better go up there and find them. You stay here and drink your tea.”
Lauren sank back behind the straw bales. “She’s going to be upset when she finds we aren’t there,” she said slowly.
“Do you want to let your mum know where we are?” Sam asked.
Lauren chewed her lip uncertainly, but then Lucy woke up again inside Sam’s hoodie and wriggled out. She gave a little yap, and looked up at Lauren with her big brown eyes. She looked so gorgeous that Lauren knew she couldn’t bear to let her go. “No,” she said firmly. “He’ll give up waiting soon, hopefully.”
Lucy climbed off Lauren’s lap and went sniffing round the floor, and nudging up against Bella, who was sensibly curled up on a pile of straw. Bella yawned and licked Lucy half-heartedly. It looked like she just wanted to sleep.
Lucy could smell delicious smells all round the barn. She pattered off round the edge of the bale to investigate, and Lauren and Sam both dived to grab her, which made Bella bark.
“Ssshhh!” Lauren hissed, putting her finger to her lips, and Bella gave her a confused look. “Sorry, Bella, sweetie. But we have to be quiet, OK?”
Sam put Lucy in his lap, and started to wave a piece of straw for her to chase. “I don’t think we can keep this little one quiet, though,” he said, as Lucy squeaked delightedly and growled at the straw.
“They might not hear from out there. Oh, there’s Mum. She looks a bit worried,” Lauren said guiltily.
Lauren’s mum went into the house, and obviously told the man she couldn’t find Lauren and Lucy, because he came out and got into his car.
“I’m so sorry,” Lauren’s mum said.
Lauren thought the man looked disappointed, but she was more worried about the anxious look on her mum’s face.
The man handed Lauren’s mum a bit of paper. “Here’s my phone number, anyway. If you could give me a ring.” Then he drove off down the lane.
Lucy growled at the straw again. Sam had stopped waving it about, and she was getting bored. She whined loudly, and tugged the hem of Lauren’s jeans with her teeth. She wanted them to play properly.
“Should we come out, now he’s gone?” Sam asked.
Lauren wanted to, especially as she could hear her mum calling for her dad, who was working in the office at the back of the house. Now they’d both be searching for her. But she shook her head. “What if they just call the man to come back?” She nibbled her nails. “I think we have to give it a bit longer.”
They could hear Lauren’s mum and dad going round the house shouting her name. Finally, Bella started whining. “I know, Bella,” Lauren whispered. “I’m hungry too.”
“I’m starving,” Sam muttered, and then he gasped as he heard a different voice. “That’s my mum!”
Sam’s mum came running into the yard carrying Molly. Molly was crying and calling, “Sam?”
Sam and Lauren exchanged a guilty glance.
“I’m sorry, I’ll have to go out. Molly looks really upset…” Sam was getting to his feet. “You stay, I’ll say I wasn’t with you.”
“It’s OK, I’m coming too,” Lauren told him. “And I promise you won’t get into trouble. I’ll say it was all my idea.” They crept over to the barn door, and peered out anxiously. Bella looked round their legs, unsure what was going on. Only Lucy was happy, and squeaked excitedly to see everyone.
“Sam!”
“Lauren!”
“Didn’t you hear us calling you? We’ve been shouting for ages!” Lauren’s mum hugged her. “We had no idea where you were!”
Molly struggled down from her mum’s arms and ran to hug Sam.
“Were you in the barn the whole time?” Dad asked, looking from Lauren to Sam and back again.
“Um, yes…” Lauren admitted.
“So you were hiding on purpose,” Dad said.
Lauren glanced worriedly at Sam, and then said, very fast, “That man had come to buy Lucy, and I didn’t want him to.”