‘Do you have any loss of sensation? Here?’ Neve worked gently along the main nerves.
‘No. It’s a real addition for us. The kids love it.’
‘Right. I’m going to put some adhesive stitches onto the cut and I’ll prescribe antibiotics, just to be on the safe side.’
Ann nodded. ‘Thanks. He doesn’t seem to have anyone. Not that some of the younger women haven’t tried. I had to have a word with one of our teaching assistants about staring out of the window all moony-eyed at him when she was supposed to be doing her job.’
Neve hid a grin. It appeared that Joe-itis wasn’t just confined to the teaching assistants. The school’s head teacher had been infected with the epidemic as well, along with what sounded like half the village.
‘So what exactly does he do?’ Neve’s curiosity about Joe had been growing, and she gave in to the inevitable. ‘His job, I mean.’
‘I heard he was ex-army.’ Ann pursed her lips thoughtfully. ‘I don’t know if that’s true. He doesn’t seem to have a job now. Unless of course he’s doing something on the internet in the evenings.’
Professional gambler? She imagined that Joe would have the perfect poker face if he put his mind to it. Writer? Internet entrepreneur? Combination of all three?
‘There were a few rumours going round, but they were just idle talk.’ Ann dismissed any further speculation with a disapproving twitch of her mouth. ‘But, then, people will wonder.’
True enough. The secret to keeping a secret was never to let a soul know that you had one. Neve had never told anyone about her marriage, and so the awkward questions about why it had been such a disaster never occurred to anyone.
‘Hold still, Ann. This will sting a little bit.’
Ann winced as Neve cleaned and disinfected the wound. ‘He wasn’t well, of course, when he first came here. You know his grandmother was born in Leminster? Fred remember her from way back, when he was just a boy. Says she was a pretty little thing.’
Perhaps that was why the village had taken Joe to their hearts. The prodigal son returned. But in Neve’s experience, any respect you got from the close-knit communities around here was generally earned and not just doled out on account of who your grandmother was.
‘Right, then, Ann.’ She handed her the prescription. ‘I want you to take these for a week. Can you get to the chemist today?’
‘Yes, no problem.’ Ann got to her feet. ‘I suppose you’re back on the road again now. You must be busy.’
‘Yes. It’s a lot easier with Joe doing the driving, though.’
‘Mmm. With the weather like this, you need someone to help you.’
By the time Neve had finished, Joe had been persuaded up a ladder to fix Christmas decorations to the high ceiling beams and had helped move the piano to make room for the Christmas tree. It was something of a relief to retrieve his coat and follow her back outside to the car.
‘What’s that you’ve got?’ She nodded at the plastic food container in his hand.
‘Chocolate cake. I said it was a bit early for me, so there are two large pieces here for later.’ He wondered whether she’d greet this latest offer of food with the same prickly indignation she’d shown that morning.
‘Oh, nice. I like chocolate cake.’ She had a particular flair for confounding his expectations, and Joe found himself smiling.
The first real obstacle of the day presented itself a mile down the road, in the shape of a white minibus. It was blocking the road ahead, almost invisible against the drifting snow, only the bright flash of a logo on its side clearly distinguishable.
Joe slowed and stopped. ‘Television crew.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘I heard they’ve been filming around Leminster. Community in crisis, that kind of thing.’
Neve was frowning at the vehicle. ‘Looks as if the community’s dealing with the crisis a bit better than they are.’
‘Yeah. Perhaps they can film themselves.’
The sound of a racing engine drifted towards them and the wheels of the minibus spun uselessly. Joe swung out of the car. ‘Hey. Hold up. That’s not going to get you anywhere…’ he called over to the driver and the engine stopped abruptly. One of the doors opened and a woman got out.
Joe knew what was needed, and it didn’t take much to persuade the woman to leave things to him. He trudged back to his own vehicle, nodding grimly at Neve and opening the tailgate.
‘What are we going to do?’ She scrambled out of her seat, almost losing her balance on a patch of ice and grabbing at him to steady herself.
‘Maybe you should stay in the car.’ Much as he liked her weight on his arm, it wasn’t going to get the van on its way.
‘What, and comb my hair? Check my make-up?’
Joe straightened up. However much he got snagged on her protective spikes, he still couldn’t help but smile at her. Maybe it was the vulnerability behind that tough exterior. Or the bravery that met everything head on. ‘If you use the rear-view mirror, don’t forget to adjust it back the way you found it.’
A moment of fleeting outrage and then she relaxed. ‘Sorry. It’s just that I’ve been managing on my own for a while now…’
‘I know.’
She leaned back against the car. ‘So what are you going to do?’
‘I should be able to dig them out. Might need to give them a tow but I hope not. It’ll take time to get the snow chains on the wheels to give me the extra traction.’
‘What’s that for?’ She pointed to the large bag of cat litter that he’d dumped in the snow beside them.
‘It’ll soak up the water around the wheels and give something for them to grip onto.’ Joe reached for the fold-up shovel that he’d stowed in the boot, snapping it open.
‘You have a cat?’ No detail was too small to escape her interest and Joe couldn’t help grinning.
‘Why would I have cat litter if I don’t have a cat?’ He picked up the bag and started to trudge back towards the stricken minibus.
‘Let me know if you need a hand,’ she called after him.
‘Sure. Let me know if you can’t find your comb.’
Neve remained where she was, leaning against the side of the SUV. Two men had got out of the minibus and Joe had set one of them to work with the shovel while he spread the cat litter around the wheels. The woman Joe had been talking to had left them to it and was headed in Neve’s direction.
‘I’m glad you guys turned up.’ She was grinning brightly. ‘Your friend seems to know what to do. What are you doing out today?’
‘I’m a doctor. I have house calls to make.’
‘Ah.’ The woman nodded enthusiastically. ‘And your partner?’ She gestured over towards Joe. ‘He’s a doctor too?’
‘He’s a volunteer. He’s helping with the driving.’
‘Nice one. As we’re stranded here, perhaps you could give me an interview.’ The woman didn’t wait for Neve’s answer and gestured over to the second man, who was standing by the stricken vehicle, watching Joe. ‘Camera, Nick…’
‘I don’t think we have time. We have to get on…’
‘Just for a minute. We won’t keep you.’
Neve