Summer of Love by Marie Ferrarella (easy to read books for adults list .TXT) 📕

frankly, we can’t afford to wait around too long so here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to stay here with Jack while you go for help. It’s better if I stay with him in case anything happens.’

‘But what if I can’t find my way?’ the boy exclaimed.

‘You’ll be fine,’ Daniel assured him, hoping he wasn’t being overly confident. ‘I’ll take you back to the main path and show you which way to go. So long as you stay on the path and don’t wander off it, you’ll be perfectly all right. It brings you out into the centre of Avondale and once you’re there, just ask anyone you meet to help you.’

‘But how about finding my way back here?’ Ryan asked anxiously. He glanced around and shuddered. ‘All this countryside looks the same to me.’

‘Have you got a watch?’ Daniel unfastened his own watch when the boy shook his head and handed it to him. ‘Put that on and use it to time how long it takes you to reach the town. That should give the search and rescue team a rough idea of where we are. You can also tell them that we’re about a mile or so from a large rock and that Dr Roberts at the surgery can probably help to pinpoint our location if they ask her. Think you can remember all that?’

‘I think so.’ Ryan took a deep breath. ‘Do you want me to go now?’

‘Yes. Oh, and also tell them that we’ll need an ambulance on standby and that they should inform the hospital to be prepared for a serious chest trauma. OK?’ He smiled when Ryan nodded. ‘Good. Let’s get going, then. The sooner we get your friend to hospital, the better.’

Daniel led the boy back to the path and pointed him in the right direction, repeating his instruction to stay on the path and not wander off it. He frowned as he watched him set off, hoping he was doing the right thing by sending him for help, but what choice did he have? He couldn’t go because he needed to stay with Jack.

He sighed as he made his way back to the injured boy. What was that saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions? Although his intentions may have been good five years ago, look how badly things had turned out then. Hopefully, there would be a happier outcome this time.

Emma decided to go to the cinema in the end. Although it was a bit of trek to the nearest town that boasted a cinema, it would be worth it. If she set off early, she could do some shopping first and then watch the film. She may as well go for a meal afterwards too. Then she could keep out of Daniel’s way for the rest of the day.

She groaned as she stepped into the shower. She couldn’t continue avoiding him. Whether she liked the idea or not, she and Daniel were going to have to get along for the next few weeks both in and out of the surgery. Maybe there was a lot of history between them but the key word in that statement was history. Their relationship was in the past and it shouldn’t have any bearing on what happened at the present time. She’d been out with other men in the past few years and remained on good terms with them too. If she could get it into her head that Daniel was just someone she had once dated, she could put it behind her.

She got dressed and went downstairs. She was just unhooking her jacket off the hall peg when she heard a car pull up outside and frowned. She wasn’t expecting visitors and had no idea who it could be. Opening the door, she blinked in surprise when she saw one of the local search and rescue vehicles parked outside. Although her uncle had been a member of the team for many years, he had been forced to retire when his health had started to deteriorate. She couldn’t imagine what they were doing here and waited expectantly as Mike Harding, the team leader, hurried towards her.

‘Looks as though we’ve arrived in the nick of time,’ Mike observed jovially. A pleasant man in his forties who ran the local pub with his wife, April, he’d been leading the local team for the past ten years. ‘I take it that you were on your way out?’

‘I was,’ Emma agreed. ‘I was just about to head off to the cinema, in fact. Why? Is there a problem?’

‘Seems like it.’ Mike pointed towards a boy sitting in the front passenger seat. ‘According to that young fellow, his friend is out in the Dales somewhere, injured, and Dr Kennedy is with him.’

‘Daniel!’ Emma exclaimed. ‘Are you sure?’

‘As sure as I can be. The lad came stumbling into the pub about ten minutes ago and told us that his friend was hurt and that there was a man with him who said he was a doctor.’ Mike shrugged. ‘April asked him to describe him and she said that it sounded very much like Dr Kennedy.’

‘She’s probably right,’ Emma said slowly. ‘Daniel did go for a walk this morning. In fact, I met him while I was out.’

‘And where was that?’ Mike said quickly. ‘Apparently, Dr Kennedy told the lad to tell us that he was about a mile from a large rock and that you’d know where it was.’

‘He must mean Pilgrim’s Point,’ Emma told him. ‘I was sitting there when I saw Daniel.’

‘Great!’ Mike beamed at her. ‘It doesn’t half help when folk are able to narrow down the search area. I’ll get on the radio and let the others know where we’re heading.’

Emma followed him back to the car, waiting quietly as he put through a call to the rest of the team. ‘Do we know how badly injured the other boy is?’ she asked as soon as he finished.

‘Chest injury, apparently.