The Last Train Home

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The next day, we all woke up early due to a scheduled delivery from Mr Thompson of several sheep that would fill the upper paddock. March seemed like a strange time for sheep to be moved, but Jonathan had explained to me that many of the ewes - fancy name for a female sheep - had become pregnant in December. We would be able to have our first lambing season.

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, struggling to keep them open and really wishing I was still in bed. Jonathan and Barbara could handle the delivery of sheep themselves and I didn't understand why I had to be there. Still, I didn't say anything and just stood by the fence and tried to stay awake as best I could, but it was a struggle. My chores usually took place earlier in the morning, but we were up too early.

"What time did you get to sleep last night?" Jonathan asked, poking me in the shoulder.

My eyes shot open and I looked at him. "Usual time."

"Really? I could have sworn I heard you talking to Goose past midnight."

"She kept rolling over and kicking me in the leg and then dreamt she was running so continued to kick me. It's hard to sleep when you have a puppy kicking you."

Jonathan laughed and shook his head a little, beside him, I could see Barbara trying not to laugh. "Maybe she should go back to sleeping in her basket if she's keeping you up at night."

"Maybe. Nice to know you're enjoying my pain, though. She might be small, but she has a powerful kick."

"You have to admit, it is funny."

Jonathan wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into his side, squeezing my upper arm before letting me go. Goose had only just started to sleep on my bed since we all thought she had reached a decent size, but she would have to go back into her basket. I really didn't like the idea of being a human target for her paws every night; she bruised my back and everything.

Against the silence of the country, the low drone of a tractor engine filled the gap and I rubbed my eyes again to see if it made any difference in how awake I felt. It didn't. Through bleary eyes, I watched the Thompson's tractor appear over the crest of the hill with a large trailer attached to the back of it. It grumbled and groaned up the hill before straightening out on the flat part of the farm.

Mr Thompson brought the tractor to a stop and cut the engine, silence returning to our small part of the country. He climbed off the front of the tractor with Alec following behind him. Alec had apparently been squished up behind him because of the sheep in the tractor and he stood to the side to stretch out his compressed limbs. When he spotted me standing there, he smiled and I felt Jonathan nudge me in the side so I hit him lightly on the arm.

"What are you two up to?" Barbara asked, peering around to look at us when she heard the slapping sound.

"Nothing," I said. Jonathan continued to nudge me in the side. "Stop! You're so annoying."

"Here was me thinking you only took in one evacuee," Mr Thompson said.

"Hm. It turns out I have one child and an oversized child."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Jonathan grinned. "Shall we get these sheep unloaded? They're probably not too keen on being locked up in that trailer for much longer."

"Right. I can back the trailer into the paddock. Alec can open the gate and then the trailer inside."

"Can I?" Alec asked. He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, you can."

Alec sighed. I could have sworn he rolled his eyes a little, but no one else seemed to notice other than me and I had no intention of getting him into trouble. He opened the gate into the paddock and backed up inside of it whilst Mr Thompson climbed back onto the tractor and turned the engine on.