Not Over Yet - Barbara Elsborg Page 0,1

he needed was to be told things would be better this time next year, that these first anniversaries were the hardest. Even though that wasn’t what he wanted anyone to say, he hoped it was true because he knew he was being a sulky bastard. He ought to find a job elsewhere, but it aggravated him to think he was considering a move when it was Jason who should leave. Except Jason had worked at the practice longer than him.

He turned onto the main road at the end of Stan’s drive and gave a heavy sigh. So much for hoping a snowplough might have made his journey easier. Just one vehicle had left tracks for him to follow. Home was seven miles away along snow-covered rural roads and though he was desperate to get to his cottage and lock the door on the world until next week, an accident would wreck those plans. So if it took him twice as long to get back, that was fine, as long as he made it back in one piece.

At the junction, the tracks he’d been following turned left towards Harrogate. As Phin turned right and rattled across the cattle grid, the snow stopped falling. It was eerie driving at night down a lane obliterated by snow, the only illumination coming from his headlights. There were no fences or dry stone walls either side of him, just rolling moorland, so only the smoothness of the road ahead made his path clear. Headlights turned the route into a strange sparkling river and although he wished the plough had cleared him a path, it was exhilarating to drive where no one else had been. Like being on another planet.

But the hill that he hadn’t needed warning about lay ahead and Phin uttered a silent plea not to meet another vehicle coming up or come across one that was stuck part way down. His heart beat a little faster as he began the descent. No matter how good this old Land Rover was in snow, a slope of this gradient was dangerous. He wished he was going more slowly, but he was in the lowest gear and reluctant to brake in case he lost traction. Halfway down, he carefully eased around the tight hairpin bend by moving onto the wrong side of the road, only to see a figure right in front of him.

“What the hell?” Phin braked hard and wrenched at the steering wheel, his heart jumping into his throat.

The Land Rover’s wheels locked, the vehicle skidded and to his horror, he felt a thump as he made contact. Fucking shit! Phin pulled on the brake, and once he was sure the vehicle wasn’t going to move, he leapt out, slipping in the snow as he scrambled around the front, only to gape in shock when he saw who he’d struck.

Father Christmas.

Well, obviously it wasn’t, but a guy dressed like him, red jacket trimmed with white, a matching hat on his head, a thick black belt around his ample waist and red trousers tucked into black boots. He lay sprawled on his back and he wasn’t moving. Phin stumbled towards him. Please don’t let me have killed him. He dropped down on his knees at the guy’s side and when eyes fluttered open to look up at him, Phin sucked in a breath. Thank God. Oh fuck, thank fucking God. He winced at the profanity. At least he’d not said it out loud.

“You hit me.” The muffled but indignant voice came through a curly white beard that had been pulled askew on the guy’s face.

“You were walking in the middle of the road.”

“You were on the wrong side of the road.”

Oh shit, I was. “But you should have been walking at the edge.”

“So it’s my fault? Don’t drivers have a duty of care to look out for pedestrians? Were you driving with due care and attention? I don’t think so.”

Phin gaped at him. That sounded a bit like something a policeman would say. “I didn’t expect to come across someone walking down the road, in the middle of nowhere, in a snowstorm.” He almost added dressed as Santa, but that wasn’t really relevant. Just weird.

Father Christmas sat up and groaned. “Anyway, it’s not snowing now.”

“You shouldn’t move.”

“What? You want me to lie here so someone else can run over me? Where’s my sack?”

Phin looked around and saw a bulging red sack a few yards away. Bit late to be delivering presents, so had he been