The child’s hand tightened convulsively in his father’s. This definitely wasn’t a social visit, then; this was deathly important.

‘I’m sorry we’re messy, but we’re in the middle of painting cows,’ she told the little boy, keeping her smile on high beam. She was standing next to Natalie Scotter’s table. Natalie was the most motherly six-year-old in Banksia Bay. ‘Natalie, can you shift across so our visitors can see the cow you’re painting?’

Natalie beamed and slid sideways. Misty could see what she was thinking. Hooray, excitement. And the way this guy was smiling…Misty felt exactly the same.

Um…focus. Get rid of this little boy’s fear.

‘Yesterday we went to see Strawberry the cow,’ she told him. ‘Strawberry belongs to Natalie’s dad. She’s really fat because she’s about to have calves. See what Natalie’s done.’

The little boy’s terror lessened, just a little. He gazed nervously at Natalie’s picture-at Natalie’s awesomely pregnant cow.

‘Is she really that fat?’ he whispered.

‘Fatter,’ Natalie said, rising to the occasion with aplomb. ‘My dad says it’s twins and that means he’ll have to stay up all night ’cos it’s always a b…’ She caught herself and gave Misty a guilty grin. ‘I mean, sometimes he needs to call the vet and then he swears.’ She beamed, proud of how she’d handled herself.

‘Here’s her picture,’ Misty said, delving into the pocket of her overalls for a photograph. She glanced at Adonis, asking a silent question, and got a nod in response. This, then, was the way to go. ‘Would you like to sit by Natalie and see if you can paint as well?’ she asked. ‘If it’s okay with your dad.’

‘Of course it is,’ Adonis said.

‘You can share my paints,’ Natalie declared expansively, and Misty gave a tiny prayer of thankfulness that Natalie’s current best friend was at home with a head cold.