The Three of Us by Cathy Woodman

The Three of Us is an exclusive short story introducing Zara, the village midwife whose story you can read in Follow Me Home, and bringing us up to date with what's happened to Tessa and Jack from The Village Vet

Tessa and Jack live at the animal sanctuary in Talyton St George. They had been friends for years, but it wasn't until Jack interrupted Tessa's wedding that she discovered his feelings for her were stronger than she ever knew.

Now, a year on, they could not be happier. And when Tessa discovers she's pregnant, it's as if all their dreams have come true.

But a scan shows that there are complications, and suddenly Tessa realises that Jack has always had doubts about having a baby. Supported throughout by Zara, the village midwife, Tessa and Jack have some tough decisions to make.

However, as the baby's birth draws closer, Tessa and Jack grow further apart. Will he feel differently when the baby is born? Or will having her wonderful child mean losing the man of her dreams?

This short story by Cathy Woodman is a great introduction to readers who have never visited Talyton St George before. The story is stand alone, however it can be read alongside Woodman's latest release, Fo0llow me Home, where the characters are mentioned a number of times but the outcome to the pregnancy, which has been upset with complications and uncertainties, is only found out in this short story.

With Cathy's other books there are lots of characters who turn up in many of the series, however this short story concentrates on Tessa and Jack, who run the animal rescue centre. Both characters have been in previous books, and avid readers will remember that Tessa was to marry another villager until Jack interrupted the wedding. I know that I have been hoping that these characters would turn up in another book as I wanted to know if they have stayed together and was pleased to see that they have their own story. 

I enjoyed this short story and I would love Cathy to do more of these, revisiting characters who have previously featured heavily in earlier books from the series.

I recommend this to new readers who have not visited Talyton St George before but also to fans of the story who want to catch up with Tessa and Jack and find out if their pregnancy has a happy ending.

Call back to my blog tomorrow when I am reviewing Follow Me Home, as part of Cathy's blog tour.