The farmhand hasn’t seen his beloved son in almost a year, after ex Chloe Harris

(Jessie Elland) threatened to lie to the police and put Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) in prison if he failed to stay away.

The ultimatum was issued just minutes after Charity rescued both Chloe and Mack from the hands of the former’s evil dad Damon ‘Harry’ Harris, with the gun going off by accident and killing the gangster.

In a bid to prevent Charity from going to jail for a crime she didn’t commit, Mack made the ultimate sacrifice, with Chloe leaving the village with Reuben.

Despite his heart breaking over the situation, Mackenzie has stayed true to his word, keeping his distance, but as the one-year anniversary of the last time he saw his son approaches, his mind has turned to Reuben.

Having stolen the money from the illegal fight which took place at Butlers last month, Mack is quids in and – with Christmas approaching – he went all out on presents Charity and Moses.

But Tuesday’s (December 3) offering of the ITV soap also saw him reach out to Amy, meeting her on a bench in the village, where he handed over a wad of cash for her to give to Chloe for Rueben.

Amy was sympathetic towards him, knowing how difficult the situation he’s in has proven to be. As viewers will recall, she also thought her sister’s actions last year were excessive.

Agreeing to hand over the cash, Amy asked Mack if he’d be keen to see pictures of Reuben. Fighting tears, the farmhand declined the offer, knowing it would be too difficult.

He also requested that Amy keep all of this to herself, which likely stems from the fact that the money he handed over is stolen.

The episode in question also saw illegal fight organiser Jade (Twinnie-Lee Moore) confront Ross Barton (Michael Parr) over the missing cash, demanding that he locate it – or else!

Will Ross find out that Mack is the one who stole the money?