‘He is now. I think he was frightened by Derek’s fear and it made him panic. He’s not usually bothered by storms and mostly sleeps through them.’ She looked down at him now making circles in his bed before plonking himself down and closing his eyes. ‘I think he’s fine now though.’
‘Good. I’d hate for him to be upset like this one.’
‘If you want to try giving them both a treat, there’s a choice in that cupboard over there.’ She indicated a cupboard to the right of him. ‘I’m just going upstairs to change quickly and will bring down more towels.’ She stopped at the doorway and turned. ‘Would you like me to find some of Zac’s clothes for you to change into? The trousers might be a bit short on you, but at least they’ll be drier than what you’re wearing.’
He thought about her offer and nodded. ‘That would be great. Thanks.’
He walked over to the cupboard and opened it. Spud was on his feet behind him almost instantly – clearly knew where his treats were kept. Brodie looked in each of the four tubs and discovered one containing gravy bones, and others with chews, bone-shaped biscuits and another small, rounded treat that he wasn’t sure he’d seen before. He picked up two gravy bones for each dog, clipped the lids closed and shut the door.
‘Here you go,’ he said giving Spud the first treat before turning and trying to entice Derek to take one. He wasn’t persuaded until he watched Spud wolf down his second treat, and then took both from Brodie’s fingers in rapid succession. Relieved the dog’s appetite hadn’t completely vanished, he stood, filled the kettle and then plugged it in. From the little he knew about Lettie she seemed to like her tea and seeing her soaked only moments before he presumed that she would want one soon.
She was back within a few minutes, her hair towel-dried and tied back and an armful of towels and some clothes. He watched her place the clothes on the back of one of the kitchen chairs. ‘The downstairs loo is the first on the left along the hall.’ She looked down at Derek. ‘He seems a bit calmer now, thankfully.’
‘He is.’ He stroked the dog’s head, relieved to note that his trembling had subsided a lot. ‘I think the treats helped. Two gravy bones each.’
He saw her smile and wanted to kiss her again.
‘Are you all right?’ she asked, looking unsure, and he hoped he hadn’t been wearing a goofy expression on his face when he had been staring at her.
‘Sorry, I was thinking.’
‘I know, it’s upsetting when an animal is frightened. It’s the worst thing in the world – apart from them being injured, I mean.’
She had misunderstood him but not wishing to correct her, Brodie stood and picked up one of the towels and the spare clothes. ‘Down the hall to the right, did you say?’
She laughed. ‘No, to the left. But you can change in my father’s study if you’d prefer. It’s not as if he’ll be back anytime soon to catch you in there.’
‘I’ll keep to the loo, I think.’ Brodie glanced at Derek, now settling down next to Spud. ‘I won’t be long.’
‘You’ve put the kettle on, I see,’ she said taking two mugs from the hooks under the cupboard near her. ‘I’ll make us a hot drink while you change.’
When Brodie rejoined her in the kitchen he stopped at the sink to look out of the window at the sky, his attention diverted from Lettie at a loud roar and the sky lighting up. ‘It doesn’t look like this is going to abate any time soon.’
‘No, it doesn’t.’ She pushed a mug of steaming coffee across the table towards him. ‘At least the dogs seem to have settled down now and we’re inside. I suppose we’ll just have to sit it out here.’
He studied her face and hoped that what he saw in her eyes was happiness that he felt, knowing they had this unexpected time together. Alone. He felt his determination not to become involved with her wither away.
‘I’m happy to do that.’ He took a seat at the end of the table closest to her, yet so that he was facing her better than if he had sat on the chair next to her. He had noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the stiffness in her shoulders and wondered if the farm was getting too much for her. He decided to try and find out by asking a few indirect questions to encourage her to open up to him.
‘Do you ever feel lonely here now that your family are all away?’
She gave his question some thought then shook her head. ‘Not really. A little, I suppose, but more that I’ve missed my parents sometimes. I had expected to feel lonely but having Spud here andthe chickens and goats means that I always have someone to talk to, cuddle and keep me company if I need them to.’
Brodie took a sip of his coffee, realising it was too hot to drink yet. He watched her, thinking he would rather she felt comfortable enough with him to go to him for any cuddles but doubted they were close enough for him to mention her doing so. He realised she was staring at him. ‘What is it?’ He hoped he didn’t have any coffee on his lips and wiped a finger across them to make certain.
‘I’m glad we chose today to take our walk.’
‘Even though it was cut short so suddenly?’
She nodded. ‘I’d much rather be with you right now than anyone else.’
His breath caught in his throat at her unexpected sentiment. ‘You would?’
‘Yes.’
He saw her cheeks flush slightly and, leaning forward, willed her to return his kiss – only just able to hide his delight when she instinctively did so. It was a brief kiss, but no less special for it. Brodie smiled. ‘I’m so glad we met.’
‘When?’ She grinned, a mischievous smile on her lips and he knew she was about to tease him.
