“I went to a friend’s house for a few days, and then I spoke to Beth. I told her I didn’t want to go home for Christmas. She went to Noah and asked if I could work here for the summer.”
“It was a great idea. A nice break for you both.”
I swallow hard. “I’ve taken Rob’s son away, at Christmas…”
“It’s just another day. He’ll survive.”
“He’s going to be super mad, though.”
“Let him,” he says simply. “He’s not your problem anymore.”
It’s a revelation, like the sun coming up. I’m leaving him. I no longer have to worry about his moods and depression.
A father can’t hit his six-year-old boy and think nothing is going to change. I know I did the right thing. But my heart still feels heavy. I vowed to stay with him till death parts us. I promised to love him forever. And I know the guilt I bear at walking away will linger for a while yet.
Chapter Three
Cullen
Isla calls Max to her, and the three of us begin walking toward the veterinary clinic.
My heart is thundering. Her husband hit her, and he hit the boy. How can a man do such a thing to the people he loves?
The Ark does a fair bit of work with the Women’s Refuge and the Ministry for Children, and we’re all very aware of how animal abuse often leads to violence in the home. Even so, I’m shocked. Isla is a modern, confident, beautiful, spirited woman. Why did she stay when her husband hit her? I would’ve thought she’d have been straight out the door. She’s still wearing her wedding ring. But that’s obviously why she feels so guilty. She stayed, and he turned his anger onto his son. No wonder she blames herself, even though it’s nobody’s fault but his.
She must be having very mixed feelings about the thought of being up here for Christmas. I wonder where her parents are, and if she has any siblings? It sounds as if she left in a hurry. What did she bring with her? Does she have any presents for the boy?
So many questions that will have to remain unanswered for now. I touch my key card to the pad and open the back door to the clinic, and lead them along the corridor, toward reception.
“That’s what we call the Hotel,” I tell them, stopping by the glass windows so they can look in at the large room full of cages. “It’s where the animals who’ve had operations go to recuperate. These are our two operating theaters. And this is our meeting room, where the vet staff meets most mornings to catch up.”
The door is open, and I’m pleased to see that Noah is still there, standing talking to two of the vets, Stefan and Hal.
“Come in,” I tell Isla, “and I’ll introduce you.”
She takes a deep breath, and even though she flashes me a smile, I can see she’s suddenly nervous. She grabs Max’s hand, and together they follow me into the room.
“Morning,” I say as Noah and Hal look around. “I found someone I thought you might like to meet.”
“Isla!” Noah beams at her, obviously guessing who she is. “How great to meet you at last.”
Noah is in his forties, tall and relatively trim, clean shaven, with salt-and-pepper hair. His is a strange, rollercoaster tale of contrasting sunlight and shadows. His father took his own life when Noah was young, and the angry boy was close to taking the path of rebellion and misfortune when his mother met Matt, an author of children’s stories who also happened to be one of the extremely wealthy King brothers. Matt helped Noah turn his life around, and he became a successful illustrator and painter, and looked on the road to having a happy life. He met and married the girl of his dreams, and when she got pregnant, everything in the garden was more than rosy. And then she died in childbirth, and his life fell apart.
Noah developed severe agoraphobia, to the point where eventually he was unable to leave his house. For five years he fought to regain some control, and it was during this time that he came up with the idea of the Ark. By that point, his cousin, Hal, and Hal’s friends Stefan and Izzy had graduated from veterinary college, his half-brother, Leon, had a business degree, and his other cousin, Albie, had become an IT genius. Noah brought them all together and put forward the notion of running an animal sanctuary, and they all thought it was a brilliant idea. And so the Ark was born.
The process of buying the land and building the Ark encouraged Noah to get out into the world, but once it was up and running, he retreated again to his house on the cliffs, overlooking the sea. It was only when he met Abby, whowas eight months pregnant when she started working as his housekeeper, that his life began to improve once again. Now they’re happily married, and Noah has adopted the baby, Ethan, and Noah is seen around the Ark much more, taking an active hand in its everyday running.
“It’s so nice to meet you, too,” Isla says. “Cullen has been giving me a tour of the Ark. It’s a fantastic place you’ve created here.”
“It was all his idea,” Stefan states, also shaking her hand.
“This is Stefan,” I tell her, “he’s the head of the whole clinic. And this is Hal—he runs the Animal Welfare Team.” I look at Max, who has moved closer to his mother, a little intimidated by all these new faces. “They go out and rescue animals who have been mistreated,” I tell him. “Guys, this is Max.”
“You’re the Dog Whisperer,” Max says to Hal.
Hal grins. “Yeah, sometimes they call me that.”
“You have a rival now,” I tell Hal, putting my hands on Max’s shoulders. “Ghost actually let this young man pet him.”
