‘Dates,’ he said, emphasising the plural. ‘I had that one on the day I saw you, which was a bit of a non-starter. We didn’t have a lot in common. She was into clubbing and beach holidays which is not really my kind of thing. And I noticed her eyes glaze over when I spoke about bird-watching, which is a hobby of mine, but I’m discovering, not a very exciting one – to other people, that is.’ He gave a disarming chuckle. ‘Then, I went on another date last night, but I could tell she wasn’t really interested in me from the get-go. The first question she asked me was how tall was I? I get that I’m not exactly Brad Pitt, I could do with a sprinkling of Rob’s dark good looks, but you have to give people a chance, don’t you?’
‘Exactly.’ To Dilly, Danny seemed like a lovely, genuine guy with a cheeky smile and a charming twinkle in his eye. Definitely attractive. Perhaps he wasn’t a strapping six-footer, but he was certainly taller than her and lots of other women too, she suspected, beginning to feel defensive on Danny’s behalf. ‘Now, don’t put yourself down. I always say there’s someone for everyone out there. It’s just a case of finding them. So keep on with the dating apps, and I’m sure the right lady will turn up soon.’
‘Ah, well I’ve actually decided to come off the apps for the time being. I deleted all my accounts last night. It felt too much like hard work. In all the time I’ve been using them, I’ve never really met anyone where we’ve immediately hit it off and been able to chat away naturally and that’s important to me.’ He paused, and she smiled, nodding her understanding. ‘So I’m going to leave it to fate. If it happens, and I hope it might, then that would be a lovely thing, but I’m not going to force the issue.’
‘That sounds like a good plan. Don’t they say that love turns up when you least expect it?’
‘Let’s hope so! I’ll keep you posted on that front. Right, well, I should probably be making a move.’ He placed his hands on his hips and looked all around him. ‘I’m just off to visit my mum so I’ll keep my eye out for Barney on the way. I hope you find him soon.’
‘Yes thanks, and for this gorgeous plant too,’ she said, holding up the orchid. ‘It’s very kind of you.’
‘You’re welcome.’
Watching Danny climb back into his car, she felt uplifted by his visit and his gesture. For a few minutes, it had taken her mind off the worry of losing Barney, but as soon as the car had disappeared out of view, her thoughts immediately went back to Tess. She hated seeing her friend so worried and upset, knowing how close she was to Barney and how much she depended on him, especially after everything else she’d been through in recent months. She hurried home to Lavender Cottage and placed the orchid on her kitchen table. She would water it later and find the perfect spot for it, but first, she needed to make a couple of calls to people she knew in the village, asking them to keep an eye out for the intrepid hound. It was only about ten minutes later as she was dashing back to Hollyhocks that she noticed Danny’s car return. What was he doing back so soon? Was there something he’d wanted to ask her and had forgotten because they’d got distracted talking about everything else? She would have a quick word with him and then explain that she really needed to get back to Tess.
‘You’ll never guess who I came across as I was driving out of the village. I couldn’t believe my eyes; he was skulking around by the tennis courts. I assume this is Barney. I’m hoping there aren’t a number of missing beagles in the village.’
‘Oh my goodness! Danny, you absolute darling.’ Dilly rushed to the back passenger door of the car to check with her own eyes that it really was Barney, and there he was, staring at her forlornly, looking sheepish.
‘I hope he’s all right,’ said Danny. ‘He looks a bit… sorry for himself. I had to give him a shove up into the car. He’s bloomin’ heavy.’
‘Oh really? Tess!’ Dilly’s voice might have summoned Gina from the other end of the village, it was that loud, but it had the desired effect as Tess came rushing outside, her expression a mix of hope and fear. ‘We’ve got him back. Barney’s here.’
‘Thank God.’ Tess clasped a hand to her chest and came rushing over, peering into the car in the same way as Dilly had done, shaking her head in exasperation. ‘Where on earth did you find him?’
‘I was heading out of the village, but driving slowly, keeping a deliberate eye out for Barney. Dilly told me what had happened but I didn’t really expect to find him. It was as I was passing the recreation ground that I spotted him sniffing about the bins.’
‘I might have known. Oh, Barney, you’ve given me the fright of my life.’
‘I’ll let him out now,’ said Danny. ‘I didn’t want him to do another disappearing act, but from the looks of him, I’m not sure he’ll be going very far.’ Tess and Dilly exchanged a questioning glance, but their attention was mostly focused on reuniting with Barney. Although when Danny finally managed to coax Barney out of the car, Tess and Dilly both gasped as one.
‘Oh good grief! What on earth have you been doing, Barney?’ Tess dropped down onto her haunches to greet the dog, who padded over to see her, his tail gently wagging. He was drenched through, a dejected look on his face. She wrapped her arms around his neck, not minding in the slightest that he was a soggy mess, and gave him the biggest hug, relief flooding her body.
‘I think we know exactly what he’s been doing. Scavenging everything in sight by the looks of things,’ said Dilly.
Poor Barney’s tummy was completely distended, almost scraping the ground as he waddled around Tess, heading for the cottage. He was probably in need of a big drink of water and the opportunity to sleep off the excesses of his afternoon.
‘Right, well, it will be no dinner for you today, and probably tomorrow too,’ she said, scolding him.
‘Honestly, I think you might need to join Slimming World, Barney,’ quipped Dilly, making Tess and Danny laugh.
‘I’ll keep a close eye on him to make sure he isn’t in any prolonged discomfort. If he’s not looking any better by the morning, I’ll pop him down to the vets for a check-up. I’m just so relieved he’s home. I can’t thank you enough, Danny.’ She hugged him tight. ‘Right, let me get this one indoors before he has any more good ideas about his next adventure,’ she said with a wry smile, escorting a lethargic Barney back in the cottage.
‘A big thank you from me too. You’re an absolute star,’ Dilly told Danny, taking a lead from Tess’s book and throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek, which must have come as a complete surprise, as Danny looked totally bemused.
‘No problem,’ he said, ‘any time! I’m great with dogs.’ He walked round to the door of his car and lifted his hand. ‘I’ll see you again for my next haircut.’
‘Honestly,’ said Tess, looking wholly relieved, when Dilly joined her back in the kitchen ‘thank goodness for Danny, eh?’
‘I know, he’s definitely the hero of the hour. Such a nice guy too.’
Tess threw a towel over Barney and half-heartedly started rubbing him down, but immediately, she could tell that more drastic measures would be required. She ran a hand over his tummy, which was hard and swollen, gently massaging his underside, while the dog stood obediently, looking dejected.
‘Oh, Barney, look at the state of you. You must be so uncomfortable. What a greedy boy! Honestly, I’ve every mind to take you straight to the dogs’ home.’
Barney looked up at her with sorrowful eyes.
‘You don’t mean that,’ said Dilly.
