Page 32 of A Cosy Christmas with the Village Vet

‘You’d bloody well better had, or I’ll contact my solicitor and get…’

Oh, my God! Was she for real?Nick zoned out. Had it really come to this? Not that long ago she’d been busily making plans for their wedding, and now here she was threatening him with a solicitor over a pair of shoes. He couldn’t ever remember feeling so frustrated. And the way the conversation was going, he seriously doubted he was going to get the chance to explain what had happened to the damn shoes.

‘Nick! Nick!’ Loretta’s voice jabbed into his brain. ‘Are you listening to me? I need my shoes.’

He closed his eyes and hissed out a sigh, not hearing whatever else she was saying. ‘They’re ruined,’ he said flatly.

She stopped mid-rant. A loaded silence travelled down the phone line; he could sense her bristling. ‘What did you just say?’ she asked, barely containing the anger in her voice.

‘I’m afraid they’re ruined.’ He’d made up his mind he wasn’t going to apologise for what had happened to them anymore. There was only so many times you could say sorry for something, particularly something you hadn’t done. He wasn’t the one who’d packed them into the boxes by mistake. In fact, he hadn’t packed his boxes at all. Loretta had done it, packing them up, getting rid of him as quickly as she could. It had hurt at the time. Really bloody hurt, but in recent weeks, the pain had eased and he’d started to feel differently about their relationship.

‘Ruined?’ She barked the word.

‘Yes.’ He swallowed, he’d always hated confrontation with her; she could battle for hours.

‘What do you mean? How did they get ruined?’ He could hear her breathing heavily.

‘Well…’ Nick gave a brief outline of what had happened, conscious of her fury simmering away.

‘If you’d got them to me when I asked, or if you’d let me come and get them, they’d still be okay. They wouldn’t have had the chance to get ruined.’ He could tell she was talking through gritted teeth.

‘And I could counter that by saying if you hadn’t put them in the box in the first place, they’d still be okay; wouldn’t have been at the cottage to get wet,’ said Nick. It was revealing of what little regard she held him in that she hadn’t shown an ounce of sympathy for his situation, hadn’t asked where he was staying, if he was okay. It was on the tip of his tongue to add, ‘And if you hadn’t gone and cheated on me with my best mate, then given me no alternative but to leave the home we’d shared, your precious shoes wouldn’t have ended up in a box and got soaking wet. They’d still be okay.’ But he thought better of it. And anyway, he was beginning to feel glad they weren’t still together after all. This hard, unfeeling side of her was something he didn’t find attractive.

‘Don’t think you’ve got off the hook that easily. I still want them! They might be salvageable, so you can drop them off here tomorrow. And I’m warning you, Nick, no more excuses.’

Nick clenched his jaw and ran his hand over his head, frustration twisting his insides. She made him feel like a naughty schoolboy on the receiving end of a telling off from the headmistress. What made her think it was okay to talk to him like that? Didn’t she realise how much he had on his plate right now? In fact, he’d reached the stage where he really didn’t care if she saw what sort of place he’d been reduced to living in. ‘If you’re so desperate to have your shoes, then you can come and get them yourself. I don’t have time. Goodbye, Loretta.’ He ended the call before she could say anything else.

He stood in the middle of the bedroom, his chest heaving as he waited for the fingers of tension to release their grip. Today, he’d been bombarded with stress from a variety of angles. He didn’t want to go back downstairs and inflict his change of mood on Brogan. That wouldn’t be fair after the kindness she’d shown him. From what he’d gathered, there was a thread of sadness running through her despite the fact she’d been doing her best to hide it. It was obvious to him she missed her grandparents desperately but she’d been coping as well as she could and getting on with her life. She was evidently made of strong stuff and he already admired her for that. And he couldn’t imagine her making a fuss about a pair of shoes.

He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing before returning downstairs to join her.

Hearing movement in the kitchen, he headed towards it to find Brogan sitting on the floor by the Aga. She was fussing Wilf and Maudie, who appeared to be enjoying it enormously if the enthusiastic tail wagging was anything to go by. Nick couldn’t help but smile as he stood in the doorway watching Maudie nudge Brogan’s hand to resume a bout of ear ruffling. He’d never seen his canine companion so taken with another person before and it gladdened his heart. A spluttery laugh escaped as he spotted Wilf, who was gazing with unbridled affection at a totally oblivious Maudie.

His laughter made Brogan look up. ‘Hi,’ she said, flashing him a wide smile, making his heart flip. It struck him how his growing affection for her had the power to quash the negativity that had swamped him only moments earlier.

He leaned against the door jamb, smiling, his happiness levels rising. ‘Hi, looks like you’ve got your hands full there.’

‘Just a bit. They’re both very fond of ear ruffles, aren’t you, eh?’ she said to the dogs. ‘They’re a right pair of softies.’

‘From where I’m standing it appears it’s not only ear ruffles Wilf’s fond of; he looks somewhat smitten with a certain someone.’ He nodded towards Maudie.

Wilf wagged his tail harder at hearing mention of his name. Brogan smoothed her hand over his velvety head. ‘Ah, you in love, lad?’ He gave a quick glance her way followed by a swipe of his tongue across her cheek, making Nick laugh again. ‘I’ll take that as a yes, shall I?’ she said.

Their attention switched to the sound of the wind whipping up outside, howling around the cottage and making the porch door rattle. Next, hailstones started drumming hard against the windows. Both dogs sat to attention, ears cocked.

‘Wow! Looks like winter’s reminding us of its presence,’ said Nick. ‘And I can’t tell you how grateful I am you’ve let me stay here tonight.’ He looked from the window back to Brogan who was getting to her feet.

‘Hey, it’s not a problem.’ She met his eyes and gave a shy smile. ‘I’ve enjoyed your company.’ It didn’t escape Nick’s notice that her cheeks suddenly flushed pink. ‘Maudie’s too, and I think we both know how Wilf feels.’ She giggled. ‘Anyway, whenever the weather was like this my grandma always used to make a creamy hot chocolate. Don’t know about you, but I quite fancy one?’

Nick didn’t need much tempting; he had an infamous sweet tooth. ‘Hmm. You know what? I’d absolutely love one.’ His stomach started performing somersaults as his eyes roved over her face. He felt the last vestiges of the evening’s tension slip away and found himself overcome with the urge to hold her in his arms.Calm your jets, man!Pulling himself together, he asked, ‘Can I give you a hand?’

‘You can grab the milk from the fridge, if you like.’

‘Course.’

As they sipped their hot drinks in the comfort of the kitchen, elbows resting on the old, scrubbed table, Nick couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this relaxed, this contented. Actually, scrap that, he could. He’d felt this way the first time he’d met Brogan, when they’d spent the afternoon at the wedding reception chatting away like they’d known each other forever. They slotted together perfectly. Then, as now, running through his mind had been just how much he’d like to kiss her. However, tonight, he was going to hold back. It wouldn’t be right; he didn’t want her to feel he was taking advantage. But it didn’t mean he couldn’t savour spending time in her company.

‘What a day,’ Nick said, wrapping his fingers around his mug.

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