Page 8 of Your Carriage Awaits in Crumbleton
‘He was half-starved and scared of his own shadow. It took me ages before he’d let me within three feet of him. We madesure he had a soft bed, plenty of blankets, food, water… and we mended the gap he’d been sneaking through so that he couldn’t wander out onto the road.’
Danny had spent every lunch break sitting near the heap of blankets in the old showroom, just letting the dog get used to him being there. Eventually, Elvis had crept close enough to sniff at his lunchbox and the treats he’d packed specially for him. It had taken a whole fortnight before he’d actually taken food from Danny’s hand.
‘It took a while, but we became friends,’ said Danny, shooting a smile at the dog. ‘Then I got to work on feeding him up, getting the mats out of his coat… taking him to the V.E.T. He wasn’t chipped, so we made it official.’
‘Sounds like you saved his life,’ said Michelle.
‘I don’t know about that,’ said Danny with a shrug. ‘But he’s definitely saved my sanity. He’s great company—especially on days like today when everyone’s having car trouble because of the weather.’
‘You’ve been busy, then?’ said Michelle.
‘You could say that,’ said Danny. ‘We started with a tourist who’d toppled sideways into one of the ditches, and we basically haven’t stopped since.’
‘Thank you for stopping,’ said Michelle, suddenly looking apologetic. ‘And… sorry to add to your workload.’
‘Don’t be daft,’ said Danny quickly. ‘It’s what I do. Besides…’ He trailed off, realising he’d been about to say something dangerously cheesy, like how rescuing her had been the highlight of his day.
‘Besides?’ said Michelle, turning to him with a raised eyebrow.
‘Besides… I’m guessing you’d been there for a while?’ he quickly invented. ‘You might be a Singer, but I couldn’t exactly drive straight past, could I?!’
Nice. Way to sound like you’re picking a fight!
Michelle shot him a wry smile. ‘Your dad might have.’
‘You’d be surprised,’ said Danny. ‘The old git’s mellowing.’
He closed his mouth and swallowed hard. The sudden lump in his throat felt like it was trying to choke him, and he stared intently out at the rain. With any luck, his passenger wouldn’t notice that he was suddenly blinking back uninvited tears that were threatening to fall.
Peering ahead, Danny let out a long, slow breath. He could just about see Crumbleton’s lights through the rain. In just a few minutes, he’d have to drop Michelle off, and then… what? Go home to his dad’s empty cottage? Go back to pretending Michelle didn’t exist?
It really was pathetic, wasn’t it? Danny Dalton—local bad boy—getting his knickers in a twist over a girl he’d fancied since school.
‘Where do you want me to drop you off?’
‘Mum and Dad’s place,’ said Michelle, before pulling a face. ‘Though I’m really hoping Dad’s still at the pub.Yoursmight be mellowing, but I’m not sure how mine’ll react to me turning up in a Dalton tow-truck.’
Danny’s jaw tightened.Right. There it was again—the elephant in the cab. The stupid bloody feud that meant he could rescue Brian Singer’s daughter, but heaven forbid anyone should know about it.
‘If it wasn’t raining so hard, I’d suggest dropping you outside the City Gates to save you being seen with me,’ he said, keeping his voice carefully neutral. ‘But you’d get soaked!’
‘Yeah,’ said Michelle, wrinkling her nose before shooting him a cheeky look. ‘Not sure I’m up for that. I guess you could always hide underneath Elvis’s blanket if we spot Dad…’
‘Not sure he’d let me share!’ Danny snorted. ‘Anyway, I think the truck would be a bit of a giveaway… and the fact that your car’s on the back of it.’
‘Good point,’ said Michelle. ‘Well, we’ll just have to go for the door-to-door service and risk the wrath of Brian Singer!’
‘And set the Crumbleton tongues wagging while we’re at it,’ muttered Danny.
‘Why not?’ said Michelle. ‘I’m down for a little bit of intrigue if you are?’
Danny swallowed. Was she… flirting?!
Get a grip, Dalton. She’s just been through a breakup. The last thing she needs is you making things complicated.
‘Okay, door-to-door service it is,’ he said evenly. ‘But I’m not getting out.’
‘Deal,’ said Michelle, with a little nod.
