‘Ah,life. Yep, you’re right, I do know.’
‘It can be a bugger sometimes.’
‘Can’t it just.’
Nora hitched in a breath. ‘We’re going to be late.’
‘Are you sure you want to go to the kennels?’
‘What, and let you have Biscuit all to yourself again? No chance!’
‘I was going to offer to walk you home. Biscuit will still be there tomorrow.’
That was sweet of him, she thought.
Sweet?Why did everything come back to the one thing she could no longer have, she mused sadly. She might seriously have to consider changing Biscuit’s name. Her smile came easier this time. ‘Thank you, that’s kind of you. I’m alright now, honestly. Let’s push on, shall we?’
‘If you’re sure?’ He sounded doubtful, and his eyes still held a hint of concern.
‘I’m sure.’ She uttered a self-conscious laugh. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t sob all over you again.’
‘I won’t mind if you do.’ He paused, then winced. ‘Please don’t take that the wrong way; I honestly don’t want to see you cry. But if you do feel the need, then I’m your man. Mi shoulder es tu shoulder. Sorry, I don’t know the Italian for shoulder.’ He looked embarrassed. ‘I’m babbling, aren’t I?’
‘It’s better than sobbing.’
‘You weren’t sobbing; wailing a bit, maybe, but not sobbing.’ He was smiling, but in a nice way.
He was actually a nice man.
Morethan nice.
Nora realised that shereallyliked him. A lot.
Shit.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Biscuit was as delighted to see Elijah and Nora, as they were to see the dog. His tail was already wagging like mad as they approached his kennel, and when Elijah opened the door, Biscuit’s back end nearly wagged itself off. He was uttering little whimpers of delight and dancing around, and Elijah laughed at his antics.
‘I think someone is pleased to see us,’ he said. ‘Do you want to wrestle him into his harness, or shall I?’
‘Wrestle is the right word for it,’ Nora said. ‘He gets so excited it’s hard to put it on him, so you do it. I’ll stand and watch you struggle.’
As though Biscuit knew what they were saying, he immediately calmed down and only danced a little when Elijah slipped the contraption over his head and hooked his front paws through.
‘I swear he understands every word we say,’ Elijah said, clipping the lead onto it and handing it to her. ‘You can do the honours.’
It was as they were strolling away from the kennels, Nora holding the lead, the dog padding between them, it struck Elijah that they were acting like a couple taking their pooch for a walk. He felt comfortable with her, as though her being upset just now had breached a barrier between them, and had created a kind of bond. A silly notion really, since the barrier – Biscuit – still separated them, literally and figuratively. How could he be friends with the woman who might take away the dog he had given his heart to?
Yet he felt closer to her now, and he wished he knew what she’d been upset about. Stillwasupset about, he sensed.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked, hoping she wouldn’t think he was being overly solicitous or, worse, nosey.
‘I will be.’ She sounded determined.
‘Men can be such bastards.’ It was a stab in the dark, but relationships were often the cause of tears.
Nora’s laugh was unexpected. ‘It’s not a man.’ She gave him a sly look. ‘Unless you’re referring to yourself and your unreasonable determination not to let me have Biscuit.’
