‘How are you settling in? You and Trevor?’ she added, keeping things light.
‘OK. I’ve everything I need,’ he said crisply then seemed to soften his words. ‘I’m sorry he’s run onto your side of the hedge. He’s so excitable and he loves people but they don’t always love him.’
‘I can’t think why. He’s such a friendly dog.’
‘The squirrels don’t think so. He tried to chase one into the woods the other day … but just let me know if he’s making a nuisance of himself.’ Jay smiled, obviously relieved that Lottie was one of Trevor’s fans, at least. She was struck by how handsome he was, especially when he smiled. She decided to take her chance while he was more relaxed, and perhaps, away from the work environment.
‘Glad you’re both finding your feet. Will you be coming to the pub night?’ she said.
His brow furrowed. ‘Oh yes, can you remind me when it is?’
‘Next Wednesday, here at the Bull in the village. We walk down together and it’s very informal but we have a laugh and the food is pretty good. Of course, you might have other plans for that evening …’ she said, seeing his discomfort at being put on the spot.
‘Plans?’ He sounded amazed at the very idea.
‘I mean, you might already be going out,’ she said carefully.
‘Oh, I see what you mean.’ They held each other’s gaze, and she waited for him to elaborate and come out with an excuse or prior engagement. ‘Kerr did mention it but I haven’t had chance to check my diary yet.’
‘Well, the invitation’s there,’ Lottie said, certain he was being ironic about checking his diary.
‘Thanks. I’d, er, better be getting home to take Trevor out for his walk. See you later, I’m sure.’
With a brief smile, he flicked the unlock button on his truck and then got in and drove away leaving Lottie feeling rebuffed and wondering whether she should have bothered trying to draw him out at all. Perhaps he was genuinely socially awkward – or maybe just plain awkward. He was harder to approach than any forest creature – and just as wary.
The question was should she even try to get close again or steer well clear?
Chapter Eight
On Tuesday, a few days after his conversation with Lottie in the post office, Jay was still thinking about her as he made his way back to the plantation after a walk with Trevor.
Lottie had tried to make him feel welcome at Firholme while still respecting his privacy and he felt a strange empathy with her despite their circumstances being different. He couldn’t help but smile at seeing her cringe when the old guy had called her Dotty Lottie. It was tempting to try it himself but he wouldn’t dare, of course.
‘Trevor! Heel!’ Jay called as Trevor romped off along the fellside but his canine pal was having far too much fun, chasing the trails left by dozens of dogs. ‘Trevor! Oh, bloody hell …’
Trevor padded into the stream and stood there as proud as punch. After a few more splashes, he rolled in the mud at the edge of the beck. His brown coat was now thick with sludge and wisps of bracken.
Jay put his hands on his hips. ‘Great. Thank you for that, Trevor. You’re going to need more than a rub-down before I can let you back in the cottage.’
Finally, Trevor trotted back, a stick between his teeth. He presented it to Jay and wagged his tail furiously. ‘Thanks, mate. I’ll treasure it.’
Trevor flopped down in front of Jay.
‘There’s no point behaving like a saint now, Trev. You may as well go the whole hog. Roll in some fox poo, play in a bog. Go ahead, be my guest.’
The dog cocked his head on one side, then took his cue from Jay who started walking up the fell path. He was soon running ahead, stopping at every rock or tree that smelled interesting. Not for the first time, Jay wished his life was as simple as Trevor’s.
He was still a relatively young dog, barely three years old. Jay had already had him for a year when he’d met Nadia. She’d been happy to have him share their flat, which was a massive relief because Trevor had already been abandoned at a rescue centre by one family who couldn’t cope with him. He was still boisterous, but with a lot of patience, Jay had managed to curb the worst of his unruly behaviour. Firholme was the perfect home for him, with lots of space for walks literally on the doorstep.
Lottie clearly liked Trevor too, which was a big plus in Jay’s book … in fact, when it came to Lottie, he could think of an awful lot of plusses.
He’d been feeling guilty about his curt dismissal of her question about him having a Christmas tree and his comments about not feeling like joining in with the celebrations. Not that he blamed Lottie for wanting to make the most of Christmas after what she and her family had been through. No wonder they wanted to celebrate, but he was filled with dread at the coming season.
The prospect of spending Christmas Day with his family knotted his stomach. In fact, he didn’t think he could even set foot in his parents’ house if his brother was going to be within a mile of the place. He’d flung so many insults the last time he’d seen him, and so many cruel and harsh words. At first, he didn’t regret a single one but over the
