A Summer to Remember (11 page)

Nina sighed and, using both hands as levers, tried to push herself up from the ground.

‘Ouch!’ she cried as she put her full weight on the twisted ankle. ‘Ziggy!’ she called, but the dog was long gone, probably charging across the fields towards the next village. She shook her head. What on earth was she going to tell Olivia? She’d put her trust in Nina and now her darling dog was missing.

Hobbling forward along the riverbank, Nina tried to see through the thick hedge, desperate to catch a glimpse of Ziggy. Surely he couldn’t have gone that far, she reasoned, although she knew he could probably break all land speed records if he put his mind to it.

It was then that she heard barking from further along the path. Her heart raced and she walked faster, wincing each time her right foot hit the ground, but eager to round the corner in the hope of Ziggy being there. The path moved away from the river, skirting a barley field, which moved like a gentle green sea under the summer breeze. Once again, she heard a bark, but her spirits sank when she realised that it wasn’t Ziggy’s bark after all.

Sure enough, from around the corner came a sleek black and white collie who, as soon as she saw Nina, started barking again, causing Nina to flatten herself up against the hedge.

‘Don’t show her you’re afraid!’ Nina told herself, but that was easier said than done when a dog was eyeing you up with a none-too-friendly expression on its face.

‘Bess?’ a voice called from around the corner and Nina watched as a tall, fair-haired man came striding into view. ‘I’m so sorry,’ he said, seeing Nina’s pale face as she stood frozen to the spot. ‘Heel, Bess.’

Nina watched as the collie turned and slunk back towards her master.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked when it was obvious that Nina had no intention of venturing out of the hedge until she was quite sure everything was under control.

‘I, er—’

‘Bess wouldn’t harm a fly – honestly,’ he continued, giving his dog a fuss and then brushing a hand through his hair as he stood back up to full height. ‘She’s the soppiest girl on the planet, aren’t you, Bessie? Just likes a bit of a bark when she meets new people.’

‘Right,’ Nina said, swallowing hard and finally moving away from her hawthorn security blanket.

‘She didn’t mean to scare you and I’m sorry she did. She sometimes runs ahead of me.’ He looked at her and Nina was suddenly gazing into a pair of bright blue eyes.

‘It’s okay,’ she found herself saying. ‘I wasn’t scared.’

‘No?’ he said, looking amused and unconvinced.

‘It’s just best to be sure before you approach a strange dog, isn’t it?’

‘Oh, absolutely,’ he said.

‘
Dog!
’ Nina suddenly cried.

‘Pardon?’

‘I’ve lost my dog.’

‘You’ve got a dog?’

She nodded. ‘She got away from me just before I met yours and I haven’t seen her since.’ Panic rose once again in Nina’s chest as she stumbled along the footpath.

‘You’ve hurt yourself,’ the man said, following in her stumbling wake.

‘Yes, I’m afraid I twisted my ankle when Ziggy got away from me.’

‘Ziggy?’

‘The dog I was walking. Do you know her?’

‘I’ve seen her around,’ the man said.

‘Will you help me look for her? I mean, if you’ve got time.’

‘Of course,’ he said with a little smile. ‘Anything for a fellow dog-walker.’

Nina felt the weight lift from her a little as they walked along the track by the hedgerow. A skylark was pouring its song down from a peerless blue sky and the sun was sparkling on the river in the distance, but there wasn’t time to enjoy the beauty of the day.

‘Ziggy!’ Nina cried.

‘Ziggy!’ the man echoed.

The hedgerow petered out and a large expanse of field greeted them and, there in the distance, was the missing dog.

‘Ziggy!’ Nina called. ‘Come here, boy!’ She bent forward, her hands on her knees in what she hoped was an encouraging position, but Ziggy didn’t appear to hear his new mistress. ‘Oh, dear,’ she said at last. ‘I don’t think we’re going to get him back.’

‘Don’t give up so easily,’ the man said. ‘Mind if I give it a go?’

‘Be my guest,’ Nina said.

‘
Come
on, Ziggy!’ the man cried and Nina watched in wonder as the dog’s ears immediately pricked up and his head cocked to one side as he acknowledged the man. And then something bizarre happened. Ziggy suddenly seemed to forget what he was doing in the middle of the field and tore across it at great speed, the force of his movement pushing his flappy ears behind him so that they looked like furry bunting.

‘Wow! You really have a way with animals,’ Nina said, impressed, as the dog lolloped towards them.

‘Oh, it’s nothing really,’ the man said with a grin as he bent down to ruffle Ziggy’s soft head as he collided into his legs.

‘Well, I wish he’d listen to me like he does you,’ Nina said, quickly grabbing the lead before Ziggy had a chance to run off again.

‘It just takes time,’ the man said, looking up at Nina as he continued to fuss Ziggy. ‘So, this is your dog?’ he said.

‘No,’ she said. ‘I’m just walking him for his owner.’

‘I see,’ he said.

There was a pause and Nina suddenly felt awkward. ‘I’m sorry to have taken up your day like this. It’s the first time I’ve walked Ziggy and I guess I’m a little nervous.’

‘There’s no need to apologise,’ he said, giving her a smile that she found disturbingly attractive. Now was definitely not the time to bump into a handsome man, she thought, as she looked down at her scuffed shoes and dusty jeans. She pushed her hair out of her face and hoped she hadn’t just streaked that with dirt too.

‘I’m Nina,’ she said, remembering her manners.

‘Justin,’ he said, extending a large hand towards her. Nina shook it, marvelling at its warmth and strength, and gazing up into the blue eyes once more. He was, she had to admit, the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen.

‘Well, I’d better get back,’ she said a moment later, realising, rather embarrassingly, that she’d been staring at him for longer than was deemed polite. ‘They’re waiting for me,’ she added.

‘Sure,’ he said, giving an easy-going kind of smile that made Nina’s heart leap. ‘Maybe I’ll see you again. I often walk this way. About this time.’

‘Oh,’ she said, trying not to show that she was bothered either one way or another.

‘I could give you some tips on how to handle Ziggy, if you like,’ he added.

‘Right,’ Nina said.

‘Yeah?’

‘We’ll see. I’m not sure what I’m doing,’ she said and then she gave a little smile to neutralise her statement.

‘Are you sure you don’t need any help getting back, with your ankle?’ He asked.

‘Oh, it’s not far. I’m just at the mill.’

He nodded. ‘Well, if you’re sure—’

‘I’ll be fine,’ she assured him, quite determined not to play the weak heroine from some nineteenth-century novel.

Ziggy gave a tug on the lead and Nina knew that it was time to go.

‘Don’t let him take charge,’ Justin said. ‘If he pulls, stop walking. He’ll soon learn.’

Nina nodded. Was it really as simple as that? ‘Thanks,’ she said.

‘You’re welcome. Nina.’ The way he added her name at the end like that made her heart skip a beat, and his blue eyes fixed on her for a moment before he turned away, giving a low whistle that brought Bess the collie to heel immediately. She turned to go, too, willing herself not to look around as she hobbled down the footpath, but the temptation was too much for her as she reached the bend and she quickly glanced over her shoulder, watching as he walked away with his faithful collie by his side.

Justin. She didn’t know his last name. In fact, she didn’t know anything else about him other than he was very tall with fair hair, bright blue eyes and a smile that could warm a girl’s heart on the coldest winter day. She stood there for a moment, just watching him, and then he turned around as if he’d felt her eyes on his back and gave a little wave.

Nina felt her face flame with embarrassment at being caught and she turned quickly, forgetting the tip he’d told her about not letting Ziggy be the boss in her hurry to get back to the mill.

Trying to put all sorts of handsome strangers out of her mind after giving Ziggy a quick groom and making sure he was settled in his basket, Nina got to work clearing some space on Dudley’s shelves for the box files he was going to bring back from his trip into town. She’d soon have everything tidied away and then she could start to help Dudley with the research for his novel. She knew that Olivia had lots of things planned for the anniversary party that she was hoping for Nina’s help with, too. It seemed she was going to be very busy.

She returned to her desk and pulled out the heavy wooden chair, dragging it over to the shelves and standing on it before grabbing a handful of the papers that were taking up an inordinate amount of space.

It was then that she noticed what she thought was a ream of paper, but which she soon discovered to be pages and pages of double-line-spaced typing.

‘It’s the novel!’ she said triumphantly, jumping down off the chair and returning to her desk with it. Her eyes quickly scanned the first page, then the second, third and fourth and, before she knew it, it was late into the afternoon and Nina was just about to clock off after her first very long day. When she finished the last page she scoured the room for more, desperate to know how the story continued. But there was no sign of anything.

She scratched her head and frowned. She never would have thought it. When Olivia had said Dudley was writing a novel she’d thought – European spy novel, American-style thriller, perhaps even science-fiction. But nothing had prepared her for this.

Dudley Milton was writing a historical romance.

Chapter Eleven

When Nina left the study, it was with the knowledge that it was in a much better state now, but there was still a long way to go. However, she could do no more before a well-earned cup of tea, and so she took herself off to the kitchen. Dominic was there, standing over the sink, the kettle in hand and his back to the door.

‘Make one for me too, please,’ she said cheerfully, batting down an excitable Ziggy who had been dozing by the Aga before she’d entered the room.

Dominic turned around and gave her a warm, sunny smile that lit up his face. He was quite cute really; she could see why Faye was still so crazy about him. His hair was incredibly short at the back – in that way that encouraged girls to brush their fingers against it – but it was longer at the front, thick and very dark. His eyebrows were dark, too, and his face was slim and beautiful.

‘How do you like it?’ Dominic asked.

‘What?’ Nina asked, confused by his question.

‘Your tea?’

‘Oh! Milk, no sugar,’ Nina said.

‘Sweet enough?’ Dominic suggested, a twinkle in his dark eyes as he smiled. He bent down to find the milk in the fridge, and Nina drew a chair out and sat down.

‘So, what brings you up to the house?’ she began, wondering if he’d come to get a glimpse of Faye.

‘Oh you know – ran out of food at my place.’

Nina nodded. ‘And where is your place exactly?’

‘The Folly.’ He turned to look at her expectantly. ‘It’s one of the old buildings, don’t you remember?’

‘Yes! I do,’ Nina was suddenly blasted by an image from her past. ‘We once ended up there on a walk, didn’t we? That evening when the day seemed to stretch on forever. We’d been paddling further up the river in the shallows and decided that a walk would be the best way to dry off. Remember?’

‘I remember,’ Dominic said with a smile. ‘You were wearing that big straw hat with the red ribbon.’

‘Gosh!’ Nina said. ‘Yes.’

‘Have you still got it?’

‘No. I’m afraid my boyfriend’s dog ate it.’

‘Your boyfriend?’

‘We’re no longer together,’ she said quickly.

‘Maybe it’s just as well,’ he said.

Nina looked perplexed. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, you don’t want some mad dog eating its way through your wardrobe, do you?’

‘Oh, I suppose,’ she said. ‘So, tell me about The Folly. You can’t actually live in it, can you?’

‘Oh, yeah! A few mates and I did it up. It’s great – although I haven’t spent a winter in it yet. I’ve got to get some money together before then so I can afford to heat the old place. You’ll have to come and have a look some time. I’m sure you’d love it,’ Dominic said, sloshing milk enthusiastically into the mugs and adding two sugars into his own.

‘I’d love to. Thanks!’ Nina took the mug he offered and watched as he screeched a chair out from under the table and sat down opposite her.

‘You know,’ he began, ‘I was racking my brains, trying to remember the last time you babysat here.’

‘Were you?’ Nina grinned.

‘And I couldn’t think when it was.’

‘Well, there were so many occasions—’

‘We missed you,’ he said suddenly. Nina looked up from her mug. ‘Nobody could ever replace you.’

‘Oh, I’m sure that’s nonsense,’ she said.

‘No, really – you were a one-off!’ his eyes widened as he spoke, making Nina feel almost uncomfortable.

‘The girl Mum got in after you was a real bitch.’

‘Dommie!’ Nina cried, shocked at his choice of words. She still couldn’t help but think of him as an innocent little boy who didn’t have a bad bone or a bad word in him.

‘Sorry!’ he said quickly, ‘but she was. She used to march us to bed and then cavort on the sofa with her boyfriend.’

‘How do you know that?’ Nina’s eyebrows disappeared into her blonde fringe.

Dominic blushed slightly and his cheeks dimpled. ‘Because Alex and I used to sneak down the stairs and watch.’

‘Oh, you didn’t!’

‘Before you say anything, it had nothing to do with me!’ He leant back in his chair and held his hands up in a gesture of innocence.

‘Oh, I suppose it was all your big bad brother’s idea?’ Nina teased. Dominic just grinned at her.

She took a sip of tea as she tried not to imagine what exactly the young boys had witnessed in the front room. Then something occurred to her. If they had spied on one babysitter, why not another? Had they spied on her? Had she been the victim of schoolboy curiosity? Had they witnessed her as she’d nosied through the family photo albums and rifled through their parents’ CD and book collections? God almighty – had they spied on her the night she’d decided to give a one-woman show to Olivia’s Barbra Streisand album?