‘Is that what this is about? Because that’s silly, you know you are welcome to come and stay any time you want. Hell you can come back and live with me if it’s not working out for you here, you know that.’
‘It’s just been a long week.’
‘Casey told me a bit about the wedding, sounds eventful. He also said that you and Finn were…’
‘There is no me and Finn, I guess that’s part of the problem.’
‘Casey said that Finn looked after you when you were sick, that you spent the night together before the wedding. That sounds like something to me.’
Finn watched her pick at a small scar on her knee – she looked so small, so forlorn.
‘He doesn’t want anything to do with me.’
‘Why not? You’re brilliant, funny, beautiful – the man must be stupid if he can’t see that.’
‘After I lay in bed with Finn and kissed him, I went to the wedding and kissed another man.’ Her voice was hollow as she spoke, though her eyes were filled with real pain.
Alex gasped whilst Finn blushed at the raw honesty that Joy and Alex had in their relationship.
‘Joy that’s not like you.’
‘I thought I was kissing Finn. Long story short, I got pushed into a chocolate fountain, got covered in chocolate and when my neighbour kissed me, the same neighbour that slept with Finn’s ex-wife two years ago, I thought it was Finn and kissed him back.’
Alex to his credit only blinked once at the chocolate fountain part, clearly this sort of thing happened to Joy all the time.
‘And now he’s angry? Idiot.’
‘God Al, he’s behaving like a child that’s been bitten by a dog. After what happened with his ex-wife, he’s too scared to go near women again, afraid that he’ll get hurt all over again.’
Alex picked at the label around his bottle. ‘You need to give him time. You don’t know what it’s like to have your heart broken. You’ve never been in love, not with Ed or Jake. But that moment when you realise the person you’re completely in love with doesn’t love you back, that feeling is unbearable.’
Finn watched as Joy sighed heavily. He tried to ignore the huge lump in his throat, the feeling of guilt, of needing to protect her, crashing through him like a tidal wave.
‘I’m falling for him,’ she said, quietly.
Alex leaned forward to study her face, his mouth dropped slightly. ‘Oh shit Joy, you’re not?’
‘I can’t help it, there’s something between us and it won’t go away. I’ve never felt this way before, with anyone. He’s all I can think about, his kiss, his touch, his unbelievable kindness. It’s driving me mad.’
Finn felt his heart crash into his stomach because he felt exactly the same
Alex stared at her for a moment. ‘Then he’s worth fighting for.’
Joy shook her head. ‘I’m not what he wants. He won’t fight for us and I can’t win this battle on my own.’
‘Then the man really is a bloody idiot.’
They sat in silence for a while as Finn stared at the woman he knew he was in love with. She was going to ruin him, she was going to break his heart into a million pieces but he couldn’t keep away from her either. Joy was right, there was something between them and sooner or later it was going to come to a head.
‘Look, change of subject before I’m forced to go round there and teach the man some manners.’
Finn saw Joy smile at this.
‘I got some legal advice about the shit that the villagers are putting you through. My solicitor said you’d have a very strong case for harassment. He gave me this, it’s basically a letter saying that you’re going to take them to court if they do not cease and desist all actions against you.’
‘I don’t know who to give this to, we still don’t know who it is that’s targeting me.’
‘Then you post it through every damn door in the village, with a big pile of dog shit too.’
Joy laughed and Finn hated that he wanted to do everything in his power to keep that smile on her face.
*
The sun was just beginning its descent into the hills, leaving behind trails of candy floss pink and tangerine in the pale blue sky. Joy had already loaded her car with her chainsaws and other power tools and was just wandering back to collect the little power generator when she noticed Darcy lying at the back of the garden.
She had to get her in; the job wasn’t a local one tonight and she would be gone for several hours. Fishing out one of the dog treats she habitually carried round in her pocket, she walked over to her.
‘Darcy!’ She changed her tone to one of excitement, expecting to get an enthusiastic tail wag, as was her usual response. Nothing. The great lump was probably very deeply asleep. She stroked her gently, waiting for her to stir, she didn’t want to scare Darcy out of her dreams. Still no response. Feeling cold prickle her skin, she scooted nearer to Darcy’s head and felt the bottom fall out of her world. Darcy’s eyes were open, but were misty, glazed over, unseeing, unknowing.
Chapter Fifteen
‘Shit, no, no, no, no. Darcy, please, wake up, look at me baby, I have your favourite treat here look.’ Joy waggled the treat under her nose, shaking her hard but there was still no response.
With her heart racing, she pressed her ear to Darcy’s mouth. The dog was still breathing, but it was erratic, faint, laboured.
Stumbling to her feet, Joy knew she had to get her to a vet. Finn would know the nearest one… God no, he wasn’t speaking to her. She didn’t have time for grovelled apologies and angry looks now. Zach would help.
She ran through the house, out the front and hammered on Zach’s door. But there was no answer. She looked round at the other nearby houses, but there was no one here that would help her.
Finn. He was her only answer now and if she had to get down on bended knee she would do it.
Wiping the tears from her eyes she banged on Finn’s door, as new tears coursed down her cheeks.
He opened the door and immediately stepped forward towards her. Was he still angry?
‘Finn, it’s Darcy…’
‘Where is she?’
‘In the garden… Please…’
He turned away from her and she was horrified that he wasn’t going to help her.
He glanced back as he strode purposefully away, in two quick strides he was back in front of her, he grabbed her hand and pulled her through the house towards the garden. Relief coursed through her as he dragged her through the connecting gate and looked around.
‘At the end,’ Joy managed weakly and Finn let go of her hand and hurried to Darcy’s side. Joy quickly followed him.
He peered in her eyes, listened to her breathing just as Joy had done, then prised her mouth open and reached inside to see if anything was stuck in her throat. Of course she could be choking. But Finn shook his head.
‘Get my keys; they’re in the bowl by the front door, open the truck.’
He stood and with a bit of effort he picked Darcy up, her great head lolling in his arms as he carried her. Joy sprinted back through Finn’s house, grabbed the keys and opened the back door of the truck for Finn as he struggled out with the huge dog in his arms. He laid Darcy down carefully, with such tenderness, then ran round to the driver’s side. Joy quickly closed the front doors to her and Finn’s houses as Finn fired the engine behind her.
A moment later, she leapt into the passenger seat and Finn took off up the road.
*
Joy shielded her eyes against the glare of the sun as it rose above the hills. Her eyes were raw from all the crying and she was beyond tired. Finn was silent next to her, as he drove her back towards the village, though he hadn’t said much for the last ten hours, since she had knocked on his door.
Rat poison? How on earth had Darcy eaten or come into contact with rat poison?
She turned round in her seat and watched Darcy lying in the back. Darcy eyed her sleepily, her expression almost sheepish, almost as if she was apologising for all the worry
she’d put her through.
Finn had driven her to the emergency vet in the next town of Ashton Woods. The vet had examined Darcy and declared it was almost definitely rat poison and had kindly said she was unlikely to make it through the night. Joy hadn’t heard what he had said after that, about the medical procedures he would try to save her or how much it would cost, she had just nodded numbly.
Time had moved slowly in the waiting room and it seemed to Joy like she was in a bubble, unaware of anything that had been going on around her as she sat in the hard plastic chairs waiting for news. At one point, through the numbness, she had realised she was sitting on Finn’s lap, his arms round her as she sobbed against him. She had no recollection of how she had got there or how long she had spent on his lap, but she made no attempt to move and he did nothing to move her either.
A little after midnight the vet came out to say that Darcy was responding well to treatment, that she was conscious but not out of the woods yet. She remembered telling Finn to go home, that he didn’t need to wait with her, but he hadn’t moved.
It had been one of the longest nights of her life. Though at around four in the morning it was clear that Darcy was alive and kicking and Joy had been allowed to sit with her for a while as Darcy revelled in the attention that Joy lavished on her.
The vet had kept her in for another few hours before she had finally been discharged. The vet had been stunned by Darcy’s miraculous and quick recovery and said that it had probably helped that Darcy was so big, that a smaller dog would probably have died instantly and she probably had not ingested as much poison as originally thought.
Finn pulled up outside her house and Joy hopped down and opened the door for Darcy. She seemed a bit sleepy still, but managed to get out ok and ambled slowly up the path towards the front door. Joy let her in and followed Darcy down to the kitchen where she put down fresh water and food for her. Darcy drank greedily and had a few mouthfuls of food and then climbed onto the sofa and was snoring loudly a few moments later.
Joy watched her, smiling to herself.
‘You should try to get some sleep yourself,’ Finn said from behind her and she jolted slightly, not realising that he had followed her in.
‘I will. You too. You didn’t have to stay.’
‘I wanted to.’
She swallowed and moved towards him quickly before her brain woke up and stopped her. Reaching up she kissed him on the lips, his mouth instantly responding against hers, his hands round her waist pulling her close. She pulled away, staring into his eyes.
‘Thank you.’
He stared at her, then kissed her briefly on the forehead. ‘I’ll check in on her later.’
With that he was gone, letting himself out through the back door.
Wrapping herself in Finn’s blanket, she lay down on the other sofa to watch Darcy sleep.
*
It was late afternoon when Joy woke, stiff from lying on the sofa – it really was uncomfortable. She immediately sat up; startled that Darcy was gone from the opposite sofa. She got up and saw Darcy sleeping in the sun out on the decking. Her food bowl was empty so obviously she was feeling better if she was eating.
She stepped out onto the decking, wrapping the blanket round her.
‘Darcy!’
Darcy looked up at her, wagging her tail, still with that sheepish look on her face.
Joy giggled and knelt down next to her, intending to spend the whole day stroking Darcy.
Though as a slight breeze stirred around them and she caught a whiff of her skin, she thought maybe a shower would be more timely before the stroking marathon started.
*
Joy had just finished unloading her car as the sun was setting over the tiny village. She didn’t like to leave her tools in the car overnight. The sum total of the tools’ worth was more than the value of the car itself, and if someone broke into her car and stole them it would take her weeks to amass such a varied collection again.
The job could wait a few days; that was the great thing about being The Dark Shadow, she could set her own timetable.
She suddenly noticed that people were leaving their houses and heading for the pub. As she looked around and her eyes cast up the hill, it seemed that every single person that lived in the village was heading that way.
Finn’s front door opened and he came out too.
‘What’s going on?’ Joy said.
‘I’ve called a village meeting,’ Finn said, closing his front door behind him.
‘Well I’m coming too.’
‘No, I don’t want you there.’
Joy stepped back as if he’d physically hit her.
He walked straight up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. ‘We’re fighting back baby. They’re not going to get away with this shit anymore.’
He kissed her head and strode off into the sunset. Her knight in shining armour. All he needed was the white horse.
*
Finn stood outside the pub as he waited for everyone to arrive. There was a frisson of excitement amongst the villagers. They loved him, he could do no wrong in their eyes. They smiled at him indulgently as they walked into the pub. He was their hero and he was about to hit them where it hurts.
As the last straggler walked into The Pride, he followed them in, moving his way through the crowd of people who had filled the pub. He didn’t even care about his strict rule to not get involved anymore. He was beyond angry. As he reached the front of the pub the villagers fell quiet. Some were smiling, some were excited, some were just curious. He had never done anything like this before so no one quite knew what to expect.
‘I’m leaving Bramble Hill,’ Finn announced.
There were murmurs of disbelief and shock.
‘Why? You’re happy here,’ cried Mrs Yates.
‘What you guys are doing to Joy Cartier is making me sick and I cannot be a member of this village anymore.’
‘No, she’s not one of us,’ someone else shouted from the back of the pub.
‘She needs to leave.’
‘We want her out.’
There were other shouts and people started talking between themselves, nodding, plotting, creating new plans to fight against the witch. He had riled them up and in a minute they were going to march from here, gather their pitch forks and burn the witch at the stake.
He slammed his fist down on the table and they all grew quiet.
‘She has nothing to do with Mrs Kemblewick being ousted from the village – and I know none of you believe that but it’s true. Her only crime is having a similar name to her landlord Joe Carter but you sick fuckers poisoned her and then tried to kill her dog. What the hell is wrong with you? If I catch who is responsible for that I will tear you apart with my bare hands. As it is, I will be leaving in the next month unless I see that this hate campaign against her has stopped. But in the meantime, if any of you go anywhere near her house you will have me to answer to – and if you think I’m angry now, this is nothing if she gets hurt.’
There were more murmurs and then a voice rang out from the back of the room.
‘Thanks Finn.’
The crowd parted like the Red Sea and Joy was standing there, looking wild and insanely beautiful. The villagers shifted angrily around her. Good god, they were going to kill her and she had no idea. He hurried towards her, casting evil glances at anyone who was close to her. They backed off, slightly.
‘I have sought legal and criminal advice and every single one of you is going to be contacted by the police over the next few days. Fingerprints will be taken and you’re going to have to account for your whereabouts over the last few days.’ She passed out copies of the letter that Finn knew Alex had given her. ‘The faeces that has been posted through my letterbox is being analysed and it’s only a matter of time before they find which dog it belongs to. If it’s your dog, you’re looking at a criminal record and a hefty fine at the very least. I have already given the police the names of the people that threw eggs
at me and spat at me…’
Jesus, she was spat at, this was getting worse and worse. Finn moved to her side, wanting to protect her from everything.
‘… and the police are very interested in speaking to those people especially. Fingerprints have already been lifted off the pie dish that the poisoned quiche was in and the brick that was thrown through my window. It won’t take them long to trace where they came from. Attempted murder has a very hefty prison sentence. Some of you are going to jail for a very long time and quite honestly I hope you rot there. And the rest of you that have not been involved in the poisoning of myself and my dog, my solicitor is very confident they can take you all to court for harassment. If you want to kick me down, I’m going to bring every single one of you fuckers down with me.’
With that Joy turned and walked out the pub and Finn hurried after her.
She didn’t stop walking as he fell in at her side, she was breathing deeply through her nose as she strode back to her house, with her head held high. Eventually, he caught her hand and pulled her round to face him.
‘That was incredible.’
‘Well I couldn’t let you have all the fun. You were prepared to fight my corner and I wasn’t prepared to fight it myself. Enough is enough. Someone is going to pay for what they did to Darcy.’
‘I love this fiery side to you.’
‘I love this side to you that fights back. If you fought as hard for us, we could be lying in your bed round about now, having hot passionate sex. Instead, you were willing to throw it all away over one stupid kiss.’
She turned away. Wow, she was going all out to fight everyone tonight. He caught her hand again and before she could say another thing he kissed her, hard.
She didn’t even protest, she kissed him back with equal vigour, her hands immediately in his hair as he yanked her against him. He could feel her heart thundering against her chest as he slid his tongue into her mouth, tasting her, devouring her every breath.
He pulled away slightly. ‘Let’s go back to mine, we can talk about this some more.’
She shook her head. ‘No talking, we’ve talked about it enough. This thing between us isn’t going to go away, so let’s have one night, no rules, no promises, no labels – and let’s see if we have something worth fighting for.’
Beneath the Moon and the Stars Page 21