by Clare Revell
“Me?” Lou retorted. “You said you’d stay right outside the room. I was talking to you the whole time. Then when I came out, you’d vanished.”
“I vanished?” Jack scowled. “You went quiet and when I broke the door down, you weren’t there. The only person I found was Zach. He’s still searching the grounds looking for you.”
“Can’t we do this later?” Lou tapped her foot. “Evan is introducing me to the other woman in his life.”
Jack turned on Evan in disbelief. “What?”
Evan sighed. “Let me let Zach know we’ve found Lou, and then I’ll show you.” He sent a quick text, then put his phone away. “This way.” He led them up the familiar back staircase to enter the remaining part of the west wing. “This is the only safe way up here now. Lilly’s in here.” He tapped on the door. “It’s Evan.”
The door opened. Dr. Carter stood there, Ira by her side. “I was about to send Mr. Miles to find you.”
His heart sank further and his whole body went cold and numb.
The village vet smiled at him. “No, it’s nothing like that. Come and see for yourself.”
Evan took a step into the room then paused. “Lou, this is Maggie Carter. She’s the village vet—multitalented as she does large and small animals. Maggie, this is Dr. Fitzgerald. I’m sure you’ve heard all about her by now from the news. Ignore it, none of it is true.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Lou muttered.
“OK, well most of it isn’t true. And this is her father.” Evan’s gaze flicked past Maggie. “Lilly?”
Three short barks came from the other side of the room. A golden and white collie pushed herself up to stand, tail wagging. No longer wearing a bandage, she stood tentatively on four legs, as if testing her own weight.
He strode over. “Hey, Lilly. How are you doing, girl?”
Lilly sniffed and licked his fingers, barking loudly.
Emotion welled up within him. He wasn’t sure how he felt. “You look so much better. Yes, you do.” He glanced up at Lou. “I thought I’d lost her. She got her leg caught in a nasty trap in the woods—a poacher’s trap that had been there for almost half a century…” He broke off, amazed as Lou turned and ran from the room, tears running down her face. “What did I say?”
Jack’s face contorted. “Excuse me.” He followed Lou from the room.
Evan refused to let his concerns cloud his joy at Lilly’s recovery. He buried his face in the dog’s fur, making a fuss over her. “Well, I’m pleased to see you. Yes, I am. Does this mean you’re up for a w-a-l-k in the morning, huh? Only a short one, maybe around the top garden?” He glanced up at the vet. “You’re a miracle worker. How can I ever thank you?”
Maggie Carter chuckled. “Pay the bill—that’s all the thanks I need.” She packed up her things. “Lilly should be back to normal in a couple of days, but she’s to take it easy. She can go outside tomorrow.” She paused. “But, yes, she can leave the room now and have free reign in the house. But no more running off unsupervised.”
Evan beamed. “You hear that? Lilly is a free dog again. Shall we go? Shall we?”
Ira laughed from the doorway. “If only your colleagues could hear you now. They’d tease you for being childish.”
Evan poked his tongue out. “That’s me being childish. Otherwise, I’m talking dog. Can you see Maggie out, please?” He pushed upright and tapped his thigh. “Come on then, girl. Let’s go find the others.”
The corridor was empty, so Evan headed down to the lounge, hoping to find Lou there. What had upset her so? Was it him? Had he done or said something while explaining about the west wing? Surely, she wasn’t jealous of a dog?
Jack stood by the window, coffee cup in his hand, watching the swirling fog from between a gap in the curtains.
“Where’s Lou?”
“She’s gone to bed. She’s tired. She took the notebook with her rather than leave it in your safe down here.”
Evan could hardly bear to ask, but he had to know. “Did I upset her?”
“When she was a teenager, she had a dog very much like yours. He died saving her life. It took her a long time to get over it.”
“Oh.” His stomach dropped as if it contained rocks.
“She’ll be fine. She needed time on her own. I’m calling it a night as well. I ought to check in with the wife and find out how the ballet recital went.” He paused. “Just so you know, I’m sleeping with the connecting door between my room and Lou’s open tonight.”
He balked. “Don’t you trust me?”
“I’m keeping an eye on her, like you asked. Besides, it’s that or her bedroom floor.”
Evan grunted. “Makes sense, I suppose. To be honest, if you weren’t here, I’d probably do the same thing. I need to ring the dam and get an update. See you in the morning. ’Night.”
“’Night.”
He gazed at Lilly as Jack headed out. “Just you and me then.”
Lilly barked and flopped in her bed under his desk. She rested her nose on her paws, sighed contentedly, and closed her eyes.
“Then there was one.” Evan picked up the phone and called the dam but only heard the engaged tone. He set the receiver down. He had to go and find Lou, make sure she was all right. It didn’t matter that Jack would be in the adjoining room with the door open. He wouldn’t be able to rest without seeing her; he needed to explain, needed to make sure she really was all right. He padded upstairs and paused outside Lou’s bedroom door. He glanced at Zach who stood in the hallway. “Call it a night. We’ll make sure she’s fine from here.”
Zach nodded. “Good night, sir.”
Evan leaned towards the bedroom door. Sobs came from the other side.
He knocked. “Lou?”
“One minute.” Even if he hadn’t heard the sobs, her emotion-laden voice told him something was very wrong.
After a brief pause, she opened the door. Her eyes were red and brimming with unshed tears, her cheeks wet, and shoulders shaking.
“Come here.” He folded his arms around her distraught figure.
Lou clung to him as she struggled to regain her composure.
He didn’t let go, but murmured quietly to her. He glanced up at Jack standing in the doorway between the two rooms and mouthed, “I’ve got this.”
Jack nodded and pulled the door, leaving it open a tad.
Evan could hear him talking on the phone again.
Finally Lou pulled back. She accepted the clean hanky he offered. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, love. Jack told me you had a dog like Lilly once. Do you want some cocoa? We could go sit in the kitchen. Eat all the biscuits Mrs Jefferson made yesterday.” He tilted his head.
He was rewarded with a faint smile.
“OK.” He paused. “And, yes, I‘ll make it myself.”
38
Lou ran her finger around the rim of the cup as she sat at the kitchen table. Steam wafted upwards and she inhaled deeply. “Smells good.”
Evan sat beside her and pulled across the box of biscuits. He removed the lid. “Here you go.” He waited until she’d taken one before he helped himself. He immediately dunked his into his cocoa.
“You know, Dad does this as well. He thinks he can get me to talk if he plies me with hot chocolate.”
“We don’t have to talk if you don’t want.”
“It’s fine.” She raised her cup and sipped. The smooth liquid slid down her throat. “You’re right. It’s much better made with melted chocolate, rather than the tinned chocolate powder.”
He grinned. “Can I say I told you so?”
“No.”
Lou wrapped both hands around the cup. “His name was Deefer.” Simply mentioning his name brought back the sharp stab of grief she’d felt when he’d died so many years ago. “He was a sheltie. Same colouring as Lilly.”
He tilted his head. “Deefer?”
“Very bad joke. D for dog.”
“Clever. So I suppose if you had a cat you’d call
it Ceefer.”
“Maybe. On reflection, I should have called him Shadow, because he followed me everywhere when he was a puppy. Mum said he’d sit in the hall when I went to school and pine for me every minute until I came home. He didn’t even mind being on the boat for several months when we went to search for Jim and Staci’s parents.”
“Months? Sounds like a long trek.”
Lou studied him, knowing he already knew but not saying as much. Instead, she swigged a long sip and then began to tell him about how they ended up shipwrecked on Agrihan on the other side of the world. “Anyway, in January, we set off for the abandoned American Air Force base. Deefer tried to stop me from wandering off the path and trod in one of those infernal, rusty traps. He died a day or so before we were rescued by Dad and his team.” Tears ran unheeded down her cheeks. “We buried Deefer on the cliff overlooking the beach.”
Evan laid a gentle hand on hers. “Your stepfather rescued you?”
She wiped her tears on the hanky, which was now almost too wet to use. “Yeah. He was tasked with the rescue mission Jim’s Morse code message triggered. Anyway, the surgeons couldn’t save my leg, but Dad encouraged me to do the physio, learn to walk again and so on. I’d never have been in the world championships or been to uni if it hadn’t been for him.”
He squeezed her hand. “You never did explain that to me.”
Lou sucked in a deep breath. “Jim and I took the dingy out to go fishing. I splashed the water to annoy him and attracted a shark. It knocked over the dingy. Jim made it back to our boat. I didn’t.” She swallowed. “I was out of it for a while. Jim did his best, but my leg got infected in the weeks between the shark and when we got rescued. They had to remove it to save my life.”
She changed the subject. “I had another dog after Deefer, but it wasn’t the same. When he died, I didn’t bother having another. Besides, being as transient as I am, it’s probably best. I’m hardly ever at home. I live in hotel rooms and out of a suitcase.”
Evan set down his empty cup. “Lilly usually comes to London with me, but she’s been in plaster, and I felt it best she stayed here. Plus, it was touch and go for a few days.” He carried both cups to the sink. “Did you read any of the journal?”
“No. I was waiting for—” She broke off as the doorbell rang.
“Ira will get it. Go on.”
“I figured we could read it together in the morning. That’s if you wanted.” She glanced at the door as loud voices came from the hallway.
“One moment.” Evan headed into the hall, leaving the door open. “Can I help you?”
Lou got up and moved to the door, peeping through the gap.
A tall man in a green camouflage uniform stood in the hallway, helmet on his head and clipboard in hand. “Corporal Brown. I’ve been tasked with overseeing the evacuation of Dark Lake. You have to leave tonight, sir. Transport is being provided.”
“That’s not happening.” Evan shook his head. “I own Xenon. I’m in charge of the dam. My team is currently working there in an effort to stabilize it.”
“Is anyone else here?”
“My staff. Can I ask where the evacuation order came from, because I didn’t issue it, and I’m the only one with the authority to do so.”
“It came from a Mr. Monty Sparrow from the Sparrow Foundation.”
“Figures. By all means, evacuate the village, but it’s nothing to do with me or my team. I’m not leaving nor are they.” He lowered his voice so it no longer carried.
Lou went back to the sink and washed up the cups.
Rain pounded against the windows, thunder rumbled in the distance.
Evan strode back in, his brows furrowed and his lips set. “He’s gone.”
“So, tell me. If that dam goes, how long have we got?”
“I already told you, it’s not likely to go tonight. Otherwise I’d have issued a red warning myself. The water level is now such that it wouldn’t destroy as much as a full lake would.” He paused. “Am I worried? Yes, I am. It’s my job to worry. I have a bad feeling about all this, and it’s nothing to do with the dam. Maybe, on reflection, you and your dad should take the jet and fly back to London where you’ll be safe.”
“That’s a little extreme. Surely the flood won’t go that far.” She rolled her eyes.
Evan clicked his tongue. “You know what I mean. Varian won’t think of looking for you there.”
“And you?”
“I have to stay here. The dam is my problem.”
“No way.” She shook her head. “I’m not leaving without you.”
“I’m not arguing.” He grabbed her shoulders. The firm touch sent shockwaves of pleasure through her. His intense blue gaze captured her. “I want you safe. I want you far, far away from the dam and Varian. I want…”
Lou raised her hands to grab his arms. “I want you,” she whispered, not caring if that was forward of her. “Just shut up arguing and kiss me.”
“Shut up? I’m talking about your safety and you want me to shut up?”
She reached up on tiptoe and kissed his lips lightly. “Yes.”
Without further comment, his lips were on hers. His arms surrounded her, lifting her off her feet and setting her on the worktop, before pulling her against him firmly. Lightning flashed and the thunder echoed almost immediately, rolling off the hills. Each kiss sent her higher, his touch setting nerve ends afire.
She knew without a doubt that she loved him, and she prayed this meant he felt the same way.
39
A loud cough jolted them apart. Jack stood glaring at them from the kitchen doorway.
Evan’s cheeks burned as he wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole.
“Dad…” Lou’s rosy cheeks and wide eyes probably matched his own.
“Jack, I can explain.”
Jack held up a hand. “I hope you can. Don’t hurt her. Oh, and if you intend to sleep with her, you have to marry her first.”
“Dad!” Horror and embarrassment covered Lou’s face as she jumped down off the work top. “It was one kiss.”
Jack raised an eyebrow. “Really? One very heated, passionate kiss from where I was standing.”
Evan swallowed hard past the lump in his throat. He hadn’t thought of marriage as the eventual outcome, but the general was right. Kissing like that usually led to something else. He needed to pull back, treat Lou with the respect she deserved, and lead them to the proper conclusion to this tentative relationship they were starting out on.
Lou still appeared indignant. “And if you must know I kissed him first, so don’t you go blaming this on Evan.”
Evan’s gaze hit the floor. “Your dad’s right. I should know better. I’m sorry.”
Lou rounded on him. “You’re sorry? For what? Kissing me?”
“No.” He paused. “For not thinking before I acted.”
Jack shook his head. “I’m too old for this conversation. Suffice it to say, sex is a wedding gift for your husband or wife. It’s not something to be given away lightly.”
“I couldn’t agree more. I won’t put either of us in this position again.” He glanced at Lou and pressed his lips to her forehead. “At least not where he can find us,” he whispered.
Lou giggled.
“Behave, kiddo.” Jack frowned. “I do not want to have to tell your mother.”
“You wouldn’t?”
“Tell her I caught you kissing a tall, dark stranger? No. You can tell her when the time is right. I’m going to bed now. Can I trust you two to behave?”
Lou nodded. “I’m going to bed anyway. Evan, what time do you need to be at the dam tomorrow?”
“First light to see what damage this storm has done. Why?”
“I want to go over the notebook with you.”
He glanced at his watch. “OK, so how about half six? Should give us an hour before I need to leave. Oh, I’m setting the burglar alarm tonight and the motion detectors. So if you need to come downstairs for whatever re
ason before I’m up, do it very carefully and keep to the walls. Stay out of the study and the library.”
“Sounds good. ’Night.”
“’Night.”
Evan waited for Jack to follow her, but he didn’t. Silence fell, broken only by the rain and thunder. Evan’s stomach clenched, expecting a lecture or at least a stiff talking to.
With a mercifully short glare, Jack pivoted and left.
Evan sank into a chair. He had to be more careful around Lou. He was too involved. Before he met her he’d thought he’d stop at nothing to keep her quiet. This started out as purely business, but now?
Now he’d let the little archaeologist into a tiny crack in his heart, and she was splitting him open as surely as that tiny crack had split the Aberfinay Dam wide open. And as surely as one would fall, he knew the other would also come tumbling down.
The question was which would fall first? Although a small voice inside him told him it was too late. Part of his heart was Lou’s and always would be.
Either way he had to date her, to keep her in his life at all costs. He rose and ran into the hallway. “Jack?”
Jack paused halfway up the stairs and peered down at him.
“Can I have a word?”
“Sure.”
Evan made his way up the stairs and leaned against the wall. “I’d like permission to court your daughter.”
Jack raised an eyebrow, his expression quizzical. “Court her? As in…?”
He pressed his heels firmly into the carpet. Nervous didn’t even begin to cover the state his insides were in and the fear of rejection overflowed from every pore. “She thinks I’m quaint and old-fashioned. Courting seems to be the right way to go about this, as does asking your permission first. So, yeah, court, as in the old-fashioned way of dating.”
The older man held his gaze for a long moment. Then a smile crossed his face. “The ultimate answer will come from her, but I don’t have any objections. Just keep in mind what I said back there.”
“I will.” His heart leapt as he headed back into the study to get an update on the dam.
The phone rang before he reached it. “Close.”