Chapter 29
29
The following morning, escorted by Mickey, Jade walked round Duck Pond Rescue checking all was as it should be. Finn had left half an hour ago to pick up his father from the coach drop-off point. They’d be back soon. At least the sun was out, she thought with relief. Everything looked better when it was sunny. Diesel was lying on top of the chicken run, eyes closed, the tip of his black tail flicking.
‘Monster,’ she said as she passed, and he blinked sleepy golden eyes at her.
Satisfied that all was as it should be, Jade headed back towards reception. She planned to close up as soon as Finn’s dad arrived. Anyone with a dire emergency could park outside the cottage and ring the bell.
She was just writing a note to put on the front gate when Finn’s car drew into the yard. Iron-grey hair and a tweedy jacket were Jade’s first impressions of his father. She waited while Finn switched off the engine and went round to open the passenger door, and then she went out to greet them .
‘So this is that slave driver boss of yours. Ray McTaggart at your service,’ the old man said as Finn introduced them.
Jade added a gravelly voice, a firm handshake and a direct gaze to her first impressions. ‘Slave driver, hey? Is that what he’s told you?’
His eyebrows arched above grey eyes that were very similar to Finn’s, and to Ben’s, and Jade was struck, once more, by the painful realisation that it wasn’t just Finn she was deceiving.
Ray pumped her hand. Deep lines etched his face and he looked older than she’d expected.
For a moment he looked quite stern and then his face cracked into a smile. ‘It’s grand to meet you at last, my dear. Hope he’s not been causing you too much trouble.’
‘None I can’t handle.’ She glanced at Finn as she spoke, aware of his amusement. ‘Well, would you like coffee before you start your grand tour?’
‘I’d like a rollie,’ Ray said. ‘But I don’t suppose that’s allowed with all the straw an’ stuff round here, is it?’
‘Just make sure you put it out, and don’t leave the butts on the ground.’
‘I wouldn’t dream of it.’ Ray produced a portable ashtray from his pocket. It was stainless steel with a lid. ‘I came prepared.’
‘Great.’
‘Don’t encourage him,’ Finn said. ‘I’ve told him this is a strictly smoke-free zone.’
The phone rang and Jade apologised. ‘Excuse me a minute. I’ll put the answer machine on and catch up with you.’
By the time she’d dealt with the phone, locked up the main gate and got into the cottage, they were installed in her lounge, talking animatedly.
‘So, did you have a good journey?’ She sat next to Finn on the sofa and addressed his dad, who was in the armchair opposite. ‘How long did it take?’
‘Not bad and too long.’ Ray winked at her. ‘But that’s coaches for you. At least they’ve got conveniences on them these days.’
‘And coffee, Dad. You said that was quite good.’
‘Aye, I suppose it wasn’t bad. Not as good as yours, though. Or maybe it’s the company.’ He shot a glance at his son and Jade was struck by the pride on his face. Struck too by the warmth in Finn’s eyes. Neither of them was the type for big declarations of emotion, she thought, but there was a lot of love there.
It was heart-warming to see. ‘So, what are your plans for today?’
‘First of all, I’m going to pick out the dog I’d most like to take home,’ Ray said. ‘Not that they’re allowed on coaches, I shouldn’t think. And then…’ He was overtaken by a fit of coughing that seemed to rack his whole body. It was painful to listen to and when he finally stopped, Finn said, ‘That’s why he shouldn’t be smoking.’ There was a mixture of crossness and sadness in his voice.
‘Stop fussing, lad.’ He winked at Jade. ‘I think it’s a picnic lunch, isn’t it? And then tonight I’m going to check out Finn’s local – see if they’ve got any decent paintings on the walls.’
‘You are still joining us later, I take it?’ Finn added.
‘I’m looking forward to it. Now, how about I show you around?’
As they went past the locked reception, Jade heard Finn say, ‘That flu took a while to get over. What did Dr Jenkins say about it? ’
‘Not much. Seeing as I didn’t tell him I had it. What’s the point? Can’t do ’owt, can they?’
Jade was following a couple of steps behind them, feeling a little surplus to requirements, when Ray suddenly turned. ‘Now then, young lady, when does the grand tour begin?’ He raised his eyebrows. ‘I want to know all the ins and outs of the place.’
He wasn’t joking either, she realised as they went round. At the hospital block he wanted to know all the details of the animals that had recently been treated there. Jade told him about the red kite with the injured wing that now regularly flew over the land, and about the mallard with the injured beak who was now back with her mate on the duck pond he’d passed on the way in. She told him about how Mickey had ended up becoming a permanent resident, and about Candy’s pups and how even Candy herself had been re-homed with their pet food supplier. Reg had kept his promise and given Jade a proper discount on her pet food too.
She glossed over the fact she still had Tiny. He was the last of the pups and at twelve weeks old had just had his second vaccination, but Jade hadn’t found a good enough home for him yet.
Then Ray wanted to know all about the current residents of the cattery and how come that black beggar had escaped and was sitting on the chicken run, looking like he owned the place.
‘Diesel,’ Finn explained, repeating the story of how the big black cat had had much of his fur burnt off when he’d been trapped under the bonnet of a diesel truck.
And why did they have chickens anyway? What did they need rescuing from?
‘They’re ex-battery hens,’ Jade said. ‘They don’t have very long lives in battery farms. It’s too intensive and as soon as egg production goes down, they’re for the chop. But once they get back to something resembling a normal life, they start laying again. We sell the eggs to raise funds.’
Eventually, they went up towards the kennels, stopping short of the gate that led to the first two kennel blocks.
‘Once we go in, we won’t be able to hear ourselves think,’ Jade told Ray. ‘So I’ll tell you about the dogs out here, then you can have a wander round. I’ll sit in the sun and wait for you.’
They weren’t gone long, five minutes or so, and Jade sat at the wooden picnic bench, with her face turned up to the sun, and felt very relaxed. Two magpies had just flown into the tree in the field next door. Two for joy, she thought, remembering the old rhyme. A good omen for today.
Then the gate clanged, and Finn called, ‘Is it all right if I take Dad up to New Arrivals? He wants to see Fang.’
‘You carry on. You can take her out if you like. She doesn’t normally get a walk at this time of day.’
Ray and Finn reappeared with Fang on a lead. The small dog was wagging her stubby tail and looking very pleased with herself. She and Mickey sniffed noses and did some more wagging.
‘Aiden’s done wonders with that dog,’ Jade called out to them. ‘A couple of months ago and she’d have had your hand off. Mind you, I still wouldn’t trust her with a child.’
‘Would you trust her with an old man?’ Ray asked. ‘She’s my type of dog, she is.’ He bent to fondle the Jack Russell’s head and she pricked her ears.
Finn came across to where she sat and put his hand on Jade’s arm. A casual little gesture, but as she glanced at his fingers, she was reminded of the night she’d held them and asked him if he’d inherited them from his father.
‘Dad could have a dog, you know. He’s got a lovely little garden. And no cats for her to terrorise. She’d have a nice life with him.’
Jade smiled up at him. He’d had his hair cut for his father’s visit and his face was tanned from being outside and she was very aware of his touch.
‘Well, she’s up for re-homing like all the rest of them. Why doesn’t he take her for a walk round the field? See how he gets on.’
Aiden frowned as he parked outside the cottage, read Jade’s note and unbolted the side gate. He was sure Jade had said they were going out this evening, not out to lunch. She never closed the place up in the day. What if there was an emergency?
Then something else struck him. She’d been offish with him all week. Perhaps she’d just said they were going out this evening so she didn’t have to go out with him. He wandered up the yard, opened the little gate that led to the upper part of the sanctuary, and froze.
Ahead of him by the picnic table, an old guy, presumably Finn’s father, was bending down and petting Fang. The little Jack Russell, far from snapping and growling, had rolled over on to her back and appeared to be enjoying the attention. For weeks, Aiden had been the only one allowed near her, yet, as soon as his back was turned, Jade had let some unqualified bystander take her out without so much as a by-your-leave.
Jade was sitting at the table and Finn stood just beside her, one hand on her arm. She was looking up into his eyes and smiling that beautiful smile. Jealousy so sharp it was a physical pain cramped Aiden’s abdomen and he could feel a pulse beating in his head. He clenched his fists into balls. Finn had been sniffing around Jade ever since he’d arrived and, not content with stealing her, he was after the little dog too. Something snapped inside Aiden’s head and he stormed up the yard towards the group. It was high time Finn got what was coming to him.