Chapter 30 #2
‘He’s not a lump,’ Ciara protested angrily. ‘He’s a total darling and I adore him.’
‘I know,’ Maureen soothed. ‘And I’m very fond of that big lump too, you know.’
Ciara finished eating and picked up her plate and brought it to the sink. ‘We’ll go out there now. Are you coming, Ronan?’
Ronan drained his glass of water and stood up. ‘Yes. Thanks for dinner, Maureen. It really hit the spot. Let’s go then, Ciara. We’ll drive down a bit of the road and then call the guards when we have a good signal.’
‘See you later, Ma,’ Ciara said as they walked out of the kitchen.
‘Good luck,’ Maureen called after them.
‘What a horrible night,’ Ciara said when they were in Ronan’s car heading down the road towards Enniskerry.
The wind shook the car and twigs and leaves hit the windscreen.
She scanned the road as they drove, trying to look into the woods but there was no sign of Brian.
Once they were near Enniskerry and Ciara saw that she had a good steady 5G signal, Ronan pulled up while she searched for the number of the nearest Garda station and clicked on it.
Then when someone answered, she explained briefly why she was calling and asked if anyone had seen or handed in an Irish wolfhound.
They said no and noted down her name should anyone have seen him.
‘What did they say?’ Ronan asked as Ciara hung up.
‘Just that they took a note of a missing dog and they’ll contact me if he’s been seen or handed in. Not that anyone would,’ she said with a sigh. ‘If anyone saw him, they’d probably run a mile, thinking he’s dangerous.’
‘Well, his size is a little daunting,’ Ronan said. He turned to her with a serious expression. ‘I’m sure he’s okay wherever he is. But running around in the dark might not be a good idea. Wouldn’t it be better to go to bed and wait until morning when we can see where we’re going?’
‘You mean we should give up and leave him out there?’ Ciara asked, tears welling up.
‘I don’t think I could sleep anyway. I’m so worried about him.
’ Then she couldn’t hold it in any longer and she burst into tears as Ronan held her tight, sobbing into his jacket until she couldn’t cry any more.
She pulled away from him and tried to find a tissue in her pocket.
‘Here.’ Ronan handed her a clean, newly ironed handkerchief.
Ciara took it and dabbed her eyes. ‘Why are you so perfect?’ she said, half between laughter and tears.
‘Trust you to have a clean hanky when I needed it the most.’ She blew her nose noisily.
‘Oh God, I’m such a mess.’ She pushed her hair back and dried her face.
‘And I soaked your jacket. Lucky it’s waterproof. ’
‘Yeah.’ He ran his hand through his wavy blond hair and let out a laugh. ‘You’re a bit of a mess all right, but not in a bad way.’
‘I’m a mess in a good way?’ Ciara asked, suddenly aware of how close they were in the car. He smelled of something spicy and his skin was soft in the light from the dashboard. ‘How do you mean?’ she whispered.
‘Ciara,’ he said and put his hands on her shoulders, leaning towards her. ‘You’re adorable.’ Then his lips touched hers for a moment before he pulled back. ‘Sorry. I’m not sure you feel…’
She grabbed his jacket and pulled him close. ‘This is how I feel,’ she said and pressed her mouth to his in a kiss that didn’t end for a long while. When they finally pulled back, they smiled at each other and then kissed again, holding each other tight.
‘Oh, Ronan,’ Ciara whispered against his cheek. ‘You make me so happy. I suppose your girlfriend is no more?’
‘Who?’ Ronan whispered back. ‘Oh, her. No, she’s out of my mind and my life forever. There is only you.’
‘I’ve never felt like this before,’ Ciara said. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been in love, actually. Maybe there is something wrong with me?’
‘No. Everything with you is perfect,’ Ronan whispered as his phone rang. ‘Damn,’ he growled. ‘Elaine might need something.’ He pulled his phone from his pocket and peered at it. ‘No, it’s your mother.’
‘Put her on speaker,’ Ciara ordered when Ronan took the call. ‘Ma, what’s up?’ she shouted.
‘I found Brian,’ Maureen shouted back. ‘He’s here with me.’
‘What? You found him?’ Ciara exclaimed, dizzy with relief. ‘That’s fantastic! Where was he?’
‘Stuck in the shed,’ Maureen said, laughing.
‘But he’s filthy. So he must have been out in the rain and rolled in a muddy puddle and then gone into the shed.
If you had remembered to check that squeaky door before you rushed off into the storm, you would have realised that the noise you heard was not the door but him whining.
He nearly knocked me down when I opened the door and let him out.
I managed to clean him up in the bathtub.
And now he’s here, munching his way through what’s left of the casserole. ’
Ciara laughed, hugging Ronan. ‘Oh that’s the best news ever! I think this must be the luckiest day in my whole life.’
‘Because I found Brian?’ Maureen asked, sounding intrigued.
‘Yes, and…’ Ciara looked at Ronan, who was smiling broadly at her. ‘Ronan and I are together, if you know what I mean.’
‘I do and that’s music to my ears,’ Maureen said, sounding jubilant. ‘Come back here, you two, and we’ll celebrate.’
‘We will,’ Ciara shouted into the phone. ‘I can’t wait to hug Brian. He must have got into the shed for some reason and got stuck there.’
‘Yes,’ Maureen agreed. ‘The bag of treats was empty as well. I found it on the floor of the shed. The naughty boy must have brought it there to eat in secret. And his lead was in your room, Ciara. You must have left it there after walking him the other day. So all the mystery with Brian’s disappearance is solved and we can crack on with the bookshop. ’
‘That’s great,’ Ronan said. ‘We’ll be back in a little while.’
‘Okay,’ Maureen said and hung up, while Ciara looked at Ronan in the dim light of the dashboard.
‘I’m so happy I could burst,’ she said and hugged him.
‘So am I,’ Ronan said and started the car. ‘I’ve never felt happier in all my life.’
They drove slowly back up the road, the rain still pouring down.
Ciara was sure that from now on, she would look ahead and not worry too much about the past. She knew everything she needed to know, most all who she was and where she was going.
She glanced at Ronan and felt secure in the knowledge that he would be with her through thick or thin for as long as they were both alive.