Chapter 30
Hearing her mobile ringing, Lettie opened her eyes realising as she raised her head from her arms that she must have fallen asleep at the kitchen table. She struggled to remember where she had left her phone. She yawned and reached out to grab her phone from the sideboard behind her just in time for the call to end.
Remembering that she had a date with Joe, Lettie was surprised to see the missed call had been from Brodie. ‘Bugger.’ She looked at the screen her heart racing slightly. What could he want? Not wishing to miss him completely, she quickly returned the call and hoped he was still available to chat to her.
‘Hi, Lettie. Thanks for calling me back so quickly.’
Hearing the flat tone of his usually chirpy voice, Lettie sensed something had upset him. ‘What’s happened?’
‘Tina popped round a short while ago to let me know that Thistle’s owners have been located. I’ve called the woman, a Mrs Broadbent, and said I’ll take him over to her now.’
There was something left unsaid and for a moment she wasn’t sure what it was he wanted to ask her. ‘Would you like me to come with you?’ she asked before the thought had properly filtered through her brain.
He sighed, obviously relieved. ‘Would you mind? I know it’s getting late, but for some reason I was dreading going by myself. I know it’s ridiculous.’
‘No it isn’t,’ she argued. ‘It’s fine. I understand completely and can be at your place in ten minutes.’
‘Why don’t I come to you?’ he suggested. ‘Save you walking here and it’ll give you a couple of minutes to sort out Spud and lock up.’
‘Perfect. See you soon.’
She ended the call and remembering she was wearing her tattiest, holiest shorts and fleecy hood with a Jersey cow emblazoned across the front, ran upstairs to change into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
‘That’s better,’ she said giving Spud a cuddle. He sensed she was going out and was lying in his bed near to the Aga, staring up at her with an accusatory look. ‘I’m sorry. I promise I won’t be long and then we can watch more telly from the sofa again.’ She ruffled his fluffy head. ‘How about a treat?’
His ears perked up at the suggestion.
She heard Brodie’s vehicle arriving outside, and having given Spud his treat, left the house and locked the door behind her.
She hadn’t had enough time to think about what this all must mean to Brodie but aware that he was finding parting with Thistle far more difficult than he had imagined, she got into the passenger seat and reached back to stroke the sweet dog’s head. ‘Hello, boy.’
Turning to face the front she strapped herself in as Brodie turned the Land Rover and drove back to the lane.
‘How are you?’ she asked, glad he had asked her to accompany him.
‘Miserable.’ He glanced at her with a half-smile. ‘I know I should be happy for Thistle, and I am. I’m just upset that I have to return him so soon. Selfish of me, I know. And not very professional for a vet.’
‘Rubbish. You’re only human and you’ve become more attached to him than you expected, that’s all.’
He sighed and she saw him look at Thistle briefly in his rear-view mirror. ‘The lady who contacted Tina did sound very nice. In fact the reason I’m hurrying to return him is because she sounded very troubled by having lost him in the first place.’
‘Oh dear.’ Lettie didn’t like anyone to be upset. ‘We’ll have to reassure her that he was fine and well looked after and none the worse for his experience in the wild, so to speak.’
He gave her a smile and nodded. ‘Yes. I want to reassure her.’ He glanced into his mirror again then back at the road. ‘I’ll be happy to see Thistle back with his owner again. He must have missed her as much as she missed him.’
‘I suppose so.’
‘Another good thing about living on this small island is that nothing tends to go missing for long.’
Lettie agreed. ‘Yes, and there’s always someone who knows someone else who can help.’
‘True.’
‘I wonder what Thistle’s real name is,’ Lettie said almost to herself.
‘I’d like to know that, too. I was hoping she didn’t mind us giving him a new name.’ He indicated left before turning down another road.
‘Where exactly are we headed?’ she asked a little later. They’d been driving for longer than she had expected them to and Lettie was surprised that Thistle didn’t live in one of the closer parishes.
‘Trinity.’
‘Trinity? But that’s miles from St Ouen.’
He nodded. ‘I know. The poor dog has come quite a way and I couldn’t help wondering why.’
She was wondering the same thing. ‘Maybe he tried to return to where he’s taken for walks each day, or something.’
‘Maybe.’ He sighed. ‘I guess we’ll soon find out. It is a bit odd though, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, it is.’
Lettie thought back to when she had found Thistle. He had seemed hungry and somewhat distressed and was hiding in a bush. Surely there was more to why he had run off, if in fact that was what had happened. She was glad she could be with Brodie when he met the owner and find out for herself exactly what had gone on.
Brodie pulled up to the gateway of a bungalow. ‘This is the address the woman gave me when I called her.’ He parked the car and turned to Lettie. ‘I suppose we should go and do this then.’
‘I suppose we should,’ she said miserably. She turned and reached out to stroke Thistle’s soft nose. ‘He doesn’t seem all that excited to be here, does he?’
‘I was thinking that, too.’ He turned to her and reached back to stroke Thistle’s head. ‘Thankfully though he doesn’t seem too worried about being here either, otherwise I’d leave him in the vehicle and go in first without him.’
She loved that Brodie was protective of this sweet stray. ‘Come along then, let’s do this.’
Brodie sighed. ‘Yes, may as well get it over with.’