Dangerous Love (5 page)

Bonnie braced herself and shook, spraying him with cold gritty water.

“Come on, girl,” he urged and she took those last couple of steps closer and as he reached to grab her collar, she launched herself into his arms, knocking him backwards.

He held on to her and ran his fingers through the thick curls on her chest which were sodden and sticky with sand and salt water. Now she’d decided to trust him, Bonnie went crazy and her pink tongue shot out again and again, slapping Bram round the face and making him laugh.

At last he managed to stand up, scoop the dog into his arms and carry her over to the bank.

“Let the hospital know we’ve found her,” he called up to Len.

“Already done,” Len said. “Is she okay? She looks okay.”

“She seems fine as far as I can tell, but I’ll take her back to the surgery, wash the sand and salt out of her fur and check her over to be sure.”

Len watched Bram hurry away with the dog in his arms. Regan’s dog! The guy should be told that he’d rescued his own daughter tonight, but it wasn’t his place to tell him. Regan was terrified he’d find out.

She’d asked him again not to say anything when he called her just now – once she’d finished crying with relief and he’d managed to convince her that Bonnie was okay.

“He won’t hear it from me,” Len promised. “But he will hear it from someone, Regan and it’ll be sooner rather than later. You owe it…”

“I don’t owe him anything.”

“Don’t you? He saved Georgie’s life. No one else would have had the guts to do what he did and if we’d waited for the proper support, it may have been too late.”

“I didn’t mean…” She sounded as if she was crying and he felt terrible, but he loved both these people, Bram and Regan and he wanted what was best for them both. And for that little girl too. Bram’s little girl.

Regan hadn’t so much as looked at another guy since Bram left and she’d been so determined to block out the past, she’d even distanced herself from old friends. He’d done his best to stay in touch and help when he could, but she was fiercely independent. The only person that seemed to get anywhere near was Lally. Nice woman. Kept herself to herself for the most part. She wasn’t local. Maybe that was why Regan had let her in.

At first when Bram showed up back in town, Len thought he’d come back to be with Regan and that he knew about Georgie, but it had soon become clear that wasn’t the case.

When it was time to go home, Regan saw Lally waiting for her.

“What are you doing still here?” she said. “You should have gone home ages ago.”

“I’m going to drive you home, that’s what,” Lally said. “You can leave your car in the car park here. You didn’t get much sleep yesterday and you’ve had a lousy night, so I don’t think you should drive. That’s all.”

“Lally, you don’t have to…”

“I know I don’t,” Lally interrupted. “But if it was one of my kids and someone had let me down the way I let you down, I’d want to kill them. So if you want to hit me, go right ahead.”

She jutted her chin out. It made Regan laugh. She’d no more think of hitting Lally than she would turn Stanley Bishop away on a cold and stormy night.

She linked her arm through Lally’s instead.

“You didn’t let me down.”

“Well, I feel responsible.”

Lally had no children of her own and it was a pity because she was the most motherly person Regan had ever met and that included her own mother.

“I’m not going home, Lally,” she said. “I’m going to pick Bonnie up from the vet then I’m coming back here to be with Georgie.”

“Now you’re being silly,” Lally said. “You need to catch up on some sleep so you’re wide awake later on. Georgie’s going to need you. Bonnie will be fine at the surgery. They’ll take good care of her and she’ll probably just want to sleep anyway.”

Regan sighed and bit her lip, fighting back tears again when she thought of her lovely Bonnie. “They said she was trying to find Georgie. That doesn’t surprise me one little bit. She’s such a lovely, loyal little dog. I should bring her home. I don’t think I can sleep anyway after all that’s happened.”

There was another reason she wanted to go to the surgery. She had to see Bram and get this all out in the open before it was too late. Strike while the iron was hot, wasn’t that how the saying went? Well this iron was scalding!

“You have to try and sleep, Regan. You’re going to be no use to Georgie if you drop dead of exhaustion. I’ll go and pick Bonnie up for you, later.”

They were outside the hospital now. The rain had stopped and daylight glowed weakly through multi-coloured clouds.

Still she hesitated. Would it be too cowardly of her to agree, to let Lally fetch Bonnie? She was too tired to be brave.

“Thank you. Make sure he gives you a bill. Tell him I’ll settle up with him later.” It wasn’t just the bill she needed to settle. She turned back to the hospital. “I should stay…”

“All right, how about this,” Lally said. “You get a taxi home and I’ll stay here with Georgie. At least you won’t have to worry about having to hurry back to the hospital. They’re not expecting you to work tonight are they?”

“No,” Regan said. “I’ve taken some leave.” She knew it made sense to at least try and catch up. She needed to be able to think straight if she was going to sort things out with Bram.

“That’s settled then,” Lally said firmly.

“All right,” Regan agreed. “But promise you’ll let me know if Georgie needs me?”

“Of course I will,” Lally said. “When can she come home?”

“Tomorrow,” Regan said. “They’re keeping her in for another twenty four hours and all being well, she’ll be discharged.”

“Has she said what she was doing on the cliff?” Lally asked.

“Not yet,” Regan said. “But I’m going to find out and I’ll make sure she never does anything like it again.”

Right now, Regan would like to wrap her daughter up in cotton wool and keep her at home and never let her out of her sight again.

“I don’t think you need worry too much about that,” Lally said. “After the fright she’s had, she’ll want to stay close to home for a while.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Regan hugged Lally, then called a taxi firm. Despite her protestations, she felt really tired and it would be foolish to drive. But she was determined to be up again soon.

A tear slid down her cheek and she rubbed it away.

“There’s something else you should know, Lally,” Regan said while they waited for the taxi. “About Bram.”

“The guy who rescued Georgie? He found Bonnie too, didn’t he?”

Regan nodded. There was no easy way to say it, so she just came right out with it.

“He’s Georgie’s dad.”

“What?” Lally cried. “But I thought her dad had moved away? You’re a dark horse, Regan Tyler! When did he come back? Are you and he…”

Poor Lally. She looked so hopeful. Bless her, she was all about the happy endings.

“He doesn’t know,” Regan said. “He knows nothing about Georgie.”

Lally’s jaw dropped. Her look of shock was almost funny, but the last thing Regan felt like was laughing.

“I never told you about him before because it was in the past and all happened before you moved here. I think that’s why we’ve always got along so well. I knew you were never going to ask awkward questions.”

Lally shook her head. “Daft lass,” she said. “We get on well because we just do! I don’t care about your past, but I am concerned about you now. He doesn’t know, you say? Well he’s going to find out for sure isn’t he? But you know me. I won’t tell you what I think you should do, but I’ll be there to support you whatever you decide. Okay? And don’t ever keep anything from me because of what I might think or say or do. That’s not what friendship is about, Regan.”

Regan hugged her and struggled to fight back more tears. What would she do without Lally?

“Bless you, my lovely friend,” she said. She really must get some sleep before she ended up a tear-sodden mess.

CHAPTER FIVE

There were no overnight guests at the surgery, so the place was quiet. Bram let himself in and Bonnie followed through the door somewhat reluctantly. She must know exactly where she was as she seemed quite familiar with her surroundings.

He rinsed her fur with warm water, then dried her with towels and she shook again, still finding a fair bit of water in her fur to shower him with.

“That’s no way to thank me for saving your life, Bonnie,” he laughed.

She gazed up at him. How quickly they came to put their trust in you. It amazed him how even the most nervous of dogs would soon attach themselves to you if you showed them kindness.

He gave her a thorough check up and found her to be perfectly healthy and unhurt apart from a cut on her paw which he dressed and bandaged. She sat as still as a statue while he wrapped her paw with bright pink cohesive bandage. There was an address and phone number on her tag. He knew the street. It was a quiet place with small family houses as far as he remembered.

He hoped the owners took as good care of their daughter as they did their dog. She was in great shape.

The hospital would have let them know their dog was safe. Perhaps it would be Regan who gave them the good news. He still couldn’t believe how amazing it had been to see her again or how much she’d changed. He supposed he’d changed too. Six years was a long time.

“I’m kidding myself, Bonnie,” he said. “I came back here knowing full well I’d probably bump into Regan at some point. In fact I pretty much banked on it. How dumb is that? As if Regan would want to see me! Anyway, she’ll have a life of her own now. She won’t want me hanging around.”

Bonnie’s ears lifted.

“Oh, I said something you liked? How about Georgie?”

Bonnie tried to jump down from the table. There was a name she recognised. He lifted her to the floor and she waved her bandaged foot wildly for a moment before heading straight for the door and scrabbling impatiently at it. People who said dogs didn’t understand what you were talking about were out of their minds. This one understood every word.

“You know your way out, huh?” he grinned. “Been here before have you, girl?”

He couldn’t check for her records on the computer because he didn’t know the surname of her owners, but she was clearly one of Dennis’s patients. “You can’t go yet. I doubt there’ll be anyone at home. They should be at the hospital with Georgie right now.”

And he wasn’t about to leave her alone after all she’d been through.

“You’d better come upstairs with me and have something to eat. I hope you get on with other dogs.”

Even if she didn’t, his own dogs were a friendly bunch and the cats would just roll their eyes and groan at the sight of another animal before taking themselves off to hide somewhere. And of course, if he took her to his home, he’d have to go to the hospital to let Regan know where she was. Just so she could let the family know if they wanted to pick her up before morning surgery which was in about… he glanced at his watch. Two hours!

“Sorry, Regan,” he said. “Much as I want to see you again, it’ll have to be a phone call.”

Bonnie barked, turned round in a circle then sat down and looked up at him expectantly. She looked as if she was laughing.

“Funny dog,” he laughed, shaking his head.

He rang the hospital, but Regan had gone home. Disappointed, he left a message for Georgie’s mother confirming that Bonnie was fine and ready to be collected anytime.

Regan slid beneath the cool duvet and closed her eyes. It was no use. She would never sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she saw either Georgie with her little bloody face looking terrified as she peeked from a head brace or Bram looking… well, looking so damn gorgeous, just like he always did, just like he always had.

She tossed and turned, punched her pillow into shape, then threw it on the floor. Her legs wouldn’t be still and her thoughts were so loud and confused like an incessant babble inside her head.

She swung between feeling sick with fear at what could have happened and feeling sick with anticipation at what might yet happen. She was going to have to tell Bram about Georgie. She should have done it straight away and she knew the longer she left it, the harder it would be.

The other thing keeping her awake was thoughts of Bonnie. She should have picked her up. She should have told Bram then that Bonnie was her dog and Georgie their daughter. It was another missed opportunity.

“Oh, Bonnie,” she whispered and touched the bed beside her where Bonnie slept during the day when Regan was on night shifts and Georgie was at school. At night she slept on Georgie’s bed, but she always liked to be close to one of them.

It was just typical of her to have tried to get to Georgie, not realising she’d already been rescued. Of course she’d have been frightened off by all the rescue vehicles as well as the storm and the lights. Regan imagined her creeping back when she was sure everyone had gone.

At least she knew she’d be in safe hands with Bram. He was completely soppy when it came to animals.

When Bram emerged from his surgery, the grey-haired woman sitting in his waiting room got straight to her feet.

“I’m here for Bonnie,” she blurted.

“I know,” he said. “She’s asleep in the staff room.”

He hadn’t wanted to put her in a cage when he brought her back downstairs from his flat. He didn’t really know why except she’d curled up on the small sofa and had looked so peaceful and settled, he hadn’t the heart to disturb her when he had to start seeing patients.

“Sue, would you fetch Bonnie, please?” he said, then he turned back to the woman. “She’s in good shape, considering. She was cold and wet when we found her and she has a cut on her paw which was pretty clean and should heal nicely with proper care. I’ve put a dressing on, but I want to see her tomorrow to check it out.”

“Thank you,” the woman said as she opened her bag and pulled out her purse. “How much is it?”

“Sorry?” Bram frowned.

“Your bill, for the dressing and everything.”

“There is no charge,” he said crisply. This had to be Georgie’s grandmother. She was too old surely to be her mother. Perhaps there was no mother. He had to stop judging people he knew nothing about and this poor woman looked as if she’d had hardly any sleep.

He smiled. “How’s Georgie, Mrs..?”

“Shires,” she said. “Lally Shires. Everyone calls me Lally. But you must have incurred expenses and she was quite adamant that I should pay the bill.”

“She?” Bram’s eyebrows rose.

“Bonnie’s owner,” Lally said and she looked the other way, unable to meet his eyes. Now what was all that about? It was almost as if she was hiding something. “I look after Georgie and Bonnie while she’s at work.”

“I see,” Bram felt his lips tighten and had to make a conscious effort to untighten them. Perhaps it was him! Regan always used to say he was like a bull at a gate sometimes, scaring people with what she called his self-righteous pomposity. She always made it sound like a joke, but maybe there was some truth in it. He softened his features into a smile and Lally seemed to relax.

“She’s in bed now, catching up on her sleep, poor love,” Lally went on.

“Poor love,” he repeated incredulously. Oh there he went again, judging and deciding what was going on without having the full facts. He packed away his indignation, put the lid down firmly on top of it and smiled again.

The door from the back opened and Bonnie bounded through, ecstatic to see a familiar face. She bounced up and down, barking happily and Lally made a huge fuss of her. She was near to tears.

“She looks great,” she said. “Did you bath her?”

“I gave her a bit of a rinse,” he said. “She’d got seaweed and all sorts stuck in her fur.”

“She loves the water if she’s swimming in it, but not so keen on baths, are you, girl?”

Sue handed the lead to Lally and she thanked Bram again before hurrying towards the door.

“Mrs Shires…”

“Lally.”

“Lally,” he smiled. “When Georgie is better, bring her down to the RNLI station. We’ll show her round.”

“Oh, she’d love that,” Lally said. “She’s always been a bit of a tomboy, you know, loves her fire engines and trucks and so on. Actually she’s a bit of a daredevil. It’s a worry, but hopefully this will have dampened her enthusiasm for adventure a little.”

“Sometimes it is better to use that sense of adventure rather than try to suppress it,” Bram said. “Her parents should look into some sort of after school club she can join.”

“Parent,” Lally said and again her eyes slid away as if she couldn’t look him in the eye. “There’s just her mum. Thank you again, Mr Fletcher.”

“Bram,” he said.

“And you want to see Bonnie tomorrow?” Lally confirmed.

“That’s right.”

“Ten o’clock,” Sue put in. “I’ve made an appointment.” She handed a card to Lally. “If it’s not convenient, let us know. Oh and is Bonnie one of our patients? I’ve only worked here for a month and I don’t recognise her.”

“Yes,” Lally said. “She…”

The door flew open and a man rushed in carrying a cat box.

“Please, help,” he cried.

Bram ushered him straight into the surgery with an apologetic look at Lally.

Phew! Lally was wondering how she was going to tell Sue the name of Bonnie’s owner without dropping Regan right in it, when Bram stuck his head out and called her.

“Need your help here, Sue,” he said. “It’s going to be an emergency C-section. See you tomorrow, Lally.”

Lally breathed a sigh of relief. All this subterfuge didn’t come easily to her. Not that she’d actually lied to anyone. Yet. But until Regan had had a chance to speak to Bram, she’d have to keep up the pretence and remember not to name names.

She scribbled a note for Sue.

“Just remembered, Bonnie not a patient here. Please put her account in my name. Mrs Shires.”

Oh now that was a big fat lie and she’d put it in writing too. She bit her lip, considered screwing up the paper and chucking it in the bin, then left before she could change her mind. Whatever she did would be wrong, but dropping Regan in it was the lesser of two evils.

When she got back to Regan’s, she crept upstairs and peeked round the bedroom door. Regan was sound asleep. Bonnie ran over and jumped on the bed, snuggling up beside Regan and settling down with a contented smile.

“Don’t wake her up, Bonnie,” Lally whispered, but the dog’s eyes were already closing. Bless them, they were both totally exhausted and would sleep for hours.

“For goodness sake,” Regan groaned and lifted her head from the pillow. “What on earth is going on? What’s all the noise about?”

Someone was hammering on the door and shouting and Bonnie was barking like crazy. She’d been dimly aware of Bonnie jumping onto the bed at some point and had settled into a deeper sleep after that knowing that Lally had dropped her off.

Now her mouth was dry and her head spinning. Her first confused thoughts were that Georgie had been sent home from school early, but Georgie was safe at the hospital and they’d phone if anything was wrong.

She checked her phone. No missed calls.

She fought back a wave of nausea and reached for her dressing gown. The hammering and shouting continued.

She’d had all of three hours’ sleep.

“All right,” she called as she hurried down the stairs. “I’m coming.”

Not that her caller would be able to hear above the racket they were making as well as Bonnie’s frenzied barking. Regan shut her in the living room and she continued to bark.

When she opened the door, she found herself face to face with one of her neighbours, Katie. She had a son in Georgie’s class and she looked absolutely furious.

“Where is he then?” she said, pushing her way into the hall. “Little bugger, I’ll kill him when I get hold of him.”