Golden Christmas (4 page)

Something about Jonathan set her at ease,
gave her the feeling he wouldn't press her if she didn't want to
talk. And strangely it helped that he couldn't see her face. Maybe
it was because he'd lived through his own tragedy. If anyone could
understand how difficult it was to come to terms with her loss, he
would.

In halting words, she explained what had
happened. "If I had the time again, I would never have let them go
to the park without me. Life's so unfair."

"But then you might have been hit by the car
as well," Jonathan said. A moment later his breath hissed in as
understanding dawned. "I'm sure your husband and son are relieved
you survived and want you to be happy."

He put his arms around her, drawing her
close. She rested her cheek against the soft fabric of his sweater,
the steady beat of his heart in her ear.

"I didn't lose any family," he said softly,
"but I lost three good men in the attack that ended my army career.
I believe I was the lucky one. God spared me, and I got to come
home."

Vicky let his words sink in as he stroked her
hair. The concept of survival was a twisted muddle in her head.
Jonathan might be grateful to have survived but as he said, he
hadn't lost those dearest to him. Not that he had a wife and child
to lose.

That thought pulsed in her mind as she
remembered him lying in bed, suffering through his migraine. Was it
worse to have a family and lose them, or to never have anyone?
Should she be grateful to have had that joy, if only for a few
years?

The waitress brought their lunch and set the
plates on the table in front of them. "Here you go. Can I get you
anything else, any condiments or sauces?"

Vicky sat up, averted her face and wiped her
eyes, immediately missing the comfort of Jonathan's embrace. She'd
promised herself she would stay true to Colin, but she'd forgotten
how comforting it was to be held by strong arms.

"Just salt and pepper for me." Jonathan
stretched his hand cautiously towards the center of the table, and
Vicky pushed the salt and pepper shakers against his seeking
fingers.

He smiled as their hands brushed.
"Thanks."

"You're welcome." The burst of pleasure from
that simple act of helping him amazed her.

She'd always loved looking after her husband
and son. Maybe that's what she needed, someone to look after
again.

• • •

Once they'd finished lunch and the rush of pub
customers thinned out, Shelly led Vicky and Jonathan outside. Vicky
took Jonathan's hand to guide him through the crowd. When they got
outside she kept hold on the pretense of guiding him, but really
because she enjoyed the grip of his strong fingers.

Drawing in a lungful of chilly air, she
puffed out a smoky breath and took in the picturesque village of
Rosemoor. In front of the Fat Goose pub lay a village green with an
icy duck pond. Around the grassed area stood quaint old stone
cottages, built of the same golden Cotswold stone as Rosemoor
Hall.

"I live right across there at Holly Cottage."
Shelly pointed to the other side of the green. They crossed the wet
grass to a thatched cottage set in a garden overflowing with
plants. A few evergreens with red berries gave it some winter
color, but in the summer it must be beautiful.

"Here we are." Shelly opened the gate. "Let's
see what my little darlings have been up to while I was away. Chloe
looks after them while I'm at work, with a local teenager
supervising." She glanced at Vicky. "Chloe's my brother's
nine-year-old. She's very grown up for her age, and she's besotted
with the puppies."

As Shelly unlocked the front door, a clamor
of puppy yaps and girly giggles greeted them. "Only me," Shelly
shouted as they made their way along a corridor and entered the
kitchen.

On the far side of the room, in front of the
stove, a girl with long dark hair in a ponytail sat on a cushion
beside a huge plastic dog bed lined with blankets, while a teenager
with short blond hair sat at the table, texting on her phone.

"Hi, Natalie. All okay?"

The teen nodded.

A black Labrador lay in the dog bed
surrounded by a jumble of busy puppies. They were all black except
for one little golden one. Warmth unfurled inside Vicky and a smile
stretched her lips. They were absolutely adorable.

"How have they been, Chloe?" Shelly asked,
crouching at her side.

"Wonderful." Chloe grinned. "Midnight has
been licking the puppies and feeding them lots."

"That's good. We want them to grow big and
strong."

"Hello, Uncle Jon." Chloe rose and hugged
Jonathan.

"Hi there, Cocoa Puff." He kissed the top of
her head and held her for a moment. Then she took his hand and
pulled him after her. "Come and sit on the floor. You can have my
cushion. I've cleaned up so you won't stand in poop."

"Good thinking." Jonathan laughed. "Don't
want to tread
that
all over Shelly's hall carpet."

Shelly grabbed a cushion from a chair in the
corner of the room and tossed it to Vicky. "Make yourself
comfortable."

Vicky hugged the cushion and stared at the
dog bed. "They're the most adorable little bundles of fluff."

"I can imagine," Jonathan said. "I can
certainly hear them and smell them." He stooped to feel for the
cushion Chloe had vacated, then sat with his back to the stove and
his legs stretched in front of him.

The mother dog stepped over her pups and out
of the bed to greet the new arrivals, pushing her nose into
Jonathan's face. "Hi there, Midnight." He rubbed her ears. Tail
wagging, she turned to greet Vicky.

"You're gorgeous," she said, stroking the
friendly dog.

Shelly scooped up a couple of puppies. "Here
you go." She gently deposited them on Jonathan's lap, then
straightened, hands on her hips and a grin on her face as the pups
clambered into his arms. "Goodness knows how you ever managed to
shoot anyone, Captain Bramwell. You're such a softy."

Vicky put her cushion on the flagstone floor
at his side and sat down. Two more of the puppies clambered over
the side of the dog bed and scampered across the floor towards
them, tails wagging, giving excited yaps.

They clambered over Vicky and Jonathan's
outstretched legs. Shelly picked up the little golden pup and
handed it to Vicky. "Our one little golden angel," she said. "She
has the sweetest nature."

The little girl squirmed in Vicky's hands,
her tiny mouth open, the tip of her pink tongue poking out. She was
a light cream color with a dark nose and dark eyes. Vicky gazed
into the pup's liquid brown eyes. Her heart warmed in a way she'd
almost forgotten as she cradled the little dog in her arms.

"You're a cutie, aren't you?" She glanced up
at Shelly. "Does she have a name?"

"No. I let the new owners who'll give the
pups their forever homes choose the names. The little golden angel
hasn't been chosen yet. She's the smallest, so I expect she'll make
quite a small adult."

Vicky's heart jumped and skittered as the
tiny pup snuggled into her arms. A sense of protectiveness stole
through her. Was it possible to fall in love with a dog at first
sight?

"Why isn't this one spoken for?"

"Goodness knows. I thought she'd go first.
Perhaps she was waiting for you?"

Vicky held the pup up to her face and
breathed in the wonderful puppy fur smell. "Her coat seems a bit
fluffy for a Labrador. Is that just puppy fluff?"

"Dad was a golden retriever. She's the only
one who's got her dad's color. It's likely she'll have a longer
coat as well. I think most of the blacks will have smooth Labrador
coats. Look at the one Jon's holding. That's very smooth
coated."

Vicky had been so engrossed in the golden pup
she hadn't taken much notice of what Jonathan was doing. Cradling
her baby girl against her cheek, she turned to watch him. Jonathan
laughed with unrestrained pleasure as the rest of the litter homed
in on him, clambering over his legs and crawling into his lap.

He stroked them and picked them up, pressing
his face against their fur.

"They smell wonderful," he said, "and they're
so soft. What adorable little things. I wish I could have one, but
that's probably not a good idea."

"Will you put me down for this little girl?"
Vicky hadn't come with the intention of buying a dog, yet this
golden angel had stolen her heart the moment she saw her. Holding
the pup in her arms felt right—as if they were meant for each
other.

"Of course. That's wonderful. I know I
shouldn't have favorites, but the golden girl is one of mine."

Shelly pulled a length of pink ribbon out of
a box on the kitchen counter and tied it around the neck of the pup
in Vicky's arms, then she made a note in a book. "There you go. Pup
number six is yours."

"How long until they're ready to leave?"
Vicky wanted to take her baby now.

"They're four and a half weeks. It'll be
another four weeks until they can leave their mum."

"That will feel like forever!" Vicky laughed
as her pup nibbled her fingers.

"It'll give you time to prepare. Do you have
a dog-friendly house?"

Vicky's old house would have been a wonderful
home for a dog, with the coast path and the beach just down the
road, but she hadn't been able to stay there after she lost Colin
and Josh. It reminded her too much of them. Her new apartment in
Southampton was definitely not dog friendly, right in the middle of
town with no backyard. Anyway, the landlord didn't allow dogs.
She'd have to move to a new home, and fast.

"I need to make a few changes, but I promise
to take her home to somewhere dog friendly."

"That's wonderful. Of course Jonathan has the
ultimate dog-friendly apartment with acres of walks right on his
doorstep."

"Yep. Honey likes her walks," Jonathan
said.

Vicky cradled her baby. "I'm going to call
her Jessie."

"Hey, Jessie." Jonathan extended a hand and
petted Jessie, his fingers sliding over Vicky's. "She can meet
Honey and make friends. We can walk them together."

Vicky took his hand and squeezed it with a
burst of joy she hadn't felt in years.

While
Vicky dashed back into the pub to collect her scarf, Jonathan
kissed Shelly's cheek. "Thanks for showing us the pups. You've made
my Christmas."

"You're still coming to the pub for Christmas
dinner, aren't you?" The weight of her hand rested on his arm.

"If I can get a ride here."

"Owen or I will collect you unless Vicky
wants to bring you. She's welcome to have dinner with us."

"I'll ask her and let you know." He didn't
want to make too many demands on Vicky. She was obviously
emotionally fragile, and he understood that. After the injury and
operation, it had taken him a while to come to terms with his
limitations and how his life had to change. Even now, there were
still times when things got the better of him and he preferred to
be on his own.

Shelly slipped her arm through his. "She's
very pretty, you know. She has gorgeous long dark hair with
chestnut highlights. She's about my height and slim. She looks
fit."

"She was running when I first met her."
Jonathan examined the mental picture he'd already formed of Vicky
and found it matched what Shelly had told him. "What color are her
eyes?" he asked.

"Hazel. Very pretty. And she isn't wearing
much makeup. She doesn't need it."

The pub door closed with a bang, and Vicky's
footsteps hurried towards them. "Sorry to be so long. Someone had
handed it in, and it was behind the bar in the lost-and-found
box."

"I'm glad you found it. You're welcome to
come back and visit Jessie again anytime," Shelly said. "You'll be
amazed how she grows and changes in the next few weeks."

"Thanks. I'll definitely take you up on your
offer. And thank you for such a lovely lunch. I really enjoyed
it."

"I'll pass on your compliments to the
chef."

Jonathan reached in the direction of Vicky's
voice, touched her back, and took a half step sideways so he could
put his arm through hers. "Let's go and see if we can start the
boiler at the gatehouse."

"You don't have to worry about that. I'll
survive."

Jonathan had expected this response, but he
wasn't going to be put off. He wanted to show her he wasn't
completely helpless. "You shouldn't have to
survive
. You
paid for a comfortable rental property, not an endurance test."

He took a step in the direction he thought
the car was parked, taking her with him, then let her lead and
walked with her, his arm linked through hers.

She dug in her coat pocket and her keys
rattled. A moment later, he heard the car locks pop open a short
distance ahead.

"Here you are. This is the passenger
side."

Jonathan felt for the handle and climbed in,
familiar now with the dimensions of the small car.

"I really don't want you to worry about my
boiler," she said after she got in beside him.

"I'm going to check it, so stop arguing." A
few moments of heavy silence followed his words, and he wondered if
she'd missed the teasing note in his voice.

"All right, then. If you insist," she
said.

Jonathan's breath slipped out on a sigh of
relief. He didn't want to screw things up with Vicky. Although he'd
only just met her, he sensed a connection between them, and he
really wanted a chance to know her better, even if they were never
more than friends. Before his injury, he'd have laughed if someone
suggested he look for companionship. Back then he'd had such a full
life, he didn't have a moment to be lonely. Things were different
now.

Losing his sight had cut him off from so much
and isolated him from people. Often he knew people were around, but
they avoided interacting with him. It was as if when he lost his
sight he became invisible, especially to women.