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‘I’ve got some steak out for dinner. I’ll go and cut a piece and we’ll see if we can encourage him to come and greet us. Don’t touch him while I’m gone.’
Ava was gone only one minute, two at most. Upon her return, a large, roly-poly brown dog sat in Ish’s lap. He petted the dog along his spine as it sat quietly.
Ava placed the bowl of cut up meat into his hand and he immediately held out a piece to the dog who lapped it up, licking his lips for more. Encouraging him around to the side of the house, Ava turned on the tap and they washed him down, gently and slowly. He didn’t startle, seeming used to people. Underneath the grime was a deliciously chocolate-coloured coat that held a golden sheen in the dying afternoon sun.
Ish splashed at the dog and tickled him and laughed when the dog tried to lick the water droplets on his face. With a perfect bullseye, the dog’s lips connected to his cheek and Ish broke into giggles.
This was why they moved here.
For this.
Ava thanked the world for the validation.
Later that afternoon as Clive mowed their paddocks, the dull hum of his tractor music in the background, the vet arrived.
‘Hi, I’m Zac Coleman, the regional vet.’ Ava introduced herself and Duke and he proceeded to examine the now clean and content dog.
‘She’s a chocolate Labrador and she’s pregnant,’ he said looking up at Ava with a rueful smile.
‘Um … what?’
‘Yep, ‘fraid so. Usual pregnancies are about sixty-three days and I’d say she hasn’t got long to go.’
‘Puppies!’ Ish fussed about the dog once more. Gently stroking her back and encouraging her to lay down on the specially constructed bed of blankets he’d made for her on their back deck.
‘Unfortunately, she’s not microchipped so I can’t identify an owner. Might be tricky but I’ll investigate. Are you okay to look after her in the interim?’ Zac asked.
‘Oh, yeah, of course. But she must have an owner, and a male dog friend, I guess. She can’t have come far.’
‘Good news is she’s healthy, excepting the extra baby weight. You’ll just need to keep an eye on her. Usually, they go into labour spontaneously and don’t need any assistance. If you see her disappear and find solitude somewhere, likely she’s in labour. But until then, Duke, don’t get her too excited, no running around and nice gentle walks, okay?’
‘Yes, sir!’ Duke shouted and stood to attention.
Zac laughed. Ava didn’t.
Chapter Five
‘Wowser, you got yourself a great place here. All this land. Lots of open space. Must have cost a motza! House is a write-off though. Old. Ugly. Rundown. Out of date. Got loads of money, have you, to fix it up?’
Another new day, another stranger, another man on her property. Was she inviting trouble, making too many people aware of her existence? Given the knot in her stomach the answer was yes, definitely yes, but how did she renovate without help?
Only thing to do was trust her gut and, right now, it was ringing alarm bells. She didn’t address any of the builder’s questions but trailed behind him as he inspected the property.
He didn’t seem bothered by the one-sided conversation. ‘Yes siree, gonna cost you a pretty penny. Needs loads of work. The structure seems fine, but the stumps need replacing and the exterior palings. New roof, most likely new windows, doors, fresh coat of paint, obviously, and I’ll have to do a thorough assessment of both sets of exterior stairs. And that’s before tackling the inside.’
Ava swallowed the lump in her throat. Yeah, she knew that. The amount of work was obvious, but harder to hear it said out loud. So bluntly. So unkindly. The grand old lady didn’t appear so grand anymore.
The inside would be okay. Yes, everything needed replacing: the kitchen, the bathrooms and the floors with the addition of new furniture, it was ascetic and excepting the heavy lifting of kitchen cabinetry and bathroom fittings, she figured she’d manage the redecorating.
It was the significant repair and replacement jobs that were outside of her ability. Hence the need for assistance.
An image of the blue topaz ring popped into her head and she instinctively went to twist it around her finger except, finally, it was safely stored away. She rubbed the obvious indent on her bare finger instead. If what this fellow said was true about the extent of the repair and cost, how long could she keep it?
Thinking of the ring transported her back in time to when Henry had proposed. They were at home in their shared apartment. He’d set up candles so the room had an amber glow, scattered rose petals across the plush carpet and soft classical music played in the background. He’d cooked. The occasion was quite unlike Henry who usually veered towards extravagant displays of affection. In tune with her needs, he’d made it just the two of them and it was perfect. But everything about her relationship with Henry had been magical; almost dreamlike. She’d been so in love and thought that their love for each other could have sustained them through anything.
The builder asked a question landing her back in the present, away from the romance of her former life. Ava screwed up her face. This guy churned her stomach. Those eyes that kept sliding to her chest; his builder’s talk as if she were dumb. Plus, his macho and patronising demeanour matched with his salacious and unsavoury grin reminded her of another man from her past. A less pleasant man than her husband.
Heat warmed her body. She might have loved Henry fiercely but she hadn’t travelled across the world, run away from her the man he’d become and her past life to be treated like this by another man. She wasn’t prepared to tolerate it … but …
