Dream On (Dare to Dream Book 2), page 7
“It’s not that bad,” Seamus insisted.
“It’s bad enough,” Kris argued. “I can’t let you come here to do us a favour and let you walk away with a mangled arm. Come on.”
She turned and walked towards the house. Seamus hesitated for a moment, then followed her across the yard and into the sunny kitchen.
“Sit down,” Kris told him as she rummaged in a cupboard under the sink. Seamus obeyed, rolling his sleeve up as she brought the first aid kit over to the table and opened it. She looked at his arm critically and tried pushing his long sleeve up further to expose the whole wound, making him wince involuntarily as the fabric caught on his torn skin.
Kris dropped her hands. “You’ll have to take your shirt off.”
“If you insist.” He started to unbutton his shirt, feeling a sense of satisfaction as he saw a flush rise to Kris’s cheeks, and she turned away to fill a bowl with warm water.
When she turned back, he was sitting bare-chested and facing her. The water slopped over her hands as she set the bowl on the table and grabbed a wad of cotton wool from the first aid kit.
“I’ll just make sure there’s no dirt in it before I put some cream on.”
“Knock yourself out,” Seamus said, leaning back in his chair and watching her ministrations. Her hands were gentle as she set the torn skin back in place. “You look like you’ve had some practice at this.”
Kris gave a hollow laugh. “You try raising my sisters without needing to know basic first aid. If they weren’t falling off, they were falling over, and if it it wasn’t bruised it was broken. Story of my life.”
Seamus looked at her curiously. “You raised both your sisters?”
“No-one else was going to.”
“What about your parents?”
“They died.”
Seamus felt himself redden. “Ah, I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me too.” The words came out sounding bitter, and Kris wished she could take them back, but Seamus spoke again before she could.
“Well they’re mighty girls. You’ve done well by them.”
She shrugged, avoiding his eyes as she squirted antiseptic cream out of the tube and applied it carefully to his wound. “They dragged themselves up, despite me,” she muttered.
“I’m trying to give you a compliment, you know,” Seamus said with a sigh. “The least you can do is have the grace to accept it.”
Kris looked up for a moment, then her eyes flickered away almost involuntarily. “Thanks.”
“See now, was that so hard?”
Kris shrugged, and the slightest hint of a smile appeared on her face. “I’m glad to hear they’ve made a good impression on you. Even if the horses are trying to rip your arms off.”
Seamus chuckled. “Ah, well that’s a horse that’s been treated wrong by somebody. You can tell just by the look in her eyes.”
“And the feel of her teeth,” Kris muttered.
“Aye, that too,” Seamus agreed with a grin. “But can you blame a horse for trying to fight back when she’s been made to feel like it’s her only option?”
“I never blame the horses for anything,” Kris replied, and her back twinged sharply, right on cue. She gritted her teeth and tried not to let the pain show on her face. “But that pony has more issues than a current affairs show, and she’s hurt a lot of people.”
“Honestly, it’s not that bad,” Seamus said, waving a casual hand at the injury to his arm, but Kris shook her head.
“This is nothing compared to what she’s capable of. She’s not ours, thank goodness, but the sooner her owners take her away, the better. It was bad enough having her just standing in the paddock, but now that Marley’s managed to catch her, I’m terrified that she’s going to try and ride her.”
Her piercing blue eyes met his, her expression anxious, and Seamus forced himself to swallow around the sudden dryness in his throat. There was something about this girl that just made him want to sweep her into his arms and hold her tight, but he had seen enough to know she had built some fairly solid walls up around herself. He pulled his thoughts back to the conversation at hand.
“Think she’d be fool enough to try?”
“Plenty enough, and then some,” Kris replied. “The only reason she hasn’t is because I’ve asked her not to, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s planning to do it anyway as soon as my back’s turned.”
“Ah well, it’ll be her funeral,” Seamus shrugged, the words rolling off his tongue in an attempt to lighten the mood.
Kris’s eyes dropped to the floor, and he mentally kicked himself as he realised what he’d said.
“Jesus, I’m sorry. I’ve got a bad habit of saying the wrong thing at exactly the right time. It’s a curse, honestly. You can kick me if you like, I won’t hold it against you.” He searched her face for a clue to what she was thinking, but she hid her feelings well. “Go on, give us a good boot. It’ll make you feel better, so it will. My mother swears by it as a remedy for all kinds of things.”
Kris raised her eyebrows as she placed a piece of gauze against his torn skin, then broke into a smile. Seamus grinned back at her, captivated by the way her whole face lit up with the change of expression. A completely different person looked out at him for a moment, and he wondered how many layers there were to this girl.
“There now, a smile! Was that so hard?” he teased as the door flew open and Marley came bursting in, with Van right behind her. Marley stopped abruptly at the sight of Seamus sitting shirtless in their kitchen and Van collided with her.
“Ow!”
“Whaddaya mean, ow? You’re the one who stopped for no reason!” Van glared at her sister for a moment, then her eyes travelled to Seamus and flashed wickedly. “I’m sorry, are we interrupting something?”
“Your sister’s kindly been patching me up after your wee pony tried tearing me to shreds,” Seamus told the girls. “And she’s done a mighty job, which she tells me comes from the years of practice she had on you two, so thanks for that.”
He shot a grin over his shoulder at Kris as he pulled his shirt back on, but she had turned away from him and was emptying the bowl of water into the sink.
“Yeah, she’s useful for that sort of thing,” Van said offhandedly. “Well I’ve brought Effie down for you to look at, so whenever you’re ready she’s waiting.”
Seamus nodded. “Lead on then,” he replied, and followed Van and Marley out of the room. At the door he paused, glancing back at Kris one more time, but she was packing away the first aid kit, and didn’t look up as he left.
The phone rang late that evening, shrill in the stillness of the house. Kris was on her way to bed, and she grabbed it on her way past, hoping that it hadn’t woken her sisters. Marley needed all the sleep she could get to keep her brain awake for school, and Van would be up before dawn to head to work at the racetrack.
“Hello, Kris speaking.”
“Evening Kris, how’s the rest of your day been?”
She recognised the Irish lilt to his voice immediately. Seamus. Her stomach started squirming inexplicably as she wondered why he was calling.
“Fine,” she said. “How are you?”
“Grand,” he replied. “Sorry to ring so late, but I didn’t think there would be any point beating about the bush. I may not be moving out of the area after all, so I thought I’d check whether your room was still available for rent.”
Kris hesitated. She’d liked Seamus well enough for the brief moment that they’d talked, but she wasn’t sure how to proceed. To just say yes, move on in seemed awfully sudden. And a cold shiver ran down her spine as she considered what their social worker might have to say about the situation. She wasn’t sure that bringing a strange man into the house was going to be met with her approval, even if it would help their finances.
“Kris? Are you still there?”
“Sorry. Yes. I just…there are a few things I need to work out before I can say a definite yes.”
“Right.” He paused for a moment, and Kris felt her face flush. What must he think of her, mucking him around like this? “Well, it’s a big decision. Talk it over with your sisters and let me know.”
Kris wondered if he sounded annoyed, or if she was just projecting that onto him. “Why don’t you come over for dinner tomorrow night?” she offered. “We can all get to know each other a bit better, and talk it over as a group.”
“Sound plan,” Seamus agreed readily. “I’ll see you then. Goodnight Kris.”
“Night,” she replied.
She hung up, then stared uneasily at the phone, wondering what on earth she was getting them all into.
CHAPTER 4
The ute bumped across the uneven dirt track, surrounding the vehicle with a thick plume of dust. Jake clenched his teeth and braced himself against the bone-shattering jolts, until Mike finally stopped in front of a big cowshed. Mike unclipped his seatbelt and opened his door, but when Jake went to follow suit, he shook his head.
“Wait here. I won’t be long.” He slammed the door and headed across the deeply rutted grass towards the cowshed, sliding his arms into the sleeves of his overalls as he walked.
Jake slumped back against the car seat and stared out at the muddy farmyard. When Mike had offered to take him on rounds that morning, he’d thought it was a good sign. Maybe they would start getting along after all. But Mike had made it clear pretty quickly that Jake was only invited because Van was working overtime at the track and Kris had a meeting with her social worker, so with Marley at school, there was nobody at the farm to keep an eye on him. It wasn’t that Mike wanted him around - he’d just run out of other options.
Jake sighed, and tried not to care. After a few more minutes of boredom, he got out of the ute. Not to make trouble, but because he needed to stretch his legs. Mike had barely let him out of his sight all morning, treating him like some savage dog that had to be kept chained up or it might go mad and bite someone’s arm off. He scuffed at the ground, kicking his shabby sneaker at a rock half-buried in the dirt. It loosened, and he kicked it again. The rock came free and flew across the ground, hitting a nearby corrugated iron shack and ricocheting off with a clang. Jake glanced over at the barn that his stepbrother had disappeared into, wondering if he was going to come out and yell at him, but there was no sign of Mike.
A pair of large geese came around the corner of the sheds and waddled past Jake, shooting dirty looks at him and muttering to each other as they went. Most of the sheds were shut tight, but one had a bent door and the geese ducked through the gap and went inside. Seconds later, all hell broke loose. Jake listened in alarm to the sound of frantic honking and crashing around inside the shed. He ran to the door and wrenched it open, hoping that he wouldn’t find a massacred pair of geese inside.
What he did find was enough to stop him in his tracks. The geese were the ones making all the noise, hissing and flapping their wings threateningly at a skinny black and white dog that was cowering in the corner. After a moment of confusion, Jake leapt into action.
“Hey!”
The geese turned towards him and one hissed loudly, snaking its neck out towards him with a savage look in its beady eyes. Jake swore under his breath and grabbed a rake that was leaning against the wall, using it to keep the geese at bay as he made his way to the corner where the dog lay, trembling and whimpering pathetically.
“Get out of it!” Jake growled at the birds, brandishing the rake at them again. They looked pissed off, but grudgingly gave ground. Emboldened by his success, Jake continued waving the rake in their faces until he had managed to shoo them out of the door.
“And stay out!” he told them, before setting the rake back against the wall, and walking slowly over to the dog in the corner. “What are you doing in here?”
The dog looked up at him and thumped its tail weakly against the dirt floor. Jake crouched down next to it and slowly reached out to touch its shaggy coat. He could feel its ribs easily, but it didn’t seem to be injured, just starved half to death. He stroked its head and ears, and the dog closed its eyes and wagged its tail with renewed vigour.
“You’re a good dog,” Jake said quietly. He didn’t have too much experience with animals, but he spoke softly and confidently, unconsciously mimicking the way he had heard Marley talk to her ponies when they got upset. “This doesn’t look like a good place for you to be. Don’t worry, I won’t leave you here. I’ll find a way to get you out.” Jake didn’t know if he could fulfil that promise, but he resolved to try.
“JAKE!”
Jake startled at the sound of Mike’s voice. He sounded angry, and Jake got to his feet quickly and went to the door, sticking his head out.
“In here.” Without waiting for Mike’s response, he stepped back inside. Mike had to come inside, he had to see this dog. He wouldn’t be able to just walk away and leave an animal suffering like this, Jake was sure of it.
Mike was furious as he marched into the shed. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You can’t just nosey around in people’s private property. Didn’t I tell you to stay in the car?”
Jake ignored his tirade as he crouched down by the dog again and motioned to Mike to come over. “Come and look at this.”
Mike stomped over to him, still angry. “This better be worth all the trouble it could…” He broke off as he saw the dog, and he crouched down alongside Jake. “What the hell?” He reached out to the dog, who raised an upper lip and snarled at him nervously. Mike withdrew his hand and shook his head. “How did you find him?”
“The geese came in here and they went mental. I thought there was something attacking them but they were going crazy at the dog, so I chased them out. He’s really skinny,” Jake said, running his hand over the collie’s dull coat. Mike frowned, but the dog thumped his tail against the ground, accepting Jake’s touch. “I can feel all his ribs.”
Mike gave Jake a strange, appraising look. “He doesn’t mind you touching him.”
Jake shrugged. “Maybe because I chased the geese away.”
“Maybe.” Mike stood up, and Jake looked at him anxiously.
“We can’t just leave him here.” Jake hated the pleading sound of his voice, but he couldn’t help it.
“I’m not planning to. I’ll go find Jeff, ask what’s going on,” Mike said. “I’m as upset about this as you are, don’t worry.”
He walked out of the shed, and after a moment, Jake stood up and followed. The dog whimpered sadly as he walked to the door, and Jake looked over his shoulder.
“We’ll come back for you,” he told the dog. “You won’t get left behind, I swear.”
“I’m starving!” Marley announced, throwing her schoolbag onto the floor and flinging open the fridge door. “Ooh, you’ve made casserole!”
Kris looked up from her seat at the table. “Don’t eat that! I’m saving it for dinner.”
“I’ll just have less at dinner time,” Marley told her, pulling the dish out and setting it on the table.
“No you won’t. Have some toast or something if you’re hungry.”
Marley pulled a face. “Toast isn’t a proper meal.”
“It’s four o’clock, it’s not time for a proper meal.”
“It is according to my stomach.”
“Nobody asked your stomach,” Kris replied as Van walked into the room.
“There’s a can of baked beans in the bottom of the pantry,” she told Marley. “Heat them up. I’ll have some too.”
“No there isn’t, they’re in the casserole,” Marley pointed out. “I can see them.”
“So just eat the casserole.”
“Kris won’t let me.”
Van raised her eyebrows at Kris, who grabbed the dish and put it back in the fridge. “Nobody is eating any of this until dinner time. We have company coming, and there has to be something left to feed him.”
Marley’s head shot up. “Who’s coming for dinner?”
“That guy Seamus called last night. He’s decided he might want to move in here after all, so he’s coming over for dinner to discuss it,” Kris explained.
“Really?” Marley’s face lit up. “That’s awesome! I hope he decides he wants to live here. I liked him.”
“That explains his cryptic message this morning when he asked me what the dress code is for dinner at our house. I thought he was making some joke that I didn’t get,” Van said thoughtfully. “This makes more sense.”
“What did you tell him?” Marley asked curiously.
“I told him it was clothing optional,” Van said with a wide grin.
Kris shook her head in exasperation as they heard a car pull up on the gravel outside. The dogs jumped up and scurried down the hall to greet the visitor, and Marley followed them.
“He’s early,” Kris said nervously, but Van shook her head.
“It’s only Mike,” she said. “He just called to say he’d was going to stop by.”
“Oh.” Kris was relieved. “I talked to Camilla about it today. Having a lodger, that is.”
Van looked surprised. “Oh right. Good thinking Batman. And it’s okay with her?”
Kris shrugged. “She wasn’t exactly thrilled, but she did appreciate the financial sense it makes. She’s going to come by and check him out when he moves in, so he’ll have to be on his best behaviour.”
“He’ll be fine. We’ll make sure he’s dressed and everything,” Van teased her sister as Mike walked in, followed by Jake, who was carrying the skinniest wreck of a border collie that she’d ever seen.
“What on earth is that?”
“The newest addition to the family,” Marley said quickly, following on Jake’s heels as he carefully set the dog down on the pile of blankets in the corner that their dogs used as a sleeping area.
“Seriously?” Kris asked, torn between the desire to look after the pitiful creature and desperation at the thought of yet another mouth to feed.
“Not if you don’t want him,” Mike said reassuringly. “Jake found him at Jeff Plunkett’s place this afternoon, wasting away in a shed. We couldn’t leave him there, and there’s no room at the shelters just now so I said I’d take him in for a bit. Trouble is my landlady says no pets, so he’ll have to come here. If that’s okay,” he added quickly. “I didn’t think you’d mind.”
