Page 98 of Wild About You

‘Not really. He could cover quite a distance. He took one of the old kit bags, and the bottle of the Macallan from the living room,’ George said.

The Macallan, I thought.That whisky has a lot to answer for. Surely not…

‘I have an idea where he might be,’ I said.

They turned and looked at me.

Half an hour later, Callum, Hugo and I were rattling our way up the hillside in Cal’s ancient Land Rover. Hugo was freshly bathed and I held him in my lap, althoughoccasionally he would launch himself onto his back legs and gaze out of the window at the hills and streams, as though he longed to be exploring them. Back at the house, Roshni and George were briefing the search party, just in case I was wrong.

The promised snow hadn’t materialised but the sky was lead grey and menacing. When we got to our destination, I kept a strong hold on Hugo’s lead as he jumped down beside me, and I hoisted a kit bag on my back despite Callum’s offer to take it. We set off along the muddy track, our faces brightened by the cold.

At a clearing in the woods, we saw it: the little bothy where Jamie and I had spent the night, smoke rising from its chimney.

Callum caught my eye. ‘Let’s see,’ he said.

Hugo and I went first. I knocked on the green door and turned the handle. At the same moment as I opened the door, Jamie appeared in front of me, surprised and glum-looking; Hugo went mad with joy, barking and bouncing on his back legs. Jamie’s face creased with joy. ‘Ingrate,’ he said, crouching and inhaling the smell of Hugo’s scruff as the beagle booped at him with his nose. ‘Where the hell have you been, little hound?’

‘On adventures,’ I said, trying desperately to stop myself from keeling over with relief. I leaned back out the door and gave a thumbs-up to Callum. He nodded, and a smile broke across his face. ‘One hour,’ he said, and headed off back through the woods.

I closed the door and turned to look at Jamie, suddenly feeling shy. He had scooped Hugo into his arms, and was rubbing the little dog’s chest. Then he gently put him down. ‘Was it you who guessed where I was?’ he said.

I leaned back against the door. ‘Yes. George said you’d taken the Macallan. That was the clincher.’

He nodded and smiled, still not meeting my eye.

‘I’ve got treats,’ I said. ‘Plus my own supply of chocolate, so you can’t ration me this time.’ I pulled out some folded blankets from the kit bag and put them on the floor. Hugo immediately claimed the pile and lay down on them. I laughed.

When I stopped laughing, I looked up; Jamie’s eyes were bright and fixed on my face. His beautiful, electric blue eyes, so much like the sky over Stonemore, but filled with a feeling that flipped my heart.

‘I thought I’d lost him,’ he said.

‘Nothing’s lost that can’t be found,’ I said.

‘Is that one of your mum’s weird sayings?’ he said, and as we started laughing, he pulled me to him. ‘Can I kiss you?’ he said. ‘Even if it’s for the last time?’

I answered by kissing him first.

It was just like the first time we’d kissed; like lighting a touchpaper. And we didn’t stop, couldn’t stop. He lifted me up into his arms and I wrapped my legs around his waist, until Hugo started barking and we broke away from each other, breathless and laughing.

‘It was never just about sex,’ I blurted out, and saw theastonishment on his face. ‘I love you. I know it’s inconvenient, but I love you.’

‘I love you too.’ He said it without hesitation. Then he pulled me to him again and kissed me passionately. ‘I’ve wanted to kiss you again, for so long,’ Jamie said. ‘You drive me insane. I can’t tell you, Anna.’ He pressed his face into my neck whilst I played my fingers over his neck, his hair.

‘I need to sit down before I fall down,’ I said. I was trembling with adrenaline, with relief, with absolute desire. We sat down on the folded blankets and Hugo squirmed beside us, burying his nose in the side of Jamie’s thigh. ‘Tell me it’s not the last time,’ Jamie said.

‘You’re not getting rid of me that easily,’ I said. ‘By the way, do you realise you just told me that you loved me? I mean, after all that fuss. See how easy it was?’

‘Ridiculously easy,’ he said softly. ‘Thanks for the therapy. You can go now.’

I shoved him and he pulled me to him. ‘I can’t believe you’re here.’ He planted another kiss on my lips. He handed me his tin mug and I took a sip of whisky; warm, fiery and soothing. ‘Luckily I’d only just poured my first.’

‘It was an emergency,’ I said. ‘George thought you were lying at the bottom of a sheer drop.’

‘What? Really?’ He shook his head. ‘Oh no, poor George. I didn’t think.’

‘I’m sure he’ll forgive you.’ I allowed myself to stroke the side of his neck with my thumb. It was as though I had to ration these moments – too much joy would kill me.

His eyes flickered back to my face. ‘I’ve made such a mess of things. When I got back, and I saw Lucinda with that man – it was like I woke up from a dream. What was I thinking? Me and Lucinda? Poor woman. I failed her on every count. I couldn’t even bring myself to go to bed with her.’

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