Page 25 of A Matter of Time
“I don’t really know. I think he’s a mix of a number of small breeds. He’s pretty cute, don’t you think?”
“He is,” Richard glanced her way and caught her staring at him in open admiration. He smiled warmly. “Angelina, I hope you won’t mind my asking, but why is it that you avoid romantic relationships?”
She hadn’t been expecting the question and it took her a moment to remember exactly why she had chosen to remain single and uninvolved. “Well,” she finally managed, “I haven’t had the best of luck with the men I’ve known, starting with my father.”
“What could your father possibly have done, to cause you to turn your back on love?”
“He left.” That wasn’t the complete truth, but it was all she cared to share. Truthfully, she hadn’t given her father much thought over the years. As far as she was concerned, he didn’t deserve her attention. Richard remained silent, as if he was waiting for her to explain and she found herself examining that hollow, conflicted feeling she had buried deep in her heart, knowing that her father had not wanted her. “Before my mother met my father, she had been married twice.” Angelina screwed up her nose and shook her head. “She wasn’t very good at relationships. She had two other daughters - one by each of her husbands. By the time she met my father, she had been divorced for several years and her two daughters were already in high school and college.” Angelina kept her gaze focused out over the water as she continued. “My father was a lot younger than my mom. He was apparently looking for a good time, and she filled the bill. After I was born, he hung around for a while, but the responsibility of a wife and a child was too much for him and he left. I never saw or heard from him again.”
“I’m so sorry, Angelina,” Richard said, his gaze falling on her. She hoped it wasn’t pity she could see in his eyes. She neither needed nor wanted that.
“Don’t feel sorry for me,” she said. “I’ve gotten along just fine without a father.” They walked a bit further before she spoke again. “When I was old enough to start dating, I made some poor choices, just like my mother did. I always seemed to go for the guys who weren’t looking for a long term relationship, or if they were, they treated me as if I was a possession.” Keeping her gaze lowered, she thought about all the times she had been someone’s arm candy. “I think I told you before, I don’t want to be any man’s possession, something to be tossed aside at their whim.” She peeked at him and saw that he was listening very carefully. “After a while, I decided I couldn’t trust a man with my heart, so I stopped offering it.” She turned and gazed into his handsome face. “This is what I want. I’m the one who calls the shots now, and I prefer it that way.” Angelina’s heart had hardened over many years of disappointment, and she wasn’t about to start softening now that she’d met someone who appeared to be different from all those other men.
Richard stopped walking and when she turned to face him, he took her hands in his. “You are a woman who is meant to be treasured, Angelina, not something to be tossed aside. I know you’ve been hurt, but don’t deny yourself the experience of loving someone and being loved in return.” He searched her face, for what, she had no idea. Steadfastly, she reminded herself she was not going to love him, no matter how much she might find herself drawn to him.
The frantic yapping of little Percy drew their attention. A flash of white fur bolted down the path in front of them and then with an anxious yelp, he disappeared.
“Percy! Oh, no!” Angelina exclaimed. They both took off running towards the spot where he’d last been. “Percy!” she called.
Richard peered over the edge of the cliff. “He’s down there, he’s landed on a ledge,” he said. He lay down on his stomach and stretched his arm out over the side but a few tense moments later, he shook his head. “He’s too far down, I can’t reach him.”
Angelina lay down beside Richard, frantic to try and help. She gasped, when she saw the little dog, covered in dirt and whimpering in fear at his predicament. He had landed on a small shelf, which jutted out from the cliff edge. “He’s lucky he didn’t fall all the way down to the water.” Angelina scanned the area around them, hoping to discover a way down to rescue Percy.
Richard stood up and removed his jacket, before he turned back and settled on the edge of the cliff, his feet dangling over the side.
“You can’t go down there!” Angelina shouted. “You’ll fall. Let me go for help.”
“I don’t think we have the luxury of time on our side,” Richard observed. “Were he to move in the wrong direction, he’d be lost to us and I, for one, do not wish to break that kind of news to Estella.” Finding hand and footholds, Richard twisted around and lowered his large frame down the side of the cliff.
Angelina held her breath as she watched him climb down like an expert. Crumbling rock and dirt showered him as he went, but he never faltered in his movements. Finally, after what seemed like hours, he reached Percy. He managed to get his feet wedged on the small shelf and with one hand, scooped Percy up. The little dog showered him with kisses and Richard held him tightly against his chest. He looked up at Angelina and smiled triumphantly. “I’ve got him,” he called.
“I can see that,” she replied with an anxious smile. “How are you going to climb back up? You’ll need both hands.”
He winked at her and quickly stuffed Percy into what had once been a very clean white shirt. Once he was certain that the dog was safe, and there was no chance he’d lose him, he began to climb back up.
Again, Angelina held her breath, praying that he’d make it back to the top without falling. When his head appeared over the edge of the cliff, she heaved a sigh of relief. He carefully placed both palms down on the dirt and hoisted himself onto the pathway. Angelina couldn’t help herself, throwing her arms around him and never wanting to let go. The whimpering of little Percy brought her back to the present and she reluctantly let Richard go. He pulled Percy out from his shirt and handed the small dog to her.
“Percy, what were you thinking?” she scolded. Percy’s small body started to quiver and a volley of excited barks erupted from his mouth. It was all she could do to hang onto him, as he frantically tried to escape her grasp to chase a small rabbit hopping about in the brush. “So that’s what made you run off like that,” she observed. “We’ll have to tell Estella that he needs to be on a leash for cliff walks, from now on.”
They cut their walk short and headed back the way they’d come. As they approached Estella’s home, she met them at the door. “Did you have a nice walk?” she asked, mischievously eyeing the two of them before her gaze fell on Richard’s dirty clothes and she frowned. “Richard, what happened to your shirt… and why is Percy so dirty?” Estella took Percy from Angelina’s arms and bustled inside. “Come in and tell me what happened.”
Angelina and Richard exchanged glances as they followed her into the small house. Estella set Percy down and he immediately ran to his water bowl. “Tell me what happened,” she repeated, as she looked lovingly at the dog.
Angelina relayed the story, as Estella grew more shocked with every new detail..
“Oh, my,” Estella said. She appeared a little unsteady on her feet and Harry swiftly came to her aid, settling her into a nearby chair. “Richard, thank you so much for saving him. He’s never done anything like that before.”
“It was no trouble at all, Estella. I’m happy he’s back here at home with you.” Richard placed a comforting hand on Estella’s shoulder and she covered it with one of her own.
“And look at your shirt! It’s all dirty now. Please, take it off and I’ll wash it for you,” Estella said, gazing up at him in undisguised admiration.
“Estella! Leave the young man alone,” Harry chided.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll clean it for him later,” Angelina said, hiding a grin at Estella’s visible disappointment.
“Well, the least you can do is let me give you some of the chocolate chip cookies I’ve just baked. Let me get a plate for you.” Estella got up and busied herself in the kitchen, returning with a plate overflowing with cookies.
“That’s a lot of cookies,” Angelina grinned. “Thank you.”
