Page 46 of Sanctuary at MacLeod's Cove
‘Yes, he is. He would never hurt anyone or anything. He’s definitely not someone to be afraid of.’
Liam nodded thoughtfully and looked over at the caravan again. ‘Why does he live in a caravan?’
‘I think it’s only when he’s working on his house. See? Beside the caravan, where there’s some building work going on? Well, that’s going to be his new house. The rest of the time he lives in Wellington.’
‘Wellington. Where we’re going tomorrow?’
‘That’s right. The city with the museum we’re going to visit. And then next week we could go to the bird sanctuary in Karori.’
‘Cool.’
She took a deep breath. ‘They also have geckos and tuataras there. You remember Grandma telling you about the tuataras?’
‘The dinosaurs?’
She laughed. ‘That’s right. They were around when the dinosaurs were. And they look like them, though, of course, much smaller. And they have wetas there, too.’
‘Ooh, Grandma told me about them, too. Lucy said she’s scared of them. I won’t be though.’
‘There’s nothing to be scared of. They’re just creatures doing their thing. They don’t sting, and they’re not poisonous.’ She sucked in a deep breath. ‘The local school has a weta house.
His eyes widened. ‘A weta house? Like a doll’s house or something?’
‘I’m not sure. I’ve only heard about it. We could take a look if you like? I know one of the teachers there, and she’ll be happy to show you, I’m sure.’
He jumped up, splashing them both. ‘Can we?’
Laughing, she pulled the now wet shirt away from her warm body. ‘Yes, we most definitely can! But not before…’ She leaned down to him.
‘Before what?’
‘I do this.’ She scooped up a handful of water and splashed it over him.
She watched him run away from her splashes, his laughter combining on the wind with the caws of indignant waders and dogs barking in the distance.
She hadn’t been this happy in a very long time.
Chapter Fourteen
It all changed suddenly. From the laughter of being with her family, a sharp staccato sound heralded a change. Her heart beat faster, and she looked around but couldn’t see anything. But she knew it was coming.
A sudden shout woke her from her sleep, and she sat bolt upright. The sharp staccato sound had been the reversing noise of a truck backing up the drive, which stopped at the signal of the shout. A delivery of building supplies. That’s all it was.
Jen lay back down, her heart pounding, her head still in her nightmare. What the hell had she been dreaming of? She squeezed her eyes tight shut as she tried to make sense of the few remaining strands of the dream she could remember.
But the images had disappeared like mist into air, leaving her only with an impression. And it was this that still sent chills through her.
Something — or someone — was coming for her.
And it didn’t take a psychologist to figure out who still lurked in the shadows of her mind. It seemed Alistair cast a long shadow, even here, on the other side of the world. She hated that he’d stained her with his presence and intimidation. Would it be like a bruise which faded over time, or a livid scar which would be with her forever? But for now, her fear was still acute. She was scared.
She hadn’t heard a word from Alistair, and it wasn’t like him. He wouldn’t give her and Liam up so easily, no matter what everyone tried to tell her, or how she’d been kidding herself.
She tossed off the duvet and glanced out at the sunny day, her gaze drawn to the horizon, above which was only clear blue sky. But she knew that shadows and clouds lurked just out of sight. And they’d roll in eventually.
She needed to be prepared.
It was good to be busy with something again, Sam thought as he pointed the laser measuring tool up to the gutter. Good to feel useful to someone again, he guessed. He made a note of the measurement and cast a covert glance up to the top floor of the house under the eaves, where the two attic bedrooms were located.
