Page 33 of Love in the Air at The Cornish Bakery

Joining him on the promenade, she paused. His red jumper was stained a deep shade of burgundy from the rain and water dripped from his hair. He must have been searching for some time. ‘Where are we looking?’

‘The owners are searching at the top of the hill and a couple of regulars are heading towards that end of the beach, so I guess we’ve got the cliffs.’ He shrugged and began jogging back towards the shops, heading past them towards a small path cut into the cliffs.

Following him, she squinted ahead, trying to search the long grass for the lost dog. ‘What’s his name?’

‘Bruno.’

Nina nodded as she ran up the steep slope behind Rowan. ‘Bruno!’

‘Bruno!’

‘What’s that over there?’ Nina pointed across to some ferns to her right. She looked across at Rowan, who was already a few metres ahead, and shrugged. She’d go and check. If it was Bruno, then she’d call ahead again and get his attention. Slowing her pace as she neared the ferns, she tried to be as quiet as she possibly could. The last thing they needed was for her to startle the dog and have him run off again.

Almost there. She frowned. He wasn’t moving. At all. The glimpse of white showing through the leaves hadn’t moved an inch since she’d first spotted it. Maybe he was hurt? Had injured himself or had realised he was lost and was just terrified?

‘Bruno?’ She spoke quietly, calling his name, telling him everything would be okay. She was almost there now, could almost touch the ferns.

‘Nina! Stop!’

Frowning, she straightened her back and looked around. Rowan was running towards her. ‘I think I’ve found him. There’s something behind the ferns.’

‘Wait, don’t go any further. Look at the signs.’ Reaching her, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back. ‘The signs.’

Steadying herself, she looked around. Where were the signs? Oh there. Signs warning of a steep drop and slippery ground. ‘Did you just save my life?’

‘Maybe.’ Rowan shrugged. ‘I may have overreacted a little, but the cliffs can be dangerous, especially when it’s raining and getting dark.’

‘Well, whether you overreacted or not, thank you.’ She looked across at him and smiled. ‘You don’t think that bit of white behind the ferns could be Bruno, then?’

‘No, look, ironically it’s one of the signs which has fallen.’ Kneeling down, he pointed.

‘Oh, yes. Well, now I feel daft.’ Her hood fell as she shook her head.

‘You are not daft.’ Standing next to her, he gently tucked her hair behind her ears and pulled her hood back up.

‘Thank you.’ Leaning forward, she kissed him before pulling back and heading further up the path. ‘Bruno!’

‘Bruno!’ Cupping his hands around his mouth, Rowan slowly spun around, calling his name.

‘There! There he is!’ Patting Rowan’s arm, Nina pointed back down the path. ‘I see him.’

‘Oh yes. Bruno, come on, buddy. Over here. Come to us.’ Kneeling down, Rowan held out his hand.

Nina kneeled down next to him and watched as the dog began walking towards them, hesitant at first, but the closer he got the more confident he became and soon he was standing in front of them, wagging his tail.

‘Got you.’ Taking Bruno’s collar, Rowan petted his head, tickling his ears. ‘That’s it, Bruno. Good boy.’

Shrugging her handbag from her shoulder, Nina unclipped the strap and clipped it to Bruno’s collar. ‘There we go. A makeshift lead.’

Standing back up, Rowan grinned at her.

‘What? Doesn’t everyone carry a handbag with a makeshift lead attached?’ She laughed before linking arms with him. ‘Come on, let’s reunite him with his owners and get you dry before you catch a cold.’

‘Do you think that’s true?’

‘What? That you can catch a cold from actually being cold and wet? I’ve no idea.’ Shaking her head, she laughed.

‘Hold on one moment, I’ll just get the torch up on my phone so we can see where we’re going.’ Pausing, he pulled his phone from his back pocket and shone the torch in front of them.

---