He didn’t seem to care one way or the other, but Drake did. He shouted at the men not to take pictures before calling to Meridith. ‘Are you all right?’
‘Yes, the flash startled him,’ she replied, referring to the horse. ‘But he’s fine now.’
‘Good job handling him.’
‘Thank you.’ The lingering warmth inside her grew a bit more. She was rarely complimented on anything, but more than that, she’d rarely been a part of something as extraordinary as finding a lost elephant. It truly had been an adventure.
Drake was an adventure, and she didn’t want to lose his friendship.
Peter had arrived at the entry to the zoo, too, and was standing by his coach. She acknowledged him with a nod, but kept moving the horse forward, through the gates and straight to the elephant enclosure.
Mr Andrews and Mr Ratnam, as well as several newspapermen were at the enclosure. As soon as Meridith dismounted, the reporters started asking her questions, but she simply shook her head, thinking more about getting Hugo settled than answering.
However, as soon as she tied up the horse, Peter was at her elbow.
‘I’ll take you home now,’ he said.
‘I want to see that Hugo is settled,’ she replied.
‘You can see him tomorrow,’ Peter insisted.
Everything inside her seemed to crash together, and as confusing as it all was, she knew one thing. ‘I know I can, Peter, and I will, but can’t you see that I need to finish this? That I need to be something besides the baby of the family?’
He looked at her for a stilled moment, then nodded. ‘I’ll be outside when you’re ready to leave.’
‘Thank you,’ she said, and ducked to climb between the big metal poles of the fence and entered the enclosure.
It was odd, but finding an elephant had made her realise what she needed. She just wasn’t sure if it had helped her find it. Or what might.
Because Drake, Hugo, and the others walked around to the enclosure’s gate, by the time they entered, Meridith had already collected a squash and placed it inside Hugo’s house, where a full hay basket and water bucket also awaited him.
Hugo went straight to his bucket. Drake stopped next to Meridith, placed an arm around her shoulders and tugged her up against him. ‘Well, that was fun.’
A unique sense of contentment filled her, and she leaned her head on his chest. ‘Actually, it was fun.’
He laughed.
She laughed, too, and then lifted her head to look at him, understanding the source of at least a portion of the joy inside her. ‘Thank you. Thank you for letting me go with you tonight instead of forcing me to go home.’
He brushed hair away from her face and tucked it behind one of her ears. ‘That would have been a waste of time, because you wouldn’t have stayed there.’
‘That’s true,’ she admitted, while wondering how someone she’d met such a short time ago knew her so well.
He nodded. ‘Now, it is time for you to go home. Your family was quite worried when they learned you were tracking an elephant through town.’
‘They were just jealous because they’ve never done anything as exciting as that.’
Mr Ratnam entered the room. ‘The reporters have questions that Mr Andrews can’t answer. If you don’t mind speaking with them, I’ll see that Hugo is settled.’
‘All right,’ Drake replied. ‘Make sure he drinks plenty of water. Poor fellow may be experiencing a hangover come morning.’
With his arm still around her, which felt incredible, she walked with Drake into the side room that held the squash and other special treats for Hugo. ‘I do hope he doesn’t feel too bad tomorrow,’ she said.
‘He’ll recover quickly. I hope you won’t be too exhausted tomorrow.’
She stopped walking before they reached the outside door and looked up at him. ‘I won’t be. This was the best night of my life.’
He smiled at her and nodded. ‘Mine, too.’
