Page 16 of Beneath the Quiet

“We can’t have bulls running around the village, sir. No matter how placid one of them might be, bulls are dangerous, and the rules are the same for everyone, including Harry and you.”

“Um, Maeve…”

I whip my head in Franny’s direction.

“Tom’s actually right.” She wrings her hands. “We’ve gotten used to seeing Harry on one of his walkabouts, and we don’t really mind him when he sticks to the roads, so…” Her voice trails off, probably from seeing the deep frown that seems to be perpetually etched into my forehead since I came here.

“But that’s the problem, Franny. He doesn’t stick to the roads. He ruins the gardens of one of your neighbours, and that’s not acceptable, is it?”

I don’t want to risk biting her head off, so I turn back to the old man instead.

“Keep him inside your gate, Mr. Murdoch. That’s an order.”

Without giving anyone the chance to say another word, I turn and head back to my desk. I sit down, annoyance running through my system. I sit down on the office chair and open my laptop, jiggling the mouse to wake it up. I pretend to read through the report I was working on before I was interrupted, but the words keep jumping around in front of my eyes, making it impossible to concentrate.

I shut the laptop again and pick up a pen and paper, thrumming my pen to a beat audible only to my ears, uncaring that the sound could be annoying to my coworkers. The bitter feeling in the pit of my stomach has been overcoming me lately, even when I try to do all that I can to push it away. I rest my other hand on my chin and stare into thin air.

I have a sinking feeling that coming here was a mistake.

That taking control and leaving the hustle and bustle of the big city wasn’t the right thing to do.

“Are you okay, Gallagher?”

I tilt my face a fraction and blink the cobwebs from my eyes to see my boss standing next to my desk. He stares down, a deep frown in place under bushy eyebrows.

I clear my throat and sit up straighter. “Yes, Sir. I’m fine. Just…” I move my shoulders in a light shrug. “I just didn’t sleep well last night.”

He leans against my desk and crosses his arms, peering down at me. “I see.”

I doubt he believes me, but I meet his calculated gaze and don’t flinch.

“Murdoch was here a while ago. The old man giving you trouble?”

“None that I can’t handle, Sir.”

“Good, good. Well…” He pushes away from my desk and glances at his watch. “I think you should go home for the day.”

I open my mouth to protest, but the stern and steady gaze he aims my way brooks no argument. I snap it shut immediately. While I’m not a pushover, I can’t disobey what is clearly a direct order. It’s frustrating as well as annoying, and I can’t resist showing him a little bit of my temper as I push the chair back harder than I normally would. I grab a stack of files and nod at him.

“Very well, Sir. I’ll finish up these reports from the cottage, then.”

“Fine, fine. Just make sure to let Franny know before you go so that she can make a record of it.”

“Of course.”

“Right, well…see you tomorrow.”

“Sir.”

I make quick work of packing the files and the laptop in my bag, and then I head out of the office, away from prying eyes.

“I’m sorry, Maeve,” Franny whispers and hands me the pen to sign off the files.

“It’s no big deal.” I scratch my name and hand it back with a crooked smile. “Just one of those days.”

Franny reaches for my hand. “I meant no disrespect, dear. But, well, Tom was right. We don’t mind Harry running around the village. He’s like our very own mascot.”

I blink, surprised. “Bulls are not pets, Franny. They can be erratic and wild. Besides,” I heft the bag up in my arms, “poor Mrs. McCarthy’s garden is being trampled to death every couple of weeks, and I can’t let that happen.” I blow away a lock of my hair from my eyes. “It’s illegal to ruin people’s flowerbeds on purpose, and if Murdoch keeps ignoring that, there has to be consequences. Frankly, I’m surprised this wasn’t dealt with ages ago. The bull needs to stay behind a fence, and Murdoch just has to accept that. Have a good evening.”