Page 22 of Chasing a Highland Dream

Of course, the inquisitive canine did no such thing. Instead, he went barrelling into the figure, all dressed in grey, who cried out and fell to the floor with a loud ‘Oof!’

‘You should control your bloody dog!’ the man shouted at Bella as he removed AirPods from his ears.

Who else but Mr O’Dowd? ‘Oh, great. It had to be you, didn’t it?’ she mumbled to herself as she jogged over to the man, who was now sitting on the damp gravel outside the courtyard, a curled-lipped expression fixed on his face as he held the dog at arm’s length while Beau tried his best to lick him. He looked like something out of a boxing movie in his grey jogging pants and matching grey hoodie. A black woolly hat sat atop his head and a, not surprisingly, grey scarf wrapped around his neck. Who does he think he is, Rocky Balboa? This guy clearly needed some kind of colour therapy. After witnessing his all black attire the previous night, Bella observed he seemed to live his life as if in a monochrome movie from the forties.

‘I’m so sorry, Mr O’Dowd. He’s usually quite well behaved. I think you startled him, and with what happened last night…’ she said as she picked up Beau’s lead and pulled the overfriendly dog away.

‘It had to be my fault, didn’t it? Why don’t you have me arrested again?’ he replied sarcastically, with a sneer as he held his wrists together.

Fancy some salt and vinegar for that huge chip on your shoulder? ‘I didn’t mean… I wasn’t accusing…’ She sighed. ‘Look, I’m sorry. We’ll be on our way and get out of yours.’

Mr O’Dowd scrambled to his feet and brushed himself off but when he turned to jog away, Bella burst out laughing in spite of herself. The fabric across his rear was now a dark, wet patch from sitting on the dewy gravel.

He stopped and turned to face her, a deep furrow in his brow. ‘Is it amusing to you that your dog attacked me?’

‘Attacked…? I mean, he could’ve licked you to death, I suppose but… of course not. I apologised, didn’t I?’ She pursed her lips.

‘Well? What’s so funny then?’

Bella tried to calm herself. ‘I’m sorry, it’s just that… erm…’ She gestured to his trouser area.

He glanced down at his crotch then looked back up at her with a horror-filled, crumpled expression as he placed his hand over the area. ‘What about it?’

She gasped and widened her eyes. With a rapid wave of her hand, she said, ‘Oh no! Not there, the – the back… your erm… bottom?’ She winced, as that wasn’t exactly an appropriate talking point with a total stranger either.

He glanced down and contorted himself, pulling at the fabric until he could see the wet patch. ‘Oh, great. Now I look like I’ve peed my pants. Just my luck to have landed in the only puddle around.’

Bella tried not to laugh but it was an exercise in futility. She placed her hand over her mouth as if it would stop the noise from escaping, but nevertheless, laughter erupted from her, loud and unrelenting.

Mr O’Dowd stood there, glaring for a moment until he smiled, and that smile turned into a deep rumble of a chuckle. ‘It could only happen to me,’ he said, but this time with humour. He took a few steps towards her. ‘Look, can we start again? I know I haven’t been the most cordial of people since we met last night.’

Bella chewed her lip for a moment. ‘Well, that’s not really surprising. My granny did almost have you arrested as a sex-crazed lunatic.’ She held up her hand. ‘Her words, not mine.’

He chuckled. ‘That’s true. I can assure you I’m neither sex-crazed, nor a lunatic. I’m just Aiden.’ He held out his hand and Bella stepped a little closer to shake it.

‘I’m Bella and this is Beau. My granny is Isla. She’s actually very sweet, if a little rebellious for her age.’

‘I think the purple hair was a bit of a giveaway. Anyway, it’s nice to properly meet you, Bella. And you too, Beau,’ he said as he bent to scratch the dog behind his ears. ‘Maybe don’t launch yourself at new people, eh? That goes for you too,’ he said with a glance up at Bella and a glint of humour in his eyes.

‘Advice noted,’ Bella replied with a laugh. She was relieved he was actually being friendly to the dog, even after the incident. People who didn’t like dogs had no place in her circle of friends.

She tilted her head as she watched him interact with Beau. ‘I understand you’re here to write a book.’

He nodded. ‘That’s right. My editor thought this would be a good place to get the words flowing, so we’ll see.’

Bella glanced around at the trees, the cornflower-blue sky and the historic castle. ‘I think your editor was right. I can imagine it being very inspirational for creative types like yourself. That’s always been Olivia’s intention, anyway.’

‘Let’s hope so. Well… I won’t keep you. I’d better get jogging so my trousers dry off.’

Bella took that as a sign he didn’t want to talk any more. ‘Ah yes, better let this little guy burn off some of that energy.’

He gave one last handsome smile. ‘Bye for now, Bella.’

‘Bye, Aiden. Enjoy your run.’

Bella walked with Beau right down to the shoreline of Loch Ness by the old chapel. She stood watching the ripples on the surface of the loch as Beau ran around with a huge stick he’d collected on the way. He dropped it at her feet, and she threw it for him to fetch, then the whole process started over. The mountains visible across the loch were crowned with a hazy mist that the sun was doing its best to burn off. When Bella closed her eyes and inhaled, she could smell the fresh scent of the Scots pines that stood the other side of the chapel, a clean fragrance that always reminded her of Christmas.

Purple-hued thistles were in bloom, creating a vibrant skirt around the stone of the chapel, their tufty heads bobbing in the breeze coming in off the water. It was such a peaceful place. She took out her phone and snapped a couple of photos then a selfie to post on her social media with the word: