Page 4 of A Highland Family Affair

‘Wait!’ Olivia called out. ‘Maybe you should go up to your old room and freshen up? You’re soaked. You need to get warm and put on some dry clothes.’

Brodie scoffed. ‘Hang on, you’re not letting him stay here, are you?’ he asked, his voice filled with alarm, his eyes wide again and the colour drained from his cheeks.

Olivia knew that Brodie meant well. He’d witnessed the heartache and devastation that Kerr had caused and had been the one to pick up the pieces after his betrayal. But she couldn’t turn him away. Not without helping him. It wasn’t in her nature.

She reached out and touched Brodie’s arm. ‘I think we have things to discuss, Brodie. And I don’t want Kerr back out on the streets.’

Brodie turned a glaring, angry gaze on to Kerr. ‘On the streets? So that’s where you’ve been, is it, since you tried to ruin your sister’s life and your family’s legacy?’

Kerr’s cheeks tinged pink, and he turned the soggy beanie hat around and around in his hands. ‘He’s right, Liv. I can’t expect you to let me stay after what I did to you. I can see I’m still not welcome and I, 100 per cent, don’t blame either of you.’

Olivia’s chin trembled and tears spilled from her eyes, leaving damp trails down her face.

Brodie turned to look at her again and his expression softened. He sighed and reached out to wipe away her tears. ‘Hey, Liv, this is your home. He’s your brother. I’m not going to stand in the way if you want him to stay. How could I?’

Kerr took a tentative step forward. ‘Look, Brodie, I can understand you not trusting me. And I know that whatever I say, you won’t believe that I’m genuine. But I don’t expect anything from you, either of you. I don’t expect forgiveness. I know I don’t deserve it. But for what it’s worth… I am truly sorry. To both of you.’

Olivia watched Brodie closely. She too could understand why he was filled with mistrust when it came to Kerr. She too had more than enough reservations about his return.

But he was still her brother.

Brodie leaned forward and kissed Olivia on the cheek. ‘Look, I’ll leave you two to talk. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.’

Olivia nodded. ‘Thank you.’ She reached out and squeezed his hand before he turned and left the siblings standing in the foyer, surrounded by their parents’ beloved artwork and family heirlooms.

Turning her attention back to her brother, Olivia said, ‘I presume there are still some clothes in your wardrobe. Why don’t you go up and shower and come back down when you’re done. I’ll get Mirren to make you some soup.’

Kerr’s chin trembled and he swiped tears from his eyes. He nodded. ‘Thank you. Thank you so much,’ he whispered. ‘There’s… just one more thing…’ He glanced towards the door. ‘I have a friend with me. Can I… can I bring him in too? He needs a good meal and warming up.’

Olivia opened and closed her mouth. She wasn’t expecting Kerr to turn up like this, let alone bringing a complete stranger along for the ride. She wasn’t sure she was comfortable with this latest turn of events and struggled to find the words to express that without appearing cruel and callous.

As if sensing her worry, Kerr continued, ‘I promise he won’t be any trouble. He’s only small… ish.’ He winced, which added to Olivia’s concern. ‘But I can’t leave him out in the cold if I’m in here. It wouldn’t be right. And I really think you’ll love him.’

Love him? Olivia thought, I highly doubt that; I don’t even know the man.

Kerr headed for the door and opened it before Olivia could find the vocabulary to protest. ‘Come on,’ he said in a cooing voice to whomever was sitting on the steps outside in the rain. ‘Come on, lad.’ He held out his hand.

Strange way to speak to an adult… unless it’s a child! Olivia placed her hand over her mouth and her eyes widened in horror. Was PC Sherburn going to be needed after all? She didn’t want to get in trouble for harbouring a fugitive, let alone a minor fugitive. Just as major panic was taking a hold of her heart, in walked a shaggy black and dirty grey dog with matted hair to match Kerr’s. The sodden dog smelled of mud and possibly sheep’s poo. Olivia kept her hand over her mouth, even though relief had briefly set in.

‘Olivia, this is Sir Lancelot.’

Olivia sighed and then frowned. ‘Oh! It’s a… it’s a dog.’

Kerr smiled down at the smelly creature. ‘He’s not just a dog, he’s my best friend, aren’t you, lad?’

Olivia gave a small laugh. ‘I thought you’d brought another human.’

Kerr bent and scratched the dirty canine behind his matted ears. ‘Nope, he’s definitely of the pooch variety.’ He laughed good-naturedly. ‘Sorry to scare you. This fella is my whole world. In fact, if it hadn’t been for him, I’m not sure I’d still be alive. He saved me, didn’t you, Sir Lancelot?’ The dog gazed up adoringly at Kerr and wagged his bushy tail.

A thousand questions raced around Olivia’s mind, but she started with the most obvious ones. ‘How did you end up with a bearded collie? And more’s the point, what kind of name is Sir Lancelot for a dog?’

‘It’s a weird story, and a little bit sad. His owner… a guy I met at a church soup kitchen, his name was Michael and he’d been an English teacher once upon a time. He was a bit obsessed with the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, hence the name. Anyway, Michael lost his teaching job and, soon after, his wife on account of his alcohol addiction, and his life just… crumbled. His house was repossessed eventually, and he ended up on the streets. He found Sir Lancelot as a puppy. He’d been abandoned by some dumpsters in Glasgow around two years ago. We think perhaps he was stolen from somewhere and then dumped because he’s not the kind of dog that people give up voluntarily. Anyway, they became inseparable. Michael said Lancey was like his knight in shining armour.’ He smiled. ‘Anyway, to cut a long story short… Michael and I became friends quite quickly. We had a laugh together. Went dumpster diving for food together. But he got arrested for shoplifting painkillers from a chemist, so he asked me to look after Sir Lancelot for him while he was taken to the cells.’

It sounded so far-fetched Olivia figured it must be true. No one would make up such a bizarre story, surely? Her stomach lurched at the thought of her brother eating food from dumpsters; she couldn’t believe he’d had to resort to that. ‘So your friend will be wanting the dog back at some point then?’

Kerr’s eyes filled with sadness, and he shook his head. ‘I’m afraid not. Michael is…’ He cleared his throat. ‘He… erm… he died just after he was released from the cells and was awaiting his court date. Liver failure. His health had been declining for a while and he wasn’t getting any medical attention, hence the stolen pain tablets. He didn’t trust doctors and no amount of cajoling would get him to go get checked out. So, he lost his battle with his demons, sadly. It was… it was awful.’

Olivia placed her hand over her heart, which ached for her brother. ‘Oh no, that’s so very sad. I’m sorry.’