AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 24
He really should get a move on, but Ron was far too comfortable where he was. He had his back propped up against one of the massive stone walls and was gazing out of the river. As he’d chosen a spot around the back of Ogmore Castle on the opposite side to the car park, it was relatively quiet. He heard a few cars pull up and heard some voices, so he knew he wasn’t alone, and if he turned around and craned his neck, he could see the stepping stones where he’d crossed the river, and he spotted one or two people tentatively hopping across them.
Quite content to remain there for a while, it was only the growing need for coffee that eventually sent him scrambling to his feet, and he stretched and rotated his back, feeling stiffness from sitting still for so long. God help him when he spent a night in a shop doorway – his back would be in bits. As he’d suspected, sleeping on a mattress had made him soft, and it was going to be a painful journey to get back to the toughness he’d possessed prior to moving in with Beverley.
While he waited for his back to loosen up a little, he let the remaining few minutes of peace steal over him. He’d soon be in Ogmore, where there would be people, cars, and shops. Not many admittedly, but more than he wanted.
His peace was abruptly interrupted by a dog barking. From the pitch and the timbre, it sounded like a small one, but the noise was persistent, and he wondered what was making it so upset and wished that its owner would see to it. Dogs barking didn’t generally bother him, but this was insistent and somewhat shrill.
Ron picked up his Bergen and settled it on his back, adjusting the straps to evenly distribute the weight across his stomach and his chest, and all the while the little animal continued to bark.
Wondering if perhaps it might be in trouble and the owners weren’t aware, or they needed some help, Ron decided to walk in the direction the noise was coming from, so he headed towards the river. The crossing point wasn’t very far away, only fifty or so metres, so it wasn’t exactly much of a detour and—
Dear God! Was thatPepe?
Ron squinted, narrowing his eyes to try to get a better look at a little black dog which was bouncing around on the opposite bank. It was casting about near the stepping stones, and every now and again it would dart forward as if to cross, before backing away again, and all the while it was barking furiously.
Ron walked a little closer, putting a hand over the top of his eyes to try to see better.
‘It is,’ he muttered to himself. ‘ItisPepe.’
He’d know the animal anywhere, though he hadn’t heard him bark like that before. It was frantic and insistent, and incredibly grating, and it certainly got his attention. Ron had the feeling that was exactly what it was intended to do.
Shaking his head in disbelief, he called, ‘Pepe,’ and the dog froze. It ceased barking immediately and stared at him, one paw lifted.
‘Good grief, this mutt is a cross between a bloodhound and a pointer,’ Ron grumbled, as he trotted towards the crossing place.
As soon as he put a foot on the first stone, Pepe started to bark again, practically bouncing up and down with excitement, his tail wagging furiously. These barks were different from the ones just now: these were excited barks, happy barks. The dog was incredibly pleased to see him, and Ron hated to admit it, but he was also incredibly pleased to see the dog.
As soon as Ron reached the far side, the poodle launched itself at him, and Ron had to open his arms to catch him. He staggered slightly, one of his boots going in the water as he lost his balance for a second. The poodle might be small in stature and look delicate, but he was surprisingly solid and strong for his size. He also had a huge personality and an even larger heart.
Ron’s stomach clenched as he thought of the distance the dog had travelled to follow him, and all the dangers the poor little thing might have encountered.
Flipping heck, this dog must have an incredible nose on him, Ron thought, holding the little wriggling body close and listening to the excited yips as the dog tried to lick his face.
‘Do you know how naughty you are?’ he asked, as he put Pepe down and crouched beside him.
Pepe hadn’t finished yet; he was still halfway through his greeting and nothing was going to stop him, and he subjected Ron to another round of whimpering and face licking, his tail wagging so hard that his whole backside wiggled from side to side. Eventually though, the little animal ran out of steam and he sat down, looking up at Ron and panting.
‘That’s one hell of a trek for a little dog,’ he said. ‘I don’t think you’re up for walking back.’
Ron didn’t really want to carry him, because he’d already noticed that the dog was no lightweight, despite his size. But he didn’t have any choice. Pepe wasn’t a young animal, and he must have run most of the way in order to catch up with him.
Wishing once again that he had a coffee inside him, Ron scooped the poodle up and settled him in his arms. The dog lay there gazing up at him soulfully, his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth, and Ron swore that the animal was laughing at him. He knew he was going to ache like hell tomorrow, especially his shoulders and his arms, if he walked all the way back carrying the dog, but if that’s what he had to do, that’s what he had to do.
There was also something else he’d have to do, and that was to steel himself for the barrage of recriminations and questions that he’d face as soon as he saw Beverley. She was going to give him merry hell. Not only had Ron walked out on her, but she was probably also going frantic at the disappearance of her beloved Pepe.
Ron wished he had a mobile so he could call her and let her know her dog was safe and sound, and would soon be returned to her. But he didn’t, so he’d just have to get there as quickly as possible, hand the dog over, and make his escape again.
It wasn’t going to be easy.
Beverley would beg him to stay, and he guessed she might cry, which would break his heart.
The other thing he wasn’t looking forward to was seeing Troy’s smug face. And neither did he want to see Annabelle again. His heart was already broken into so many pieces that he didn’t think they’d ever fit back together, but seeing her once more would ground those pieces into dust.
However, Pepe’s welfare came first. Ron had to take the dog back, which meant he’d have to face everyone. It was just something he had to get through, something to be endured.
In some ways, he’d been in this position before, and although the pain had been a different kind of ache, it had been just a sharp, and never a day went by without him thinking of his mum, or thinking of Dolly. He understood that grief was the price you paid for love, and he was honoured to have loved them and been loved in return.
