working, she thought sarcastically. Then she chided herself for being so mean.
She felt flat. It was so disappointing a development that she didn’t feel like doing anything at all. Carol wasn’t on duty either, which made it worse. Even Henry wasn’t around. So she had a solitary time of it until Bob re-appeared as she was finishing her evening meal.
Having already been rebuffed once by him, she didn’t encourage conversation and was surprised when he approached her.
‘Tomorrow,’ he said.
‘Yes, Bob?’ she said crisply.
‘I’m going up Goat Fell.’
She nodded without much interest. ‘Good. Have a nice day.’
She poured another cup of coffee.
‘You don’t fancy coming along, do you?’
It took a moment for the question to sink in.
‘Me?’ she said with surprise.
‘Well... I just wondered.’
She wasn’t in the mood. She didn’t even feel like talking to him. Then it struck her. This was Bob, remember? The famously solitary, enigmatic Bob. It was a great honour to be asked. Besides, hadn’t she long dreamed of reaching the top of Goat Fell?
‘Why not?’ she said, trying to make it as casual as she could. Then, as an afterthought: ‘But I’m not an experienced fell walker. You do know that?’
‘You’ll be fine.’ He smiled. ‘And I’ll be glad of the company. Tomorrow, then?’
‘Tomorrow,’ she agreed, feeling better. ‘An alpine start?’
‘Nine sharp.’
A smile spread across her face as he turned and left. What a bundle of surprises the man could be.
Chapter Ten
Nine sharp, he’d said. She made sure she was standing at the front door, waiting, with a couple of minutes to spare. She felt he pretended not to be surprised.
‘Nice jacket,’ he said. ‘Is it new?’
‘No, no! I’ve had it a while,’ she told him off-handedly, secretly proud he’d noticed.
He glanced at her still shiny boots and her new backpack but didn’t say anything else.
‘I think I’ve got everything,’ she assured him.
‘Including water?’
She nodded. She knew how important it was to take sufficient liquid with you when you were walking in the hills. She’d read that in a magazine in her GP’s waiting room. So dehydration wasn’t going to catch her out – not on her first walk with the redoubtable Bob.
‘Let’s go, then,’ he suggested.
He set off at an agreeably easy pace and she fell in beside him as they headed over the meadows towards the foot of the slopes.
‘Will the rain hold off?’ she asked.
He glanced up at the white cloud wrapped around the upper slopes of Goat Fell. ‘Maybe,’ he pronounced.
‘There’s confidence for you.’
He chuckled and gave her a warm smile that augured well for the day.
Bob was considerate. When they started climbing, he set a pace that was comfortable for her and he paused frequently to allow her to catch her breath. Her confidence grew. She could cope, she decided. She could keep up.
‘You’re doing well,’ he told her at one point, sounding surprised.
‘Better than I expected,’ she admitted with a chuckle.
He laughed. She was pleased. Making him laugh felt like a useful contribution to the day.
They made good, steady progress. It was warm without being too hot. And Kirsty found the going easier than it had been that time when she was on her own on the mountain. Something to do with sharing the burden, she supposed.
They reached the tarn in an hour and spent a little time there, lingering over a cup of coffee from the flask Bob produced from his rucksack.
‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’ Kirsty murmured.
Bob nodded. ‘And peaceful,’ he added. ‘So peaceful.’
She wondered if that was what it was about for him. Peace. Peacefulness. It seemed important to him. She sensed how relaxed he was now, as if the tranquillity of this place and the effort to get here had dissolved whatever it was that stressed him normally.
‘Unexplored territory for me, from now on,’ Kirsty said, glancing upwards towards the
She felt flat. It was so disappointing a development that she didn’t feel like doing anything at all. Carol wasn’t on duty either, which made it worse. Even Henry wasn’t around. So she had a solitary time of it until Bob re-appeared as she was finishing her evening meal.
Having already been rebuffed once by him, she didn’t encourage conversation and was surprised when he approached her.
‘Tomorrow,’ he said.
‘Yes, Bob?’ she said crisply.
‘I’m going up Goat Fell.’
She nodded without much interest. ‘Good. Have a nice day.’
She poured another cup of coffee.
‘You don’t fancy coming along, do you?’
It took a moment for the question to sink in.
‘Me?’ she said with surprise.
‘Well... I just wondered.’
She wasn’t in the mood. She didn’t even feel like talking to him. Then it struck her. This was Bob, remember? The famously solitary, enigmatic Bob. It was a great honour to be asked. Besides, hadn’t she long dreamed of reaching the top of Goat Fell?
‘Why not?’ she said, trying to make it as casual as she could. Then, as an afterthought: ‘But I’m not an experienced fell walker. You do know that?’
‘You’ll be fine.’ He smiled. ‘And I’ll be glad of the company. Tomorrow, then?’
‘Tomorrow,’ she agreed, feeling better. ‘An alpine start?’
‘Nine sharp.’
A smile spread across her face as he turned and left. What a bundle of surprises the man could be.
Chapter Ten
Nine sharp, he’d said. She made sure she was standing at the front door, waiting, with a couple of minutes to spare. She felt he pretended not to be surprised.
‘Nice jacket,’ he said. ‘Is it new?’
‘No, no! I’ve had it a while,’ she told him off-handedly, secretly proud he’d noticed.
He glanced at her still shiny boots and her new backpack but didn’t say anything else.
‘I think I’ve got everything,’ she assured him.
‘Including water?’
She nodded. She knew how important it was to take sufficient liquid with you when you were walking in the hills. She’d read that in a magazine in her GP’s waiting room. So dehydration wasn’t going to catch her out – not on her first walk with the redoubtable Bob.
‘Let’s go, then,’ he suggested.
He set off at an agreeably easy pace and she fell in beside him as they headed over the meadows towards the foot of the slopes.
‘Will the rain hold off?’ she asked.
He glanced up at the white cloud wrapped around the upper slopes of Goat Fell. ‘Maybe,’ he pronounced.
‘There’s confidence for you.’
He chuckled and gave her a warm smile that augured well for the day.
Bob was considerate. When they started climbing, he set a pace that was comfortable for her and he paused frequently to allow her to catch her breath. Her confidence grew. She could cope, she decided. She could keep up.
‘You’re doing well,’ he told her at one point, sounding surprised.
‘Better than I expected,’ she admitted with a chuckle.
He laughed. She was pleased. Making him laugh felt like a useful contribution to the day.
They made good, steady progress. It was warm without being too hot. And Kirsty found the going easier than it had been that time when she was on her own on the mountain. Something to do with sharing the burden, she supposed.
They reached the tarn in an hour and spent a little time there, lingering over a cup of coffee from the flask Bob produced from his rucksack.
‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’ Kirsty murmured.
Bob nodded. ‘And peaceful,’ he added. ‘So peaceful.’
She wondered if that was what it was about for him. Peace. Peacefulness. It seemed important to him. She sensed how relaxed he was now, as if the tranquillity of this place and the effort to get here had dissolved whatever it was that stressed him normally.
‘Unexplored territory for me, from now on,’ Kirsty said, glancing upwards towards the
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