invite yourself for coffee!’ She said indignantly.
‘I just did. Where do you live?’
‘I’m not telling you! It’s nothing whatever to do with you! I’m not giving you coffee!’ Anna couldn’t quite work this man out. One minute he had been furious, now he was intent on becoming her second ever visitor.
‘I’ll pay for it then,’ he retorted. ‘Just tell me where you live.’
‘No!’ Anna bit her lip hard so she couldn’t smile by mistake and stopped dead. The whole situation was ridiculous . She wasn’t going a step further with him.
The man discovered that it’s quite difficult to drag someone who’s reluctant to be dragged, especially if they’re weighed down by bags of potatoes. He let go of her arm.
‘Look, I realise you don’t want to go telling strangers where you live,’ he said reasonably, ‘that’s understandable, and I could survive without a cup of coffee, though not well. But there’s the welfare of a dog at stake.’ The twinkle had faded somewhat which made it easier for Anna to stick to her guns.
‘Listen, I can look after Caroline perfectly well, I don’t need you—’
‘Yes you do! Trust me! I’m the rehoming officer for the local greyhound rescue centre.’
Anna, who was already quite hot, got even hotter, then she went cold. ‘They told me there wasn’t one.’
‘They lied. Or at least, they were mistaken. I’ve recently taken it on. Now, tell me where you live,’ he added more gently.
Anna took her time. The man, though fairly tall and wide, did not look like an axe murderer, though she realised she didn’t know what an axe murderer did look like. It was unlikely that he’d been hanging round the market looking for a victim, and if he was, would he choose someone with a large dog? No, reluctant as she was to acknowledge it, the rehoming officer profile fitted better.
‘It’s really not a good idea for single women—’ she began.
‘—to announce the fact to complete strangers,’ he finished for her.
The twinkle was back but Anna resolutely ignored it. ‘But if they’ve done it by mistake, it’s even more stupid to let that complete stranger into their house!’
At first glance people sometimes thought Anna was a shy and mousy creature; if this man had made the same mistake he was disabused of it now.
His expression became quizzical. ‘My name is Rob Hunter. Why don’t you check with whoever let you have that dog that I’m a bona-fide member of the Greyhound Trust?’
This, annoyingly, was a perfectly reasonable solution. Anna could take the man as far as Chloe’s, and if Chloe knew him, OK, but if she didn’t – well, with luck, it wouldn’t be blatantly obvious that Anna lived next door.
Given her day so far, Anna wasn’t surprised when Chloe, the one person who could say whether or not this man was an opportunist axe murderer, proved to be out. She banged on the door again, but the house felt empty and no one answered.
Rob Hunter regarded her with one raised eyebrow. It was all very well for him to find the situation potentially amusing, she was the one possibly taking her life in her hands. Hoping her sister would never learn of her complete and utter folly, she decided to take a chance. She unlocked her front door.
Chapter Four
‘YOU’LL HAVE TO excuse the—,’ she began, on autopilot, and then stopped.
‘Oh my God!’ His cry of horror was out even before Anna had got to the word ‘mess’.
She was indignant. ‘Look! I’m still building it! There’s no need to have such a fit.’
‘There’s every need, I’m afraid.’ He walked into the room as well as he could, given how few floorboards there were.
‘Why? And would you mind not talking so loudly. Caroline’s very nervous.’
The man’s glance would have withered a mature oak tree. Anna turned away. Caroline went to her bed. ‘She hates men,’ said Anna, having regrouped her nerves.
He regarded her, his gaze making her feel like a ten-year-old caught
‘I just did. Where do you live?’
‘I’m not telling you! It’s nothing whatever to do with you! I’m not giving you coffee!’ Anna couldn’t quite work this man out. One minute he had been furious, now he was intent on becoming her second ever visitor.
‘I’ll pay for it then,’ he retorted. ‘Just tell me where you live.’
‘No!’ Anna bit her lip hard so she couldn’t smile by mistake and stopped dead. The whole situation was ridiculous . She wasn’t going a step further with him.
The man discovered that it’s quite difficult to drag someone who’s reluctant to be dragged, especially if they’re weighed down by bags of potatoes. He let go of her arm.
‘Look, I realise you don’t want to go telling strangers where you live,’ he said reasonably, ‘that’s understandable, and I could survive without a cup of coffee, though not well. But there’s the welfare of a dog at stake.’ The twinkle had faded somewhat which made it easier for Anna to stick to her guns.
‘Listen, I can look after Caroline perfectly well, I don’t need you—’
‘Yes you do! Trust me! I’m the rehoming officer for the local greyhound rescue centre.’
Anna, who was already quite hot, got even hotter, then she went cold. ‘They told me there wasn’t one.’
‘They lied. Or at least, they were mistaken. I’ve recently taken it on. Now, tell me where you live,’ he added more gently.
Anna took her time. The man, though fairly tall and wide, did not look like an axe murderer, though she realised she didn’t know what an axe murderer did look like. It was unlikely that he’d been hanging round the market looking for a victim, and if he was, would he choose someone with a large dog? No, reluctant as she was to acknowledge it, the rehoming officer profile fitted better.
‘It’s really not a good idea for single women—’ she began.
‘—to announce the fact to complete strangers,’ he finished for her.
The twinkle was back but Anna resolutely ignored it. ‘But if they’ve done it by mistake, it’s even more stupid to let that complete stranger into their house!’
At first glance people sometimes thought Anna was a shy and mousy creature; if this man had made the same mistake he was disabused of it now.
His expression became quizzical. ‘My name is Rob Hunter. Why don’t you check with whoever let you have that dog that I’m a bona-fide member of the Greyhound Trust?’
This, annoyingly, was a perfectly reasonable solution. Anna could take the man as far as Chloe’s, and if Chloe knew him, OK, but if she didn’t – well, with luck, it wouldn’t be blatantly obvious that Anna lived next door.
Given her day so far, Anna wasn’t surprised when Chloe, the one person who could say whether or not this man was an opportunist axe murderer, proved to be out. She banged on the door again, but the house felt empty and no one answered.
Rob Hunter regarded her with one raised eyebrow. It was all very well for him to find the situation potentially amusing, she was the one possibly taking her life in her hands. Hoping her sister would never learn of her complete and utter folly, she decided to take a chance. She unlocked her front door.
Chapter Four
‘YOU’LL HAVE TO excuse the—,’ she began, on autopilot, and then stopped.
‘Oh my God!’ His cry of horror was out even before Anna had got to the word ‘mess’.
She was indignant. ‘Look! I’m still building it! There’s no need to have such a fit.’
‘There’s every need, I’m afraid.’ He walked into the room as well as he could, given how few floorboards there were.
‘Why? And would you mind not talking so loudly. Caroline’s very nervous.’
The man’s glance would have withered a mature oak tree. Anna turned away. Caroline went to her bed. ‘She hates men,’ said Anna, having regrouped her nerves.
He regarded her, his gaze making her feel like a ten-year-old caught
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