The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) (110 page)

He came back into the living room and dropped a pair of sneakers at her feet saying, ‘they’ll be a way too big, but they’ll protect your feet and keep them warm and dry.’

She looked down at the old tatty footwear then slipped her feet into them. They weren’t quiet as big as they might have been because the bandages and socks made a good padding. They weren’t ideal but they made her feel less vulnerable.

She looked up at him gratefully, ‘thank you, Mr. Lando.’

He grunted something unintelligible and she followed him out the door wondering why he had not offered her the shoes before. The only answer forthcoming was that he had deduced that since she was shoeless she would not leave, which meant of course that he had not wanted her too. She would have dwelt on this longer but they were now outside and she tensed and looked around at the trees behind which anyone could hide.

It was quite dark now something she had not noticed before with the curtains being drawn across all the windows. They…or rather she…must have talked for a long time. She stood very close to Lando who positioned himself on the outside protecting her from any danger that might come from the woods.

She kept very close to him as they walked the short distance from the house to the barn and didn’t widen the distance as they arrived at the barn. He took out a key and unlocked the padlock then they were safely inside the dimly lit barn. She kept very close even when he said, ‘I’ll light the other lamps, ‘and moved to the corner of the barn, she just followed him as though she was one of the shadows cast by the single lamp. But when her eyes adjusted to the gloom she gasped in delight at the sight of the foal. His mother looked at her curiously and suspiciously. Adela turned to La
ndo a smile on her face, ‘oh my word, they're lovely, Mr. Lando.’

He didn’t answer but the mare whinnied as though to say thanks. Adela giggled and turned to Lando who was locking the barn door, ‘is it all right to touch them?’

He looked at the mare and foal then back at her and nodded. She walked over to them and kneeling next to the foal began stroking its back whispering, ‘oh my, but you’re beautiful aren’t you? So beautiful.’

His mother snorted and Adela laughed and stroked her flank, ‘yes, and you’re beautiful too, mum.’ Adela said to Lando, ‘what’s his name?’

He hesitated before mumbling, ‘Maynard.’

‘Oh that’s nice, it suits him.’

Typical he thought, of women to think a name for an animal should suit them, to coo and sigh over them. Maynard was named so that he had something to call him that’s all not to get all emotional over.

Dante had strolled over and stood watching them every so often looking back at Lando as though expecting him to stop this woman from touching his animals. When he didn’t Dante drew closer until he was standing right next to Adela who reached out and stroked his head saying, ‘yes, and you’re beautiful too, Dante, but in a different way.’

Lando watched fascinated at the scene before him. Part of him was annoyed with Dante for the traitor that he was and part of him was pleased that he seemed to have lost his nervousness around strangers, or maybe it was just her he was not afraid of. He recalled how she had stayed close to him as they had walked to the barn. But as close as she had been she had not touched him, whether unconsciously or by design he wasn’t sure. Still, he had felt her body heat and her breath on his neck and he had to fight the feeling of arousal those small things had evoked in him.

Now he walked briskly over to them and filled a large container with food which he almost threw in front of Josie. Adela looked up at him smiling, he looked away scowling and she wondered what she might have said or done to upset him again. Just about everything probably.

She stood up and asked, ‘what can I do?’

He looked perplexed for a moment not understanding, ‘do?’

‘Yes, to help.’

His brow furrowed, ‘nothing.’

‘But I can help feed the animals, help clean them out, that kind of thing.’

‘I clean them out in the mornings,’ he looked her up and down, ‘besides, you’re in no fit state for mucking about in animal sh…’

He stopped abruptly and she couldn’t help it, her lips twitched. He had cut short the vulgarity as though she had never heard the word he was about to say. But she had not missed the look he gave her as though he believed she had never done a day’s work in her life. In fact he had said as much with his comments about eating in posh restaurants all the time and being pampered. If only you knew she thought, the only restaurant, posh or otherwise, she had ever eaten in had been with Hennessey. That thought wiped the smile from her face. He noticed and thought he had hurt her feelings; well he was becoming quite the expert at that. But somehow he didn’t think it was only what he had said that had caused the amusement to slide from her face.

She said, ‘well I could help you feed them then.’

He said, ‘they’re nervous of strangers, and some of them are dangerous wild animals. You’d be best off staying in here with Dante.’ He turned to Dante saying, ‘stay boy.’

The look of eagerness was replaced by disappointment and he wanted to be irritated with her but instead he felt guilty and before he could stop himself he
’d said, ‘all right, but
don’t
pet any of them, okay?’

Her face cleared, ‘okay.’

He narrowed his eyes for a moment as if contemplating retracting his offer then said, abruptly, ‘well come on then.’

She smiled well pleased and turned to go towards the door but hesitated as he turned to his right instead. She thought he was going to do another chore in the barn first so waited but was amazed when he opened a door she had not seen situated in the side of the barn. He turned to her and said and snapped, 'are you coming or not?’

She almost ran to his side and he pushed open the door and stepped in Adela following close behind him. She stood awestruck as she had been the last time she had been in here. She whispered, ‘it’s like a secret door to another world.’

He turned and gave her a strange look then rolled his eyes as if impatient with such romantic nonsense.

She looked around her, her eyes wide taking in the wonderful scene before her. As previously she noticed the varied and differing array of animals and birds. It was a strange and beautiful sight as was the sight of Lando checking the bandage’s on the hind leg of a fox which lay in a box of straw.

Once again she wondered about this man. What compelled him to live out his life here alone and isolated, away from civilisation and human contact? What compelled him to bring these injured animals to his home and take care of them? She ducked her head as a bird flew over her head then jumped back letting out a small squeal, looking down she saw a big black rabbit. She laughed with relief and pleasure and bent down to stroke the rabbit, then recalled what he had said about petting the animals and, her hand in midair, looked up at him. He was watching her closely and said, ‘you can touch the rabbits, any everyday house pet you see but not the wild animals, the deer and fawn and fox etcetera. Understand?’

She nodded and fondled the rabbit’s ears enjoying the velvet silkiness of its fur. She said, ‘oh, you’re so cute aren’t you bunny.’ The rabbit endured her caresses for a moment longer then as Lando began to open buckets obviously containing food, the rabbit left her not wanting to miss out on the goodies. Adela, her hand still outstretched chuckled.

She stood and asked
, ‘what can I do?’

He turned his head slightly b
ut didn’t look at her as he enquired, ‘I don’t know, what can you do?’

She was getting used to his
sarcasm so ignored it, ‘well as I said, I could help with the feeding.’

This time he turned round to look at her, she held his gaze until jerking his head to his right he said, ‘there’s a bucket of feed there for the squirrels and birds.’

She had begun moving towards the bucket he had indicated even before he had finished speaking. He added, ‘but don’t go mad with it, they’ve been injured or sick and too much food will make them ill.’

She turned to look at him a handful of nuts and seed in her hand. He had said pretty much the same thing to her earlier; she wondered if that was how he saw
her,
as a sick and injured animal.

She asked, ‘do you find these animals in the woods?’

Without looking at her he said, ‘no, in the street.’

Once again she ignored his sarcasm and pointing down at a small deer said, ‘this one looks like he’s been caught in a trap.’

‘That’s because he has.’

She threw some seed and nuts to a cockatoo, ‘and you rescued him.’
It wasn’t a question so he didn’t answer so she went on, ‘so you brought him here and treated him, and all these others sick animals and birds.’ Again it wasn’t a question so again he said nothing. ‘It’s seems to be your mission in life to rescue and take care of creatures in trouble, both of the four and two legged variety.’

He said, ‘yeah, but some I go looking for and some just drop into my lap.’

She couldn’t help it she said cheekily, ‘I thought you said it was at your feet.’

His head snapped round to look at her knowing she was making fun of him because of the grin she was not quick enough to hide. He looked at her for a moment then said simply, ‘huh.’

She coughed to hide the laughter she felt coming on. She considered briefly how odd it was that after the horrendous ordeal she had endured she still had the capacity to find amusement in something, even to laugh.

She didn’t know it of course but Lando was thinking the same thing. He was amazed at her stoicism. But then as a cop people had often surprised even shocked him by what they could endure, he just never saw her as one of them. But then he didn’t know her did he? He had been basing his judgement on what she had said and done the few times he had met her, and he had to admit she had not impressed him with her common sense. But she
had
impressed him with her feistiness, particularly during their encounter after those two pretend P. I’s had come calling and again when he had almost left her in the woods to find her own way home. But what she had suffered since and how she had fought back, how she had used initiative and courage to execute her escape that had amazed him. And now here she was amused and laughing, that it was at his expense he chose to ignore for now.

She was speaking again, ‘but that time I saw you when I was lost, you were carrying a dead rabbit.’

‘So?’

‘So you save them and kill them too. It seems rather, well, hypercritical.’

He turned his dark eyes on her, ‘to quote your earlier words you don’t know me or anything about me, except what you’ve heard on the rumour mill. But F.Y.I, I don’t eat meat and I didn’t kill that rabbit, it was already dead when I found it, in a trap, must have taken hours to die. I only made use of it; I gave it to the foxes, that’s the natural process. And talking about being hypercritical, you fawn and moon over these animals but you wouldn’t baulk at eating them would you, maybe with a nice sauce in one of those fancy restaurants you frequent.’

There it was again that reference to her lifestyle, she should have been annoyed but he was right, she was the hypercritical one here. One day she might not say the wrong thing to this man. She said sincerely, ‘I’m sorry, Mr. Lando, you’re right I
don’t
know you. We know very little about each other.’ But she had to add, ‘but I
don’t
listen to rumours and I have no time for gossips.’ She kept his eye giving credence to her statement.

He narrowed his eyes surprised by her comment but more so by her apology.

He was the first to drop his gaze wondering why he had felt the need to defend himself but his head shot up again as she mumbled, ‘anyway, I don’t eat horses or dogs.’

He watched her as she worked clucking and cooing to the birds and squirrels, then to his surprise he felt the corners of his mouth turn up in a small smile. He turned quickly away lest she see it.

Adela and Lando worked silently side by side, Adela almost forgetting why she was there in the first place and Lando wondering why he had acceded to her request to accompany him, he had never let anyone into his sanctuary before. He did not let his mind dwell on why it did not seem strange to him.

Suddenly they both started and both heads turned quickly as they heard Dante growl. Two heads turned towards the door that separated the barn from the animal hospital, then two pairs of eyes turned and fixed on the door as a loud knock came to them from the other side.

CHAPTER 36.

     
It was Lando who moved first, Adela was frozen just staring at the door in horror her face ashen. Lando picked up his rifle grabbed her arm and pushed her behind some crates and buckets. He hissed, ‘stay there and don’t come out for any reason, understand,
any
reason.’

She didn’t answer but kept her gaze riveted on the door. He shook her arm roughly, ‘lady, are you listening to me.’

She came out of her trance with an effort and nodded. He said more gently, ‘look, if it is Hennessey he wouldn’t knock would he? He’s a guy who likes to sneak around and take his prey by surprise.’