The walk with the two dogs up to the little patch of woodland above Hedge End Farm was exactly what Noah had needed. Shafts of sunlight broke through the canopy of trees above their heads as they headed into the woods. Pablo kept barking at poor old Jessie to try and force her to play with him, but she wasn’t having any of it, so he gave up and started chasing his own tail. He was eleven months old and full of the boundless energy that only puppies ever really had, but it seemed impossible that Noah had had him for just eight months; he couldn’t imagine life without the little dog now. Having Pablo had got him through the hardest time in his life and it didn’t matter how naughty he was, how many shoes he chewed up, or even how loud he barked when he was standing by the fridge, waiting for Noah to open it and give him something to eat, because Pablo had saved him when nothing else could.
Even under the shade of the trees it was warm and there were cracks appearing in the chocolate brown earth, which had opened up in readiness for the next rainfall. Pablo suddenly spotted something in the distance and shot forward. He hadn’t yet worked out that he was always going to be the loser when it came to chasing a squirrel, which would shoot up the nearest tree if he got anywhere even close to it.
‘Pabs, come back! I don’t really want to test out my theory about getting you out of a rabbit hole.’ Picking up his pace to try and catch up with the dachshund, as Jessie followed sedately behind, the image of Izzy laughing popped into his head. She’d really laughed when he’d told her about Pablo the great biscuit thief, and for the first time since he’d arrived he’d found himself wishing that his stay in Port Agnes wasn’t going to be so short.
There was a comfort in being at St Jude’s. James had made it easy for him to settle in and there was much less here that tested his faith. At first that had scared him. Facing up to the prospect of letting go of something he’d built his whole life around had been terrifying, but he was desperate to be certain of something, even if that meant admitting he really had lost his faith. Port Agnes had tempered that growing certainty and he had a feeling if he’d spent his whole career somewhere like this, he’d never have had doubts in the first place.
‘Pablo, come on, boy. I don’t think this is doing Jessie a lot of good.’ As Noah called the dog’s name again, he started to bark, with the same relentless demand for attention that he’d directed at the collie when he’d been trying to get her to play. Noah just hoped that Pablo hadn’t shocked them both and managed to corner a squirrel or a rabbit. Worse than that was the prospect that the dog had been cornered himself, by a fox or badger that was capable of doing him some serious harm. Noah broke into a run, still calling Pablo’s name.
‘Oh, thank goodness, there you are!’ Noah’s shoulders slumped with relief as he caught sight of the dog, still very much in one piece and still barking unremittingly at what looked like a spiky football just in front of him. The football seemed to contract slightly and Noah realised that whatever it was, it was still alive, at least for now. Another glance almost had him convinced that it was a hedgehog, but as he inched closer, clipping the lead back on to Pablo to stop the dog from attacking whatever it was, he realised that what had looked like spikes was actually fur. Once the dachshund was in his grasp, he finally stopped barking, and Noah could just about make out a low growl coming from the furball.
‘It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.’ Noah inched closer still, trying to stop a wriggling Pablo, who he was now holding under one arm, from breaking free. There was a good chance that whatever was growling might try and bite him if he got too close, but he couldn’t just leave it there, not until he knew it was okay.
Suddenly a snout appeared from the front of the furball, its teeth bared, but there was no mistaking it now. It was a little dog, barely bigger than a hedgehog and a hell of a lot skinnier. It didn’t look too keen to be helped either. Pablo, who’d started barking again, probably wasn’t helping the situation. Tying Pablo to a tree far enough away from the other dog to let it see there was no threat, Noah crouched low and started to approach the dog again.
‘Easy there boy.’ He had no idea if it was a boy, but he was concentrating on keeping his tone as reassuring as he could. ‘Let me take a look at you.’
With Pablo out of the way, and Jessie still not having caught up, the other dog seemed to have lost the will to fight and flattened its body to the ground, as if all the air had been let out of the hairy football it had first appeared to be, and to Noah’s relief it had stopped growling too. It was tiny and if he had to guess he’d say it was a smaller breed of terrier, like a Yorkie, but its fur was so wild and dirty it was impossible to tell. When he finally got close enough to pick it up, he could feel its bones jutting out of from beneath its skin. This was no recent runaway. If the dog even had a home, it was a long time since it had been there.
‘It’s okay, I’m going to make sure you get looked after now.’ He’d registered Pablo with the veterinary clinic in neighbouring Port Kara as soon as he’d arrived. And he was going to take the tiny little dog that was now shivering in his arms straight there. It hadn’t cried out when he’d picked it up, so he was hoping it wasn’t injured, but it barely seemed to have the energy to breathe in and out. It had probably used the last little bit of strength it had fending Pablo off.
Cradling it in his arms, he untied Pablo from the tree and thankfully, the dachshund seemed to sense this was no time for games. Heading back down the track, they caught up with Jessie, who was still meandering at her own pace in the opposite direction. Not wanting to risk her getting left behind, Noah clipped Jessie’s lead on too, hoping the pace he was setting wouldn’t be too hard on the old dog. But she seemed to pick up on the sense of urgency as well. Noah had thought for a while that dogs were more intuitive than a lot of people and now he knew it was true.
There was a bowl of water outside one of the barns, which must have been left for the sheepdogs. Noah put the terrier down, hoping that it might take a drink, but it just stood there, not moving, until he scooped up into his arms again. When he finally got to the farmhouse, he hammered on the front door – not wanting to just burst in if Izzy was still in the middle of her appointment with Jemma.
‘Wow, where’s the fire?’ The smile on Jemma’s face froze as she spotted the bundle in Noah’s arms. ‘Is it a hedgehog?’
‘I thought so at first, but it’s some kind of terrier. Pablo found it up in the woods and by the looks of things it’s been there for a long time. I think it’s only just hanging on.’
‘Bring it inside, poor little thing.’
‘I think I need to take it straight to the vets, but I don’t want to leave Izzy stranded here.’ As Noah spoke, Izzy came into view.
‘What’s going on?’
‘I found a dog in the woods and if I don’t get it to the vets soon, I don’t think it’s going to make it.’
‘I can get David to run Izzy to the garage. He’s up in the top field, but he’s got his mobile with him.’
‘I can hold the dog while you drive if that makes things easier? I’m finished for the day after this and the car can wait.’ Izzy reached out a hand and touched the dog’s head. ‘She looks absolutely terrified bless her.’
‘I’ve been saying he, but I didn’t want to pull it about too much, so I haven’t bothered to check.’ Noah winced as the dog let out a plaintive whimper. He hated the thought of putting the poor little thing in a cardboard box and it dying before they even reached the vet’s. If Izzy was holding it, at least the dog would have a last bit of comfort. ‘If you’re sure you don’t mind coming to the vet’s with me, I think that would be the best idea. But only if you’ve finished your appointment.’
‘We’re all done; you’ll just have to come back and have your cuddle with Chester another day.’ Jemma was all but pushing Izzy out of the door. ‘Let me know how you get on please, otherwise I’ll be worrying all night again for a completely different reason.’
‘We’ll let you know as soon as we do and if you hear of anyone who lost a little terrier around here, they might want to know, in case they need to make a decision about what’s the kindest thing to do.’ Noah looked down at the dog who’d finally stopped shivering.
‘I’ll put a message on the Three Ports Facebook group and see if anyone knows who it belongs to. Good luck.’
‘Thanks.’ Noah handed the dog to Izzy and offered up a silent prayer that it wasn’t too late for them to help. He might not be certain it would do any good, but it was worth a shot and right now, he was willing to try anything.
The veterinary clinic was housed in a red-brick building on the outskirts of Port Kara and Izzy had rung ahead to let them know they were on their way. Pablo was clipped to a seatbelt in the back of the car and the terrier was curled up in her lap. Every so often she put her hand on its side, just to check it was still breathing. She and Noah had spoken in hushed tones on the journey, as if they’d made a silent pact to keep things as calm and quiet as possible for the little dog. Even Pablo, who normally had a voice that belied his size and demanded instant attention, didn’t make a sound.
‘The good news is that she doesn’t seem to have any serious injuries that would indicate she’s been in an accident.’ The vet who’d taken the dog out of Izzy’s arms shortly after they’d got inside the building was saying all the right things after she’d completed the examination, but she still wasn’t smiling. ‘But the bad news is that in my thirty years of practice, I’ve never seen a dog as malnourished as this and I’m not sure whether we’re going to be able to save her, or whether it might be kinder not to even try.’
‘You have to.’ Izzy and Noah spoke at exactly the same time, their words mirroring one another’s too.
‘She’s going to need a lot of initial care and there’s quite likely to be some long-term effects. Caring for her could turn out to be very expensive and there are no guarantees.’ The vet furrowed her brow. ‘But if you want to go ahead, we’ll do all we can.’
‘I’ll pay, whatever it costs.’ Noah had already taken a wallet out of his jeans pocket.
‘We can sort all of that out later and I’ll contact one of the animal charities we work with to see if they might be able to donate towards her care. The first thing we’ll need to do is get some fluids into her straight away and build up the feeding really slowly, while we monitor her reaction to it. If she gets that far and we think it’s safe for her to go home, you can take over from that point. That’s assuming you want to take her home?’
‘We’re trying to find out who she belongs to.’ Izzy couldn’t bear the thought that the little dog might fight as hard as she was clearly going to need to, and that she still wouldn’t have a home to go back to.
‘I think she might need to go somewhere where she’d be an only dog, at least for a while. The only time she got really distressed when I was examining her was when she heard another dog barking in one of the other examination rooms. I think she needs to avoid stress until she’s fully recovered.’
‘That rules me out from taking her. Pablo has no idea about boundaries, and she definitely wouldn’t be able to cope with him.’ Noah looked at Izzy as he spoke, hesitating while he waited for her to respond. She’d have taken the little dog in an instant if it was her choice, but her grandparents had never had a dog and she wasn’t sure if they even liked them. Putting any additional stress on her grandmother would have been even worse than it would be for the dog.
‘I’m sure we’ll be able to sort something out and hopefully we’ll find out who her owner is; they must be devastated.’
‘She’s an expensive breed, a miniature Yorkshire terrier, but the fashion for having these breeds causes its own problems.’ The vet shook her head. ‘They call them teacup Yorkies, but some people don’t realise that just because they look like toys, they aren’t, and it’s hard work taking care of them. Whoever her owner is, she hasn’t been home for a long time. She isn’t even micro-chipped.’
‘We’ll find a solution, please just do whatever you can.’ Noah repeated his plea and the vet nodded. The little Yorkie had a chance and that was all they could do for her, at least for now.
Izzy had texted her grandmother to let her know that Noah was going to be taking her to the garage to arrange for her car to be collected and that she’d come up to the vicarage to meet Eileen afterwards. Pops had gone back to Redruth to see some of the friends he played skittles with, so it would just be Izzy and her grandmother for dinner. Nonna had spent the afternoon working in the garden again, choosing some flowers to go into her latest arrangement for the church.
‘I was starting to wonder where you two had got to.’ The basket of flowers Eileen had collected already looked good enough to go on display, but Izzy knew she was nowhere near done yet. What she’d create in the end would be a work of art. Sadly, Izzy hadn’t inherited her grandmother’s talent; she couldn’t even seem to arrange a store-bought bouquet in a vase and make it look nice.
‘Sorry, we ended up going on a bit of detour.’ Izzy exchanged a look with Noah and the concern on his face was obvious. She wasn’t the only one who couldn’t get the little Yorkie off her mind.
‘Was there a problem getting the garage to pick up the car?’
‘No, we didn’t even get to the garage in the end. Noah found a dog that was lost in the woods at the back of Hedge End Farm. The poor little thing is so dehydrated and malnourished. We took it to the vet, but she’s not sure the dog will make it.’ Tears were bubbling close to the surface as Izzy looked at her grandmother, stinging her eyes and forcing her to blink. It was stupid to think that saving the little dog could change what was going to happen with Nonna, but she couldn’t help it. Their fates seemed tied up somehow, as if bringing the Yorkie back from the brink would make anything possible.
‘Oh, poor little thing. Do you know who it belongs to?’ Nonna furrowed her brow.
‘We’re trying to find out, but she’s not micro-chipped and the vet doesn’t seem to think she’s had a home in a long time.’ There was a muscle going in Noah’s cheek as he spoke. ‘I’d bring her back here, but she needs rest and recuperation, not physical assault from Pablo on a daily basis.’
‘We’ll take her.’ As clear as Nonna’s words were, Izzy would have bet a million pounds that she’d misheard. She’d never had a pet growing up and her grandparents hadn’t given any indication that they wanted one, so if Nonna had rolled up her sleeve and revealed a brand new tattoo of a skull and crossbones on her right arm, Izzy wouldn’t have been more surprised.
‘What do you mean we’ll take her? Take her where?’
‘I mean we’ll give her a home.’ Nonna laughed. ‘I know we’ve never had a dog, but I didn’t want to have one all the time Pops and I were working and then somehow we never got round to it. But I think a dog would be perfect for us now we’ve got the time and later, when I’m—’
‘Do you think Pops will want a dog?’ She cut her grandmother off. She couldn’t hear those words again, not today.
‘You know he’ll do whatever makes us happy.’ Nonna grinned. ‘What do you think, Noah?’
‘I think it sounds perfect. Will they let you have her on the houseboat?’
‘I’m sure we can persuade them and I think I remember something on the rental site about being able to pay extra to bring a dog.’ Nonna nodded, as if confirming her own recollection. ‘And finally owning a pet can be one more thing off my bucket list. If I tell the rental company that, they’re hardly going to refuse, are they?’
‘Not if they’ve got a heart.’ Noah looked as if the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. ‘I’ll go and call the vet and let them know the dog has got a home if she needs one. Can I carry the flowers in for you, Eileen?’
‘Thank you. I’ve got a few more bits I want to find, so I’ll catch you and Izzy up. She can put the kettle on while you’re talking to the vet; I think we’ve all earned a cuppa.’ Izzy knew better than to try and argue with a royal command from her grandmother and if Noah was offended by the presumption that it would be okay with him, he wasn’t showing it.
‘I think Pops might need something stronger than tea when we break the news about the dog to him.’ Izzy kissed her grandmother’s cheek. ‘Don’t stay out here too much longer, or I’m coming back to get you.’
‘I’ll be ten minutes at the most, so you’ve got just enough time to make the perfect cup of tea.’ Nonna winked and turned back to the flowerbed, leaving Izzy to follow Noah towards the house, with Pablo trotting along behind them.
‘I’m sorry about the ambush. You’ve already taken so much time out of your day, the last thing you probably want is us hanging around to have tea with you.’
‘There’s nothing I’d rather be doing.’ If there was even a hint of sarcasm in Noah’s words, Izzy couldn’t hear it. ‘I’m just so glad the little dog will have somewhere to go if she pulls through.’
‘We’re going to have to come up with a name for her.’ Her hand accidentally brushed against Noah’s as her foot caught in a dip in the grass and when he reached out to stop her falling, for a moment she didn’t want him to let him go. Izzy’s face reddened as she pulled away, desperate to say something to make sure he didn’t notice her reaction. ‘Who’s the saint of lost things? Maybe we could name her after that.’
‘I don’t think she looks much like an Anthony.’ Noah laughed and Izzy suddenly found herself imagining what it would be like to kiss him. Unwanted thoughts were crowding her brain.
‘What about the patron saint of animals? I should have listened more at school, because I’ve got no idea who any of these people are, so you’re probably going to say she doesn’t look much like a Bernard either!’
‘She doesn’t.’ Noah smiled again and Izzy clamped her teeth together. There was no way they were ever going to kiss; she didn’t even want to… so she had to stop thinking about it. ‘But the patron saint of animals is Francis of Assisi. So maybe Franny, or even Sisi?’
‘I think Nonna would like Franny.’ Izzy hesitated as Noah unlocked the front door, holding it open so that she could go through. ‘You don’t think this is a crazy idea, do you? My grandparents taking on a dog when Nonna’s not going to be here forever?’
‘None of us are here forever and as long as Franny, if that’s what you decide to call her, has a good home for the rest of her life, then I think it’s a great idea.’ Noah’s gaze met hers, the kindness and warmth in his eyes tangible. ‘I know you’ll look after Franny if it comes to that, but I think she’ll be exactly what your grandfather needs later on. Pablo got me through the hardest time of my life and I don’t think I could have done it without him.’
‘Did you lose someone too?’ The words were out of Izzy’s mouth before she could stop them.
‘Something like that.’ They were still standing in the doorway, so close that it should have been uncomfortable, but she was in no rush to move. In the end, Noah stepped away first – probably to avoid the question she had no right to ask.
‘I’m sorry, it’s none of my business.’
‘Don’t apologise. I can’t expect people to open up to me as a vicar, if I’m not open too.’ Noah almost sounded like he was trying to convince himself. ‘It’s just something I still find difficult to talk about.’
‘I get that. I still cut Nonna off almost every time she talks about dying and I know that’s selfish, because she probably needs to talk about it.’ The acid tears were stinging Izzy’s eyes again and, when she looked up at Noah, he was shaking his head.
‘Selfish is the last thing you are, Izzy, and you don’t have to be the one to take all that on.’
‘I know and it’s helped a lot that Nonna has you to talk to. I was a bit sceptical at first but coming to the church and spending time in the garden seems to have lifted a huge burden off her. Thank you.’
‘She’s done far more for me than I have for her.’ Noah held her gaze and if he’d moved even an inch closer, she wouldn’t have been able to stop herself from kissing him. But then his phone started to ring and the spell was broken. Whoever it was, Izzy was grateful to them, because they’d almost certainly saved her from embarrassing herself. And on the very slim chance that Noah had responded in the way she’d wanted him to, the caller had saved her from something even worse than embarrassment – the risk of letting herself feel something for him – and that was one chance she definitely didn’t want to take.