Kisses at Sunset

‘In what way?’

Mary stared into her coffee. ‘Well, he’s very flat. My Geoff’s always the life and soul of the party, you know? Even through all this he’s managed to put a brave face on it for most of the time. We’ll sort all this out, Mary, he keeps saying, but the last few days…’

‘Is he sleeping?’

Mary shook her head. ‘No. He waits until he thinks I’m asleep and then he gets up and comes down here. I’ve heard him pacing around at four in the morning, but he always denies it when I try and talk to him.’

Ally took a sip of coffee. ‘Does he seem depressed to you?’

‘Yes, I suppose he does.’ Mary stared at her bleakly. ‘He’s a very proud man, Dr McGuire, and this has wrecked his confidence in himself. He thinks that everyone is talking about him, laughing—you know? It was that wretched newspaper article that did it. Before then it was our private problem but now the whole world knows.’

Ally reached across the kitchen table and squeezed her hand. ‘Well, you know as well as I do that the world isn’t interested for more than a day. He’s yesterday’s news, Mary—but I don’t suppose that’s any consolation to him.’

‘No.’

‘He’s due to come and see me this week—do you think he will?’

Mary shrugged. ‘I don’t know. He’s very independent. Doesn’t like asking for help. It was different when he was so badly affected by the alcohol, but now he thinks it’s up to him to snap out of it.’

Ally frowned. ‘Well, it won’t be that easy.’

‘Try telling him that.’ Mary stared down at her empty coffee-cup. ‘I don’t know what to do. I’m at my wit’s end, frankly.’

‘If he doesn’t come and see me in surgery I’ll call and see him here,’ Ally promised, standing up and picking up her bag.

‘Thanks, Dr McGuire.’ Mary gave her a tired smile and showed her to the door.

* * *

By considerable effort on her part Ally managed to avoid Sean for most of the week, but there was no escape on Friday when she pulled up outside the barn and saw him standing with Charlie, staring at the fells.

‘Hero’s gone, Mum.’

Ally locked the car door, avoiding Sean’s penetrating gaze. ‘What do you mean, he’s gone? Where’s Grandma?’ Why was Sean looking after her child instead of her mother?

‘Someone on the farm broke his arm and Grandma had to go, so Sean said he’d stay with me.’ Charlie’s face was blotched with tea

rs and she was clutching Sean’s hand. ‘Hero was playing in the garden but he jumped the fence again and he hasn’t been back all afternoon.’

Ally slipped her arms round her daughter and gave her a hug. ‘He won’t come to any harm, sweetheart. He’s probably just gone for a walk. He’ll come back.’

‘But it’s snowed!’ Charlie’s face was anxious and Ally kissed her and then stood up.

‘He’s got fur, darling. Fur keeps him warm.’

Charlie stared across the fields. ‘Sean says he’ll go and look for him.’

Ally’s mouth tightened and her chin lifted slightly. ‘Sean’s busy, darling. Hero will find his own way home. He’s done it before.’

‘Yes, but not when it’s snowed.’ Charlie tugged at her arm. ‘Can’t Sean go and look, Mummy?’

Ally gritted her teeth. ‘No, sweetheart. Sean’s got other things to do. Now, you and I are going to cook some dinner and Sean has to go home.’

Sean dropped down to Charlie’s level, his dark eyes gentle. ‘I’ll tell you what—you make dinner with your mum, and if he hasn’t come home by the time you go to bed then you give me a shout and I’ll take a look.’

‘That won’t be necessary.’ Ally gave him a cool smile, careful not to look at the hard line of his jaw, that firm mouth or the breadth of his shoulders. It was all too painful…

She hurried Charlie indoors and spent the evening playing with her daughter and doing one chore after another. Every corner of the barn gleamed as she dusted and cleaned, and a delicious smell of casserole wafted out of the kitchen. Just as she was laying the table for supper she heard Hero bark.