‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Danny. I’m Summer.’
She offers her hand and he gives it a hearty shake, his redness reaching new heights.
‘And you, Miss Summer.’ He gestures to Rufus, who is now nuzzling the inside of Summer’s palm. ‘He certainly likes you.’
She smiles down at the smelly mass of fur. ‘And I like him.’
‘He’s been mighty moody since Ms Katherine passed away...it’s good to see a spring in his step again.’
‘So he was Katherine’s dog?’
Danny nods. ‘She found him on the grounds here when he was a pup—quite wild by all accounts. We reckon he’s a cross between an Irish Wolfhound and a Bearded Collie.’
‘He’s not a working dog, then?’ Her gaze goes to the doorway, where Danny’s three black Labrador Retrievers wait patiently for their master, probably despairing of their little runaway friend.
‘Och, no. He’s all about the fun, this one.’
Fun.Summer’s middle name.
‘In that case,’ she chirrups, ‘I think we’re going to get along famously.’
‘Are you ready to have him back, then, sir?’ Danny looks to me.
‘Back?’ And now I sound like the dim-witted fool I am. ‘Of course. Yes.’
‘Does this mean he’s now ours?’ she asks me tentatively, and I get it...feel the whole ‘ours’ thing making me squirm and warm in one.
I scratch the back of my head, the move reminding me of Danny doing exactly the same thing. What is it about Summer that has a man’s temperature rising, the collar of his shirt tightening and his hormones regressing to uncontrollable teenage levels again?
‘I guess you could say he belongs to the castle,’ I correct, as if that somehow sounds better. ‘When Gran couldn’t take in foster children any more and Rufus appeared—well, you can just imagine her joy.’
Her smile widens, her happiness so pure as her eyes fall to Rufus, who is now leaning into her, his head huge against her waist.
I screw my face up as a cold gust blows through the open door, sweeping his wet dog scent right into my face. ‘But a bath first, Danny, and then he can come home.’
Rufus whines, his ears pricking at the dreaded word, and Summer pipes up, ‘I’ll do it.’
Both Danny and I gape at her.
‘He really does hate water, miss,’ says Danny.
She gives a shrug. ‘It’s okay. I’ve had my fair share of working with tricky animals—and humans—over the years. Does the boot room still have a shower?’
‘Yes...’ I say, my frown deep. She can’t be serious...
‘Ms Katherine used to hose him down in there,’ Danny says, all helpful. ‘His stuff should still be in there—shampoo, towels, brushes... But if you need anything, you just let me know.’
‘Great. You can trust me with him, Danny. I promise.’
She’s already back to fussing over Rufus, and Danny is grinning like a fool, his eyes as joyful as the dog at her feet as he watches them both.
I clear my throat. ‘Danny?’
The man starts, his eyes shooting to me as his body straightens and he seems to give himself a mental slap. ‘Yes, sir?’
‘Is everything okay with the estate? I wanted to talk to you about the food reserves with the freak weather that’s been forecast...’
He nods rapidly, all business now. ‘I wanted to talk to you about the same. If it’s anything like the snow a couple of years back we’ll be needing to supplement it for a good while.’