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Back Cross and Burn Save as PDF
Chapters (74)
  1. About the Author
  2. Also by Val McDermid
  3. COPYRIGHT
  4. CROSS AND BURN
  5. Dedication
  6. Acknowledgements
  7. Epigraph
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. 51
  59. 52
  60. 53
  61. 54
  62. 55
  63. 56
  64. 57
  65. 58
  66. 59
  67. 60
  68. 61
  69. 62
  70. 63
  71. 64
  72. 65
  73. 66
  74. 67

He grinned, taking years off. ‘You just don’t know you want a dog,’ he said. ‘They’re great company. And better than a burglar alarm. Nobody burgles a house where there’s a dog barking inside.’ The unspoken history of what had happened here underpinned what he said. He had more sense than to refer to it directly.

‘Won’t she need a lot of exercise?’

‘I can’t deny that,’ he said, scratching the dog’s head. ‘But so do we. Problem is, we don’t take it. Here’s the thing, though, Carol. Collies love to run. And you’ve got miles of moorland on your doorstep here. You can let this dog run in absolute security because you know for sure the one thing she’s not going to be doing is worrying sheep.’ He smiled up at her. ‘Why don’t you give her a try? Give it a week. See how you both take to each other? No obligation. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll take her back without a word of recrimination.’

‘Back to be put down?’

Nicholas rubbed the dog’s flank. ‘Hopefully, it won’t come to that. Look, Carol, I’m absolutely not going to guilt-trip you into taking a dog you don’t want. That would be even more unfair to Flash than having her humanely put to sleep.’

‘I don’t know anything about dogs. What they eat, what they need.’ She heard the whiny weakness in her response and despised herself for it. ‘I’m not the person you’re looking for.’

‘They don’t need much. I’ve brought her bed down in the Land Rover, along with a bag of dog food and a leash. She can sleep in there with you —’ He waved towards the closed door. ‘Or out here. Though she does prefer company. Human, if canine isn’t available. Feed her twice a day, three-quarters of a bowl. You can add table scraps to her bowl if you want to, but don’t feed her from your hand or you’ll make a beggar of her. She needs at least one good run a day, preferably two. How hard is that to accommodate?’

‘I won’t be doing this restoration for ever.’ It was a rearguard action, and she knew it.

‘You’ll be doing it for a good while yet. Look, you can cross that bridge when you come to it. But I think a dog in your life would be nothing but positive right now.’

‘How do I know she’ll do what I tell her?’

‘Try it. Call her. You might as well, Carol. What have you got to lose?’

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