Nikki And The Lone Wolf / Mardie And The City Surgeon. Marion Lennox

were taking her. How absurd to think she could ever do something so … so wonderful.

      Was she crazy? This surely could only ever be a hobby.

      Concentrate on Horse. The rest was nonsense. Fanciful thinking after an upset night. ‘Whatever I do, I’ve decided I can keep Horse,’ she managed. ‘If I can get some help for the first two months.’

      But Gabe was looking at her as if she was something that had just crawled out of the cheese.

      ‘You’ve decided this all since last night?’ he demanded. ‘Do you know how much of a commitment a dog is? He’s not a handbag, picked up and discarded on a whim. Sixteen years …’

      ‘We’re not talking Jem here,’ Henrietta said sharply.

      ‘Jem?’

      ‘Gabe’s dog,’ Henrietta told her. ‘Gabe found Jem on the beach sixteen years ago. She died three months back.’

      ‘I’m sorry,’ Nikki said, disconcerted, but her apologies weren’t required or wanted. Gabe’s face was rigid with anger.

      ‘We’re not talking Jem. We’re talking you. What do you know about dogs?’

      ‘I’ll learn.’

      ‘You mean you know nothing.’

      ‘You’re trying to talk me out of keeping him?’

      ‘I’m talking sense.’

      ‘I can keep him for the days you’re away,’ Henrietta interjected, but she was watching Gabe. ‘I run a boarding kennel alongside the shelter, so if you really are going to reorganise …’

      ‘You’d let her keep him?’ Gabe’s voice was incredulous.

      ‘It’s that or put him down,’ Henrietta snapped. ‘Nikki’s offering.’

      ‘And if I say no?’

      There was a general intake of breath. If he said no …

      What would she do?

      Take Horse and live elsewhere? Somewhere that wasn’t here? There were so few rental options.

      Go back to Sydney.

      No! Here was scary, but Sydney was scarier.

      Move on. Who knew where? With dog?

      This was dumb. To move towns because of a dog …

      But this afternoon she’d felt his heartbeat as he slept. The thought of ending that heartbeat …

      Horse was as lost as she was, she thought, and she glanced at Gabe and thought there were three of them. She could see pain behind Gabe’s anger; behind his blank refusal to help.

      She couldn’t think of Gabe’s pain now. She’d do this alone.

      No. She’d do it with Horse.

      ‘He’s my dog,’ she said, making her voice firm.

      Henrietta turned to Gabe. ‘So. Let’s get this straight. Are you planning on evicting Nikki because she has a dog?’

      ‘She doesn’t know what she’s letting herself in for.’

      ‘You work at home, right?’ Henrietta asked her, obviously deciding to abandon Gabe’s arguments as superfluous.

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘Fantastic. When do you need to go away again?’

      She did a frantic mental reshuffle. ‘I can put it off for a while. Three weeks …’

      ‘Then you have three weeks to learn all about dogs,’ Henrietta decreed. ‘If at the end of that time you decide you can’t keep him then we’ll rethink things. So Gabe … I have a happy ending in view. What about you? You’ll seriously evict her if she keeps him?’

      They were all looking at him. Nikki and Henrietta … Even Horse seemed to understand his future hung on what Gabe said right now.

      ‘Fine,’ he said explosively.

      ‘That’s not what I want to hear,’ Henrietta said. ‘How about a bit of enthusiasm?’

      ‘You expect me to be enthusiastic that there’s a dog about to live here? With a totally untrained owner?’

      ‘You’re trained,’ Henrietta said. ‘I’d feel happier if you were offering, but I have a feeling this guy will settle for what he can get. If the heart’s in the right place, the rest can follow, eh, Nikki?’

      ‘I … yes,’ she said weakly, wondering where exactly her heart was.

      ‘That’s great,’ Henrietta said and patted Horse. who was still looking nervous. ‘What will you call him?’

      ‘Horse,’ Nikki said. ‘I’ll need stuff. I don’t know what. Can you tell me?’

      ‘Gabe might give you a …’ Henrietta started and then glanced again at Gabe. Winced. ‘Okay, maybe not. Let’s take your new dog inside and I’ll make you a list myself. Unless you want to evict her first, Gabe?’

      ‘I’m going to the boat,’ he snapped. ‘Be it on your head.’

      He headed for the boat, away from women, away from dog. Away from stuff he didn’t want to deal with.

      He needed to sort cray-pots, mend some. He started but it didn’t keep his head from wandering. He kept seeing Nikki, sorting through her pile of rocks. His mother’s pile of rocks.

      He kept seeing Nikki curled in front of the fire, sleeping beside Horse.

      Horse. It was a stupid name for a dog.

      What was also stupid was his reaction, he told himself. What was the big deal? His tenant had found herself a dog. It was nothing to do with him. As for the stone walling …

      She wouldn’t touch it again.

      Why not let her finish it?

      Stupid or not, he felt as if he was right on the edge of a whirlpool, and he was being pulled inexorably inside.

      He’d been there before.

      There was nothing inside but pain.

      The cray-pots weren’t hard enough.

      He’d check the Lady Nell’s propeller, he decided. It had fouled last time out. They’d got it clear but maybe it’d be wise to give it a thorough check.

      Ten minutes later he had a scuba tank on, lowering himself over the side.

      He should do this with someone on board keeping watch. If there was an accident …

      If there was an accident no one gave a toss; it was his business what he did with his life.

      He had scores of employees, dependent on him for their livelihood.

      He also had one tenant. Dependent?

      If Horse decided to head for the beach again, he was bigger than she could possibly hold.

      It was none of his business. She didn’t need him. The dog didn’t need him. No one did. Even if something happened to him, the legal stuff was set up so this town’s fishing fleet would survive.

      How morbid was that? He was about to check a propeller. He’d done it a hundred times.

      He needed to see things in perspective.

      He dived underwater. Right now underwater seemed safer than the surface—and a whole lot clearer.

      * * *

      Henrietta left and came back with supplies, and Nikki was set. Dog food, dog bed, dog bowls. Collar, lead, treats, ball times six … Practically a car full.

      ‘You’ll need a kennel, but they don’t come prefabricated in Horse’s size,’ Henrietta told