Heaven Here On Earth by Carole Mortimer

Author:Carole Mortimer [Mortimer, Carole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488032059
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1983-08-31T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

RYAN saw a lot of Mark the next few days, but nothing of Grant.

‘He’s gone away on business,’ Mark informed her. ‘And not before time either,’ he added moodily. ‘Ryan, we had the biggest argument ever when I got back Monday! If it’s any consolation, he regrets what he said about you.’

If he had really regretted it he would have apologised to her himself, not gone off on business somewhere. No, he might regret that she had actually overheard it, but she doubted he regretted saying it.

She took Ragtag down into the village with her on Wednesday morning to get some groceries, putting on the hated collar and lead. She was trying to introduce them to him gradually, knowing that when they got back to London he wouldn’t be able to just wander about the streets. Nevertheless, he didn’t like the use of them, constantly pulling on the lead, and he had wrapped himself around the concrete post by the time Ryan emerged from the village shop with her bag of groceries.

‘You silly boy!’ she bent down to untangle him, getting her face licked in the process. ‘Anyone would think I’d left you for five hours, not five minutes,’ she scolded, finally unwrapping him, then standing up to find her way blocked by a man in ragged clothing, a growth of beard on his face, his hair long and untidy. ‘Excuse me,’ she made to move past him.

‘Oh no, you don’t,’ the man snarled. ‘That’s my dog you have there—and I want him back!’

In fact Ragtag had begun to growl now, pulling on his lead—away from the man! ‘I think you’re mistaken—’ Ryan was having trouble controlling Ragtag, almost being pulled over as he tried to get away.

‘No, I’m not,’ he rasped sneeringly. ‘Give him here,’ he held out his hand for the lead.

At that moment Ragtag gave one last tug and managed to get free, running off across the fields without a moment’s hesitation.

‘You did that on purpose!’ The man roughly caught hold of Ryan’s arms. ‘You little bitch!’ He began to shake her.

‘No, I—I—’

‘Duke is my dog—mine, do you hear!’ he shook her. ‘He went off just over a week ago and I’ve been looking for him ever since. You stole him from me—’

‘Is there anything wrong here?’

Ryan turned gratefully at the sound of Grant’s voice, not even hesitating as she ran to his side. She hadn’t noticed the green Jaguar pulling into the side of the road, or Grant climbing out from behind the wheel, tall and dark in black trousers and a black shirt—and she had never been so pleased to see him in her life!

She clutched at his arm, trembling as she looked back at the angry man. ‘I think this—gentleman—’ she quivered as she remembered his dirty hands on her, ‘I think he’s made a mistake.’

‘No mistake,’ he growled. ‘Not on my part anyway.’

Grant looked at the other man with cool green eyes. ‘That’s enough, Cole,’ he rasped. ‘Miss Shelton is a guest of mine, and if you have anything to say to her then I think you should say it in front of me.

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