Rebel Without a Claus (Movie Club Mysteries, Book 5) by Zara Keane

Author:Zara Keane
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783906245553
Publisher: Beaverstone Press LLC

16

The day of the festival dawned sunny but cold. I woke at five-thirty to find one of my running shoes on my chest, and Bran, my Border collie-Labrador mix, panting plaintively in my face.

I groaned and pushed myself into a sitting position. “You don’t do subtle, do you, boy?”

The dog barked in agreement and wagged his tail, impatient to be on the move. He and the cats had stayed with Noreen while I’d been in Galway, and I’d missed them, especially my early morning runs with Bran.

I rubbed his head, and he rewarded me with a generous lick. “All right,” I said with a laugh. “Give me ten minutes, and I’ll be ready.”

After I’d thrown on my running gear and prepared breakfast for the cats, Bran and I headed out into the chilly morning. No lights were on in any of the other seven houses that formed the Shamrock Cottages complex. Built on a slope with a spectacular view of the sea, each cottage consisted of two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room, as well as a small fenced-in backyard. In addition to the cottages, the complex sported a communal playground and a games room, neither of which I used.

Bran tugged on his leash and led me down the winding drive toward the road. When we reached the main gate, the dog veered to the left, heading in the direction of his favorite running route. We followed the road for five minutes and then took a path through the fields. In summer, these fields were a lush green that complemented the purple-gray stone that was a feature of the island. This morning, the light of my headband shone over a smattering of snow. The white landscape spread out before us, punctuated by bare trees and the odd farm building.

Once our feet hit the grass, I unhooked Bran’s leash, and the dog took off at a rapid pace. I jogged after him, letting him lead the way. After a glorious half hour of chasing my dog through fields and woods, I slowed my pace to a light jog. Two joggers had crested the hill in front of us and were running in our direction, the lamps on their headbands casting a yellow glow across the white fields.

“Come back, Bran,” I shouted. “We have company.”

My dog was reasonably well behaved, but we rarely encountered other joggers on our runs, and these rare sightings sent him into paroxysms of joy. This occasion was no exception. Bran barked excitedly at the newcomers and showed every sign of greeting them with an enthusiastic crotch sniff.

“Oh, no you don’t.” I caught up with the dog and clipped on his leash. A moment later, the approaching joggers spotted us and slowed down. A burly figure in black running tights came into view, followed by a slim woman dressed in hot-pink running gear. A blond ponytail peeked out from beneath her hat.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered under my breath. An encounter with my sister was the last thing I needed before I’d had my first coffee of the day.

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