Read Online A Mother for Matilda by Amy Andrews - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Amy Andrews
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Bella was a dog?
A surge of relief swept through Lawson as he momentarily laid his forehead against the rock. It was cool against his face and he couldn’t believe the furnace running through his veins when ten minutes ago he’d been freezing cold.
He pushed himself upright and grinned at the questioning look on his partner’s face. He looked at the children, huddled together in the confines of Victoria’s arm. ‘Is Bella a dog?’
Annie and Pete nodded at him with sad, solemn eyesas if he should have known it all along. He noticed Victoria’s shoulders sag.
‘Bella’s a dog?’ She looked down at the children, who looked up at her and nodded again.
‘She’s my dog,’ Annie confirmed. ‘I got her for my birthday when I was three.’
Vic grinned back at Lawson. ‘A dog.’
Annie, obviously shrewder than her brother with her advanced years, looked from one to the other. She pulled out of Victoria’s grasp. ‘You’re still going to get her out, right? Just because she’s an animal doesn’t mean you can let her drown.’
Pete’s eyes grew round in his head. ‘You’re going to leave her there?’ he squeaked, staring at Lawson.
The wind whipped the sound of a siren towards them and Lawson knew pretty soon half the emergency services on the island would be on the headland.
‘No,’ Vic denied, placing her hand on Pete’s shoulder. ‘We’re not going to leave her there. We’ll get her out, don’t worry.’
But maybe they could call off the chopper that Coms had told them was on their way in case an amphibious rescue had been their only option. And call in the Animal Rescue people.
‘What have we got, Lawson?’
Vic turned to see two of the island’s volunteer fire-fighters picking their way towards them and, further behind, two policemen climbing the fence.
‘It’s okay.’ Lawson put up his hands. ‘It’s not a child. It’s a dog.’
The men stopped in their tracks and within seconds were laughing and slapping each other on the back.
‘It’s not funny.’
Annie’s little voice cut through their cheer. She was standing, her hand on her hip, glaring at them. Pete edged closer to his sister and she put her arm around his shoulders.
‘Annie? Pete?’
They all looked back towards the car park as a very worried-looking man and a woman also scrambled over the fence.
‘Oh-oh,’ Pete whispered.
Vic crouched beside them. ‘Are they your parents?’
‘Yup.’ Pete’s look of impending doom said it all.
‘Okay.’ She nodded. ‘Let me handle this.’
The couple approached and the mother was the first to let fly. ‘Oh, my God,’ she said to the guilty parties, grabbing them and giving them each a fierce hug. ‘We’ve been looking everywhere for you. You scared the living daylights out of us.’
Vic jumped in to soothe the waters a bit and five minutes later, after a round of introductions to the Bradley family, all had been forgiven. They tried to usher the children back to safety but they refused to budge.
Annie moved out of her mother’s tight embrace and turned imploring eyes on Vic and Lawson. ‘What about Bella. You have to get Bella.’
This time she burst into tears and Vic crouched beside her again. ‘I promise we’ll try as hard as we can to get Bella out.’ Vic had checked out Bella’s position and thought she could help. ‘Don’t tell my dad but I used to play in these caves when I was a kid.’
Annie gave her a watery smile and Vic’s heart squeezed painfully in her chest. The girl had been somature and she knew she’d do her damnedest to save Bella from drowning from the incoming tide. ‘I reckon I know a way we could get to her. But you have to go back behind the fence and let us do our work. Okay?’
Annie scrubbed at the tears trekking down her face. ‘You promise you’ll try?’
Vic crossed her heart and held out her crooked little finger. ‘Pinky swear.’
Lawson watched as Annie linked her little finger with Victoria’s. How
Bella was a dog?
A surge of relief swept through Lawson as he momentarily laid his forehead against the rock. It was cool against his face and he couldn’t believe the furnace running through his veins when ten minutes ago he’d been freezing cold.
He pushed himself upright and grinned at the questioning look on his partner’s face. He looked at the children, huddled together in the confines of Victoria’s arm. ‘Is Bella a dog?’
Annie and Pete nodded at him with sad, solemn eyesas if he should have known it all along. He noticed Victoria’s shoulders sag.
‘Bella’s a dog?’ She looked down at the children, who looked up at her and nodded again.
‘She’s my dog,’ Annie confirmed. ‘I got her for my birthday when I was three.’
Vic grinned back at Lawson. ‘A dog.’
Annie, obviously shrewder than her brother with her advanced years, looked from one to the other. She pulled out of Victoria’s grasp. ‘You’re still going to get her out, right? Just because she’s an animal doesn’t mean you can let her drown.’
Pete’s eyes grew round in his head. ‘You’re going to leave her there?’ he squeaked, staring at Lawson.
The wind whipped the sound of a siren towards them and Lawson knew pretty soon half the emergency services on the island would be on the headland.
‘No,’ Vic denied, placing her hand on Pete’s shoulder. ‘We’re not going to leave her there. We’ll get her out, don’t worry.’
But maybe they could call off the chopper that Coms had told them was on their way in case an amphibious rescue had been their only option. And call in the Animal Rescue people.
‘What have we got, Lawson?’
Vic turned to see two of the island’s volunteer fire-fighters picking their way towards them and, further behind, two policemen climbing the fence.
‘It’s okay.’ Lawson put up his hands. ‘It’s not a child. It’s a dog.’
The men stopped in their tracks and within seconds were laughing and slapping each other on the back.
‘It’s not funny.’
Annie’s little voice cut through their cheer. She was standing, her hand on her hip, glaring at them. Pete edged closer to his sister and she put her arm around his shoulders.
‘Annie? Pete?’
They all looked back towards the car park as a very worried-looking man and a woman also scrambled over the fence.
‘Oh-oh,’ Pete whispered.
Vic crouched beside them. ‘Are they your parents?’
‘Yup.’ Pete’s look of impending doom said it all.
‘Okay.’ She nodded. ‘Let me handle this.’
The couple approached and the mother was the first to let fly. ‘Oh, my God,’ she said to the guilty parties, grabbing them and giving them each a fierce hug. ‘We’ve been looking everywhere for you. You scared the living daylights out of us.’
Vic jumped in to soothe the waters a bit and five minutes later, after a round of introductions to the Bradley family, all had been forgiven. They tried to usher the children back to safety but they refused to budge.
Annie moved out of her mother’s tight embrace and turned imploring eyes on Vic and Lawson. ‘What about Bella. You have to get Bella.’
This time she burst into tears and Vic crouched beside her again. ‘I promise we’ll try as hard as we can to get Bella out.’ Vic had checked out Bella’s position and thought she could help. ‘Don’t tell my dad but I used to play in these caves when I was a kid.’
Annie gave her a watery smile and Vic’s heart squeezed painfully in her chest. The girl had been somature and she knew she’d do her damnedest to save Bella from drowning from the incoming tide. ‘I reckon I know a way we could get to her. But you have to go back behind the fence and let us do our work. Okay?’
Annie scrubbed at the tears trekking down her face. ‘You promise you’ll try?’
Vic crossed her heart and held out her crooked little finger. ‘Pinky swear.’
Lawson watched as Annie linked her little finger with Victoria’s. How
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