Max stopped pushing the wheelchair and anger flooded his aura with a brick-red colour. He opened his mouth to speak, and Diana put a restraining hand on his arm.
‘Hi, Dylan,’ said TammyLee, and Amber went on growling with the sunlight glistening through her hackles.
‘What’s up with your dog?’ Dylan asked, mockingly. ‘Nasty, ain’t she?’
‘She doesn’t like you,’ said TammyLee.
‘Shame about that.’ Dylan still straddled the path, towering over Max, who was tutting and glaring at him.
‘I thought you had a Saturday job,’ said TammyLee. ‘What happened?’
Dylan shrugged.‘I quit, didn’t I! Dead boring.’ He put his face close to TammyLee. ‘So, what happened to you then? False alarm was it?’
TammyLee looked at him steadily, her mouth twitching.
‘It’s none of your business,’ she fired at him. ‘And I don’t want nothing to do with you, Dylan, so stay away from me.’
‘You heard her,’ said Max. ‘Let us pass, please. Can’t you see my wife is in a wheelchair?’
‘Calm down, Pop.’ Dylan grinned round at his two mates. ‘I’m not planning on raping your precious daughter. Not today.’ He winked at TammyLee and she glared back.
It was Diana who intervened. With a radiant smile and her eyes piercingly bright, she said,‘Good afternoon, boys, lovely to meet you. Are you enjoying this beautiful sunshine?’ She held out a thin white hand. ‘I’m Diana. And you are?’
Dylan got smaller and smaller as he looked at Diana’s radiance. None of the boys shook the hand Diana was offering. They looked embarrassed and shuffled awkwardly from one foot to the other. Sheepishly, they moved to one side.
‘Thank you. That’s so kind of you.’ Diana looked tenderly at each of them. ‘I hope you have a lovely day. Bye-bye, now.’
Max pushed the wheelchair onwards, and Dylan turned and saw me sitting on the post.‘Ello, puss,’ he said, and we had eye contact for a long moment. His eyes were turquoise and sparkly, but the sparkle was not astonishment, it was wariness, and a sense of being lost. I knew who he was instantly, by those compelling eyes. Dylan was Rocky’s father.
If only I could talk.
Chapter Nine
DROPPED
Max pushed the wheelchair, until the wide path ended at a shallow place where the river bubbled over stones. Amber charged into the water with everything flapping, and I followed TammyLee onto the bank. She picked me up.
‘You stay with mum, please,’ she said. ‘Dad and I are going swimming, just up there.’ She pointed upstream to the old stone bridge where Solomon had appeared. Below it was a shining pool. The river fascinated me. I wanted to follow it into the hills and watch the waterfalls and hear its music. There were streams cascading like threads of silver down from the iron-blue ridges of the hill. I wanted to explore them, and find a tiny pool where I could sit on a stone and catch sardines. There were sheep up there too, and baby lambs who might play with me.
I was too excited to do much cuddling and purring. TammyLee put me down on Diana’s lap.
‘Isn’t this WONDERFUL?’ Diana’s eyes shone. ‘Oh, it’s such a treat for me to seemy river. I love it so much. Thank you for bringing me.’ She reached up and pulled Max’s arm until he stooped and kissed her.
‘Will you be OK sitting here?’ he asked. ‘You can see us swimming, and when we come back and dry off, we’ll have the picnic.
‘I’ll be ecstatic!’ said Diana, while I dough-punched with my paws in the soft blanket she had over her knees. ‘And I’ve got Tallulah.’
TammyLee and Max stripped off their clothes down to their swimming gear, TammyLee in a bright green bikini, and Max in black swimming trunks. I sat up to watch what would happen.
‘You don’t have to stay with me, Tallulah,’ whispered Diana. ‘You go and be free and enjoy this lovely place. But come back, won’t you, darling? We love you so much.’
I kissed Diana on the nose, grateful for her understanding. With my tail flying, I ran after them, along the river, keeping out of Amber’s way as she was already dripping wet from nose to tail. The stone bridge was warm from the sun and I quickly found a perch out of reach of the splashes. Amber was swimming silently round and round the pool, with only her nose and eyes above the water and her tail streaming behind. Max was swimming like a frog, his chin out of the water. But TammyLee seemed transformed from the girl who marched around in clonky shoes. She was like a fish. Diving and twisting and rolling. She swam right under the water and the sunlight made webs of gold dance over her body, her hair swirled and, when she popped up for air, her face was dark pink and radiant. She looked more alive than she ever looked on land. Max soon tired and found a rock in the sun, where he sat, proudly watching his daughter. Amber clambered out and shook spirals of drops into the air, and, finally, TammyLee got out, andI stayed by myself, watching her walking back. Now was my chance to do some private hunting.