Rachel's Coming Home Read Free

prancing at his heels. New dogs were always excited by the smells and noise of the kennels and she was secretly impressed that they stayed so close to their master. She found the man rather arrogant but he clearly had a knack with dogs.
    As she commenced the brief tour of the kennels, Rachel began to relax. It was a lovely place, still spotless despite her parents’ problems, beautifully laid out in a modern design, with every dog having its own small enclosure and a private run. Animals that came from the same family were given a slightly larger ‘apartment’ and Rachel immediately spotted which one was meant for Bill and Ben and indicated this to their owner. She hoped he was impressed.
    â€˜I’m sure they’ll be very happy here,’ she said encouragingly. ‘We make sure they get plenty of exercise and are well fed and cared for. In accordance with the owner’s instructions, of course.’ She patted the head of a little West Highland terrier as she passed. ‘Hello Jinty, how are you, sweetheart? We find the dogs are very happy with us and their owners often bring them back again and again.’
    â€˜Not quite Holiday Inn standards,’ said the man. Rachel wasn’t sure if he was being complimentary so she merely smiled. She wished she could remember why the man seemed so familiar. He was good-looking in a rugged kind of way and he certainly had the self-assurance that made her think he was someone . Hopefully her mother would be able to explain.
    â€˜I’ll take you back to the house now,’ she said. ‘Do you want to keep the dogs with you? They’re brothers, aren’t they? Such lovely animals. They’re very welcome in the house. We have different dogs in at different times, so it’s quite a home from home for them.’ This was one thing her parents had insisted on when they started the kennels and Rachel knew it was popular with the owners. The man merely nodded and put a hand down to touch each dog again. He hadn’t praised the facilities and she felt slighted on her parents’ behalf. People were normally quite effusive, as they should be.
    The man took his leave soon after, declining the offer of tea. ‘I’m in rather a hurry,’ he said, glancing at Rachel, but fortunately not mentioning his wait at the door. She felt annoyed with him, but when she saw him kneel to hug each dog in turn she decided to put his abruptness down to parting with the beautiful collies, who he clearly loved. His affection for the dogs was the only good thing about him, but she didn’t say that to her mother.
    â€˜He’s new to the area, isn’t he?’ she said as soon as the 4x4 had drawn away. ‘Certainly not one of your normal clients.’
    â€˜He seems a very nice man,’ said her mother. Rachel smiled. She should have known her mother would say that. She never could see the bad side of anyone.
    â€˜As long as he pays, I suppose that’s the main thing,’ she said. ‘Now, tell me how Dad is. And where Anthony is. What a good job I arrived when I did, you look worn out.’ Rachel took over the pouring of the tea and collected the biscuit tin from the pantry. She would start the way she intended to continue.
    â€˜Your dad is doing very well and looking forward to seeing you later on. As to Anthony … Well, I’m not sure where Anthony is. He didn’t come home last night.’

Chapter Two
    Anthony was walking slowly along Buchanan Street, shivering despite the sunshine. He was sure he had had a fleece with him yesterday, but it seemed to have been mislaid. Now his head was pounding and the bright sunshine hurt his eyes and he had no idea how he was going to get home from Glasgow. Staying out so late last night had seemed like a fun thing to do at the time, but now he wasn’t so sure.
    He pulled his mobile out of the pocket of his jeans and looked at it hopefully. The battery was still