Harry and Ben followed and Jill watched as they began to build a snowman.
It had been a joy to have the boys at the cottage. The invitation had been made on an impulse, to get them away from their burning home and to reassure Ben that all would be well, but Jill had assumed it would only be for one night. She’d thought Max would argue that her cottage was far too small for so many humans plus assorted pets. He hadn’t. Quite the reverse in fact. He’d seized on her invitation.
It had been fine, though. She’d found it strange, to say the least, having Max in her cottage, but he’d left for his office early each morning and hadn’t returned until late. Jill hadn’t seen much of him.
She’d enjoyed having time with the boys, though.
Her back door banged shut again and then Max was in the garden. Jill inched back from the window to watch him.
He was making snowballs and throwing them for Fly. The dog leapt into the air to catch them, and then, as they disintegrated around him, raced around the garden hunting for them.
Max looked more relaxed today. She knew it would be a long time before he stopped thinking about what could have been, but he was finally beginning to relax.
Christmas Day had been OK. It had passed in a hectic blur of present opening, cooking, eating and drinking. Kate, who was staying with friends for the time being, had spent most of the day with them and Jill had been on the phone to her parents a lot. She’d been tempted to allay their worries about her spending Christmas alone by telling them that Max and the boys were with her but, thankfully, she’d resisted. She would never hear the last of it!
So yesterday had been fine and, this morning, they were all going to Gerald and Emma Murphy’s house for drinks.
James and Jason had been found unconscious and severely dehydrated in Donna Lord’s cellar. Both boys had several fractures, but James had been allowed out of hospital on Christmas Eve and Jason, also destined to make a full recovery, was expected home at the beginning of next week.
Christmas could have been a very different affair for Kelton Bridge but, as it was, the village was quietly giving thanks. It had seemed to Jill that every single resident had turned up at the church for the Christmas Eve service. Even Sarah Hayden had been there.
‘After Christmas,’ she’d told Jill, ‘I’m moving to Burnley. With Martin and Mum gone, there’s no point me staying at the farm. I’m going to share a flat with a friend.’
Jill had wished her well. Christmas at Lower Crags Farm would be a sad, painful affair, but she hoped the new year would bring brighter futures for them all.
Jill dragged her attention away from the garden and began hunting through her wardrobe for something suitable to wear.
An hour later, the four of them set off for the Murphys’ house. Jill guessed that the crisp snow would soon turn to grey slush but now it crunched satisfactorily underfoot. The boys went on ahead, their heads bent as they discussed whatever it is brothers discuss.
‘You OK, Max?’
He looked at her and smiled. ‘Yes, I’m OK. You?’
‘I’m good,’ she told him.
They’d had an enjoyable Christmas together and, when life settled down again, perhaps well, who knew what the future would bring?
‘I hope Donna Lord gets the treatment she needs,’ she murmured.
‘What she needs is banging up for the rest of her days,’ Max retorted. ‘What she’ll get is the best set of shrinks the taxpayer can afford.’
Max had little sympathy for her plight. Correction. He had no sympathy whatsoever. Jill supposed that as his son’s life had been threatened, his house deemed uninhabitable for the moment and his life and that of his family almost wiped out, he had good reason.
‘She was five years old, Max.’
‘But people get over things. They have to.’
‘Usually they do, yes. But no five-year-old spends hours trapped in her car seat watching her mother die and then gets over it without one hell of a lot of love and care.’
‘Christ, Jill, if everyone who’d suffered some sort of tragedy went on a killing spree, we’d be knee-deep in corpses!’ He sighed. ‘The five-year-old died in that car accident. As for the thirty-year-old, I only hope to God I never have to lay eyes on her again!’
‘It’s over,’ Jill said quietly. ‘Let’s just enjoy the day and be grateful that we can.’
She sensed some of the tension leave him.
‘Oh, I almost forgot,’ he said suddenly. ‘Your dad called earlier with a dead cert for you. It was’
‘Whoa! Hang on a minute.’ She stopped so abruptly that she almost slipped on the snow. ‘What do you mean, my dad called? You answered my phone?’
He’d put out a hand to steady her. ‘I could hardly ignore it, could I?’
‘Why the hell not?’ she demanded, shaking herself free. ‘Oh, for God’s sake!’
‘Your mum sounds well, doesn’t she?’
Jill walked on. ‘This is your idea of a joke, isn’t it? You’re just winding me up. You didn’t speak to my mother at all.’
Max shrugged in his helpless little boy way, and she knew damn well he had.
‘So how,’ she demanded through gritted teeth, ‘did you explain the reason for them hearing your dulcet tones?’
‘I explained about my place having an argument with a bomb, said you must have forgotten to tell them we were staying’
‘You know damn well I hadn’t forgotten!’
‘And then said that I’d left you in bed to have a lie-in while’
‘What?’
‘You’re screeching, Jill.’
‘Bloody hell, Max!’
‘I couldn’t lie, could I? Not to your parents of all people.’
‘Max.’ Jill took a deep breath and silently counted to ten. ‘You didn’t have to lie. You didn’t have to answer the damn phone in the first place but, having done that, you certainly didn’t have to say that you’d left me having a lie-in. What sort of crap’s that? For Christ’s sake, they’ll assume . . .’
‘What?’ His expression was pure innocence. ‘You reckon they’ll think we’re sleeping together? Well, I shouldn’t worry about that. They’ve always struck me as broadminded individuals. They see it all on River View.’
Jill was speechless.
‘I said you’d call them later,’ he went on. ‘Your dad planned to stay at home to watch the racing this afternoon but your mum was off to the sales.’
‘To buy what?’ Jill demanded on a near-hysterical laugh. ‘A new hat? A box of confetti? Wedding invitations? Bloody hell!’
They were at the entrance to the Murphys’ drive.
‘I can’t believe you spoke to them. I can’t believe you could let them think that we were . . . that I was . . .’ They were walking up the drive to the Murphys’ house. ‘The sooner the work on your house is finished, the better I’ll like it,’ she finished.
‘Ah. Did I tell you there was going to be a bit of a delay with that?’
‘What?’
‘You’re screeching again, Jill!’
The Murphys’ front door swung open. From inside came a babble of voices interrupted by the popping of a champagne cork and a burst of laughter.
‘Harry, Ben!’ Emma greeted them. ‘Run inside and find James. Jill, Max, lovely to see you both. Thank you so much for coming!’
‘Thank you for inviting us,’ Jill responded, giving Emma a hug.
As they crossed the threshold, Jill managed to keep her warm smile in place while muttering to Max, ‘I’ll deal with you later.’
‘Promises, promises . . .’
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Kennedy 02 - A Darker Side Page 25
