Nikki and the Lone Wolf (15 page)

‘Nikki, come in and we'll dry you,' he said, struggling not to laugh. She was a flaming virago, soaked to the skin.

But she wasn't seeing the humour.

‘You'll dry me?' she demanded, barely getting the words out. ‘What, with towels? Close? How do you know I won't jump you? You don't even trust me enough to check my pipes. What would happen with a naked woman and a towel? Get out of my way, Gabe Carver. I'm going to Aggie's. All by myself.'

 

He needed to gather her up, carry her soggy person into his side of the house, take charge. But he was…gobsmacked.

She stalked across the yard and flung the gate open, all flaming temper and outraged beauty. He was stunned to immobility.

By his side, Horse whimpered and Gabe agreed. He needed to fight the desire to laugh. He needed to…

But she was already in her car, moving fast.

Maybe she'd sensed the laughter.

‘Nikki…' he yelled but it was too late.

Her car wheels spun on the gravel. She turned out of the gate and disappeared into the night.

And Horse lunged after her.

‘Horse!'

He was too late there as well.

Nikki was gone and Horse had followed.

A
NYONE
but Aggie might have been surprised. Aggie, however, had a husband who'd fished and her sons still did. Wet didn't shock her, and when she opened the door to a dripping, seething Nikki she merely stepped aside and said, ‘Bathroom's that-a-way—use the yellow towel. Yell at Gabe in the morning—get dry first.'

‘How did you know it was Gabe's fault?'

‘Has to be someone's,' Aggie said. ‘You're looking hopping-mad. Gabe's closest. Male. Why look further? You want pyjamas, or something to sit up in and seethe a while longer?' Then the phone rang and Nikki was left to dry herself while Aggie went to answer it.

A minute later Aggie was back and an armload of clothes was handed round the bathroom door. Oversized trousers, a fisherman's sweater, thick socks, boots.

And Aggie's voice had changed. ‘They're too big, but it don't matter. Get dressed fast.'

‘Why?'

‘Word is Horse chased after you. The road to Gabe's place hits the cove at the bottom of the hill, then rounds the bend. Horse didn't reach there before you disappeared so he must've figured you went the way of the last scumbag who owned him. He's headed out to sea. Phil Hamer noticed your car turn into here. You know you can't do anything round here without being noticed—he was on his way home from stocking the super
market and wondered about me getting visitors late at night. Then he met Gabe further on, heading for the cove. He stopped to help but there was nothing he could do. Horse's already out past the breakers. Gabe's headed for the harbour to get the boat. Phil figured you'd want to know. If you head straight for the jetty at the entrance you might catch him. Otherwise, he'll be heading out alone. Filthy weather—he'll need all the help he can get. You're wasting time, girl. I'd come with you but I'd only hold you back. Go.'

 

He'd run, but Horse was on a mission and wasn't to be stopped. By the time Gabe reached the cove Horse was already in the surf.

He yelled, desperate. ‘Horse!' No response. Of course not. Horse wanted Nikki.

‘She's in the car, not out to sea,' he yelled and that was dumb as well because Horse wasn't listening. He'd seen Nikki disappear and he knew where people who disappeared went. He gave one long, low, despairing howl and swam for the horizon.

Gabe swore and swore again. Headed into the surf after him. Hoping he'd be washed in.

Maybe he would. Maybe he'd have the sense to realise he couldn't swim against the current—but the undertow was fierce. Gabe stood chest-deep in water, fighting the undertow, hoping the dog would turn.

Nothing.

The tide was going out. It'd be impossible to fight.

There was no sense trying to swim after him. Gabe knew he didn't have the strength to fight that sea.

He stood thigh-deep as the waves battered him, as he forced himself to think.

Outgoing tide. Northbound current. Big sea.

What hope of finding him?

Zero.

He felt sick to the stomach.

He was vaguely aware of Phil Hamer, the fussy little supermarket manager, uttering sounds of distress at the water's edge. Trying to give comfort.

There was no comfort to be had if he lost Horse.

He waited for as long as he dared, hoping against hope Horse could fight his way back. But even if he'd wanted to return… Once he was out the back of the surf the current would take him further.

He'd take the boat out. Try to find him.

He was a stray.

He was Nikki's dog.

He was Horse. He had to try.

But on a night like this… To take the boat out alone… It would be worse than useless.

He couldn't ask for help. To ask his crew to put to sea in the face of an oncoming storm for a stray dog…

‘What can I do?' Phil bleated, immeasurably distressed.

‘Nothing, mate,' he said bleakly. ‘I'll head out and do what I can, but I need a miracle.'

 

She left the lights on in her car, shining straight out over the entrance. She stood out on the jetty at the harbour entrance, putting herself deliberately in the path of her car light, so whoever was in a boat heading out to sea could see her.

So Gabe could see her.

The wind was fierce and there was no moon. Water was washing up over the ancient timbers.

For an awful moment she thought she'd missed him. She stood in the rising wind on the tiny jetty and felt sick.

But then the
Lady Nell
emerged from the darkness and she started yelling. ‘Gabe! Gabe!'

He couldn't miss her. Hysterical woman screaming at harbour mouth. Waving as if she were drowning.

He didn't veer in.

‘Gabe!' She put everything she possessed into that scream and the boat turned. Came alongside.

‘It's rough. You can't…' he yelled but he'd come close enough for her to jump and she jumped.

Possibly a distance an Olympian would be proud of.

She staggered, grabbed the handrail, lurched sideways.

But Gabe had her before she could fall, grabbing her, hauling her roughly against him and half dragging her back into the wheelhouse.

‘What the…? You could have been killed. Of all the stupid…'

‘Why didn't you come closer?'

‘You weren't meant to jump. You weren't meant to be here. There's a storm coming.'

‘You were going out without me?
To find my dog?
' Hysterical didn't cut it. She was screaming.

‘I lost him.'

‘He's my dog.'

‘It's dangerous.'

‘He's my dog!'
She couldn't get any louder if she tried. But with that last yell… The adrenalin of dressing, driving way too fast to reach the entrance, thinking she'd missed him, jumping. Knowing she'd lost Horse… Something gave.

She folded and he caught her and held her hard against him.

She let herself crumple against him, taking mute comfort in the size of him, the strength. The boat was heading out to sea. He wasn't taking her back.

‘I can't let you risk…' he muttered.

She thought about that. Got incensed. Anger helped. She hauled back and thumped him hard on the chest. Started yelling again. ‘What gives you the right to say who risks?'

‘I lost…'

‘You didn't. Horse lost himself. He's a crazy mutt who hasn't figured out for himself where his heart is. It's my fault. I shouldn't have left him. I shouldn't have lost my temper.' She
thumped him again and it was like striking oak. ‘So don't you dare say we can't share. We're finding him together.'

He folded her against him again, her thumps totally useless.

‘We won't find him,' he said. Facing facts. Bleak as death.

‘We can try. But we do this together.'

‘It'd be better if you let me do it alone.'

‘Better for who? Are you out of your mind? We love him to bits. We both love him and we both do this. Both or no one.'

 

Aggie watched Nikki leave and turned to the phone. No one could expect an old lady to calmly go back to bed when Horse was at risk.

Banksia Bay was a tight-knit community. Gabe employed half the fishing fleet, and their families and friends encompassed the town.

The dog community was big, too.

All she had to do was rally the troops.

She rang Henrietta first. ‘Ring round, let people know. Skippers of the other boats. Crews.' She hung up as she heard Hen yelling at her son to get off the Internet, to come and help.

Then she rang Raff. The local cop and Gabe were mates. She had Raff onside in a heartbeat.

‘I'll ring Whale Cove,' Raff said curtly. ‘Harry at North Coast Flight Aid owes me a favour or six. If the chopper's free…'

But… ‘It's a filthy night. Raff, this is for a dog,' Aggie faltered, thinking she should just remind him.

‘This is for
Gabe's
dog,' Raff said. ‘This town's been wanting to help Gabe for years and he doesn't let 'em close. You think we'll miss a chance now?'

‘It's Nikki's dog.'

‘Same thing,' Raff said curtly. ‘He mightn't think so but the rest of us do.'

 

He knew the currents. Gabe knew the vague direction where Horse might be swept, but in the darkness in a storm-tossed sea…

The thing was hopeless.

He had to try.

He had, he thought, two hours maximum before the storm closed in and he had to take Nikki home. He hated that she was out here. He hated having to share this risk.

To risk Nikki…

She was out on the deck, watching desperately as his floodlights lit the sea.

His heart twisted in pain for her. And for him.

Horse was out here somewhere because he thought Nikki had headed to the sea. Three weeks of Nikki, and Horse knew where his heart lay.

Whereas he…

Tonight he'd backed off. He'd sent her to her side of the house alone. Then, when she'd appeared at her door, a drowned rat, a flaming virago, he'd stood like a great idiot while she yelled and handed over her dog and headed away.

Away from him.

He wanted to hold her, right now, desperately, but he had to stay in the wheelhouse and she had to search.

They needed more eyes.

Call for help?

Sure. Call the town, say,
Come out guys, risk the storm sweeping in early, to save a dog.

This was his pain.

No. It was Nikki's pain. Shared.

This was what he didn't want to happen. This awfulness. Grief was to be faced alone. To make others share it was appalling. Worse than suffering it yourself.

He watched Nikki's rigid frame at the rail and he felt ill.

Her eyes didn't leave the sea. He was making parallel runs
from behind the breakers to out where Horse could conceivably be swept.

So much sea.

Hopeless.

But then…

A helicopter came, sweeping in fast and low from the south. Searchlights flooded the ocean.

The radio. Raff…

‘Gabe, that's Harry up there. Signal him that he's focused on the right boat. He'll pick up your frequency from this conversation.'

Harry—North Coast Flight Aid. What the…?

He signalled upward and Harry banked the chopper, heading into the cliff. Starting parallel runs of his own.

There'd be a crew in the chopper. More eyes.

‘There's more boats coming out,' Nikki yelled, her voice cracking, and Gabe turned to glance at the harbour entrance.

This wasn't one or two boats. It was a flotilla, heading out into the storm.

What did they think they were doing? It was only just safe now. In another hour or two…

‘We're thinking we have a two-hour window,' Raff yelled through the radio. ‘Keith's back at base working out currents, search paths. He's allocating runs. You're furthest out, you do the north most run. Straight from where you are now into the back of the breakers and back again. You've only got one pair of eyes, so Nikki does the north lookout.
Mary Lou
's got you covered; Tom has four aboard so he'll search your south side and his north, then the next boat takes over where his limit is. The chopper goes closer to the reef. Any questions?'

‘I can't ask…'

‘Who said anything about asking?' Raff snapped. ‘Let's find this dog and get home.'

 

They were one of a pack.

Searchlights were playing over the water. Boats were everywhere—the flotilla was making parallel runs, heading into the cliffs, as close as they dared, then along, then out to the maximum distance the current could take a dog.

The helicopter was above, sweeping as well, so the whole surface of the sea was lit. They needed the moon, but with the approaching storm they had nothing.

They needed luck.

Nikki hadn't moved since they'd left the harbour. She'd hardly registered the approaching armada. She watched and watched.

Maybe she prayed as well. Gabe hadn't prayed since he was a kid. He prayed now.

One dog in a huge sea.

He might well already be drowned. He'd been near death three weeks ago. Three weeks wasn't enough to get his strength back.

He watched the sea and in between he watched Nikki.

What had he been thinking?

He'd tried to keep his distance.

He glanced around at the flotilla who'd set out in filthy weather to save one dog.

No one was keeping their distance this night.

And with that knowledge…something was breaking within him. The armour he'd built with such care…

He'd told himself he needed no one. He depended on no one.

Not true. It had been an illusion. It had taken one crazy dog and one loving woman to make him see the truth.

Plus an army of Banksia Bay dog-searchers.

Where was his illusion now? Gabe Carver, who walked alone, had ceased to exist.

For Gabe Carver was breaking his heart for a dog, breaking his heart for a woman, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

And the town, his crew, his friends… They were breaking their hearts for him.

A tiny flotilla in an approaching storm, searching the sea for one stray dog.

Where was the use of armour here? He tossed it aside and he knew it was gone for ever.

Horse.

Nikki.

The people surrounding him.

His heart was wide open.

Please…

 

There was no fast find here.

Back and forth. Back and forth.

Twelve-thirty. One.

The wind was rising, the sea steadily growing. Soon the helicopter would have to call it quits, and also the smaller boats.

Back and forth…

The chopper was making parallel runs ahead of the fleet, moving further out, making sure of the boundaries.

Slow, methodical sweeps.

Then, suddenly, as one of the smallest boats notified Gabe reluctantly that it was time to turn back, the helicopter banked and turned and hovered.