‘That’s what I’ve been saying to Rosa. The bigger the family, the better.’ Josh winked at his wife. ‘And not through want of trying.’
‘Ew.’ Their host grimaced. ‘It was bad enough being at the business end of a puppy birth, let alone hearing about you two at it like rabbits, or should I say dachshunds, in the circumstances.’
‘But we won’t be for a while, now Josh has announced he’s decided to take some consulting work – without consulting me!’ Rosa harrumphed.
Jacob frowned. ‘That’s OK, isn’t it? He did it before, and London’s not that far.’
‘No, but New York is.’
Even easy-going Jacob looked taken aback at this. ‘Oh. How long for, chap?’
‘It’s just for a couple of months. I’m helping out a former boss and the opportunity and money are just too good to turn down. I can fly home some weekends, and Rosa can come out to see me too, if she wants to.’
‘Yes, I’ll just drop everything and swan across the Pond, shall I?’ Rosa sighed.
‘Well, the Cockleberry gossip train tells me you are quite capable of swimming across after last night’s heroics,’ Jacob said fondly. ‘You madwoman.’
Rosa shrugged. ‘Oh, that. All in a day’s work – you know me.’
Josh kissed his wife’s forehead. ‘She’s not just a pretty face, this one. And to be fair, re New York, we did just discuss it and if you really don’t want me to go, then I won’t.’
‘I was more bloody peeved that you mentioned it to Sara before me.’
Jacob mouthed ‘oops’ to Josh as Rosa continued, ‘I get it. Financially, it should ultimately lead to you being home more, and if I am producing a football team, I will need all the help I can get.’
Josh lifted Rosa up and putting his big arms around her, he said, ‘Let’s chat this evening and make a final decision. I haven’t signed anything yet and keeping my little princess sane and happy is the most important thing, you know that.’
At that moment there was a little yelp from the cage. The Duchess pulled one of her scamps back in line and the tiny puppy recommenced sucking furiously at the bitch’s already sore little teats. Pongo and Ugly had settled down and were watching curiously and sniffing the new-borns through the crate.
‘You tell them, Duchess.’ Jacob looked at the feeding puppies proudly, then unfurling his legs he got up from the floor. ‘Right, you lovely people, I’d better go and help my husband before he starts yelping at me. Are you staying for lunch?’
CHAPTER 5
Rosa was busily arranging stock outside the front of her shop, including doggie life-jackets and her bestselling animal-shaped Lilos. When she had first arrived in Cockleberry Bay, she hadn’t realised quite how much scope there would be for selling pet products. Initially just sticking to food, accessories and designer dog-clothes, she had made a good living. However, now a whole new world had opened up, with products like pet nail varnish and hair slides, and she even had a full range of personalised pet birthday cards. Singing happily, she enjoyed the warm July sun on her back as she attached the sale items to a stand.
‘Rosa Larkin?’
Startled, she turned around quickly.
‘Sorry to make you jump. I thought you saw me there.’
Rosa checked out the young man in front of her. He looked around the same age as her, a surfer-dude type, of which there were many in south-west England, with shoulder-length bleach-blond locks and dark-blue twinkly eyes. He was a similar height to Lucas Hannafore and had a whisk of stubble on his firm jawline.
‘It’s fine. I was miles away and it’s Rosa Smith – Larkin was my maiden name. Who wants her?’
‘I’m Scott, Scott Wilde, reporter for the South Cliffs Gazette.’
‘Just Wilde in name or in nature too?’ Rosa said without thought, then, on recalling her own reckless and unhappy adolescence, filled with cider, soft drugs and hard knocks, she sighed unconsciously.
‘I’m wild in the waves, baby.’ Scott did a surfing action with his body. ‘You said maiden name? You got hitched early, didn’t you?’
Rosa found herself blushing slightly at his sexy accent. ‘So you’re a Scott from Scotland, and a cheeky one at that. Whereabouts are you from up there?’
‘Glencoe. Not too far from Glasgow. You know it?’
‘I do, actually. Many years ago, I went on a school trip to try and find the Loch Ness monster. We went up on a cable car when there was no snow and I was so frightened because it was so high that I had to be blindfolded to get me down again.’
‘I know exactly where you were.’ He grinned. ‘That’s funny.’
‘To those watching, maybe. So, what brings you all the way down here?’
‘I studied journalism in Exeter and just fell in love with this whole area, especially the surf.’
‘It gets you here, doesn’t it?’ Rosa put her hand flat to her heart. Then she asked casually, ‘Is Joe Fox still your Editor?’
‘Ah, you know Joe, do you?’
Rosa winced at the thought of why and how she knew Joe, firstly their affair and then the awful business of him throwing a ball for his dog Suggs, causing both Hot and Rosa herself to take a tumble over West Cliffs.
‘Yeah, I know him,’ she said quietly.
‘He interviewed me, but he’s gone back to live in Manchester, I think. Family problems, I heard.’
Rosa felt a sense of relief. It was about time that karma had kissed the randy reporter. Becca, his wife, had said she was intending to move to Spain near her mother, taking the three younger kids with her but leaving their unpleasant teenage son behind. For Becca’s sake, Rosa hoped she had followed through with her plan. She deserved some happiness.
‘So, you have a new Editor, then?’ she asked politely.
‘Yes, Kelly Daly. She’s been around the block working for the national newspapers in a previous life, she told me. She’s a right laugh.’
Scott realised maybe he’d given too much away about his new boss. He also noticed how beautiful Rosa was with her unruly dark brown curls and piercing green eyes. Adding pert breasts and brown toned legs to his list of pleasing observations made her easy to give away to. Even the bandage around her knee didn’t deter his ardour.
‘OK, I’m here to work.’ Scott pulled himself together. ‘Have you got a moment to chat? I hear you were quite the local heroine the other night and I would love to feature you in this week’s edition.’
‘Really?’
‘It will make a lovely feel-good story and it was bloody brave what you did, girl. I spoke to Tina Green on the phone earlier. According to her, you saved her little grandson’s life.’
‘Anyone would have done it.’
‘Nah, they wouldn’t. I didn’t even want to open my front door the other night, let alone jump in an angry ocean.’
Rosa shrugged. ‘OK. I suppose I don’t mind being interviewed. Josh, that’s my husband, said he’d be back around midday to take over here, so could I meet you somewhere then?’
CHAPTER 6