Out on the MOOR

It was wild and windswept, the perfect place to escape to – except today, Jessica wasn’t alone

As cool air blew across the moor, Jessica drew a deep, satisfying breath. This evening, the breeze was gentle, but there were times when it would rush across the landscape like an express train – stunted, misshapen trees, which had been foolhardy enough to try and grow here, bore testament.

From her favourite vantage point, she could see the purple-heathered hills rolling far into the distance, bathed in the evening sun.

For someone who spent her days selling holidays and extolling the virtues of foreign travel, it seemed ironic that all Jessica needed for relaxation was to come up here.

She loved this wild, open, unspoiled place. It was no coincidence that her favourite novel was Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.

Most of all, though, she loved the solitude.

‘Jess! Jess!’ A voice called out and her heart sank. So much for solitude!

She’d hoped Liam hadn’t noticed her slip away from his brother’s noisy birthday celebrations but, evidently, that was not the case. And he knew exactly where she’d be.

Darting behind a large rocky outcrop, she pressed herself as flat as she could against the rough granite. She was fairly certain Liam wouldn’t venture quite this far. He wasn’t one for climbing up onto the moor at the best of times, but certainly not when he was dressed in his going-out gear.

✱✱✱✱

‘Jess! Jessie!’ The voice called out again but, this time, it didn’t sound like her boyfriend. He’d probably sent one of the other party guests to find her.

‘Jess, where are you?’ There was urgency in the voice now. Perhaps something had happened and she was needed.

She stepped out from her hiding place, just as a man appeared around the corner and they both jumped, startled.

‘What is it?’ Jess said as she found herself looking straight into the brooding eyes of Heathcliff. With his dark, tousled hair and thick brows, he could have stepped straight out of the pages of the book.

He certainly wasn’t a guest at the party – she would definitely have remembered him!

‘I’m looking for Jess,’ Heathcliff replied.

‘Well, you’ve found her. I’m Jessica.’

Heathcliff grimaced. ‘Jess is my dog,’ he said almost apologetically. ‘She’s a liver and white spaniel. She ran up the hill and disappeared.’

She stole another glance at him

‘Oh,’ Jessica said, feeling slightly silly.

She was suddenly acutely aware of her appearance too. Having dashed from the party to her house, hoping to climb up to the moor before anyone could stop her, Jessica had hurriedly pulled on thick socks, wellies and a padded jacket, which failed to hide her flimsy, pink chiffon dress. Her dark curly hair resembled a wellused, stainless-steel pan scrubber thanks to Liam’s sister, who had sprayed silver glitter over it rather too liberally. Heathcliff evidently thought she looked a bit ridiculous too, judging by the amused expression on his face as he looked her up and down.

‘I’ve just escaped from a party,’ Jessica felt compelled to explain. ‘But I didn’t think the strappy stilettos would manage the climb.’

‘Very wise.’ Heathcliff nodded with a smile that lit up his face, igniting a warm, fuzzy feeling in her.

‘I’ll help you look for your dog if you like,’ Jessica volunteered.

‘That would be great. I’m not familiar with the terrain. I’m Garrett by the way.’

‘I thought I hadn’t seen you around these parts. Everybody knows everybody in this village.’

‘I’m on holiday, touring the area. I’ve booked into the Sunrise Inn for a few nights. It’s great – they welcome dogs.’

‘That’s where I’ve just escaped from. We’re in the function room.’

‘I noticed a party in full swing. I assume you weren’t enjoying it then?’

‘You can have too much of a good thing,’ Jessica joked. ‘Without sounding like a party pooper, I’m glad they don’t occur often.’

‘Although, not so often can sometimes be more than enough.’

Garrett winked and they both laughed. There was logic in there somewhere.

Garrett evidently had the same quirky sense of humour as her. He also had attractive crinkles at the sides of his eyes when he laughed.

‘I much prefer to be outdoors, too,’ Garrett said. ‘Give me the countryside any day. The views up here are stunning.’

He was a man after her own

heart, unlike Liam who, having agreed to join her on a hike, could hardly wait to get back to his creature comforts – namely a telly and a video game. He loved the party scene too.

It was becoming apparent that their paths were diverging.

‘Jess normally responds when I call,’ Garrett said. ‘I just don’t know what could have happened to her.’ He called out the dog’s name again.

‘Come on,’ Jessica said. ‘Out here is my second home. I know this terrain like the back of my hand. Fortunately, the light is still on our side.’

She stole another glance at Garrett as they set off. In jeans and a sweater, he looked gorgeous and, despite the cool breeze, Jessica felt warm inside.

‘I hope she hasn’t fallen down a hole,’ Garrett said, and a thought crossed Jessica’s mind.

‘Let’s try this way,’ she said, veering to the right.

They picked their way through swathes of bracken and across scrubland, constantly calling the spaniel’s name, but still no response.

A lone sheep strayed across their path and looked at them for a moment before fleeing to join the rest of the grazing flock a short distance away.

‘I bet that’s the sheep I had to stop for when I was driving past here yesterday,’ Garrett joked.

‘It just stood in the middle of the road and looked at me.’

‘It’s said that sheep often follow the trails of their ancestors,’ Jessica informed him. ‘It doesn’t matter that a road has since been built across an ancient path, they’ll still stick to it. Whether that’s actually true, I don’t know. Fortunately, though, we don’t get many cars driving up here, so it’s not a big problem for them.’

‘Jess!’ Garrett’s voice hollered into the wilderness.

‘Do you see that line of wimberry bushes over there?’ Jessica pointed ahead. Garrett nodded. ‘Well, there’s a narrow gully behind them where a stream runs through. It’s easy to miss when you’re not familiar with the lay of the land.’

‘I hope Jess hasn’t fallen into it and hurt herself.’ Garrett sounded anxious.

✱✱✱✱ They continued scrambling their way across grassy hillocks, trying to avoid twisting their own ankles.

‘Jess!’ Both Garrett and Jessica chorused when they reached the bushes.

Although only a couple of feet across, the gully was wide enough for an unsuspecting dog to fall into – and potentially remain unseen, with the grassy overhangs along its banks.

A sharp yelp alerted them to the spaniel’s whereabouts, and Garrett stepped down into the knee-deep trench.

‘Jess!’ Garrett said, bending down to comfort her. She yelped again. ‘I think she’s injured her leg,’ he added, trying to check the spaniel over. ‘It’s difficult to tell. There’s not much room to move.’

‘Pass her to me,’ Jessica said, securing her footing on the bank as Garrett manoeuvred the dog out, trying to avoid hurting her further.

Carefully, he handed her into Jessica’s outstretched arms, advising her not to put her face near the spaniel’s. ‘It’s not that she’s unfriendly, but being in pain, she might just nip you.’

He scrambled back up onto the bank. ‘I’ll take her now,’ he said. ‘It’s OK, girl,’ he addressed the spaniel as she nuzzled into him and whimpered. ‘Is there a local vet?’

‘He’s at the party. I spoke to him earlier.’

‘He’s going to love me breaking up his fun.’

‘Don’t worry. He told me he was on call.’

✱✱✱✱

They made their way down the hill just as the evening shadows were appearing.

‘I’m glad we found her in time,’ Garrett said. ‘Thanks for your help.’

‘I’m glad I was here.’ She instinctively reached out to grasp Garrett’s elbow and help steady him down the steep incline.

Garrett glanced at her and smiled. He liked this natureloving, pretty woman in her evening dress and wellies.

‘Wait here,’ Jessica said when they reached the main street.

‘I’ll go in and find Dan.’

‘What, dressed like that?’ Garrett laughed.

‘Who cares?’ She shrugged. At least, dressed like this, Liam wouldn’t be grabbing her for another selfie to post on social media. Sometimes, she felt she was just an accessory.

A few minutes later, she emerged with Dan.

‘I’m really sorry about this,’ Garrett said.

‘No worries.’ Dan led them the short distance to the veterinary practice while Garrett explained what had happened.

They entered the building and made their way to the consultation room.

Dan checked the spaniel over thoroughly, moving round and gently feeling each leg in turn. Jess whimpered when he touched her right, front leg, which was slightly swollen.

‘Fortunately, I can tell there’s nothing broken but she has a nasty sprain.’

He cleaned Jess’s leg and wrapped an elastic support bandage around it. ‘She’ll need to rest up for a while,’ he said.

‘Are you coming back to the party?’ Dan asked Jessica after Garrett had settled the bill. He glanced over her attire with the same amused expression as Garrett had done.

Jess looked at Garrett and thought of Liam. He would be just fine without her, taking his carefully posed selfies with a crowd of revellers around him, demonstrating what a wonderful time he was having.

It occurred to Jessica that Liam spent more time creating the image than actually enjoying the moment, and she was just a part of that image. ‘No,’ she said,.

✱ ✱✱✱

‘It’s OK if you want to go back,’ Garrett said after Dan had left them and they’d ambled back to the Sunrise Inn with Jess in Garrett’s arms.

‘I’d rather not.’

‘In that case, once I’ve settled Jess into her dog basket, perhaps I can buy you a drink in the bar?’

‘I’d like that,’ Jessica said, feeling that warm glow inside again. ‘But I think I’ll go and make myself presentable first.’

Garrett nodded with a grin and, for a moment, their eyes locked.

An image of Heathcliff and Catherine, enjoying the delights of the wild moors, flashed across Jessica’s mind and she felt a frisson of excitement.

Perhaps she really had just met her own Heathcliff.

THE END

Gwen Rollinson

For a moment, their eyes locked