open a way before them, and they were in a large open clearing surrounded by woodland. Just within sight came the glimmer of water as it skipped and tumbled its way through the forest.
‘Oh, it’s just beautiful!’ Peering through the window, Amy was mesmerised.
Luke drew the car to a standstill and pointed to the wooden building ahead. ‘There she is,’ he cried, ‘my pride and glory.’
Clambering out of the car behind Johnny, Amy took stock of the cabin. Larger than she had imagined, it was like a miniature house, with a front door of sizeable proportions, and long, small-paned windows either side. The slightly crooked chimney only added to its charm, and the wide, beautifully built veranda was a visual delight, with its rustic table and chairs and a deep frill of wood, which went the whole way along the entire cabin roof.
Amy laughed out loud. ‘I love it!’ Taking Johnny’s hand, she walked towards the cabin, her eager gaze enveloping it. ‘And you say you built all this, on your own?’
‘That’s right.’ Walking beside her, the can of paraffin in one fist, Luke spread the other large, capable hand before him. ‘Built it with my own two hands, a great deal of cursing and God knows how many mistakes, before it all finally seemed to fall into place.’
Climbing the steps he led them onto the veranda. ‘It’s not what you might call grand,’ he warned, ‘but it does for me.’
Leaving Amy and the boy to take in the view from the veranda, he quickly hurried inside the cabin, where he surreptitiously slid Amy’s portrait from the wall and hid it, back outwards, behind a large basket of kindling wood. Then he opened the many shutters to let a measure of light inside, before lighting the fire in the hearth. Soon the flames were licking and spitting and, to be safe, he arranged the fire screen across it.
‘There,’ he said. ‘It’ll soon be warm as toast in here.’
‘I can understand why you’ve kept all this to yourself.’ Amy had never encountered anything like this place. Deep in the heart of the forest, it was like something out of a fairy tale. ‘It’s so beautiful.’
‘I think so too.’ Although seeing Amy there in his secret place, having her so near, was another ‘beautiful’ thing. ‘What do you think of my furniture?’
Amy glanced about, surprised at how sparse the cabin was inside. And though the furniture was bulky and slightly crude, it was sturdy and wonderfully unconventional, and it was enough for his needs. ‘It isn’t what you might call grand,’ she said with a wry little smile, ‘and I dare say you’d get next to nothing for it at market. But it’s kind of special.’ Her quiet smile warmed his heart. ‘I imagine you spent many long, enjoyable hours putting it all together.’
Deeply moved by her sincere words of approval, Luke sensed something more. He felt a kindred spirit in Amy, a kind of understanding he had not experienced in anyone he had ever known.
Going to the window he gazed out, at the forest and the waters beyond and, as always, his heart was uplifted. ‘Every time I leave the town behind and come out here, I feel like I’ve been set free. It’s like I belong, if you know what I mean? I feel … part of it all.’ He smiled with embarrassment. ‘Sorry! You must think I’m some kind of oddity?’ How could he expect anyone – even Amy – to understand how he felt?
‘I don’t think that at all,’ Amy answered. ‘I think any other man, given the chance, would want the same as you have here.’ In fact, there were times, she thought, when she too might have found peace and contentment in this place. One of those times was when Don dashed all her dreams and hopes, and she was as low as a woman could get. When she could see no way forward, the urge to run away and hide had been overwhelming. Was Ben running away, she wondered.
Just then, Johnny came rushing in, and the growing closeness between Amy and Luke was broken. ‘Quick! Come and see!’ Eyes alight with excitement, he jumped up and down on the spot, the way he did when he was so happy, he could not contain himself.
When they followed him outside, the excitement turned to disappointment. ‘Oh, it’s gone now.’ Dejected, he sat on the veranda steps, his gaze reaching all around.
Amy and Luke sat down either side of him.
‘What was it?’ Amy asked. ‘What did you see?’
‘A dog.’ He pointed to the trees. ‘It was over there.’
Luke understood. ‘That was my friend,’ he said, ‘the one I told you about. Remember?’
Johnny shook his head. ‘No! It were a dog. I saw it, and now it’s gone.’
Luke put his fingers to his lips. ‘Ssh.’ Pointing to the spot Johnny had indicated, he advised, ‘If you’re very quiet, she’ll come back. It’s just that she doesn’t know you and Amy yet. But she’s a curious little thing.’
For long, breathless minutes they sat very still, watching and waiting, until suddenly there she was – the most beautiful creature, slim and elegant, her body brown and dappled and her dark brown eyes wide and her face silky as she gazed at them with nervous curiosity.
She looked at Amy and the boy, and for an instant it seemed as though she might go away, but when Luke dipped into his jacket pocket and held out his hand, she took one hesitant step forward. A wary moment, then she took another. Johnny began to fidget. She stopped, eyes alert and frightened.
Luke whispered for him to stop fidgeting.
Slowly, the creature began to tread its way towards them again. Luke kept his hand stretched out and, murmuring words of persuasion, enticed her nearer, until she was only a step away.
Now, she was nuzzling Luke’s hand, her soft, moist nose pushing against his skin and her eyes half closed as she tenderly took the corn treat. Slowly, Luke took Johnny’s tiny hand and, bringing it to the creature’s head, he tenderly stroked the length of her velvet-soft ears. ‘It’s all right,’ he kept saying, ‘it’s all right.’ And the deer knew they would not hurt her.
After a while she turned and walked away, leaving the three seated on the steps: Luke delighted that she had come out to greet his visitors, and the other two trembling with the wonder of what they had just witnessed.
‘See!’ Johnny was the first to break the wondrous silence. ‘I told you I saw a dog.’
Amy gave him a hug. ‘It wasn’t a dog,’ she said. ‘It was a deer.’
‘Can I have one?’
‘No,’ Amy laughed.
‘Why not?’ As always, Johnny wanted reasons.
‘They couldn’t live in a house,’ Luke told the boy. ‘They’re wild, you see? The forest is all they know. It took me an age to gain her trust, and now she comes to see me whenever she can.’
The boy had put two and two together. ‘Was that your friend?’
Luke nodded. ‘She’s my best friend in all the world.’
‘Can I see her again?’
Raising his gaze to Amy, Luke answered, ‘That’s not for me to say. You’ll need to ask Amy.’
Amy
