A Summer to Remember by Victoria Connelly Page A

that she was working up to something.
    ‘You know, Nina,’ she began, ‘I’m worried about you being shut away here in this office all day.’
    ‘Oh, there’s no need,’ Nina said. ‘I’m quite used to it.’
    ‘Yes but a young person like yourself needs air and exercise, don’t you think?’
    ‘I guess,’ Nina said warily.
    Olivia nodded. ‘And I have just the thing for you. Darling Ziggy!’
    Nina’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Ziggy?’
    ‘I think it would be marvellous if you could find the time to give him a couple of walks a day. It would do you no end of good to get you away from that computer and I’m sure Ziggy would respond so much better to you than he does to me.’
    ‘But I’ve never had any experience with dogs,’ Nina said rather hopelessly, feeling that she’d already lost this particular battle.
    ‘Oh, I just know you two will get along famously – just like you charmed our boys when you were their babysitter!’ Olivia said with a winning smile.
    ‘But dogs aren’t boys,’ Nina said, wondering if her rather simple statement would be enough to change Olivia’s mind.
    ‘Well, of course they aren’t,’ Olivia agreed. ‘I hear dogs are much easier. Now, let me fetch you his lead. He sometimes tugs at it with his mouth, but you mustn’t let him do that. And try to discourage him from jumping up and barking. It’s very annoying. Oh, and don’t let him anywhere near the water. He always makes for the muddiest part and he’s very ill-mannered if you have to wash him.’
    Nina swallowed hard and tried not to bolt in sheer terror.
    ‘Okay?’ Olivia said.
    ‘Yes,’ Nina said, her eyes wide with fear.
    Ten minutes later, Nina was on her first ever dog walk, her heart racing wildly at the thought of being responsible for the rather crazy animal at the end of the lead. The Labrador part of Ziggy was strong and determined, whilst the poodle part was flighty and excitable. It was a lethal combination that had Nina’s right shoulder straining in its socket as he pulled her along the river bank.
    She remembered having desperately wanted a dog when she was a little girl, endlessly bugging her parents with requests, but they told her that dogs were a burden and that they tied you down and would be a pain when you went away on holiday – only Nina couldn’t really remember going on that many holidays. Still, perhaps she might not have been able to handle the responsibility as a youngster – at least not if she’d been bought a dog like Ziggy.
    ‘Slow down !’ she called, giving the lead a firm tug and stopping in her tracks. He stopped and turned around to look at her as if to say, What’s happening? Why aren’t we moving forward? Forward’s good!
    ‘Now, a little gentler,’ Nina said, giving Ziggy some slack. Immediately, he tugged at full force, dragging her along the riverbank and over a particularly tussocky area, which set her off-balance and made her cry as she twisted her ankle and went flying forward, letting go of the lead as she landed in an ungainly heap on the ground. For a moment, the world seemed to tip and spin and Nina watched helplessly as Ziggy bounded away from her, quickly losing himself through a hedgerow.
    Nina sighed and, using both hands as levers, tried to push herself up from the ground.
    ‘Ouch!’ she cried as she put her full weight on the twisted ankle. ‘Ziggy!’ she called, but the dog was long gone, probably charging across the fields towards the next village. She shook her head. What on earth was she going to tell Olivia? She’d put her trust in Nina and now her darling dog was missing.
    Hobbling forward along the riverbank, Nina tried to see through the thick hedge, desperate to catch a glimpse of Ziggy. Surely he couldn’t have gone that far, she reasoned, although she knew he could probably break all land speed records if he put his mind to it.
    It was then that she heard barking from further along the path. Her heart raced and she