Chapter 3
Laura Hobson came home later than normal after an intense afternoon with her students. She was surprised to see that Robbie was already home. Since he started working again this was rare. When she entered the house she smiled seeing Robbie sitting on the sofa with Monty on his lap and Osborn their rescued and now adopted dog to his feet reading in their Italian language trainer.
Osborn noticed her first and came over to get his welcome cuddle. Robbie looked over and smiled: "Hi there. How was your day, love?"
"Stressful. Had a lot of end of semester talks with the students. How was yours?" Laura came over and sitting beside Robbie gave him a kiss on the cheek. Putting his book away he took her in his arms: "Okay, mostly paperwork. I also have dinner in the oven already."
Cuddling into his embrace Laura sighed. "Thanks, that´s wonderful. Oh, and we don´t have to worry about Osborn and Monty next week when we´re away. Mom called earlier today and asked if she and Lillian can stay from Thursday to Saturday. Lillian has an audition for a studentship here in Oxford. You know she wants to study music here. I said it´s no problem as long as they look after Monty and Osborn."
Robbie remembered Laura´s 17 year-old niece from spending New Year´s Eve with Laura´s family. He had liked this bright and open-minded girl immediately. "That´s good, but how come her granny is coming with her?"
"Oh, you know her mom Resa is a vet and a lot of foals will be born over the next days, so Mom said that she would come with her. All others are also occupied with the farm and the horses at the moment."
Laura´s parents owned a stud in North Cornwall and now in spring a lot of work had to be done there. Lillian was now the second member of the family who wanted to do something different to farming or breeding horses just like her aunt who had been the first.
"Yes, I also have to get the carrots out into the bed," Robbie smiled. "So everything is planned for next weekend, that´s very convenient."
"Yes, Laura sighed again, "Oh and I also talked to Lizzie. She asked me if I would come with her to London already Thursday morning for a shopping trip. I said yes. We will go in by train and meet with you and James in the evening then."
Hearing this Robbie grew stiff: "I don´t like that. Why can´t you just drive over with James and me in the afternoon?"
After having had discussions with her students the whole afternoon Laura was tired and not thinking much:" Robbie, why for heaven´s sake. I would love to spend a girl´s day with Lizzie. And I don´t see any reason why I shouldn´t!"
"I just don´t want you to go!" With that Robbie got up and went out in the garden.
Closing her eyes Laura counted to ten first and then got up too: "What the hell is this about?" she asked the cat and the dog who both looked confused. Monty decided to go upstairs as he always did when his owners had a row knowing they would come to their senses sometime and until then he better stayed out of their way.
Osborn being not so long in the family looked confused at Laura like he would say: "Why do you ask me? You know him longer."
When Laura turned to get out of her jacket and hang it at the coat rack her look fell on the photos on the piano and she cursed herself. Seeing the picture of Robbie and his first wife Val made her realise why he had reacted this way. Val had died in a hit and run accident in London over 10 years ago.
She put her jacket away went to the kitchen for a glass of water and after drinking it she went out in the garden.
Robbie was standing with his back at her looking at the flower bed. Laura got up behind him putting her arms around him and resting her head at his back: "I´m sorry Robbie. It had been a hell of a day and I didn´t thought about all the memories that would come back to you."
Robbie relaxed a little bit and put his hands over hers: "So you will not go?"
"No, I meant that I should have been more sensible telling you. You know that you can´t avoid fate. If something should happen it will happen no matter where you are. If Val hadn´t gone to London that day it would have happened here in Oxford. You cannot protect someone by putting him under a glass cover. I feel this way every day since you have started working again and I am sure Val had also felt it while being married to you to a policeman. But you have to accept and deal with it. So I will go with Lizzie and we all will meet for a lovely dinner in the evening, okay?"
Knowing that she was right and that he had to deal with his feelings Robbie sighed and then turned to take Laura in his arms: "I´m sorry, I overreacted. But it all came back at once and I couldn´t do anything about it. Can you forgive me?"
Smiling up at him Laura answered: "Sure, I am just happy that we are able to talk about it. It makes things a lot easier."
Giving her a quick kiss Robbie smiled back: "Yes, someone said to me once: People don´t know how you feel, unless you tell them. I´m glad we can talk about everything. And I should have talked with you about going back to work too. I guess I just have to get used to sharing my decisions and accepting the decisions you make too again."
Feeling that they had reached another more close level of understanding each other they turned to return to the house.
"I guess we now need the pizza delivery service again with dinner that long in the oven?" Laura asked cautiously.
"No, we don´t," Robbie smiled down at her, "I managed to find the timer on the oven," he said triumphantly. "How about eating now and then we go on a nice evening walk with Osborn."
"Sounds like a plan," Laura answered when they entered the house.
A/N: Thanks for all the encouraging reviews and pms so far and a big special thanks to Hobsonfan for letting me borrow her lovely dog character Osborn with whom I had instantly fallen in love with :).
