Free Return to Butterfly Island by Rikki Sharp Page B

childhood? Selecting the few volumes that might cover her birth, along with the current journal, she placed all the books safely in the backpack she’d brought with her for that purpose. Then, with a heavy heart, she went to see how the men were doing. Three steps forward and two back, she thought to herself.
    It was then that she heard raised voices from up on the scaffolding and came back to reality with a bump. That voice shouting down the rest belonged to Donald Dart, and he was not sounding very happy.

Chapter 10
    Exiting out of the back door of the square house took China into a battlefield. Handy Andy was squaring off against an enraged Donald whilst the other two builders shouted their encouragement from the safety of the scaffolding. The diminutive Andy was taunting a red-faced Donald, swinging practice punches all over the place, whilst Donald seemed to have reached that point where he was so angry he could no longer speak.
    Providence lent a hand in the shape of a massive scruffy grey dog, as Morgan suddenly swept passed China and planted two large paws on Handy Andy’s chest. The odd-job man went down like a felled tree and the dog, having stopped the argument to his satisfaction, sat on top of this wire-haired opponent.
    Jackie and Daniel dissolved into fits of laughter first, then China joined in and finally the confused and frustrated Donald.
    “Honestly, I leave you boys alone for five minutes and it turns into the school playground all over again,” said China, still giggling at Andy’s plight, as Morgan refused to shift.
    “Donald got hold of the wrong end of the stick, as usual. He thought we were starting to tear the place down for McKriven. We told him we wouldn’t touch work for that bugger for love nor money,” Jackie explained, swinging down off the scaffolding.
    “I . . . kind of overreacted,” added Donald sheepishly.
    “You don’t say? Morgan, leave our amateur boxer alone now. He’s going blue.”
    Handy Andy was indeed going a funny colour with the weight of the massive dog on his chest. Obediently, Morgan trotted over to China’s side and sat down, but he kept a suspicious eye on all parties concerned. The animal did not like fighting or aggression of any kind and would always step in to stop it. It was just his way, and after years of protecting Aunt Beatrice he had already transferred his loyalty to China. She got the feeling he would protect her with his life.
    Calming everyone down, she explained her plan to Douglas. After taking it all in he begrudgingly agreed it was a damn good idea. The job had always been far too much for just one man anyway, and if he was honest he enjoyed working alongside the others. After much huffing and puffing, he helped Andy to his feet and gave him a bear hug by way of saying sorry. It was a man thing.
    It never ceased to amaze China how men struggled to express their true feelings. Only the very centered and the gay, like her friend Anthony, managed to connect to their inner selves. Then with Anthony, he usually went and spoiled things by going so over the top it was painful. She smiled for a moment, trying to imagine what Donald would think of Anthony—two totally different breeds of men. But two men who were now both in her life after all.
    If she stayed here—big ‘if’ still—that would have to happen, even if she had to go back to Manchester and pack her friend in a box and post him to West Uist herself!
    “So are we all happy, gentlemen?” she asked the team. There was a round of ‘Ayes’ and the work continued.
    “You’re paying for this out of your own pocket?” Donald asked as he changed into his working overalls in the dusty kitchen.
    China tried not to ogle as he stripped down to his boxer shorts, and failed miserably.
    “To start with. I’ve had a few crazy ideas on how to raise some revenue if Aunt Bea really did leave nothing.” Then she told Donald about the missing pages in her aunt’s journal and the mislaid