The Country Vet

Cass flushed, feeling stupid. It wasn’t like her to be so impulsive.

“Let’s have a proper look around, and then we can talk business,” Bill suggested. “Of course, you might find it a bit too isolated. It can be pretty bleak here in the winter.”

“Nowhere is too isolated for me,” Cass said, welcoming the idea. “And anyway...I might get a dog for company.”

The vague idea, now put into words, made her feel panicky. What was she talking about? Having her own dog had been a plan for the future—somewhere in her dreams. Did she really even want a dog? Was she ready for that kind of commitment?

Oblivious to her doubts, Bill nodded. “That’s a good idea. In fact, we have some pups for sale at the farm, you’ll have to come and see them.”

* * *

AS SOON AS the words left Bill’s lips, he realized it was a bad idea. Technically, they were Jake’s pups, and it was pretty obvious that his son had taken a real dislike to his prospective tenant—mainly because of Rosie, of course, but it was more than that. After Tara let him down so badly, he seemed to avoid all contact with women. Cass was nothing like Tara, although... Bill cast her a sidelong glance. She might not have had Jake’s ex-wife’s glamorous good looks, but the young vet certainly did have something. An innocent, untouched beauty.

Suddenly, Bill found himself questioning his decision to offer her the cottage at all. He and Jake had drifted apart since the accident.... He took a breath. He and his son needed to build bridges, and bringing Cass here might be knocking them down.

“You would probably be happier closer to the village, don’t you think?” he asked. “Closer to work and...”

His voice trailed off as he noted the disappointment in her dark eyes. “You’ve changed your mind, haven’t you?” she said sadly.

“No, of course not. It’s just...”

“You don’t need to worry,” she assured him. “I won’t come anywhere near the farm, and I’ll stay well away from your son, if that’s what this is about. He won’t even know I’m here.”

“Well, in that case...” Bill held out his hand. “It’s five hundred a month, payment in advance, and you pay the council tax and any fuel bills.”

Cass took his hand and shook it firmly for the second time that day. “It’s a deal. I’ll move my stuff in tomorrow, if that’s okay.”

“Whenever you like.” The older man smiled. Never mind what Jake thought, he decided. She seemed like a lovely young woman, and maybe Jake would eventually discover that for himself.

* * *

THE IDEA OF having a dog had sprung itself on Cass. It wasn’t until she’d announced her intention to Bill that she realized it had been preying on her mind. She hadn’t even thought about owning another dog since Bud, but maybe she had finally come full circle.

She drove slowly back toward Little Dale, allowing her mind to wander back to the day her little ginger terrier cross had run out in front of a car. Bud had been a present from her parents on her ninth birthday and her constant companion from the day he arrived until that terrible day in the lane that changed her whole focus on life. Even now, a lump caught in her throat as she imagined his bright face. With her parents constantly busy in the shop and no siblings, she had spent hours with Bud in the fields around their village. Losing him had left a huge shadow over her life, especially when she found out that she could probably have saved him if she’d known how to staunch the bleeding. That was the day she decided to become a vet, and she had never swayed from her purpose.

Feeling the sudden weight of sadness, Cass pulled over and cut the engine, looking down into the valley far below without, for once, taking in the beauty of the scene. The memory of Bud’s trusting little face broke her heart. Did she really want a dog again, after all this time?

The sound of hooves brought her out of her reverie as they clip-clopped hollowly along the lane behind her. Twisting around in her seat, she saw a horse and rider trotting toward her. A big gray, its hatless rider sitting tall. Jake Munro! He was the last person she wanted to see, but it was too late to start her engine and pull out. The hoof beats grew closer and she leaned down to fumble in her bag, trying to look busy while wondering why she should care if he saw her sitting idly by the side of the road.

“Having trouble?”

His voice was just as she remembered, deep and melodic. Why did she feel like such an idiot?

She glanced up, not quite meeting his eyes, cursing the blush she could feel spreading on her face. “No, thanks. Just looking for something.”

“I saw you driving out of Sky View.”

Jutting out her chin, she regained her confidence. “Yes,” she said, determined not to be daunted by his sheer masculinity. “I’ve just rented a cottage from your dad.”

The icy glint in his blue eyes could have pierced her soul, but she held his gaze without faltering.

“Don’t worry, though—it’s quite far from the farm, so you won’t have to see me.”

He swung his mount away.

“It makes no difference to me where you live.”

The angry set of his jaw belied his pronouncement, and Cass found herself hoping he wouldn’t give poor Bill a hard time.

“Look,” she called after him. “I needed somewhere to stay, and your dad had the perfect place going begging.”

Jake reined in, turning his prancing horse back to face her. The wild-eyed gray mare tossed her beautiful head and foam flew like snowflakes.

“I already told you,” he repeated drily. “It means nothing to me where you live.”

“If this is still about Rosie, then I’m sorry, but you know it had to be done.”

Across the short distance, she could see the pain flashing across his face. “I just like my own space, that’s all.”

He hesitated then, as if searching for the right words.

“And...and I do know you did the pony a favor.”

As he rode away, Cass couldn’t help watching. Man and horse moved as one. She felt a rush of empathy. He, too, understood the joy of the companionship with animals and appreciated their uncomplicated affection.

CHAPTER FOUR

CARLOTTA SIDLED, OBVIOUSLY disturbed by her rider’s mood. After four years, the mare was used to Jake’s ways—today the tension in him must have buzzed like an electric current. She moved out into the road, prancing sideways and snorting, taking his attention for a moment. His firm hand on the reins calmed her at once.

“Okay, easy, girl.”

However angry he felt inside—and he felt angry, foolish even, about the fact that his father had gone behind his back like that—he tried to make a point of never allowing it to spill over into his riding. Just being on a horse usually took his mind off everything life seemed determined to throw at him, but the woman had managed to play havoc with that simple rule. Anyway, it shouldn’t have been her telling him that she’d rented the cottage, it should have been his dad. And for that matter, it would have been nice to have been consulted in the first place. A hollow laugh eased his tension. Since when had his father ever consulted him about anything?

A vehicle approached from behind, and Jake ran his hand down Carlotta’s arched neck. There was no way he was going to let a vehicle squeeze past on this narrow stretch of road. It would just have to wait. Moving into a jog trot he glanced back, noting the green hatchback following them...her hatchback. Had she been sent here solely to annoy him? With another brief look at the pale face over the steering wheel, he turned Carlotta onto the grass verge, dug in his heels and urged her into a canter. Only too happy to oblige, the mare bunched up her quarters, sank into her hocks and sprang, clearing the wall at the side of the lane as if it was nothing and landing with an ecstatic buck.

A sudden rush of adrenaline released his mind, if only momentarily, from the pain of reality. Jake turned back, raising a hand toward the woman before heading off at a gallop. The look of amazement on her face brought a sense of satisfaction, and he leaned forward, absorbing the sheer elation of the power beneath him.

Horses had long been his escape when things went wrong. He had used the challenge and excitement of competition to try to get his life back on track after Tara’s defection, but riding hadn’t been nearly enough to fill the void left by Lucy and his mum. Reining in, Jake stared down into the valley, watching the green vehicle snaking its way down to the village. Nothing could ever fill that gaping hole in his life, or assuage the guilt and pain that constantly clawed at his gut.

Slowly, he turned Carlotta homeward. When she dutifully obeyed, moving quietly across the steep hillside, he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to stifle the sob that rose inside him.

* * *

CASS DROVE SLOWLY back to the village. After hearing about Jake Munro’s loss, she wouldn’t have been human if she hadn’t felt some sympathy for him. His attitude, however, did him no favors. Many people lost loved ones without taking their bitterness out on the whole world. And what was that crazy jump all about? It was foolhardy, to say the least. Perhaps losing his family had sent Jake over the edge. And what about Lucy’s mother? No one ever mentioned her. Did Jake have a wife tucked away somewhere perhaps?

Jake Munro was still invading Cass’s thoughts as she pulled in outside the B and B and cut her engine. There was no denying his skill with horses—he and the high-strung gray mare had seemed to move as one entity. Pity he didn’t have the same connection with humans.

Grabbing her bag from the back of the car, she ran up the steps to the square white guesthouse where she’d been staying since arriving in Little Dale. She had discovered it when she came for her interview at Low Fell Animal Clinic a couple of weeks earlier. The owner, Clare Biggins, had made her so welcome that Cass had booked in there as soon as she heard the job was hers. It was only fair to let Clare know as soon as possible that she was leaving tomorrow. She would pay her until the end of the week, but she couldn’t wait that long to move in to the cottage. Her own place, at last, and the start of a brand-new life.

* * *

TO CASS’S RELIEF, Clare was almost as excited as she was about the cottage. “I know Sky Cottage,” she exclaimed, her round face shining with genuine delight. “Even its name is magical, and it’s so pretty, like something out of a storybook. Won’t you be a bit nervous, though, living in the middle of nowhere on your own...not to mention lonely?”

“It’s not that far from Sky View,” Cass reminded her. “Only a few minutes’ walk. And I’m going to get a dog for company.”

“A dog!” Clare said. “Are you sure they allow dogs, though? Lots of rented places have a strictly no-pets policy.”

Cass’s face fell. She hadn’t thought about that. “I did say something about it to Bill Munro, and he never said anything. He even told me his son has some puppies for sale.”

“Well, there you go, then.” Clare smiled. “Obviously they don’t mind dogs.”

“I think Jake Munro would mind just about anything to do with me. We didn’t get off on a very good footing, I’m afraid.”

Clare shrugged. “He doesn’t seem to be in a very good place with anyone,” she said sadly. “It was bad enough that his wife left him, but losing Lucy and Gwen must have been too much to bear.”

Cass felt her irritation at Jake’s behavior fading. “He had a wife? I wondered what happened to Lucy’s mother.”

“I don’t really like to gossip,” Clare replied awkwardly. “He was living down south at the time, anyway, so no one from around here really knew anything about his wife—except that she went off to follow a singing career, leaving the twins behind with their dad. That was when he came back to Sky View. Gwen, his mum, was a lovely lady, and she was happy to help look after the children. I don’t know how he and Bill have been coping since the accident...”

“I guess it’s just a case of having to,” Cass suggested thoughtfully. “Donald mentioned something about Robbie going to live with his mum. Was he Lucy’s twin?”

Clare nodded. “She took him away with her after the funeral. I don’t know whether it was her idea or Jake’s. But tell me some more about the cottage. Exactly when are you moving in?”

Cass frowned, her thoughts still on the tragedy that must have turned Jake and Bill’s whole world upside down. Bud’s death had changed her life, and sad though it was, a pet’s death couldn’t even come close to losing a wife, a daughter and a mum. An image of Jake’s bleak, angry face slid into her mind. Did he ever smile? she wondered. What was he like before the accident? Perhaps he should have kept Robbie with him—having the little boy to care for might have helped him to move on and find something to smile about again.

Clare touched her arm. “So...when are you leaving us?”

“Sorry,” Cass apologized. “I was miles away. I’m moving in tomorrow, but I’ll pay you for the whole week.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’ll miss the company, of course, and the money, but I really am happy for you. I just hope you don’t get too lonely out there by yourself.”

“But I won’t be alone, will I?” Cass laughed. “I’ll have a dog to keep me company.”

* * *

JAKE LEAPED EASILY down from the saddle, ran his stirrup irons up the leather and gave Carlotta an affectionate pat.

“What would I do without you, girl?” he asked, pulling the reins over her ears to lead her across the yard to her stable. The gray mare nodded, as if in understanding, and followed obediently.

Jake’s eyes were drawn to the space in the yard where poor Rosie had lain, awaiting collection. A sigh of relief passed his lips, accompanied by a lurch of guilt at not being there when they came for her. His dad would probably say he had run away from his responsibilities, just as he always did, but it wasn’t true. Rosie was gone, and there was nothing more he could have done for her. When Tara left he had run away, throwing himself into his career instead of staying home and taking care of Lucy and Robbie. He knew that only too well now, and he would be paying for it for the rest of his life. A sharp pain tore at his stomach, bringing a rush of bile into his mouth. He didn’t deserve to feel any happiness when little Lucy and his mum were no longer here to feel anything at all, and Robbie was gone to the other side of the world.

Oh, how he hoped his son was okay. A few minutes on the phone once a week, if he was lucky, told him nothing, and the darned lawyer he’d hired to try and get Robbie back was worse than useless. The memory of Tara’s bitter voice in his ears, when he eventually managed to get hold of her after the funeral, doubled the heavy burden of guilt he felt every single day of his life.

You aren’t fit to be a father. Robbie is staying in America with me now. I know I went away, but I thought I was doing the best thing for them by leaving them with their dad. You’re the one who really abandoned them.

The accusation rang inside Jake’s head. Was she right? Had he abandoned them? The answer came at once. Yes, in a way he had, running around Europe, throwing himself into the thrill of competition when his kids needed him. His poor, dear mother had never once complained about his being away so often. Perhaps she should have. She would still be here if he’d faced up to his responsibilities for once. A sob rose in his throat and he forced it back, turning his attention to the gray mare standing patiently beside him.

* * *

BILL MUNRO SAW his son clatter into the yard and vault down from Carlotta, saw the expression on Jake’s face as he gave the mare an affectionate stroke. It seemed that Jake could only really communicate with animals nowadays. Setting his jaw, the old man headed purposefully toward him. Gwen would have told them both to get on with their lives, but it was just so hard. But he owed it to her to at least try to get Jake’s life back on track.

“Good ride, son?” he asked.

Jake glanced sideways at him. “They turned up for her, then.”

Bill nodded. “Yes, about two.”

“I’m sorry.” He turned away, unable to meet his father’s eyes. “I should have seen to it myself.”

“No, really. It isn’t a problem.... Sad, though.”

Jake’s eyes darkened. “It should never have happened.”

“There are a lot of things around here that shouldn’t have happened,” Bill agreed. Tentatively he placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “They say it gets easier with time.”

Jake shrugged off his sympathy. “It will never get easier,” he declared, leading Carlotta into her stall.

Bill shook his gray head sadly. “We have to try and get on with our lives, son. I know the anniversary has made it all raw again, but somehow we have to get through it.”

“Why did you rent Sky Cottage to that girl?”

Jake’s unexpected question took Bill totally by surprise. It held an accusation that brought out a sudden prickle of anger in him.

“I’ll rent the cottage to whoever I please. She’s in a strange place with a new job and she needed somewhere to live. And she’s hardly a girl. She must be almost as old as you are.”

“She doesn’t look it,” Jake responded. “She’s hardly vet material, either. A gust of wind could blow her over.”

Bill popped his head over the stable door as Jake slid off the gray mare’s bridle, replacing it with a head collar and tying her to the wall ring.

“According to Todd,” Bill said, “she’s very highly qualified and totally dedicated. If I’m honest, I suppose I felt a bit sorry for the lass. She seems lonely and I wanted to give her a break.”

Jake picked up a body brush and began running it rhythmically across Carlotta’s gleaming coat.

“Well, just keep her away from me.”

“If she has any sense, she’ll stay away from you all by herself,” Bill retorted. “Oh, and by the way...”

Jake looked back, raising his eyebrows.

“I might have told her that you have some pups for sale.”

“Well you’d better untell her, then, hadn’t you,” Jake snarled.

CHAPTER FIVE

DAWN WAS BREAKING as Cass pulled off the lane into the Low Fell parking lot. Rubbing her bleary eyes, she clambered out of her car, taking gulps of the sharp morning air to try and clear her head. In retrospect, the celebratory drink she and Clare had shared last night might have been a bit rash, since it had been almost midnight when she’d finally gotten to bed. Then again, she hadn’t known she was to going to be called out to an emergency at five-thirty.

A small blue car was parked erratically, abandoned outside the clinic’s front door. Cass peered around the courtyard—all she’d been told in the brief message she’d received half an hour ago was that a dog was having difficulties and its owner would bring it straight to the surgery. She heard a muffled sound beyond the bank of colorful begonias that lined the bright green grass at the side of the stone building.

“Hello!” she called, trying to make herself heard above the dawn chorus of a thousand early birds. “Can I help you?”

The woman who appeared from beyond the begonias was elderly, red-faced and very distraught. Cass recognized her at once. “Mrs. Park!” she exclaimed. “Is it Poppy?”

“Oh, thank God,” the distressed old lady responded. “Yes...he’s in the car.”

A heavy lump settled in Cass’s chest as she dug through her pocket for the surgery keys.

“Don’t worry. We’ll get him inside right away. What seems to be the problem?”

“He’s choking on a chicken bone or something. He raided the garbage bin, you see.”

Dropping her keys back into her pocket, Cass hurried toward the small car, flinging open the back door to see Poppy’s smiling face eagerly awaiting her. When the little dog jumped out onto the tarmac and proceeded to run around in crazy circles, Cass took a deep breath, trying to control her irritation.

“Mrs....er, Mary,” she began. “I don’t think...”

“Oh, you’ve saved him! However did you manage to do it so quickly?”

The sheer delight and admiration on the old lady’s face dissolved Cass’s anger instantaneously.

“But I didn’t do anything,”

“So modest, as well,” she added. “I must admit that, at first, I thought you looked far too young to be a vet. From now on, though, we will be singing your praises, won’t we Poppy? That’s twice you’ve saved my little precious in two days.”

* * *

CASS RELATED THE incident to Donald later that morning. He let out a hoot of laughter, and suddenly she was laughing, too, feeling like a real part of the place.

“There you are, then,” he announced. “You have your first adoring patient.”

“Do you mean Mrs. Park or Poppy?” Cass giggled.

Just then, Todd strode into the room.

“If you’re talking about my aunt, then she’s already been on the phone,” he remarked, reaching for his white coat.

“Your aunt?” Cass echoed.

“Ah, so you’ll know that Cass here is a miracle worker, then?” Donald said.

“But I didn’t do anything,” Cass insisted.

“Just enjoy the adulation,” Todd suggested with a broad smile. “Knowing my Aunt Mary, she could well change her mind tomorrow. Now, on a more serious note, there’s a call from Ben Naylor up at Hill Gate. Bad calving. Better get over there right away. Sally will give you directions.”

“I’m on my way,” Cass said, picking up her case.

Donald took hold of her arm as she passed by on her way to the door.

“About that dinner... Can you do tomorrow night?”

Cass nodded, smiling broadly.

“Thanks, that would be great.”

* * *

THE BAD CALVING took longer than Cass had anticipated. Halfway through she almost called in for help, but thankfully the calf suddenly decided to greet the world. It slid from its mother, and Cass immediately began cleaning the mucus from the newborn’s tiny nose, willing it to breathe as she rubbed its chest with a clump of straw. Elation flowed through her veins as the calf let out a low cry. There was something so special about bringing a new life into the world.

“Well done, lass,” Ben Naylor remarked with begrudging surprise. “Frankly, when I saw you walk in, I considered telling you to get out. Slip of a thing like you! Todd told me there was no one else, though.”

“You rang Todd?”

“Didn’t think you were up to the job, to be honest.”

She sat back on her heels, struggling to contain a surge of irritation. The middle-aged farmer stared back at her, his face open, and Cass couldn’t help smiling.

“Now do you think I’m up to the job?”

He looked at the newborn calf, already struggling onto its tiny feet.

“Now,” he said. “I’m going to get the missus to make us a nice cup of tea. Might be a slab of cake, as well, if you’re lucky.”

As Cass followed Ben Naylor across the yard to the gray stone farmhouse, she felt a warm sense of satisfaction. Today she’d proven herself to at least one member of the farming community. It was a start. And tonight she was taking her belongings over to Sky Cottage, her very own place. It felt like a turning point—a fresh start and a whole new life. She breathed in the country scents that filled the air around her—grass and flowers and always that underlying, heavy odor of cow muck. The smell that greeted her senses as she stepped through the kitchen door, however, made her mouth water.

“Come in, lass,” urged Ben, ushering her ahead of him into the kitchen. “And meet my wife, Cathy.”

Ben’s wife was definitely not what Cass had expected. Small and dark and smartly dressed, Cathy moved quickly across the immaculate kitchen, shaking Cass’s hand with a surprisingly firm grip.

“It’s a nice change to have a female vet around here,” she announced, smiling.

“When I was at vet school,” Cass responded, “there were more than twice as many female students as males, so I guess you’ll be seeing a lot more women vets in the future.”

“Sign of the times,” Ben grumbled. “Women are taking over the world.”

“And about time, too,” Cathy said brightly. “Especially around here. We’re fifty years behind in these Lakeland hills. It’s about time we joined the rest of the country. And Cass here did a good job, didn’t she?”