The Country Vet

Something nudged Jake’s hand—a cold, wet nose. He curled his fingers into Bess’s coat. Sometimes love just crept up on you unexpectedly. That was what really scared him.

Through the window, Jake could see his father walking slowly across the yard. When had he begun to look so old? They lived in the same house, and yet they hardly even spoke. What was that all about? On a sudden impulse, Jake opened the window and leaned out.

“Coffee, Dad?”

The old man looked over at him in surprise, a smile lighting up his well-worn features.

“Yes...thanks, son. I’ll be there in a minute.”

* * *

BILL AND JAKE had become used to moving around the house in silence, getting on with their everyday lives without really communicating. Now they sat uneasily at the kitchen table, sipping strong coffee and watching Bess’s pups wriggling out of their dog bed, missing the comfort of their mother’s warmth and milk. Ignoring them, Bess sat at her master’s feet.

The biggest pup, a bold black dog with a white line down his face, bounced across the floor toward his mother, and she sank onto her side, allowing him to nurse.

“Time you were finding homes for them,” Bill remarked.

Jake nodded. “I’ve been asking around.”

“As I already said, Cass is looking for a dog.”

Jake looked up sharply, meeting his father’s eyes. “Not that vet again?”

Bill sighed, draining his mug and slamming it down on the tabletop. “I don’t know what you’ve got against her. It wasn’t her fault about Rosie, and she’ll be no bother as a tenant.”

“It’s not about Rosie.”

“Well, what’s it about, then?”

“She doesn’t even look like a vet.”

Bill smirked. “And what exactly is a vet supposed to look like?”

Jake shrugged, recognizing how lame his excuse sounded. “Well, definitely not like someone who could be blown over by a breath of wind.”

“And definitely not beautiful, eh?” Bill said.

“She’s hardly beautiful,” Jake muttered. But he remembered the way he had felt when they first came face to face in the yard.... Was that why he had this compulsion to avoid her at all costs?

Bill stood up, shaking his head. “Okay, forget it. It was just a thought. You need to find homes for the pups, and she’s looking for a dog. The way you feel about her has nothing to do with it.”

“Oh, do what you want,” Jake snapped. “Ask her if she wants a puppy, then, but keep her away from me.”

“It seems to me that maybe she’s made too much of an impression on you, son,” Bill said. “All pretty girls aren’t like Tara, you know.”

“You mean Tamara? I just heard her new song on the radio.”

“And you switched it right off, I suppose?”

Suddenly, Jake grinned. “Sure did. Don’t get me wrong, Dad, I’m over her. It’s just...”

“That you blame her for everything that’s gone wrong in your life, and you miss Robbie desperately,” Bill suggested. “Get onto that lawyer of yours again, or hire a different one.”

An icy glint replaced the smile in Jake’s blue eyes. “It’s myself I blame. Anyway, Robbie is probably better off without me.”

“Look, son...” Bill reached out his hand then drew it back again. “You’ve got to stop blaming yourself, and Robbie is definitely not better off without you.”

For a moment, Jake held his father’s gaze.

“Thanks, Dad,” he responded, his voice tight with emotion. “Anyway, as I already said, if you want this...vet...to have a pup, then it’s fine by me.”

“Her name is Cass, and you could go and see her yourself.”

With a snort of derision, Jake finished his coffee and stood up, stretching his arms above his head

“As if that’s going to happen,” he said, walking to the door.

CHAPTER SIX

CASS WAITED OUTSIDE the front door of the cottage, her heart playing racing games. This really was commitment, finally having her own place. Then again, she supposed, she was only renting. Real commitment was buying your own house—and having a husband and kids and the whole package. She stepped back, panic rising like a tide. What was happening to her? Perhaps she’d better just get back to the B and B and forget all about putting down roots.

She heard a vehicle approaching down the narrow grassy lane, and by the time Bill Munro’s Land Rover appeared she had regained her composure. She was renting, that was all. Everyone had to have somewhere to live, and there was hardly anything too binding about a six-month lease.

The vehicle ground to a halt, and she saw Bill’s smiling face through the driver’s door window. “Evening,” he called, waving a key at her.

“Hi.” She smiled back as he jumped out and headed for the front door.

He turned the old-fashioned key in the lock and the door swung open. “There you are then,” he announced, ushering her inside. “Your new home. I’ll leave you to get settled, but if there’s anything you need, just call me.”

Cass stepped into the cottage, breathing in the aroma of polish and the heady scent of the roses that grew around the front door.