Summer with the Country Village Vet

He swallowed, trying to ignore the way the rest of her body had jiggled, and the dancing light in her eyes. It had obviously been far too long since he’d had a soft female form pressed against his (apart from hers). Maybe his self-imposed ban was a mistake, it was turning him into a horny old man.

‘They’re Annie’s actually.’ For a moment he was confused, then focussed back on the wellingtons again. That figured, yep now she mentioned it he had seen Annie parading round the village in them. But on Annie they looked quite different. Unremarkable. ‘Her goose Gertie is imprinted on them, and without these I’d be mincemeat. Imprinting, you know they were the first thing…’

‘I do know what imprinting is.’

A flush tinged her cheekbones. Now what had made him shoot her down like that? He was being a patronising git now. Why couldn’t he just be friendly? But it was just, he hadn’t felt this drawn to somebody for a long, long time, not since he’d met Josie. Not since the most precious person in his life had appeared, not since he’d fallen madly, wildly, in love in a way he hadn’t thought existed… and this was his way of making sure it didn’t happen again. He blinked, and tried to concentrate on what she was saying.

‘Ah yes, of course, you’re a vet. Well at the moment these are a lifesaver, talking of which,’ she avoided his eye, ‘thanks for er, saving me the other week, when I came for my interview.’

‘No problem. Look I don’t want to be rude, but I really do need to get in, I’ve got work to do. If you could just straighten it up, move over a bit.’

‘Oh, right, sure. Isn’t it a bit early for work?’ She looked at her watch. ‘I’d never normally get up at this time, but I knew it would take me hours to move all my stuff into Annie’s, and I didn’t think I’d be in anybody’s way. Or do you all get up at the crack of dawn round here?’ Her eyes were twinkling, and he could have sworn she was teasing now.

‘I prefer a lie in to be honest, but when there’s an emergency.’ He shrugged.

‘Oh no. Was everything okay?’ She’d stopped smiling.

‘Not really.’ He sighed. ‘Look I need a coffee,’ he’d been a git, surely he could at least have some manners and be a bit welcoming, ‘fancy one?’

‘You’ve no idea how good that sounds, I feel like I’ve done a day’s work already. I’ll pull the van up a bit so you can get in.’

‘So,’ Lucy wrapped her hands round the mug of coffee and stared at him, her head on one side. ‘You’re only here temporarily, like me?’

‘I’m hoping so.’

Her eyes widened. ‘The place is that bad?’

He grinned, he couldn’t help it. ‘No, it’s not bad, but coming back here wasn’t part of my life plan.’

She leant forward conspiratorially. ‘Don’t tell anybody, but it wasn’t on mine either. So, where are you heading next?’

‘Now that is the million dollar question.’ He’d already been doing what he wanted, and when he lost that, for a while he felt like he’d lost everything. ‘Well, when I sold my town centre veterinary practice I had a vague idea of taking a few months off, before setting up somewhere else, faraway. Like Australia.’

‘Oh.’ She looked slightly shocked. ‘Major deviation from the plan then. So, what made you come back here?’

‘Family pressure.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘I hadn’t made any firm plans, and my dad cornered me. He told me about Eric, I thought it would be pretty selfish to refuse. Dad and Eric were big buddies.’

‘Ahh.’

‘He said he was in a real mess, could be off work for months. As Dad pointed out I do know Langtry Meadows and the people, and about running a practice of my own. It was hard to say no.’ But that had just been the beginning of the charm offensive. ‘You’d just be able to walk in and get straight down to it,’ his father had said. ‘This isn’t charity, Charles. The man needs support, and he’d much rather hand the reins over to somebody he knows, than pull in some random Tom, Dick or Harriet vet from an agency. Go and see him. He’s still in hospital.’ And even as he’d tried to object, he knew he hadn’t really got any choice.

‘I bet your dad was pleased, and it sounds like you’re popular in the village.’

‘He was, and so was my mother, she didn’t like the idea of me at a loose end, or going to Australia.’ He knew they cared. But he really hadn’t planned on this, creeping back to the village with his tail between his legs, admitting he’d failed – had lost it all. ‘I wasn’t actually at a loose end,’ they swapped an understanding look, ‘I was considering my options. But you know what mothers can be like.’ He paused, took a gulp of his coffee. ‘I think this is actually more of a trip down memory lane for Dad than me, he misses the place. Started to ramble on, asked me if I remembered the time when Ed Wright had chicken pox and was convinced he had foot and mouth. He said the little idiot was sure they were going to throw him in a pit and cover him with lime, he disappeared up the fields and hid. The whole village had to go out searching for him.’

Lucy giggled, which sent a shiver down his spine. ‘And did you remember?’

‘Did I hell!’ He’d let his father reminisce, let the words flow over him, and wondered how on earth he’d ended up losing everything he’d worked for. One day he’d got his bright, shiny, efficient town centre practice handling referrals and money-no-object operations, and the next he had somehow agreed to bury himself back in Langtry Meadows in a tiny, old-fashioned veterinary practice.

‘But you’re happy you came back?’

‘Well I haven’t really thought about it,’ he paused, ‘but yes, yes it’s a nice place and who needs time off work anyway when you can be dragged out of bed at 4 a.m. and stick your arm up a cow’s rear?’

She was laughing again. He didn’t know why, but he seemed to be trying to amuse her. And he seemed to be rambling on, it was far too easy to talk to her. Any second now and he’d be spilling all his sordid secrets.

‘True, and in Australia you’d miss the mud and frosty mornings.’

‘Would I?’ Langtry Meadows was perfect in many ways though, well one big way. It was miles from his old stomping ground and the practice he’d run with his ex-wife. Miles from any reminders that the cosy life he’d thought they’d built up had existed only in his imagination. Even miles from his suffocatingly concerned family who’d moved from the village to somewhere ‘more convenient’ when his father retired. ‘What about you?’ He needed to head the conversation in another direction. ‘Are you looking forward to working here?’

‘Oh yes, well I think so. I mean it wasn’t what I’d planned on doing, but everybody seems lovely, and it’s such a gorgeous place. To be honest, I didn’t really have any option.’ She hesitated. ‘Look, sorry for pestering about the school visit thing last time we met.’ She looked apologetic now, rather than demanding. ‘I didn’t mean to be pushy, I just had Jim prodding me in the back. It’s the first thing they’ve asked me to do, and I don’t like to fail.’

There was a question in her voice. ‘Look, I’m sorry too if we got off on the wrong foot.’ He couldn’t help but glance down at the pink wellies again. ‘But it’s really not something I can help with.’

She was looking at him, like a spaniel deprived of its ball. Can’t or won’t, said the look – she was too kind to voice it. He was doing his best to avoid eye contact, but still felt a heel. He couldn’t though, just the thought of standing in front of those hopeful, innocent faces made him come over hot, then cold. He wasn’t the only loser in this mess he’d made of his life, and that was the bit that made him feel totally useless. Helpless.

Her gaze hadn’t wavered. ‘It’s just I’ve got my hands full with the surgery.’ To her it was just a simple request. But it was asking him to expose his heart, to lay himself open to yet more hurt and he wasn’t ready. He couldn’t do it yet – and certainly not in front of the watching eyes of the whole village. Teenagers he could have coped with, the WI, the teachers. Just not a class full of primary school kids, expectant smiling faces. Kids that were at that age when they trusted adults, thought they could solve every problem in the world. He closed his eyes for a second, and the image that snuck its way into every dream, every nightmare, was there. A giggling little girl. Auburn curls soft as clouds around her angelic face. Large brown eyes gazing straight into his. Innocent, unknowing. Trusting.

He couldn’t do it.

‘They don’t bite. Not like some of your patients.’ Her lips curved into a seductive smile, but he was pretty sure she was just trying to lighten the mood, not drag him off to bed – that was wishful thinking on his side.

‘No.’ He swallowed down the clawing pain in his throat and hoped to God he looked more normal than he felt. ‘It’s just,’ what was he supposed to say? ‘This place can feel a bit claustrophobic.’

‘Villages can.’ Those two words had an unexpected depth to them, she said that as though she knew.

‘Everybody in each other’s pockets and I would rather like to keep a professional distance.’ And that was the truth, up to a point.

She nodded, looking thoughtful, then sighed. ‘Yes, I can understand that.’ And there was something in her eyes that convinced him she did. She was a bit of an outsider as well, and he had a feeling that despite all the smiles she wasn’t entirely comfortable about being here. ‘It’s okay, don’t worry I’ll think of something.’ She twisted her lips to one side as though she was thinking. ‘But Jim swore blind that asking any other vet was out of bounds.’

‘It is a bit of a no-no going to the other practice, you know what village politics can be like.’ Now she was making it even more difficult. Understanding made him feel tetchy, and for some reason he couldn’t quite fathom he felt almost like he was letting her down. Christ, he had enough problems with all the other people he felt he’d let down – and now he was doing it with a complete stranger. ‘I’m sure you’ll come up with something. I’m not here for long anyway, as soon as Eric is back on his feet I’ll be off.’ He couldn’t do it, better to make that quite clear. ‘I’m sorry, I really am.’

‘No problem.’ Her tone was light, but he still felt bad.

‘It’s just…’ He hesitated, not quite wanting to leave it like that. But any discussions about how he should be involved in the village school were off the agenda. Some things he could do – being surrounded by young children he couldn’t. Not yet. The health of the village pets was his responsibility, the kids weren’t.

She was looking at him quizzically, as though she was expecting him to say more. Offer an explanation, at least finish his bloody sentence, which was perfectly reasonable. But this was why he shouldn’t have come back here. Why he should have buggered off to Australia. He wouldn’t have these bloody problems then, he didn’t need to feel irrational guilt on top of everything else. And he couldn’t explain.

The silence lengthened between them and he felt awkward.

This was getting ridiculous. He was looking ridiculous.

He was just trying to come up with something to say when she smiled, stood up. ‘I better get back to moving boxes. Thanks for the coffee and chat, lovely to meet you properly.’

‘You too.’ And he was surprised just how much he meant it.

As she left the surgery, his positive mood seemed to go with her. Talking about his return to Langtry Meadows reminded him just why he’d had to move on. Rolling his shoulders, he tried to ease the tension that had instantly grabbed hold of his body.

He wandered into the recovery room, determined to shake his mood. Being busy always helped. Stroking the little black cat that was stretched out on its side in one of the cages, he instantly felt his blood pressure drop as the faintest of purrs rumbled through its chest. Charlie smiled as it raised its head slightly, asking for more.