Page 17 of A Cosy Christmas with the Village Vet

‘Sorry, I can’t do tonight.’ She pulled an apologetic face. With it being her last shift at the Sunne she definitely didn’t want to talk aboutthatnight there, especially when she didn’t have a clue what he was going to say about it. Tongues would certainly wag.

‘Okay, how about tomor—’

He was silenced by the sound of dogs barking and snarling loudly in the waiting area – one belonging to a smaller breed, if the yappy pitch was anything to go by. In the next moment, their objections were joined by their owners’ voices, yelling out orders to “heel” and “no!” and “sit!” but the dogs didn’t appear to be taking any notice.

Nick’s eyebrows hitched up. ‘It would seem my next appointment’s arrived,’ he said dryly, a small smile lifting the corners of his mouth.

‘Mr Blake and his Rottweiler, Patrick, are booked in for Patrick’s boosters and Mr Jowsey’s got his Jack Russell, Spud, booked in to have his nails clipped and an MOT. Take your pick.’

‘Hmm. Judging by all the yapping out there, Spud doesn’t sound to be in the best of moods,’ he said.

‘He’s notorious for being snappy. I’ve taken him for walks before but all he was interested in was biting ankles; human and canine, he wasn’t fussy. Little horror punctured two pairs of my wellies. I ended up refusing to take him.’

‘He sounds like a delight.’ Nick flashed her another disarming grin and she couldn’t help but smile back.

‘Totally.’

‘Listen, I’d better go and get Spud, but when we get a quiet moment, can we organise that chat?’ he said.

‘Yeah, that’s fine with me.’ She gave another smile, not really sure if it was fine at all. She hadn’t got a clue which way the chat would go. Which way did she want it to go? she wondered, her mind going back to the moment he first kissed her. Her heart was in no doubt as it responded with a leap.

‘In the meantime, let’s go and see if we can restore calm in the waiting room.’

‘Hmm? Oh, yes, good idea.’ His words pulled her back to the present with a start.

* * *

The day flewby in a blur and before Brogan knew it, it was gone six o’clock and time for home. Nick had been called out on a visit to Tinkel Top Farm which meant that she could slip out without the embarrassment of having to say goodbye to him, and face the awkwardness that would trigger. They hadn’t had a chance to organise a time for “the chat” which she couldn’t decide if she was glad or disappointed about. And besides, she needed to get home and get showered in readiness for her last stint behind the bar at the Sunne.

Once she’d changed out of her scrubs, she gathered up Wilf who seemed reluctant to leave his cosy spot in front of the fire with Maudie and Oscar. Brogan was pleased with how he’d settled today. ‘You’ve been a good lad,’ she said as she ruffled his ears. He responded with a happy wag of his tail. Brogan had already bid farewell to Vonnie who was now busy in her office poring over paperwork. And after asking after her first day, Chris had gone to check on a tabby cat whose paw he’d operated on to remove a shard of glass that afternoon. The cat was awaiting collection by his owner who’d been on the phone to say she was running late thanks to roadworks springing up just outside Middleton-le-Moors.

‘So, how did you find your first day, Brogan?’ asked Becky, zipping up her padded jacket. She was the other vet nurse who’d worked that day. ‘And what did you think of our new vet? Nick’s pretty delish, isn’t he? Do you reckon he’s single?’

Brogan busied herself rummaging for her car keys in her bag, hoping Becky and Jules wouldn’t notice her blushes. ‘Yeah, my first day’s been brilliant, thanks. I’ve loved it.’

‘You settled in really quickly, you’d never think it had been three years since you last did any vet nursing, you’re a natural,’ said Jules, smiling kindly. She turned to Becky. ‘And as far as Mr Delish is concerned, from what I can gather, he’s newly single – he was engaged, but it didn’t work out; I don’t know all the details, but from what I can gather his ex cheated on him.’

‘What? She must’ve been bonkers! There’s no way I’d cheat on him if he was my boyfriend.’ Becky’s eyes were wide with disbelief.

And there was the proof that news really did travel fast; not just on the village grapevine, but apparently on the veterinary grapevine too. Brogan felt the need to extricate herself from the conversation as quickly as possible. She felt it was straying into the realms of gossip and was beginning to make her feel uneasy. Not wanting to appear rude or unfriendly, she was relieved she had the excuse of having a quick turnaround at home. ‘Right, I’d best be off or I’ll be late for my shift at the pub which isn’t the way I want to end things,’ she said with a laugh. ‘Thanks for showing me the ropes, and being so patient with me, both of you. I’ll see you in the morning.’

To a chorus of cheery goodbyes, she clicked her tongue at Wilf and the pair bid a hasty retreat from the surgery and out into the frosty air. ‘Brr! Bloomin’ ’eck, Wilf, it’s nippy out here.’ A chilly wind had whipped up over the course of the afternoon. It carried with it the distinct smell of snow; well, that’s what her grandad would have said, anyway, thought Brogan as she hurried over the gravel to her car, the wind nipping at her cheeks.

She drove home, frost sparkling in the headlights. She had the fan on full-blast to keep the windscreen clear, her teeth chattering ten-to-the-dozen thanks to the freezing temperature in her car. Though she was concentrating hard on the road, Brogan’s mind crowded with thoughts from the day, each one vying for attention. She didn’t know which to tackle first. It had been a huge relief to find everyone had been friendly, and even more so that everything had come flooding back, her three-year absence from working in a vets’ surgery shrinking to almost nothing. Having said that, she couldn’t wait to get started on the courses Vonnie had organised for her, fill in the gaps and update her skills; they’d definitely boost her confidence as well as her knowledge. But by far the biggest contender for taking up her headspace was Nick. Wow! How did that happen? Talk about coincidence! Never in a million years would she have guessed he’d turn up working at the same place as her. She couldn’t wait to tell Noushka and Kristy, see what their take on it was. She puffed out her cheeks, Wilf glancing over at her; she still needed to get her head around all of that.

One thing she knew for certain was the feeling that had gripped her when she’d first set eyes on him at the wedding, that almost primal connection – she felt ridiculous thinking of it that way, but that’s exactly how it had felt. It was still there, still as strong, if how her body had responded to him today was anything to go by. The burning question was, did he still feel it too? Or had it been something he’d made up that day? Had it been nothing more than lip-service, or blagging, so he could get her into bed with him?Oh, jeez.That’s what really scared her. She didn’t want to go making a fool of herself when they were having “the chat”. Her heart leapt in her chest at the mere thought.

16

BROGAN

It had been a super-fast turnaround from getting home to getting ready for her last stint at the Sunne. By a quarter to seven, Brogan had changed into her black straight-leg jeans, black fitted sweater with a cream-coloured star emblazoned across the middle, and her favourite chunky boots. She jumped into her car, Wilf beside her – Bea had kindly said he could join her on her last shift. He regularly curled up with the landlords’ dogs, Nomad and Scruff, and was never any bother. She turned the key in the ignition and was met with a half-hearted splutter that didn’t have anywhere near enough power to ignite the engine. Her heart sank. ‘Don’t do this to me, tonight of all nights.’ She waited a moment then tried again, only to be disappointed when the same thing happened. ‘Oh, for, crying out flaming loud!’ She felt her stress levels shoot up. It wasn’t the first time this had happened; it had caught her out several times on and off over the last month. Each time, Brogan told herself she’d get the car booked in at the new garage over in Danskelfe. But it had behaved itself recently, which had lulled her into a false sense of security and, consequently, she’d postponed the call to Jed at the garage to ask him to give it a check over. And now look what had happened. She’d never get to work at this rate.

It took several attempts before the engine reluctantly spluttered to life. Brogan sighed with relief as she put the car into gear and drove off.

It was with mixed feelings that she headed to the Sunne that night. Much as she was relieved at the prospect of not having to turn herself out for work in the evening – especially over the winter months – and, worse, head back to a dark and empty house, she’d miss the camaraderie that went hand-in-hand with her job behind the bar. Bea and Jonty Latimer were wonderful bosses. They’d always been kind, treating her like a member of the family, particularly after her grandparents had died. They’d taken her under their wing then, inviting her to join them for meals, Bea packing up plates of food for her to take home, or wrapping her arms around her when she’d been overcome with grief after losing her grandparents, not minding as she’d sobbed hot, wet tears into her shoulder. Brogan would never forget such heart-warming generosity. And she loved chatting with the locals too. Working there had been a good way to get to know everyone when she’d first moved to the area, and now she felt like she’d been there forever.

She reversed into a parking place on the main street and stilled the engine, hoping there wouldn’t be a repeat performance of earlier when it came to her going home. ‘Right then, Wilf, let’s go and see what Monday night in the Sunne has on the cards for us.’ She doubted it would be busy, what with it being a freezing cold December Monday on the run-up to Christmas. She leaned across and gave him a pat, and he responded with a quick swipe of his tongue over her face. ‘Hmm. Has anyone ever told you, you give the sloppiest kisses, young man?’ she said with a laugh, hugging him close. He rested his head on her shoulder and wagged his tail. Brogan felt a rush of love for him.

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