Page 34 of Christmas at the Home Farm Vets
‘I’d love that.’ Erin grinned at Oli, leaning against the stairs. ‘I’ll run down and check on her again in a couple of hours.’
‘So can I help?’ He pointed to the muffin tins on the worktop, already lined with butter. ‘What would it take to persuade you to turn your entry into a joint one?’
‘Are you kidding me?’ she retorted. ‘You think I want to share my mince pies with you? And don’t you dare eat one because then you’ll know which are mine when you try them at work. Don’t look at me like that either, this is a serious business and I’m not going to be swayed.’
‘So you think I could sway you?’ Oli had lowered his voice and Erin’s pulse jumped. She turned back to the pastry she’d been rolling out, more distracted by him than she’d like to be.
‘Definitely not.’ Hair was escaping from her ponytail, getting in her way. Hands covered in flour, she shook her head, trying impatiently to flick it from her face.
‘May I?’
She nodded slowly as he took two steps to stand behind her. Throat suddenly dry, she swallowed, barely breathing as his fingers brushed her neck. He drew her curls together before re-fastening her ponytail.
‘Thanks.’ Her voice was a croak, and she was aware he hadn’t moved away, other than to withdraw his hands.
‘You’re welcome.’ He dropped the words into her ear, and her eyes slid closed as his breath skimmed her neck. ‘It’ll cost you a mince pie.’
‘Oh well, if you’d said that I would’ve refused your help. No can do, they’re strictly off limits until tomorrow.’ This was turning into dangerous territory that felt very much like flirting. Erin was wishing he’d move and also trying to subdue a burning desire that he wouldn’t. ‘So, er, did you say you were going to shower before we eat?’
‘I didn’t, but it’s probably a good idea.’
‘Yeah. I need to get on with these anyway.’ She waved a hand over the pastry and jar of mincemeat as Oli stepped away. ‘Take your time.’
An hour later she had a dozen golden mince pies cooling on the worktop and he was doing his best to persuade her to let him try one. She refused again and when it was time to nip back to the practice and check on Marnie, she took the mince pies with her so he couldn’t cheat. They laughed about it when she returned after settling Marnie, and she was grateful he’d cleared up while she’d been gone. She thanked him, ready to head up to bed for an early night.
In the morning Erin was happy to have the mince pie tasting coming up to distract her from the call she was making first. It was three days since she’d visited the dairy herd to test the cows for tuberculosis, and returning to assess the results was always an anxious time for everyone. On Tuesday she’d clipped two patches of hair from the neck of each cow and measured the skin thickness before injecting both sites with different tuberculins.
Marnie was making steady progress and would sometimes purr when they stroked her, which thrilled Erin. She was hopeful that without a feral mum to guide her, Marnie would lose some of her wilder instincts and learn how to settle into a home. Harriet was studying for pre-Christmas exams in between taking care of the ponies. Flo had officially been welcomed into the family and now had her own pink waterproof rug which she wore in the paddock each morning, with a different one for the stable at night.
Gil had scanned her and thought she would give birth in May, and everyone was excited about seeing her with a foal at foot in the spring, when she would be well recovered and enjoying the early grass. Neither Harriet nor Dorothy had any clue about the stallion who’d sired the foal. Harriet was hoping for a pony she could keep for riding when it was old enough, ideally one taller than Flo’s thirteen hands as she was already five nine. Gil was still occasionally muttering about how they’d managed to become a two, nearly three-horse family, but he often popped into the stables to check on Flo, and he didn’t stand a chance against Harriet, Dorothy and Pippa anyway.
When Erin arrived at the farm to complete the tuberculosis test, the cows were herded back through the crush so she could measure the skin thicknesses of each site she’d injected on Tuesday again. It was a fiddly, cold and noisy morning, and her arms were aching when she finished, thankful to advise the farmer that the second measurements were within normal limits and there were no ‘reactors’. It was a huge relief that the herd had maintained their tuberculosis-free status, and the cows were released into their barn.
Back at the practice there was a festive air when the staff gathered in the office for the mince pie tasting before afternoon consultations got underway. Oli smirked when he caught her eye and she flashed him a glance, wondering if he had cheated after all and helped himself earlier, even though Elaine supposedly had all the entries under lock and key.
The seven different mince pies, each cut into manageable quarters for tasting purposes, went down a storm and everyone cast votes for their favourite in a sealed box Elaine had brought in specially. The results would be announced at the staff party tomorrow and the winner revealed. Nearly all of Erin’s mince pies vanished, and she didn’t think it was fair to vote for her own, so she chose another homemade batch instead, with perfect sweet short crust pastry and a frangipane topping. Dorothy arrived towards the end, and she whacked a bowl onto the table in the kitchen already scattered with pastry crumbs.
‘Couldn’t be bothered with mince pies, too finicky,’ she declared, giving Oli a disdainful look. He’d been round to treat one of her Soay sheep this week and by all accounts, his anyway, it had gone quite well – he hadn’t been banished from her farm at least. She tore off a tinfoil wrapping to reveal a rich, dark fruit cake in a metal tin.
‘Is that a dog bowl?’ Oli whispered to Erin incredulously, and she tried hard to stifle her laugh. ‘It might even be the very one I saw her dogs slurping from the other day.’
‘Could be, but who cares? It’s obviously been well cooked, and Dorothy’s cakes are apparently rare and revered,’ she muttered back. Elaine was thanking Dorothy and trying to persuade Jess to nip to the village shop for some cheese to go with it. ‘I’d eat it.’
‘You might be on your own, not sure I will.’
‘Are you going to tell Dorothy you’re too scared to eat her cake, then?’ Erin watched as Dorothy gave the tin a hefty whack with her palm and the cake flew out to land upside down on the table.
‘No, and don’t you tell her, either. I’ve got the perfect excuse not to.’ Oli drew his phone from a pocket of his moleskin trousers, and checked it. ‘I’ll fetch the cheese, Elaine,’ he said loudly. ‘I’ve got a parcel to pick up from the shop anyway.’
‘Thanks Oli, do you mind?’ Elaine sent him a grateful smile. ‘Jess has got patients due for a health check any minute.’
Erin saved Oli a slice of fruit cake for later, determined to get him to try it. It tasted amazing with a hunk of local Wensleydale cheese, and she nipped off to check on Marnie before her first afternoon consultation.
On Saturday Oli was on call and he spent it mostly at the practice. Erin was there in the morning too, taking care of Marnie and helping Harriet with the ponies, happy to see Flo brightening with excellent care, food and shelter. Dorothy had been round to clip her, removing the matted and dirty coat and replacing it with a heavyweight rug to keep Flo snug. The blacksmith had also called and trimmed her hooves to a manageable length that no longer caused her pain. Posy wasn’t too thrilled with her neighbour and would thump her stable door, demanding to be fed first.
Yesterday Erin had reminded Jason about the party, and he’d said he would meet her there as he had a full day of clients and might arrive at the last minute. She didn’t mind too much; she understood what working all hours looked like and wasn’t in any position to object seeing as she’d once had to leave a date early when she’d been on call. She could check on Marnie while she was at the party and hopefully on Monday she’d be bringing her home, at least overnight. Until Marnie settled in the cottage, she might have to take her into work during the day and pop her in a kennel, as Gabi and Gil often did with their dogs.
Once Erin was ready she went downstairs and found Oli waiting, standing in front of the fireplace. He tugged his sweater straight to give her the full effect.
