The Country Vet. Eleanor Jones

she cut in. “Sorry, I hate Cassandra.”

      Todd ignored her comment. “You’re bound to have the occasional problem with the older farmers around here, I’m afraid. Some of them are still living in the 1960s. Could you just try and charm them a little? It might help.”

      “I’m not that good on charm,” Cass replied. “But I will try. Men like Tom Alston drive me nuts, though.”

      “He’s just a struggling hill farmer, like a lot of others around here.” Todd sighed, running one hand through his curly gray hair. “He’s trying to make a living in the same way as his father and his grandfather did before him when it’s hardly possible anymore.”

      Cass’s face softened. “I guess,” she agreed. “It’s just that I hate being bullied.”

      “So what was the problem with the pony then?” Todd asked reluctantly. The phone rang before Cass could complete her explanation. Todd held the phone away from his ear and Jake’s raised voice boomed out into the room.

      “How could she have been so sure it was a twisted gut? She should’ve called for backup...rung you...anything!”

      Todd’s thick, dark eyebrows drew together, meeting in an arc above his nose. Cass found herself concentrating on them as she listened to her boss’s calm, deep voice assuring Jake that she was well qualified and promising a postmortem first thing in the morning.

      Todd hung up and sighed again. “He wants Donald to do the postmortem.”

      “I don’t care what Jake Munro says,” she snapped. “Or what his excuses are. The pony was suffering—his father could see it. He agreed with me. I could have done the postmortem there and then, shown him the proof. I offered.”

      “He will only have Donald,” Todd repeated. “He’s our best horse vet, after all.”

      Hot color flooded Cass’s face. “I’m really sorry for going on about this, but I know I did the right thing. I suppose the whole situation upset me, to be honest. The pony was so sweet.” She held up her hands, smiling apologetically. “I know that’s not very professional.”

      “There’s nothing wrong with caring,” Todd said.

      “Well, do you think I could at least go along with Donald tomorrow? I’d really like to see this through.”

      She twisted her fingers together, wondering if now was the right time to tell her new boss about her ambitions for the future.

      “I really want to specialize in horses, as well, and it would be good experience.”

      Todd smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’m glad to hear that. I like to encourage ambition in my staff. It will have to be very early tomorrow, though. He has to be in Doncaster by afternoon.”

      “Thanks.” Cass removed bottles of medication from her bag, putting them carefully back into the refrigerator. “And I’m sorry for upsetting your clients.”

      “Oh, they’ll get used to you eventually,” Todd said.

      * * *

      CASS SLICED CHEESE on a piece of bread and doubled it into a sandwich. But after the events of the day, she couldn’t even think about cooking—or eating—at all, she decided, placing it back on the plate.

      A vivid memory of the sweet little pony filled her mind and sadness welled up inside her. There was nothing more she could have done, however, and tomorrow would prove it.

      Flipping open her phone case, she pressed Home on her contacts list. The ringing droned in her ears and she canceled the call, scrolling down to her dad’s cell number. When she heard his familiar voice, warm and vibrant, tears pressed against her eyelids.

      “Hi, Dad, it’s just me. How’s Mum?”

      Her jovial tone sounded forced, and he obviously knew it.

      “You really don’t need to worry, Cass. It was just a scare, a false alarm. She wouldn’t even have told you at all if I hadn’t insisted.”

      “I’m not a kid anymore, Dad. I need to know these things. She should have told me right away.”

      “That’s what I said, love. Anyway, how are you, and how’s that new job of yours going?”

      By the time Cass had related her experience at Sky View to her dad and made him chuckle at her story about the manure-splattered farmer, she felt a whole lot better.

      “Now don’t you worry about us,” her dad told her. “Just concentrate on your career. We might come over to see you soon, if we can get anyone to mind the store for a day or two.”

      Feeling calmer after talking to her dad, Cass finished her light meal and called it a night, expecting to find sleep elusive. However, her eyes closed as soon as her head hit the pillow, and the next thing she knew, the school bell was ringing in her dreams, calling her in to lessons. She jerked awake, reaching out to turn off her alarm clock, totally in the present as the events of yesterday came back to her.

      The sun was hardly over the hills when Cass and Donald set off for Sky View Stables.

      The middle-aged vet glanced across at her. “You’re very quiet,” he remarked, nosing his large four-by-four up the narrow lane.

      Cass might have been sitting beside him but her head was definitely elsewhere.

      He tried again. “You okay, lass? Don’t let Jake upset you.”

      Cass started, her thoughts rushing back to the present. “Oh, I’m not letting him upset me. I was just miles away.”

      “I could see that. In a nice place, I hope.”

      “I’ve always been a bit of a dreamer, I’m afraid—one of my worse traits. To be honest, I was thinking about my mum. She hasn’t been well.”

      “I’m sorry to hear that.”

      Noting the kind expression on his face, she felt a flush creep up her cheeks. “Thanks. And...look, I’m really sorry about you having to do this postmortem. I could easily have done it myself yesterday.”

      “No worries,” Donald said. “I think I need to apologize on Jake’s behalf. He can be a bit touchy, but he does have his reasons.”

      “That’s exactly what Todd said,” Cass murmured. “But surely there’s no excuse for downright rudeness?”

      Donald smiled. “I heard that Tom Alston was pretty rude to you yesterday, too, but that doesn’t seem to have got to you.”

      Cass twisted around to face him, her interest raised. “What is this reason, for Jake Munro’s attitude? Or is it just an excuse?”

      Donald put the vehicle into gear. It juddered violently, throwing Cass into the window.

      “Hey,” she cried. “I do want to get there, you know.”

      “Sorry, this old vehicle could do with some attention. Anyway, are you sure about that, after yesterday...getting there, I mean?”

      Cass’s mouth set into a firm line as she glanced at him, catching his eye.

      “Yesterday would have been a tragedy no matter who owned the little mare. I did what needed to be done. There’s no doubt in my mind about that.”

      “Good for you.” He nodded. “And I guess you’ll be looking forward to saying ‘I told you so.’ Is that why you wanted to come?”

      Cass’s response was immediate. “No, not at all. I came because I want to see it through. The guy was obviously very upset. Anyone would be. It still doesn’t give him the right to be so unpleasant.”

      “What if I told you that his mother and little daughter were both killed in an accident a while ago,” Donald said quietly, concentrating on the road ahead. “And he doesn’t like people to talk about it, so you never heard