Читать книгу The Country Vet - Eleanor Jones - Страница 13

CHAPTER FOUR

CARLOTTA SIDLED, OBVIOUSLY disturbed by her rider’s mood. After four years, the mare was used to Jake’s ways—today the tension in him must have buzzed like an electric current. She moved out into the road, prancing sideways and snorting, taking his attention for a moment. His firm hand on the reins calmed her at once.

“Okay, easy, girl.”

However angry he felt inside—and he felt angry, foolish even, about the fact that his father had gone behind his back like that—he tried to make a point of never allowing it to spill over into his riding. Just being on a horse usually took his mind off everything life seemed determined to throw at him, but the woman had managed to play havoc with that simple rule. Anyway, it shouldn’t have been her telling him that she’d rented the cottage, it should have been his dad. And for that matter, it would have been nice to have been consulted in the first place. A hollow laugh eased his tension. Since when had his father ever consulted him about anything?

A vehicle approached from behind, and Jake ran his hand down Carlotta’s arched neck. There was no way he was going to let a vehicle squeeze past on this narrow stretch of road. It would just have to wait. Moving into a jog trot he glanced back, noting the green hatchback following them...her hatchback. Had she been sent here solely to annoy him? With another brief look at the pale face over the steering wheel, he turned Carlotta onto the grass verge, dug in his heels and urged her into a canter. Only too happy to oblige, the mare bunched up her quarters, sank into her hocks and sprang, clearing the wall at the side of the lane as if it was nothing and landing with an ecstatic buck.

A sudden rush of adrenaline released his mind, if only momentarily, from the pain of reality. Jake turned back, raising a hand toward the woman before heading off at a gallop. The look of amazement on her face brought a sense of satisfaction, and he leaned forward, absorbing the sheer elation of the power beneath him.

Horses had long been his escape when things went wrong. He had used the challenge and excitement of competition to try to get his life back on track after Tara’s defection, but riding hadn’t been nearly enough to fill the void left by Lucy and his mum. Reining in, Jake stared down into the valley, watching the green vehicle snaking its way down to the village. Nothing could ever fill that gaping hole in his life, or assuage the guilt and pain that constantly clawed at his gut.

Slowly, he turned Carlotta homeward. When she dutifully obeyed, moving quietly across the steep hillside, he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to stifle the sob that rose inside him.

* * *

CASS DROVE SLOWLY back to the village. After hearing about Jake Munro’s loss, she wouldn’t have been human if she hadn’t felt some sympathy for him. His attitude, however, did him no favors. Many people lost loved ones without taking their bitterness out on the whole world. And what was that crazy jump all about? It was foolhardy, to say the least. Perhaps losing his family had sent Jake over the edge. And what about Lucy’s mother? No one ever mentioned her. Did Jake have a wife tucked away somewhere perhaps?

Jake Munro was still invading Cass’s thoughts as she pulled in outside the B and B and cut her engine. There was no denying his skill with horses—he and the high-strung gray mare had seemed to move as one entity. Pity he didn’t have the same connection with humans.

Grabbing her bag from the back of the car, she ran up the steps to the square white guesthouse where she’d been staying since arriving in Little Dale. She had discovered it when she came for her interview at Low Fell Animal Clinic a couple of weeks earlier. The owner, Clare Biggins, had made her so welcome that Cass had booked in there as soon as she heard the job was hers. It was only fair to let Clare know as soon as possible that she was leaving tomorrow. She would pay her until the end of the week, but she couldn’t wait that long to move in to the cottage. Her own place, at last, and the start of a brand-new life.

* * *

TO CASS’S RELIEF, Clare was almost as excited as she was about the cottage. “I know Sky Cottage,” she exclaimed, her round face shining with genuine delight. “Even its name is magical, and it’s so pretty, like something out of a storybook. Won’t you be a bit nervous, though, living in the middle of nowhere on your own...not to mention lonely?”

“It’s not that far from Sky View,” Cass reminded her. “Only a few minutes’ walk. And I’m going to get a dog for company.”

“A dog!” Clare said. “Are you sure they allow dogs, though? Lots of rented places have a strictly no-pets policy.”

Cass’s face fell. She hadn’t thought about that. “I did say something about it to Bill Munro, and he never said anything. He even told me his son has some puppies for sale.”

“Well, there you go, then.” Clare smiled. “Obviously they don’t mind dogs.”

“I think Jake Munro would mind just about anything to do with me. We didn’t get off on a very good footing, I’m afraid.”

Clare shrugged. “He doesn’t seem to be in a very good place with anyone,” she said sadly. “It was bad enough that his wife left him, but losing Lucy and Gwen must have been too much to bear.”

Cass felt her irritation at Jake’s behavior fading. “He had a wife? I wondered what happened to Lucy’s mother.”

“I don’t really like to gossip,” Clare replied awkwardly. “He was living down south at the time, anyway, so no one from around here really knew anything about his wife—except that she went off to follow a singing career, leaving the twins behind with their dad. That was when he came back to Sky View. Gwen, his mum, was a lovely lady, and she was happy to help look after the children. I don’t know how he and Bill have been coping since the accident...”

“I guess it’s just a case of having to,” Cass suggested thoughtfully. “Donald mentioned something about Robbie going to live with his mum. Was he Lucy’s twin?”

Clare nodded. “She took him away with her after the funeral. I don’t know whether it was her idea or Jake’s. But tell me some more about the cottage. Exactly when are you moving in?”

Cass frowned, her thoughts still on the tragedy that must have turned Jake and Bill’s whole world upside down. Bud’s death had changed her life, and sad though it was, a pet’s death couldn’t even come close to losing a wife, a daughter and a mum. An image of Jake’s bleak, angry face slid into her mind. Did he ever smile? she wondered. What was he like before the accident? Perhaps he should have kept Robbie with him—having the little boy to care for might have helped him to move on and find something to smile about again.

Clare touched her arm. “So...when are you leaving us?”

“Sorry,” Cass apologized. “I was miles away. I’m moving in tomorrow, but I’ll pay you for the whole week.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’ll miss the company, of course, and the money, but I really am happy for you. I just hope you don’t get too lonely out there by yourself.”

“But I won’t be alone, will I?” Cass laughed. “I’ll have a dog to keep me company.”

* * *

JAKE LEAPED EASILY down from the saddle, ran his stirrup irons up the leather and gave Carlotta an affectionate pat.

“What would I do without you, girl?” he asked, pulling the reins over her ears to lead her across the yard to her stable. The gray mare nodded, as if in understanding, and followed obediently.

Jake’s eyes were drawn to the space in the yard where poor Rosie had lain, awaiting collection. A sigh of relief passed his lips, accompanied by a lurch of guilt at not being there when they came for her. His dad would probably say he had run away from his responsibilities, just as he always did, but it wasn’t true. Rosie was gone, and there was nothing more he could have done for her. When Tara left he had run away, throwing himself into his career instead of staying home and taking care of Lucy and Robbie. He knew that only too well now, and he would be paying for it for the rest of his life. A sharp pain tore at his stomach, bringing a rush of bile into his mouth. He didn’t deserve to feel any happiness when little Lucy and his mum were no longer here to feel anything at all, and Robbie was gone to the other side of the world.

Oh, how he hoped his son was okay. A few minutes on the phone once a week, if he was lucky, told him nothing, and the darned lawyer he’d hired to try and get Robbie back was worse than useless. The memory of Tara’s bitter voice in his ears, when he eventually managed to get hold of her after the funeral, doubled the heavy burden of guilt he felt every single day of his life.

You aren’t fit to be a father. Robbie is staying in America with me now. I know I went away, but I thought I was doing the best thing for them by leaving them with their dad. You’re the one who really abandoned them.

The accusation rang inside Jake’s head. Was she right? Had he abandoned them? The answer came at once. Yes, in a way he had, running around Europe, throwing himself into the thrill of competition when his kids needed him. His poor, dear mother had never once complained about his being away so often. Perhaps she should have. She would still be here if he’d faced up to his responsibilities for once. A sob rose in his throat and he forced it back, turning his attention to the gray mare standing patiently beside him.

* * *

BILL MUNRO SAW his son clatter into the yard and vault down from Carlotta, saw the expression on Jake’s face as he gave the mare an affectionate stroke. It seemed that Jake could only really communicate with animals nowadays. Setting his jaw, the old man headed purposefully toward him. Gwen would have told them both to get on with their lives, but it was just so hard. But he owed it to her to at least try to get Jake’s life back on track.

“Good ride, son?” he asked.

Jake glanced sideways at him. “They turned up for her, then.”

Bill nodded. “Yes, about two.”

“I’m sorry.” He turned away, unable to meet his father’s eyes. “I should have seen to it myself.”

“No, really. It isn’t a problem.... Sad, though.”

Jake’s eyes darkened. “It should never have happened.”

“There are a lot of things around here that shouldn’t have happened,” Bill agreed. Tentatively he placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “They say it gets easier with time.”

Jake shrugged off his sympathy. “It will never get easier,” he declared, leading Carlotta into her stall.

Bill shook his gray head sadly. “We have to try and get on with our lives, son. I know the anniversary has made it all raw again, but somehow we have to get through it.”

“Why did you rent Sky Cottage to that girl?”

Jake’s unexpected question took Bill totally by surprise. It held an accusation that brought out a sudden prickle of anger in him.

“I’ll rent the cottage to whoever I please. She’s in a strange place with a new job and she needed somewhere to live. And she’s hardly a girl. She must be almost as old as you are.”

“She doesn’t look it,” Jake responded. “She’s hardly vet material, either. A gust of wind could blow her over.”

Bill popped his head over the stable door as Jake slid off the gray mare’s bridle, replacing it with a head collar and tying her to the wall ring.

“According to Todd,” Bill said, “she’s very highly qualified and totally dedicated. If I’m honest, I suppose I felt a bit sorry for the lass. She seems lonely and I wanted to give her a break.”

Jake picked up a body brush and began running it rhythmically across Carlotta’s gleaming coat.

“Well, just keep her away from me.”

“If she has any sense, she’ll stay away from you all by herself,” Bill retorted. “Oh, and by the way...”

Jake looked back, raising his eyebrows.

“I might have told her that you have some pups for sale.”

“Well you’d better untell her, then, hadn’t you,” Jake snarled.