by Sarah Barrie
Grahame scowled. ‘She said his leg’s broken and it’s going to cost a heap to fix it – that he might not ever be a good hunting dog. She accused me of causing it. How long have you been treating my animals, Ebony? When have I ever abused anything?’
‘Never, Grahame. Louise has just finished university and her ideals are good but –’
‘But nothing! The woman is insulting and opinionated and bad for business.’
She couldn’t argue with that so she let it go. ‘You said he was sore when you picked him up from Martin?’
‘If it had been me, I wouldn’t have brought him home. My son picked him up. Martin told him he’d been roughhousing with his litter mates – big pups, he said, rowdy. It was nothing – that he’d be fine in a couple of days.’
‘He should be big, but he’s not. How old is he?’
‘He said eight weeks.’
No way. ‘And you’re sure he didn’t have a fall, or hurt himself between when Jerry picked him up and when you saw him?’
‘Damn sure, because when I did get a look at this little guy, I called Martin right away and got the same story he gave Jerry. Now, of course, he’s denying he said anything at all. “Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said on the phone just then, “I never said nothing,” he tells me. If I was ten years younger, I’d go over there and jolt his memory.’
With another sympathetic look, she gestured for Grahame to watch the pup while she studied the X-rays. She cringed. ‘It’s an epiphyseal fracture. Not uncommon in young, growing pups, but this is a particularly bad one. In puppies, there are soft areas near the ends of the long bones,’ she pointed, ‘where growth takes place. This end of the thigh bone is particularly susceptible to fracture. You can see the break here. Louise is right – we’re going to need to pin it. And yes, there is a chance it won’t mend exactly right. He could end up with a shorter leg and a gait abnormality. Nothing too problematic for a pet, but as a hunting dog … there’s no guarantee. I’m sorry.’
‘I paid a thousand dollars for this pup.’
‘I’m sorry to say it, Grahame, but I’m afraid your investment is about to double.’
Grahame ran an agitated hand over his face. ‘Paying for expensive surgery on an animal that might never be sound is just throwing good money after bad.’
When she grimaced at that he lifted a hand in an appeal for her to hear him out. ‘I know how that sounds – it’s not the poor pup’s fault, but Jerry wants to use him for pig hunting. Don’t know that I completely agree with the whole hunting thing, but that’s what he wants. If this pup isn’t it, then he’ll want something else. He’s already talking about building up to three or four dogs to take out with him.
‘You know how much it costs to keep a big dog. Jerry’s going to use the money he earns at the hardware shop, sure, but there’s twelve or more years of feeding, vaccinating, worming and flea and tick control ahead for each big dog we end up with. And what’s this one going to do, sit in the yard all that time?’ He dragged his fingers over his face. ‘What kind of life is that? He’ll want to go out with whatever other dogs Jerry gets and won’t be able to. Or worse, Jerry’ll take him along and he’ll end up gored by a pig or something ’cause he’s not quite agile enough to get out of the way. That’s not fair. That’s not right.’
She couldn’t deny the truth of what Grahame was saying – he’d made several reasonable points – but she didn’t like where he was heading. ‘I understand. But I wouldn’t suggest euthanasia. If you’re going after Martin for your money back –’
‘Honestly, Ebony, what chance do you think I have of that? I wouldn’t have even considered dealing with him except he had this breed Jerry liked the look of, and they’re not so easy to find. So I can go after Martin, for all the good it’ll do, but meanwhile, this poor little thing is suffering.’ The puppy was huddled, shaking, his gaze turned up at Grahame, who sighed and shook his head sadly. ‘You’ve got all the evidence you need if it comes to that. Just put him out of his misery. This whole situation is wrong. It’s just wrong.’ With that he pushed past Ebony and strode out the door.
The pup attempted to stand and whimpered when he put weight on his broken leg. She picked him up, hugged him to her, and his warm little tongue licked at her neck. She smiled sadly down at the puppy’s patched face and into his adoring blue eyes.
‘Sorry, little man. Sometimes I hate my job.’
* * *
Ebony pressed the button on the remote to turn off How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. Cam could hassle her about her romance movies all he liked, there was nothing better than a big happily ever after at the end of a difficult day, and she’d needed a break from reality after the dramas of the afternoon. She rolled her shoulders – stiff from surgery – and snuggled further under the blankets. Her current book fell from the bedside table as the blankets hit it. Had it not been so late she’d have read a couple of chapters. It was getting exciting.
She picked the book up and stared at the cover: a cowboy astride his horse, swooping down to kiss the heroine. She sighed. What would her own hero look like, if he ever came along? She had no problem putting Lee’s face on the cowboy. Of course, that was also true of the pirates, the doctors and the adventurers of other romances she’d read.
She tossed the book back on the table in frustration. It was unlikely anything would ever go anywhere in that department. Lee seemed content to jump from one relationship to the next, never seeing Ebony as anything more than Cam’s little sister. And for some old-fashioned reason she couldn’t completely comprehend, Cam’s little sister was off-limits, so even if she did manage to somehow attract his attention, it wasn’t going to get her anywhere. Deciding she needed a glass of water, she crawled out of bed and went to the kitchen.
She looked out over the town as she sipped her water. On the street, a few buildings along, a lone figure stood on the path under the streetlight. His arm moved and she caught the warm glow of a cigarette. What was he doing there at midnight?
Not every stranger was a threat, she reminded herself when a prickle of apprehension worried its way through her system. There were plenty of houses around here; it was just someone out for a walk and a smoke. But the way he was facing the surgery, facing her, was eerie enough that she stepped quickly back from the window, drew the curtains.
‘There’s nothing to worry about,’ she told herself. If anyone did try to break in, the alarm system would start blaring, the security company would be in immediate contact with her and, if necessary, the police would be on her doorstep. She was perfectly safe. There was absolutely no need to let a random stranger spook her. But when a quick peek showed her he was still out there, still staring, she checked the lock on her door again before going back to bed.
CHAPTER
4
The dead rat came out with the accumulated debris in the gutter downpipe, its tail perforating as it pulled free. The stink wasn’t any more pleasant than the sight of it. Lee really hadn’t known what he was getting into, agreeing to the odd casual date with Fiona. He liked her, he did, but more and more he was beginning to feel like her personal handyman.
‘It really is very nice of you, Lee,’ Fiona’s friend was saying.
‘No trouble. Sorry about not coming yesterday. I just got swamped.’
‘Lee’s just so good at all this stuff. He enjoys it.’ Fiona gave a little laugh. ‘Don’t you, Lee?’
Enjoy pulling rat carcasses out of drainpipes? Absolutely. Biting back his slight annoyance, he washed his hands and collected his things.
Fiona appeared at the ute and tossed her purse in the front seat. ‘Got any more work on this arvo?’
‘Not today.’ He thought about what Cam said and thought, why not? ‘Dad caught a good-sized fish when we went out. I thought you might like to share it?’
She screwed her nose up. ‘I would but Rowena and John are driving out tonight for a visit with her brother Mike. Remember Mike from the footy club? Mike’s at a bit
of a loose end and asked me if I’d have dinner with him.’
‘Oh, right.’
‘You don’t mind do you?’ she asked with just a hint of a smile in her tone. ‘We’re only casual so we can still … see other people?’
He wasn’t sure if she was trying to make him jealous. He wondered if he was, decided it didn’t bother him as much as it probably should have. ‘Of course. Have a good time.’
She shrugged and flicked her hair from her shoulders. ‘They’re only up until Saturday. We can do something Sunday, if you like?’
‘We’ll see. You ready to go?’
He dropped her off, made his way home. It was too early to think about dinner but he didn’t feel like doing any more work or turning on the television, so he took himself outside. The sun was just starting to set – his favourite time of day. He ripped a few weeds from the garden as he walked, found himself at the back fence to the paddock behind his house. It stretched for almost a kilometre to the mountain behind it. Gentle hills, tall gums, a good-sized dam and plenty of native grass. He should improve it. He had an idea of buying in some steers, growing and fattening them up. It would be nice to have some cattle on the place.
So much space out here, and quiet. He enjoyed both. Not a bad place to end up – right back where he started.
He turned and studied the house he’d grown up in. His father had handed it over when Lee had returned from the city, happy to move into something smaller in town. More convenient, Clint had said. But Lee knew his father had never felt at home here since his wife had died. Clint said Lee had inherited his drive and creativity from her. Lee still expected to see his mother bent over a crop of daisies, or cooking at the stove.
He’d altered the house over the past few years, had it pretty much exactly how he wanted it now. It sat proudly surrounded by landscaped gardens he’d put a lot of happy hours into getting right. It was big, and though not as elaborate as Cam’s place, it was a family home. Beautiful. But extravagant for a single man.
He had plans to improve the driveway and extend the gardens right down to the road. Add a better entrance. Extravagant, he thought again, just for him. Perhaps one day he’d have a family here.
Perhaps.
There were more joggers on the path this morning; a reminder, she supposed, that spring was around the corner and summer was already in the forefront of people’s minds. She smiled at a few regulars, noticed a couple of new faces. After five years in town she liked to think she knew the face of every local. Must be some of the newer residents, working for the mine as Lee had suggested.
One new face in particular caught her eye. Early thirties perhaps, strong, wiry build, neatly cut blond hair. As they approached each other he smiled, a polite acknowledgement from an attractive face. She caught the full effect of deep blue eyes, and felt a nice little buzz before his concentration moved back to the path.
She finished her lap, returning to the surgery to put Joxer in a clean pen. As she tidied up the evidence of his breakfast, desperate whining came from the other side of the room. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. ‘I’ve fed you, baby.’
The puppy struggled to pull itself up on three legs, stumbling with the cast as its little body wiggled from side to side excitedly.
She washed her hands and opened the pen. ‘You just want cuddles, don’t you? And you’ve made a big mess. That water’s for drinking, not playing in. Let’s get you in a dry bed.’
She lifted him as gently as she could and held him close, then jumped when she spotted a figure leaning against the doorframe from the corner of her eye.
‘Damn it, Lee, don’t sneak.’
‘I wasn’t. This is … unusual.’ Lee came in and stroked the pup’s head. It licked his hand excitedly. ‘Funny colour.’
‘He’s a Catahoula cross. A red merle.’
‘He’s supposed to look like that? Wow. Never heard of them.’
‘They’re not all that common. They’re supposed to be really good hunting dogs. Not that this guy will ever be one of those after the way Martin has treated him.’
‘Martin?’
‘He’s breeding hunting dogs. This poor little thing came home to its new owners undernourished and with a nasty fracture.’
Anger flashed across his chiselled features. ‘Bastard.’
‘Yep. You in the market for a dog yet?’
Lee smiled sympathetically at the pup before turning amused eyes on her. ‘Let me guess. The owner didn’t want you to do expensive surgery and told you to put him down, so you did the surgery anyway and now you have a pup?’
‘How did you figure that out?’
‘It’s you all over, Ebs.’
She ducked her head to avoid his warm look and cuddled the puppy close. ‘I understand Grahame’s point of view. He doesn’t have a lot of money and he’d already paid so much. He couldn’t afford to invest in an animal that wasn’t going to do the job he’d bought it for. I get that – kind of. But there was no need to put him down. He’ll make a great pet.’
‘Uh huh. Besides, those cute blue eyes in that weird little face just looked up at you and said, Please don’t kill me, Dr Ebony, I love you.’
She grinned. ‘Something like that,’ she said, and yawned. ‘So Carla and I were down here until nearly ten o’clock last night fixing him up.’
‘You’re a softie, Ebs. Why don’t you keep him?’ Lee reached out and touched her cheek.
‘I …’ For a moment she lost the ability to speak. Then he dropped his hand and turned his attention back to the pup. ‘… told you before, I have nowhere to keep a dog. My little flat wouldn’t be much fun for him. It’s not fair. One day, when I have some land, I’ll have loads of dogs. I always wanted a Samoyed.’
Lee chuckled. ‘I thought you were joking the first time you told me that.’
‘And I still don’t get why you think it’s funny.’
‘Big white fluffy dog. You’re living in the bush. Let’s see … heat, ticks, mud, dams. It would be white and fluffy for one day, then spend the rest of its life filthy and shorn like a sheep.’
‘Why do you have to make so much sense?’ She gave the pup one last cuddle and put him in a dry pen. ‘If you’re here to make coffee, can you get me one? I haven’t had a chance yet.’
‘Be right back.’
As she cleaned up the mess the pup had made of his water, there were the sounds of exchanged greetings in reception – Carla had arrived. A moment later she appeared.
‘Nothing like having a good-looking guy around every morning to kick-start the day.’ Her face lit up even more when she saw the puppy. ‘How is he this morning? He looks bright, doesn’t he?’
‘Yes, he does. Carla, I didn’t thank you properly for staying back last night to help with the surgery – and for all that other stuff with Louise.’
‘Yes, you did – at least twice. That’s enough.’
‘Was everything okay with Rebecca?’
‘Sure it was. She went out to Ally’s as usual. With that fancy arena with the lights on it, lots of people are hanging round till late. Then she went home with her friend Marley, ended up staying the night. And as it turns out, after Bec helped her with all the feeds, Ally offered her a job after school – doing bits and pieces, so that’s good. Bec’s really excited about it.’
‘Oh, that’s great news.’
‘I’ll take care of this now, you go do whatever it is you’re doing.’
‘Thanks.’
Louise stepped past Carla and into the room, her face creased into a thoughtful frown. ‘What’s the puppy doing here?’
‘Recovering,’ Ebony said, even as she thought, Here we go.
‘You’ve done the surgery? Grahame changed his mind?’
‘Grahame rushed out, upset, without signing the euthanasia consent form. I gave him some time to calm down, spoke to him about it and offered to do the surgery for free and place the puppy in a pet home. He was not only agreeable but grateful. Very grateful,’ sh
e emphasised. ‘So yes, I did the surgery last night.’
‘Well, did it occur to you that I might have liked to help with it? He was my patient.’
Carla’s eyes widened and, with a telling look at Ebony, she turned on her heel and walked out.
Ebony concentrated on remaining calm. ‘Who you dumped on me with, as I recall, a “You’ll have to deal with it.”’
‘I meant the client – not the pup! That was my consult, Ebony.’
‘You can’t separate the two. You walked out, didn’t follow up. Honestly, if you had, I think Grahame would have told you to go to hell.’ Ebony paused, took a breath. ‘I know why you were upset, but you were blaming the wrong person. Grahame’s not cruel. He doesn’t neglect or abuse animals. The pup was a result of cruelty from Martin’s end.’
Louise’s expression hardened. ‘Well, I dobbed them both in, so the RSPCA can sort it.’
‘You what?’
‘We have a responsibility, Ebony.’
Ebony only just resisted the urge to wrap her fingers around the opinionated young vet’s neck. ‘He brought the puppy in here, didn’t he? Because he knew it needed to see a vet. He was doing the right thing. We don’t persecute people for bringing their pets in for treatment, and we certainly don’t report them for abuse unless we’re sure it’s warranted.’
‘The right thing would have been to pay for the surgery himself. No excuses! When you commit to an animal, you’ve got it for life.’
‘So that’s what this is really about? You’re paying him back because you don’t agree with his decision? Grow up, Louise, not every animal in the country is destined to be a pet. Some are bred or purchased specifically for a purpose. When the diagnosis was presented to Grahame, he was very upset. He had to make a difficult decision and he had the long-term welfare of the pup in mind.’
‘Killing it is for the good of its long-term welfare? He was only worried about how much money he’d lost.’
Ebony put her hands on her head and stared at the roof. ‘There were other considerations. It’s part of our job to discuss options with owners, to help, and when you do that, like in this case, there are often alternative solutions. But this job isn’t all flowers and rainbows, no matter how many puppies you save. If you can’t deal with that, you’re in the wrong job.’