Summer at Hope Meadows: the perfect feel-good summer read (Animal Ark Revisited Book 1)

by Lucy Daniels

  ‘Mandy.’ She looked round at Paul, who had spoken. ‘This is my consultant, Mrs Puranam.’ He too seemed close to laughing. ‘Mrs Puranam, this is my friend Mandy.’ Despite her diminutive stature, Mrs Puranam seemed determined to make her presence felt.

  ‘Was it you who brought in these …’ She paused a moment, and Mandy wondered what hyperbolic word would come forth, ‘… dogs … onto my ward?’ The consultant spat the word dog as if it was an insult. ‘Do you not understand the importance of hygiene?’

  For a second, Mandy toyed with the idea of setting out her credentials, but with a glance at Paul, decided against it.

  ‘I’m very sorry,’ she said, trying to sound contrite. ‘I’ll take them out immediately. Lily, Seamus!’ she called, and the two dogs bounded down from the bed. The memory of Blackie, James’s badly behaved childhood Labrador, sprang into Mandy’s head. Thank goodness James and Paul had trained these two so well.

  Walking back down the stairs with the dogs at her heels, Mandy decided this had been thoroughly worth Mrs Puranam’s wrath. She hadn’t seen Paul look so … joyous … for weeks.

  She took the dogs for a walk before taking them back to the flat. The way they trotted at her heels, looking up at her, tugged at Mandy’s heart. How lovely it would be to have a pet of her own. She had never been allowed to adopt any of her rescues when she was younger, and since going to university, she had moved around so often that it hadn’t been possible.

  Back in the flat, she wondered what else she could do to help. Everything was neat and tidy, and anyway, housework had never been her forte. Settling the dogs down, she made her way back outside and walked the few doors along to James’s café. She had been there often enough to know that James’s staff would welcome her help.

  It was a charmingly bohemian place, filled with shelves of books for sale, tables set into little booths and original artwork on the walls, supplied by friends of James and Paul.

  Sherrie, James’s assistant manager, greeted her. ‘Hi, Mandy,’ she said. ‘It’s good to see you. Have you been to the hospital? Is there any news?’

  ‘No change since last night,’ Mandy reported. James had texted her after she’d left with the dogs. ‘They’re doing more blood tests later today,’ she added. She went behind the counter, and was soon embroiled in making tea and serving brunch toasties to the eclectic clientele.

  When the door swung open, she was quite unprepared to see Jimmy Marsh crossing the room. Lifting her chin from the floor, she managed a smile. He looked equally astonished to see her.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ she asked.

  ‘I’m in York to collect some climbing equipment,’ he said. ‘This place serves the best Yorkshire tea. What about you? Have you suddenly given up being a vet?’ His eyes were laughing, but when she explained about Paul, his expression sobered. He pressed his lips together, his green eyes serious.

  ‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ he said. He thought for a minute. ‘I know there’s not much I can do, but if you like, I can look after the animals at Mr Grimshaw’s until you get back. Let me know, and I’ll take care of them for as long as you need.’ His mouth lifted at one side and his head tilted as he studied Mandy’s face.

  She had the sudden urge to cling to him. Instead she shook her head. ‘Thanks, but I’m pretty sure I’ll come back to Welford today,’ she said. ‘The clinic is always hectic on a Monday.’

  ‘No problem,’ said Jimmy. ‘But the offer stands. Call me if you need me.’ He gave her his mobile number and she sent him hers. She watched as he took his tea and sat down at a table with the York Minster magazine. For a moment Mandy was tempted to join him with a mug of coffee but then a family came in, the children clearly giddy to be on holiday from school, and Mandy was distracted by their order for milkshakes, brownies and freshly made flapjack.

  Twenty minutes later, as Jimmy waved his goodbye and left, Mandy felt empty. She checked her phone, but there were no messages. She should probably contact Simon. Not that he had called her, she thought. Could he still be annoyed about the other night? She was surprised how untroubled she felt. Their row seemed insignificant in light of Paul’s illness. She texted him anyway to say that Paul was ill, hoping he would phone, but there was only a text in return, saying he was at a course all day. Letting out a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding, Mandy turned to Sherrie.

  ‘I think I’ll go back to the flat,’ she said. She would try to give James another call. Not that he would probably be able to answer, but he would call her back as soon as he got the chance. As she donned her jacket, she heard the door opening again and, to her surprise, James walked in. His face lit up when he saw her.

  ‘I thought I might find you here when you weren’t in the flat,’ he said.

  ‘I was just going to head up there and give you a call. Is there any news?’ By the expression on James’s face, things must be looking up, she thought.

  Her friend smiled. ‘The blood infusion made a huge difference,’ he said, ‘and they’ve started him on some new injections. They’re going to continue monitoring him closely today, but he’s not in immediate danger.’ He held out his arms and hugged Mandy close. ‘I’m so grateful for your help,’ he said.

  Mandy shook her head. ‘I didn’t do anything,’ she insisted. ‘Nothing you wouldn’t do for me in a heartbeat.’ She paused. ‘I’m so glad about Paul,’ she said. ‘He never gives up fighting, does he?’

  James shook his head. ‘He doesn’t.’ He smiled again, searching Mandy’s face. ‘Do you need to go? I could tell last night that you were worried about being away from Animal Ark.’

  Mandy grinned. James could read her so well. ‘As long as Paul is okay, I should probably go back,’ she admitted. ‘I don’t think Dad wants to run Hope Meadows without me. Robbie Grimshaw’s animals have started everything a bit faster than we planned!’

  They shared one last hug and she said goodbye to Sherrie before walking outside.

  James saw her into the car. ‘Drive safely,’ he said.

  Mandy arrived back at Animal Ark to find the list full and Rachel looking frazzled behind the desk. Both Emily and Adam had been called out to emergencies. The waiting-room was heaving. Rachel greeted her with open arms.

  ‘Thank goodness you’re here!’ she gasped. ‘I’ve told everyone your mum is expected shortly, but they’ll be relieved to see you.’

  Even though Emily returned half an hour later to help with the surgery, it was nine o’clock before Mandy ushered the last patient out. She was standing in the kitchen making tea for her mum, who looked as drained as Mandy felt, when she remembered she was still supposed to check on the livestock at Lamb’s Wood. She closed her eyes for a moment. She was so tired. There was nothing she wanted more than to curl up in an armchair and chat to her mum for half an hour before falling into bed.

  Jimmy’s words from earlier swam in Mandy’s head. She had been telling herself she wouldn’t trouble him; it was too much to ask. But when she looked at her mother’s exhausted face, she couldn’t face going back out. Feeling slightly nervous, she pulled out her phone.

  ‘I’m just going to make a call,’ she told her mum. Walking outside, hands shaking – she hated asking people for favours – she pushed the buttons on the screen and held the mobile to her ear. The phone rang a long time and the temptation to call it off was strong. But it wasn’t like her childhood, when you could call people untraceably. If she put the phone down, Jimmy would know she had tried to call. Her face felt hot when the ringing stopped on the other end and his calm voice came down the phone.

  ‘Mandy,’ he said. ‘What can I do for you?’

  She took a deep breath. ‘I know it’s late,’ she said in a rush, ‘but would you be able to check the livestock at Lamb’s Wood? We’ve been snowed under this evening and …’

  ‘Of course I can.’ It was there again. That feeling of being anchored to something solid. ‘I’ll head up right now. I need to take the dogs out anyway.’

&n
bsp; Mandy closed her eyes and let her head tip backwards against the wall. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I’m truly grateful.’

  ‘You sound tired,’ he said. ‘Will you be able to get some rest now?’

  Normally, like Emily, Mandy disliked it when anyone drew attention to anything that could be regarded as weakness, but Jimmy sounded so sympathetic it was hard to feel anything but grateful.

  ‘I’ll try,’ she said.

  ‘That’s good. And don’t worry about the animals. I’ll make sure they’re okay,’ he promised.

  Mandy stood for a moment, breathing in the sweet night air, before walking back inside.

  Chapter Twenty

  Mandy stared helplessly at the computer screen. Helen had shown her how to update the Animal Ark website, but this was the first time she had set up a new page. She needed to concentrate but her mind had never felt less able to focus.

  Mandy had called James a few minutes ago. Paul had continued to stabilise, but despite the better news, it was impossible to put him out of her mind.

  Hope Meadows. Even typing the name at the top of the page felt like a big step. What else did she need? What was most important? Details of the animals available for rehoming? That was obvious. But there had to be something more. Information about what they did. What they were aiming to do.

  She could write about the rescue operation at Lamb’s Wood, she thought. If she could list those who had given assistance, perhaps it would encourage others to do the same. Hastily she typed a brief report, leaving out names for now. She ought to check whether the people involved wanted to be identified. At the last minute, she deleted all references to Lamb’s Wood. There was no way she wanted people hunting down Robbie Grimshaw. Her mother had spoken to one of the police officers yesterday and learned that Robbie was being treated in hospital for malnutrition and dementia. There was no way he would be returning to his beloved smallholding, sadly.

  Finally, Mandy listed the animals that were available for rehoming. There seemed to be a lot of cats and kittens. She looked at the page she had created. Although all the data was there, it seemed too impersonal. Photographs, she thought. They would bring the whole thing to life. When she went back to the farm later, she would take some pictures. It was important people knew it was not only small animal work they would undertake. For now, she took her phone through to the kennels.

  Despite their blatant cuteness, it took about fifteen attempts to take a decent picture of the kittens. Most of the time, they looked like an amorphous lump of fluff, when Mandy needed to show each individual. She didn’t think people would want to rehome kittens by the kilo.

  When she added the images to the page, she knew it had been worth the effort to separate the protesting kits. Who wouldn’t want to look at something so adorable every day? She should link it through Facebook, she thought. Twitter too.

  Momal had been responsible for the page at Thurston’s. What was it she had said? Something about Facebook trying to increase the number of videos posted. Videos were better for promotion than still photos. Walking back through to the wildlife unit, Mandy looked at the kittens. Those belonging to the black cat were too young. Their eyes and ears were not yet open, and they didn’t move around much. The others were a few weeks older, ready to start being handled. Mandy scooped up the two little cats and carried them through to the cottage. Later, she could video them in different situations as she worked with them, but for now she settled on filming them investigating the kitchen.

  Once the kittens had been returned to their mum and the videos uploaded, Mandy gave the page one last check. She and James had rehomed so many animals over the years but this seemed far more serious. Would it be possible to find places for so many kittens? People’s lives were different now: busier, tighter for spare cash, more frantic. Mandy told herself that she had to believe it was possible. With a decisive sweep of the mouse, she moved the arrow on the screen to publish the page, then attached it to the Animal Ark Facebook page.

  What next, she wondered. Emily had given her the details of the company who had produced the Animal Ark website. Hope Meadows would need an official site of its own, not just a page on the original site. Mandy drafted an e-mail to the web designer. She would need to discuss the layout and content with them. That reminded her about the building plans. Paul’s architect was coming back next week to draw up an official proposal. She shot off another e-mail to him regarding the timing of his visit. Until now, her plans had seemed like castles in the air. Now they were taking shape so fast, it was almost too much, and Mandy’s head was starting to spin.

  Standing up, she stretched. The clock on the mantelpiece told her it was four thirty. Walking through, she found Emily in the kitchen.

  ‘Would it be okay for me to go out to Lamb’s Wood Cottage?’ she asked. If she went now, she thought, she might get some good shots of the animals while the sun was still high in the sky. She could check on them and give them their evening rations.

  ‘Of course. Dad and I will cover evening surgery. It’s your night for an early finish. Yesterday evening was so busy.’ Emily regarded her fondly. ‘You should have something to eat before you go. Your dad and I were about to have a sandwich.’

  Another hour later, Mandy drew up at the farm. As she had hoped, the evening light was glossily golden, slanting in at the open-fronted shed where the cows were housed. She filled the mangers in the cow and sheep pens with hay, and stuffed a net for the Shire. His flanks were rounding out already, Mandy noticed, and his coat was looking smoother. Helen had found some old brushes in the shed where the ferrets had once been kept. Mandy knew the nurse had been coming up before work to groom the old fellow. The first day, she had told Mandy, the yard had been blowing with hair and birds kept swooping down to take it for their nests.

  Moving his hay net outside onto a hook, Mandy led the enormous horse outside. Helen had been calling him Bill. It suited him, Mandy thought. Picking up his feet, she cleaned them first. The farrier’s work seemed to be holding up well. Next, she began to groom. The huge animal seemed to enjoy the attention. He leaned into the brushes as Mandy rubbed his coat, first in circles with the rubber curry, then following the direction of the hair with a dandy brush to remove the dirt she had loosened. Mandy felt herself relaxing into the rhythm. The past few days had left tension in her shoulders and she could feel her muscles smoothing out with the gentle exercise.

  By the time she finished, Bill looked very smart. His dappled grey coat gleamed, and his mane was brushed neatly on one side of his neck. Even the feathers on each leg were looking whiter. He showed no sign of lameness as Mandy put him back in the sun-filled barn. It struck her that she should have taken before and after photographs to show how far the animals had come. Had Seb taken any, she wondered, back on that first day? She made a mental note to text him about it.

  Mandy let herself bask in a moment of pride as she took photographs of Bill, then the cows and sheep. They were all doing well, and several of them were unrecognisable from the state they’d been in on Saturday. The wound she had stitched was healing, the mastitis was gone. Tomorrow they were due to move the livestock to Upper Welford Hall. Mandy would be able to examine them more thoroughly once they were there and the crush was available again.

  Remembering Seb’s cat and chicken traps, Mandy took a wander around the overgrown property to check the cages, but they were empty. The garden was peaceful, the air only faintly stirred by buzzing bees and the trill of birdsong. When she returned to the yard, the cows were chewing their cud and the sheep were lying down. Bill stood in the evening warmth, resting a hind leg with his eyes half closed. His ear twitched forwards when he heard Mandy, but she stayed at a distance, not wanting to disturb the tranquil scene. With a bubble of happiness welling in her chest, she headed back down the track and returned to Animal Ark.

  If she had expected evening surgery to be finished, she was disappointed. Rachel’s face was flushed as she stood behind the desk fielding telephone enquiri
es and payments.

  ‘This is the second night in a row it’s been like this,’ she muttered to Mandy.

  ‘Where’s Dad?’ Mandy asked as Emily rushed into the waiting-room and called through the next client. Her voice, to Mandy’s ears, sounded weary.

  ‘He’s in theatre,’ Rachel replied. ‘That old setter of Mrs Peterson’s came in with a gastric torsion. He and Helen have been in there for hours.’

  Mandy felt a stab of guilt. She should have been here helping. Instead, she had been out with Robbie Grimshaw’s animals, ambling around in the sunshine.

  Mentally rolling up her sleeves, she checked the computer screen. There wasn’t much left to do, but she could at least take Emily’s last client. Rushing into the second consulting room, she switched on the computer and called the history up on the screen. Ear problems mostly, from what she could see. Not difficult, but time consuming if they needed cleaning out. Opening the door to the waiting-room, she leaned her head through. There was only one person waiting: a grey-haired woman in a mustard sweater and terracotta-coloured trousers. ‘Mrs Fleetwood?’ she called.

  She was met by a pair of widened eyes and a flustered smile. ‘I’m really sorry.’ Mrs Fleetwood looked down at the rough-coated terrier at her side. ‘But I’d rather wait for Mrs Hope. I hope you don’t mind. It’s just that Lucky here is used to seeing her …’ The voice trailed off. Mandy could feel her face becoming hot. How long would it take before people started to accept her? When she had been a child, there had been none of these problems. People had been ready to accept her help alongside her parents. She had gone away and come back qualified and, suddenly, only Mum or Dad would do.

  Miserably, she walked through into the wildlife unit. Even if nobody else wanted her, there were still her rescued animals to tend. For half an hour, she played with the older kittens. Before they could be rehomed, she wanted them to be fully socialised. Later, she would introduce them to different animals, people and children, but for now, she worked with them on her own, shifting them into different positions, getting them used to being handled. Substituting tuna for medicines, she practised holding their heads as if giving them tablets, until they saw having a titbit thrust into their mouth as a fun game. Finally, she had a go at getting them used to a halter and lead. It wasn’t usual to walk cats like dogs, but it could be useful if you needed to exercise a cat in difficult circumstances. Predictably, the kittens didn’t love the idea, and squatted down mutinously when Mandy put pressure on the lead. But she knew it would take time, and she had plenty of that for these precious little creatures.