Healing the Vet's Heart

by Annie Claydon

  Warmth flowed through Drew’s veins. Not just because Lucas had said it but because Caro had heard it. ‘I’m the best when he’s not around.’

  ‘He said the same about you.’ Caro smiled suddenly. ‘What about Ellie?’

  Drew chuckled. ‘Ellie’s in a league all of her own. Neither Lucas nor I presume to compete with that.’

  She nodded. ‘Wise move. So what did you see, Drew? Something to do with Rolf’s gait?’

  She was perceptive, noticing everything. That was probably one of the things that made Caro so good at what she did. Along with a liberal helping of hard work, which Drew preferred not to think about at the moment, because it always prompted a flutter of concern for her in his heart.

  ‘Yes, I noticed that he’s got a slightly swaying gait, which is one of the signs of canine hip dysplasia.’

  Caro’s eyes widened in alarm. ‘I don’t know what that is...’

  Drew sat down opposite her. ‘It’s quite a common genetic condition, where the hip develops laxity early in a puppy’s development. If left unchecked, it can cause a great deal of pain and stiffness, but we’ve caught it early so there’s lots we can do to prevent it from developing. I think that Rolf will be able to live a perfectly happy and pain-free life.’

  She nodded, clasping her hands together. ‘That’s...good. What are you going to do?’

  Caro needed all the information she could get so that she could fit all the pieces of the puzzle together. Drew smiled. He was beginning to like the way that her mind worked.

  He got to his feet, fetching the model of a canine hip from the glass-doored cabinet, and when he turned he found her standing at his elbow. ‘Okay, here’s how it works. In the first few weeks of a puppy’s life the ligaments that stabilise the joint can become loose, eroding the cartilage so that the bone doesn’t develop properly. When the puppy moves, the joint is displaced, like this...’

  Caro winced as he demonstrated. ‘That looks...horrible.’

  ‘If it’s allowed to develop it can be. But I’ve given Laura an exercise and feeding programme for Rolf that will help stabilise these joints, and I’ll be checking on him regularly. That’ll mean he doesn’t develop all of the secondary wear and tear that will start to cause him pain.’

  ‘He’s not in pain now?’

  ‘No, he isn’t.’

  A tear suddenly rolled down Caro’s cheek. For all her insistence on the science, she had a soft heart that was just as beautiful as her mind. Drew wanted to hug her but didn’t dare, telling himself that this wasn’t the right place. In truth, nowhere was ever going to be the right place, because he knew that hugging Caro would reach parts of his own heart that were forbidden.

  Instead, he handed her the model of the joint. She nodded, trying the movements for herself, and then seemed to notice the tear, which was now travelling across her chin, and brushed it away impatiently. If hugging her was a step too far, then Drew supposed that kissing the tear away was a giant leap across the boundaries that he’d imposed on himself.

  ‘Thank you for looking after Peter. It was a great help, and he didn’t need to know that I was concerned. Laura will explain everything to him when they get home, and she’ll be able to tell him the same as I’ve told you, that Rolf will be all right.’

  ‘It was...nothing.’ Caro shrugged. ‘I couldn’t bear to think that he might be worried about his puppy.’

  ‘It was everything...’ A lump blocked Drew’s throat. He took the model from Caro’s hands, putting it back into the cabinet, and turned away. Whatever he did next, he had to keep his distance to avoid anything that had even the slightest chance of turning physical.

  ‘Would a wire-frame model help to isolate the differences in movement?’ Her mind was obviously starting to work, embracing all the possibilities. ‘I expect that’s already been done...’

  ‘There are a lot of studies on canine hip dysplasia, and since early diagnosis is so important many of them concentrate on how to diagnose accurately. I can get some of the literature for you if you’re interested.’ He lowered himself into a chair.

  ‘Yes, I’m interested. I probably wouldn’t be able to contribute anything, but you never know...’

  Drew knew. Caro had a way of stripping a problem down and seeing it in many different ways, and if she set her mind to it he’d be surprised if she couldn’t add a little something to the sum total of knowledge on any subject.

  ‘You’re not going to get diverted from the prosthetics project, are you?’

  She grinned suddenly, rubbing one hand in a circle over her stomach and using the other to tap her head in an impressive show of co-ordination. ‘I can do more than one thing at a time.’

  ‘Right, then.’ Drew ignored the hard spike of desire that shot through him. Finding out how many things Caro could do at one time, and then concentrating her mind on just one, over-arching sensation was an entirely inappropriate thought, and there wasn’t a situation that was going to change that. He seriously needed to get a grip.

  ‘So... Are you ready for our next visitor?’

  * * *

  ‘I need to take a break.’

  The words were surprisingly easy to say, even if they did prompt a grimace of disappointment from Caro. In the three hours since they’d started work, her manner had changed a little, her quiet wariness of their canine test subjects beginning to dissolve. She’d even stroked a particularly docile spaniel without glancing at Drew first for reassurance, and Drew had fought to hide a smile.

  But now he was tired. His leg was beginning to ache, and he knew that he’d reach a point soon where he would have to sit down.

  ‘Lucas is still doing his morning surgery, and if you wanted to join him, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. Perhaps he could send some of his patients your way for the study.’

  She raised her eyebrows, as if he’d suggested something that was beyond outrageous. A little stir of gratification nudged at Drew’s heart.

  ‘No, that’s okay. I think I have what I need for this morning. Anyway, I’ve trained you up now.’

  Drew chuckled. He was finding it more and more difficult to resist Caro’s forthright manner and the way that she reddened slightly when she realised that she’d said what was on her mind without applying the usual filters.

  ‘Glad to hear it. I’ll try and remember the drill for the next time.’

  ‘Good. Shall I go and get us some lunch from the cafeteria?’

  He’d really like to stroll over there with her and get his own lunch. But something about Caro always made him feel stronger and more useful than he usually did these days, and it didn’t seem quite so galling to let go of the reins from time to time.

  ‘A ham and cheese toastie, if they have one, and some coffee. Put it all on my account.’

  ‘Okay. Lunch is on you, then, thank you.’ Caro made it sound as if he’d just asked her to dine at an exclusive restaurant. But in truth nothing was more luxurious than the chance to just watch her as she crossed the room, the overhead lights teasing the shine from her hair.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CARO COULD GET used to ham and cheese toasties. These weren’t as tasty as the ones that Drew had made, but she was a great deal more awake to appreciate them. They’d gone to his office to eat, and the ashen tiredness in his face had begun to lift a little. He’d stayed put while she’d taken her laptop from her bag, opening it on his desk and scanning through the data from the force plates.

  ‘You have what you need? Or are you still at the stage where vets shouldn’t interfere with your process?’ There was a sudden tension in his voice that told Caro he was expecting an answer that he didn’t want to hear. A week ago, he probably would have got it, but now... She’d seen Drew work, and he was truly dedicated to the welfare of the animals under his care. Caro didn’t feel the same need to keep him at arm’s length.

  ‘No. Ve
ts are very welcome to interfere with my process at the moment.’ One vet. Carol liked Lucas and Ellie, and she was sure that they were both completely trustworthy. But Drew was the vet she was beginning to actually trust.

  ‘That’s reassuring. I wouldn’t want to meddle.’

  She supposed she’d asked for that one, making him sign the non-disclosure agreement. But since she had, perhaps it was okay to share a little. However risky her heart told her it was.

  ‘I don’t suppose you’d mind taking a look through these results, would you? I can analyse the data from a mechanics point of view, but it would be good to get another perspective.’

  He looked pleased. A little surprised as well. ‘Yeah, sure, I’d be happy to. I’ll come to you and we can review them together?’

  ‘Yes. Thanks.’

  Nice. It felt nice to have someone to share her ideas with. The taste of danger in the thought only seemed to add a bit of extra spice. Maybe that was what had been missing from her work in the last few months. The sense of reaching out into the unknown that drove her forward.

  ‘I know that the people who came today did so because you asked them. I really appreciate that. They’re all very kind...’

  Perhaps too kind. Everyone seemed to be so careful around him, and it clearly made Drew uneasy. But Caro shouldn’t say it, Blake had told her more than once that voicing whatever was on her mind wasn’t her most attractive trait.

  He was looking at her questioningly. ‘Don’t let me down now, Caro. I was starting to appreciate your habit of saying exactly what you mean.’

  ‘I just... I was wondering if this “poor Drew” thing that everyone seems to have is helping. It’s not my business...’

  He let out a short, barking laugh. ‘One of the things about living in a village is that everyone knows your business. I don’t see why you should be any different.’

  Caro took a deep breath. ‘Is it helping, then?’

  ‘Everyone’s been really supportive, and I appreciate it more than I can say. And, no, it’s not helping. I feel as if no one has any expectations of me any more.’ He smiled suddenly. ‘Apart from you, of course.’

  ‘Is there anything else I should know? That might make me rethink my expectations?’ If he wanted honesty then Caro was up for that. It saved a lot of time and beating around the bush.

  ‘You don’t need to rethink anything.’ He narrowed his eyes, searching her face, and it occurred to Caro that she wasn’t the only one who had reason to be cautious. ‘Two years ago I lost my fiancée in a diving accident.’

  ‘I’m sorry. You’ve had a lot of hurt to bear in a very short time.’ Caro’s own troubles seemed insignificant in the face of this.

  ‘It doesn’t define me.’ There was a trace of defiance in his tone.

  She didn’t know what to say to him. And then it occurred to Caro that this was Drew’s problem. Everyone knew what had happened and no one talked about it.

  ‘Were you there? When your fiancée died?’

  Something ignited in his eyes. An understanding between them that it was okay to ask, because Drew wanted to answer.

  ‘No. Luna and I had a shared interest in marine conservation, that’s how we met. She was a member of a team that travelled a lot and I was busy here, building up the practice with Ellie.’

  ‘So you didn’t get to see her as much as you wanted?’

  Drew puffed out a sigh. ‘Luna was very determined, and I always knew she’d stop at nothing for the things she believed in. It was one of the things I loved about her. She’d driven for two days to get to the team’s encampment, and she was exhausted, but she went diving anyway.’

  A prickle of embarrassment travelled down Caro’s spine. She was no stranger to working for two days straight and fighting exhaustion to do just that bit more. Drew’s insistence on food and afternoon TV the other day hadn’t been a whim.

  ‘And you think that if you’d been there, you might have stopped her?’ Caro shook her head. It was a natural enough reaction, but it could only lead to more grief.

  He shrugged. ‘I can’t say that the thought didn’t occur to me. But I couldn’t have stopped her from taking risks. That was in her nature and you can’t change the people you love.’

  ‘You reckon not?’ Blake should have taken note of that. He’d spent an appreciable amount of time suggesting clothes that would suit her and pointing out what she shouldn’t say or do. It had all been a terrible waste, though, because he hadn’t really wanted her because she was beautiful or charming. She had just been someone who had ideas that could be turned into hard cash.

  ‘I’m not sure I could ever change who I am. Could you?’

  Caro swallowed hard. ‘No. I don’t think so.’ It seemed like an admission of failure. Drew made her wish that she was beautiful and charming.

  ‘I guess we’ll just have to be what we are...’ He quirked his lips downwards as if he didn’t really want to think about that. ‘Would you like to come for a walk? We have a beach, and some woodlands...’

  Suddenly she didn’t want to be near Drew any more. He’d never once criticised her, but she couldn’t stop the things that Blake had said from echoing in her mind.

  ‘No, thanks, but... I should be getting back. The tide...’

  ‘Yes, of course. I’m running late too, I’ll have to hurry home if I’m going to catch the last of this afternoon’s TV.’

  Caro breathed a sigh of relief. She’d be home soon, in her workshop, where she didn’t have to think about any of this. ‘I’m told it does you a lot of good.’

  ‘Whoever told you that?’ Drew smirked at her, getting to his feet.

  * * *

  What? What had that all been about? Drew let himself into his cottage on the outskirts of the tiny village of Dolphin Cove, scarcely having time for the thought before Phoenix came hurtling towards him.

  ‘Hey, there, girl.’ He bent down to stroke the puppy, lifting her up into his arms. ‘You missed me, then?’

  The answer was unequivocal. Phoenix started to lick his neck, and Drew couldn’t help smiling. She was the most uncomplicated part of his life at the moment.

  Caro, on the other hand...

  He’d known her for two days. And found himself spilling things he’d kept from people he’d known his whole life. It was puzzling, and a little outrageous, and maybe just the result of her blunt honesty. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that Caro somehow got him in a way that most other people didn’t.

  It was almost as if she knew him, right down to his bones, the way that Ellie did. But Ellie’s knowing was the result of them having grown up with each other. Brother and sister. Caro’s knowing was warm and wild and confronting, and he couldn’t seem to get enough of it. It had followed him home, digging into his heart, like a sharp longing for what he couldn’t have.

  And he couldn’t have it. He couldn’t change Caro, any more than he could have changed Luna. His parents had argued their way through his teens, both trying to change each other. The divorce had been a long time coming, postponed until he and his brothers had all left home, and it had probably been the best thing that had ever happened to his parents. Finally, they’d learned how to be friends, and they got on together much better than when they’d been married.

  Man’s best friend was still making an excited fuss of him. He scratched behind Phoenix’s ears, and the puppy wriggled with pleasure.

  ‘Sorry to leave you for so long. When you’ve had your final round of shots, you can come to the clinic while I’m working.’

  Phoenix didn’t seem to care about anything other than this moment, she was just happy that he was home now. And maybe looking just a few moments ahead, in anticipation of some dog treats. He set her down, and she trotted ahead of him as he made his way into the kitchen.

  * * *

  Caro had been staring at her computer screen for tw
o hours, ever since Drew had replied to her text, confirming that he’d be coming to see her later on today. He’d clearly forgotten all about the tide, because he’d said he’d be there at noon, and he’d replied to Caro’s reminder with a thumbs-up emoji. Whatever that meant. Thumbs up for the tide? Or for not arriving until later in the afternoon?

  In the meantime, though, she was safe from visitors. That was the whole point of living up here, but at the moment it seemed an annoyance. She stared out of the window of her workshop at the sea, following the movement of a small rowing boat that was making its way around the peninsula.

  Whoever that was must be mad. Wherever they needed to get to it couldn’t be more than five minutes’ drive, and pitching yourself out into the water just for the sake of it seemed perverse. Maybe she should go outside, just to make sure that the small craft didn’t capsize while it was traversing her small slice of the horizon.

  She may as well. She wasn’t getting anything done here, and perhaps the breeze that continually danced across her small island would clear her head a little. Caro pulled on the sweater that was draped over the back of her chair and squeezed past the printer, unlocking the door.

  Whoever it was was pulling strongly on the oars. Caro narrowed her eyes at the splash of red at the prow of the boat. Was it two people...?

  She let out a little yelp of surprise. It was a small dog, wearing a bright red lifejacket. And the man pulling at the oars was Drew.

  That put a different complexion on the whole thing. Now the raw power in his shoulders made her heart beat a little faster. And the desperate foolhardiness of the venture became a little more personal. Caro ran to the edge of the cliff that dropped down towards the sea and shouted.

  ‘Drew... Drew!’

  He didn’t hear her the first time, but when she screamed at the top of her voice, he stopped rowing, grinning up at her. That wasn’t what she’d meant him to do. He should be heading for the beach, where he’d be safe.