Must Be Love by Cathy Woodman Read Free Book Online

for rescue, but I can’t see him anywhere.
    ‘Have a bite to eat, Maz,’ Old Fox-Gifford goads. ‘You look as if you could do with a bit more flesh on you.’ He raises his stick, calling for a waitress, who turns up with a plate of vol-au-vents garnished with parsley. Rather retro, I think, like his attitude.
    ‘Oh dear. I’d forgotten you were a veg-et-ar-ian. You’ll have to go hungry.’ He takes a vol-au-vent, bites into it and gives the other half to the drooling Lab. ‘I hear you’re still ripping off the good people of Talyton, selling them processed pet food at exorbitant prices –’
    ‘Excuse me,’ I interrupt. ‘We do nothing of the sort. We’re realistic about what we charge and the money we make goes back into the practice to buy new equipment and provide a better service. Times change. We don’t taste urine samples to test for diabetes, or use ether any more.’
    Old Fox-Gifford doesn’t seem to realise I’m being facetious.
    ‘What are you suggesting?’ he growls.
    ‘Madge isn’t suggesting anything,’ Sophia says calmly. ‘All she’s saying is that we’ve all moved on. Alexander’s talking about buying a new X-ray machine.’
    ‘There’s nothing wrong with the one we’ve got.’
    ‘And the ECG’s broken,’ Sophia goes on.
    ‘I don’t need to wire my patients up to all kinds of bleeping machines to tell if they’re dead or alive.’
    ‘Surely you want the best for your own pets,’ I say, as the old Lab nudges his way back between my legs.
    ‘Ours are working dogs, not pets,’ Old Fox-Gifford brags. ‘They have fresh meat and bones, and a handful of mix. And if they get sick or injured, we don’t drag it out, trying this and that and spending a fortune. A shot of Lethobarb or Euthesate, whatever’s the cheapest at the time, that’s all they get.’
    ‘Will you please call that dog orf now, Fox-Gifford?’ Sophia says, while I’m wondering how on earth you can work as a vet when you don’t seem to possess even an ounce of compassion.
    Old Fox-Gifford pokes the Labrador with the end of his stick.
    ‘Hal’s just being friendly,’ he says. ‘He likes you, although I can’t think why.’ Then he smiles. ‘I expect you smell of dog.’
    Even Sophia looks a little embarrassed by her husband now.
    ‘Madge, let’s see if we can find Alexander for you.’ She gazes past me towards one of the two shabby sofas in the room, her adoring gaze like a cow’s on her newborn calf. ‘Oh, there he is with Delphi. Have you met Delphi Letherington? No, you can’t possibly have met all of Alexander’s friends yet. Delphi’s a marvellous horsewoman, so talented. She runs the equestrian centre on the way to Talysands.’
    The sight of Alex on the sofa in a shirt and tie, with his legs stretched out and his arm across the back, laughing with a long-legged blonde, makes me feel slightly nauseous. I try to suppress my reaction, but Sophia smiles as if to say, I saw that.
    ‘They make a striking couple, don’t they?’ she says, capitalising on my insecurity. ‘Delphi’s mother was in despair on the day of the wedding – she asked me if I’d have one last go at persuading her against it, but would she listen?’ She shakes her head. ‘Silly girl. She went ahead and married that hideous man. She regretted it afterwards, of course. He was her farrier and it turned out he was shoeing more than one horse, so to speak.’
    I take it from this that Delphi – who’s wearing an evening gown in lilac satin with ruffles and flounces (think 1980s Laura Ashley) – is no longer married, and that Sophia’s dreaming of a match between her and my boyfriend.
    I remind myself that Alex has chosen to be with me. It isn’t easy. My previous boyfriends have had a nasty tendency to dump me for other women. However, I’m not about to let Sophia poison my trust in him. I won’t give her the satisfaction. I gaze towards Alex, who looks up in my direction, smiles a slow heart-stopping smile that