Vets in Love by Cathy Woodman Read Free Book Online

sad.’
    ‘You win some and lose some,’ he says philosophically. ‘It’s pretty gutting for me and the team when we’ve agonised about putting the horse through major surgery, opted to go for it and then it gives up.’
    I watch how he approaches Willow, how she sniffs at his outstretched hand, her nostrils flaring as she decides that she and Matt can be friends. I smile to myself. I trust Willow’s judgement. If she likes him, he must be all right.
    Matt heads off to his four-by-four and returns with the combined vaccine, needle and syringe. Delphi comes back from the feed room, apparently afraid to miss out on any horsey gossip.
    ‘Where are you going next, Matt?’ she asks.
    ‘To check on a horse with a nasty gash on its leg from some barbed wire. I don’t know why the stuff hasn’t been banned. It’s everywhere, but it keeps me in work,’ he goes on, smiling wryly. ‘Nicci, how’s the poor guy who was having a heart attack, the one who was taken off in the ambulance the other day?’
    ‘He’s doing okay,’ I say, wary about how much I should reveal, but pleased that Matt is concerned. It makes up for his attitude when he first marched into my consulting room, complaining about my running late. It makes him seem more human.
    Matt draws up the vaccine and injects it into Willow’s neck. She doesn’t flinch.
    ‘You’re a brave horse.’ Stroking her, he turns to me. ‘Are you riding at East Hill?’
    ‘Yes, I can’t wait.’ My chest tightens with anticipation tinged with a touch of fear at the thought of galloping Willow around the cross-country course on Saturday. ‘East Hill is my favourite course ever,’ I go on.
    ‘You’re mad.’ Matt’s eyes fix on mine.
    ‘I love it,’ I say lightly.
    Matt’s expression is sober, his tone critical. ‘I will never understand why people risk their lives like that in the name of sport.’
    ‘You’d be out of a job if everyone thought like that,’ I observe.
    ‘That’s true.’ He changes the subject. ‘I’m done here now, so you can go for your ride.’
    ‘Oh no, I won’t take her out tonight. I always give her a couple of days off after she’s had her jab.’
    ‘There’s no need.’ He smiles when I shake my head. ‘But why take any notice of me when I’m just a vet and you’re paying me for my opinion? There doesn’t seem any point in paying for advice you’re planning to ignore, although a lot of people do,’ he goes on with a grin.
    ‘It doesn’t feel right,’ I say adamantly.
    ‘I don’t think you should rely on feelings. I like your horse, by the way.’
    ‘She’s a good sort, isn’t she?’ Delphi cuts in.
    ‘Yep,’ Matt agrees, his eyes on my face and then my legs again. ‘She has great presence and perfect conformation.’ He signs Willow’s passport and hands it over. ‘I’ll see you next weekend.’
    ‘Oh?’ I say, confused.
    ‘At East Hill – I’m the duty vet. Goodbye, Nicci. Delphi, I’ll see you on Monday to check on the pony.’ He glances back as he walks off across the yard to the car park, a grin on his face when he calls out, ‘I’ll make sure I bring my sling with me, Doctor.’
    ‘Matt doesn’t normally pass comment on a horse,’ Delphi says later when we’re drinking cans of diet Coke from the fridge in the tack room.
    ‘I think he was talking about me,’ I say, blushing. ‘He’s a bit of a flirt, isn’t he?’
    ‘If he was a horse, I’d describe him as a nice sort, hard to find. He’s lovely, but he’s very young. I couldn’t believe he was old enough to be a vet when I first met him.’
    ‘He’s about the same age as me.’
    ‘You seem too young to be a doctor.’ Delphi pauses. ‘Matt’s a great vet. We used to have Alex Fox-Gifford and his father from the mixed practice in Talyton, but we had a falling-out and went to Westleigh instead. They aren’t cheap, but you get what you pay for.’
    ‘I don’t mind how much it costs,’ I say. ‘I want the best for