Springtime at Wildacre: the gorgeously uplifting, feel-good romance (Animal Ark Revisited Book 3)

by Lucy Daniels

  Mandy’s mind was reeling. ‘That’s really interesting, Harriet, thank you.’

  Although it’s yet another thing I know is wrong, but I can’t prove …

  They finished their tea together. ‘How would you like to come round here with the triplets?’ Mandy suggested. Harriet had looked down, ever since she’d admitted she had no proof about Sam. ‘I could show you the animals,’ she said. They could all have tea in the garden.

  Harriet seemed pleased with the offer. ‘That would be lovely,’ she said.

  As Mandy was heading back to Hope Meadows to check on Holly and Robin, her thoughts about squirrels and Sam Western were interrupted by the buzz of her phone in her jeans pocket. She sighed. Was there yet another call? She wanted to get everything at Hope Meadows checked out so she could get back for dinner with Adam and Emily. But the muscles in her shoulders relaxed as she checked the screen: it was Jimmy.

  ‘Jimmy! Hi.’ She couldn’t keep the relief out of her voice.

  ‘Hello. Do you have a moment?’ The politely worded question caught her by surprise. He was trying to sound calm, but there was an edge to his tone.

  ‘What’s up?’ Mandy closed her eyes for a moment, leaning against the fence and breathing slowly. Was it something with the twins? she wondered.

  ‘It’s Zoe. I think the puppies are on the way.’ Mandy allowed herself a smile at the nervousness in his voice and at the loveliness of the news.

  ‘That’s great,’ she said. ‘I’m at home. I need to go in and check, but I should be able to come … If you’d like me to,’ she added.

  He laughed. ‘Of course I’d like you to,’ he said. ‘You love Zoe as much as I do.’

  It was true, Mandy thought. Though Sky was her very own, she loved Simba and Zoe as if they were hers as well. ‘I’ll just pop in and see Mum,’ she told him, ‘and check there’s nothing else in.’

  ‘Okay, I’ll see you soon,’ he said, sounding pleased. ‘I have to call Rachel. There’s a big group coming to Running Wild tomorrow. I can’t get out of it and she said she’d look after Zoe if I was stuck.’

  ‘Of course.’ Mandy couldn’t help but smile at his earnestness. He really was going to make sure this litter was well looked after. The call ended, and she slid the phone back into her pocket.

  Emily was sitting at the table when Mandy walked into the kitchen. Adam was at the stove. ‘I’m making macaroni cheese,’ he said, looking round with a grin. It smelled delicious.

  Emily had some colour in her cheeks and her eyes had some of their old sparkle. ‘I’ve been feeling much better this afternoon,’ she said, when Mandy asked how she was. ‘I’ve been out for some fresh air with your gran and we baked flapjacks.’

  ‘That’s good,’ Mandy said. It was lovely to see Emily looking more like herself. The cut on her head was healing well, though the bruising round it had reached peak purple.

  ‘Would it be okay for me to go to Jimmy’s?’ she asked. Not that she really had to check, but with Mum unwell, she wanted to be sure she didn’t leave Adam in the lurch.

  Emily smiled. ‘Yes of course,’ she said.

  Adam, who was stirring the pan with fierce concentration, turned round. He stuck out his bottom lip, trying to look aggrieved. ‘My macaroni cheese not good enough for you?’ he demanded.

  Mandy laughed with an exaggerated eye-roll. ‘I’m sure your macaroni’s good enough for the pope himself,’ she said, ‘but Jimmy thinks Zoe’s whelping.’

  Adam became serious in an instant. ‘If you need any help, just give me a shout,’ he told her. ‘Helen’s on call too.’ He paused for a moment, then grinned. ‘Maybe we’ll give the pope a ring. He can come and eat your portion.’

  ‘Why don’t you take Jimmy some flapjack?’ Emily suggested.

  ‘I’ll do that.’ Mandy walked over and gave her mum a hug.

  When she arrived at Mistletoe Cottage, Simba and Jimmy met her at the door.

  Jimmy took her jacket as she stepped inside and hung it on the pegs beside the door. ‘How is she?’ she asked as she walked along the hallway. Jimmy had prepared a quiet box for Zoe under the stairs, but when she peeped into the cosy cupboard, it was empty.

  ‘She seems okay. She’s decided to have them where her bed usually is.’ Jimmy took Mandy’s hand and led her to the sitting room. The curtains were half closed and the room was pleasantly dim as they put their heads round the door. Zoe was standing in the whelping box to the side of the fireplace. Jimmy had lined the box with towels and there were newspapers all round. As Mandy watched, the husky turned around twice, lay down and then stood up again. She was panting, her mouth wide. ‘Her temperature dropped this morning,’ Jimmy told Mandy, ‘but the mucus plug has only just come away.’

  Zoe certainly looked as if she was going into labour, Mandy thought. Still panting, she lay down again, then stood back up. Mandy reached out and gave Jimmy’s hand a squeeze. ‘We should give her some space,’ she said. ‘It could be a while before the puppies begin to arrive.’

  Jimmy had bought some ready-made cannelloni, which he put in the oven to warm up. He chopped some tomatoes and cucumber and set two plates on the table. Mandy was grateful that he was being so thoughtful even while he was worried. She was starving after her long day. They tiptoed through to peek at Zoe several times while the food was warming up. When it was ready, they ate quickly, then went back through. Jimmy had moved the two armchairs into the corner of the room that was furthest away from Zoe’s nest. Mandy watched to check that the husky was not disturbed by their presence. She was still very restless, but she seemed happy to be there in the room with them.

  ‘We had a lovely time on Sunday,’ Jimmy said, keeping his voice low. ‘The twins loved Myler, Jasper and Button. Maybe we could come and see them again sometime?’

  Mandy kept her eyes on Zoe while she thought. She was sure it was true that the children had enjoyed seeing the kittens, but the rest of the visit hadn’t gone so well, especially at the end with the donkeys. ‘Did they get over their worries about the donkeys and their new home?’ she asked.

  ‘I think they did.’ Jimmy seemed to take the question in his stride. ‘I explained it again to them. Told them the kittens would also need a new home sometime and that you couldn’t keep all the animals, or you wouldn’t be able to help any more.’

  Zoe stood up, turned round and round three times, then lay back down with a whimper.

  ‘Thanks.’ It was good to know he’d tried – although it would’ve been nice if he’d said so at the time. She paused, her mind whirring. ‘You’re all very welcome at Hope Meadows,’ she said eventually. ‘Abi and Max …’ she took a deep breath searching for the right words. ‘I just feel as if we’re trying to push them into … well, into liking me. If they’d rather keep me at arm’s length for now, don’t you think it would be better?’

  Jimmy put his hand over hers where it was lying on the arm of the chair. He too seemed thoughtful. ‘I get what you mean,’ he said. ‘You can’t make them like you. But I think we need to take the lead. I won’t push them into doing anything they really don’t want, but we have to carry on trying. It’s not as if you’re a monster.’ He managed a grin. ‘They’ve just got to get used to you.’ And me to them, Mandy added in her head. ‘Trust me.’ Jimmy patted her hand, then gripped it for a moment. ‘It takes time,’ he said.

  ‘Okay.’ She would keep trying for his sake, she thought. They were his children. She thought of Susan and her anger when her date had tried to tell her how to parent. Like it or not, she had to take his lead, as he had said.

  ‘There’s one thing I did want to say.’ Jimmy was holding her hand still. His eyes were serious in the dim light. ‘I’m sorry about the whole squirrel thing. You were right, we should never have picked it up … I should have told them we couldn’t bring it home,’ he amended, ‘and I’m sorry I let them think you were to blame.’

  ‘Oh!’ Mandy hadn’t expected his apology. Warmth rushed through her. She really would make the ef
fort with the twins he was asking for. However difficult she found it, Jimmy was worth it.

  Darkness had fallen outside the window and the only light in the room was coming from the slightly open door into the hallway. It was ages since they had last spoken. All their attention was on Zoe. ‘I think this might be it,’ Mandy whispered.

  Jimmy’s grip tightened on her fingers. Zoe was no longer panting. For the past thirty minutes, she had been lying in her bed, straining in earnest. Now she lifted her tail, turned her head and started to lick herself. This was the moment of truth, Mandy thought. They sat together in the semi-darkness as Zoe continued to strain and lick. Then Mandy heard it: the snuffling squeal of a newborn puppy.

  She heard Jimmy’s gasp of delight. Together, they stood up and tiptoed over to the nest. There it was, a tiny squirming shape in the half-dark. Mandy felt Jimmy’s hand as he reached for hers. He squeezed her fingers tightly. Mandy could feel tears pricking the back of her eyelids. She had seen so many baby animals in her life. Even long before she had qualified, she had loved to help her parents with birthing animals, but the magic never seemed to fade. The tiny pink nose snuffled towards its mother, and the plump body wriggled, already unmistakably husky-coloured with a pale stomach and dark grey colouring around its eyes and back.

  Letting go of Mandy’s hand, Jimmy knelt down at Zoe’s head and caressed her ear. ‘Good girl,’ he said. ‘Beautiful girl.’ For only a second, Zoe reached up and put her muzzle against his face, then she turned back again to lick her puppy. Jimmy pushed himself onto his haunches, then gradually stood up. ‘Good girl,’ he whispered again. For a moment, he seemed unable to take his eyes off the scene. He reached out his arms and gave Mandy a hug, his face still turned as if to watch. Then letting out a long breath, he made his way back to the chair in the corner.

  ‘I can hardly believe it’s happening,’ he told Mandy in a low voice, once they were back in their chairs. ‘It feels like so long since I took her to be bred. I was beginning to feel this day would never come.’ He sighed again and smiled, teeth white in the darkness. For Mandy, the tension of the past few hours fled. She had been strung up, waiting for Zoe to give birth, but now the first pup was here, it wouldn’t be long before the rest made their appearance.

  A wave of tiredness ran through her. She had forgotten, in all the excitement, just how long today had been. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearly midnight. She had been up for almost nineteen hours. No wonder she was flagging. ‘Would you like to try some of Mum’s flapjack?’ she asked. ‘I think I need a coffee.’

  They tiptoed over to check Zoe twice more within the next hour. The first puppy was doing well. It had made its way round to Zoe’s teats and had already begun to suckle, but as yet, there was no sign of any other puppies. Mandy was feeling twitchy. Most long-nosed breeds gave birth quite quickly, once they’d begun.

  Mandy got to her feet. She would check again, she thought. Zoe was panting hard. She stood up, arched her back and let out a tiny groan. Her tail lifted as she strained. She lay back down and heaved again. For the first time, her head had begun to droop as if she was exhausted. ‘I want to examine her properly this time,’ Mandy said. It was important not to disturb Zoe unless it was essential, but Mandy was starting to suspect that a puppy was stuck. She needed to do a vaginal examination.

  Jimmy had followed her over. Together, they knelt down beside the agitated husky. ‘Can you hold onto her head, please?’ Mandy asked Jimmy. His hands were gentle as he reached out to cradle Zoe’s muzzle. Despite her exhaustion, Zoe reached up and licked his face and he bent to put his cheek against hers. He straightened and lifted his trusting gaze to Mandy. ‘Ready now,’ he said.

  She pulled on vinyl gloves and smeared lubricant onto her fingers. Shuffling up behind Zoe, she explored the birth canal. There was no sign of any obstruction, but nor was there any sign of another puppy or even of a sac or waters breaking. She sat back on her heels for a moment, just gazing, waiting for her head to clear. She didn’t want to worry Jimmy, but she felt sure something should be happening by now.

  ‘I think we should take her in to Animal Ark,’ she said, looking across at him, trying for a reassuring smile. ‘I’d like to do an X-ray.’ There was the tiniest tremor in her voice. Despite all her experience, it was hard to remain objective when it was Zoe. Was she jumping in too fast? The textbook description was seared across her brain. It could be up to two hours between puppies. That was the guidance she would give to an owner, but her instincts were twisting. Zoe should have had another puppy by now.

  ‘If you think we should, then that’s what we’ll do.’ Jimmy smiled. He seemed to have absolute faith in her. ‘What do we need to take?’

  ‘Not much,’ Mandy replied. ‘We’ve got most things in the clinic.’ Between them, they carried the few things Zoe and the puppies would need out to the car.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Zoe was panting in earnest by the time they reached Animal Ark. Mandy opened the back door of the car. When Zoe sat up, her whole face was filled with tension. It had been the right decision, Mandy thought. Adam’s car was missing. He must be out on a call. For a moment, Mandy wished he was there to help her, and for an even briefer second, she wondered if she should wake Emily, but she gave herself a shake. She was being ridiculous, she thought. This was something she should be able to manage without them.

  ‘I’m just going to give Helen a shout,’ Mandy said to Jimmy. Zoe looked limp as he led her in. If they had to do a caesarean, she didn’t want any more delays. She left Jimmy comforting Zoe and her puppy in the prep room and walked through to switch on the X-ray machine. It was important now that they should get a move on. The birth canal had been empty when she had examined Zoe back at Mistletoe Cottage. If there were no obstructions, she could give the husky a microdose of oxytocin to try to stimulate contractions, but it was essential to check that the remaining puppies weren’t too big, or in the wrong position. It only took a few minutes to get the X-ray ready. The newborn pup would need to be kept comfortable while they were working with Zoe, so she put a heat pad in a box and lined it with towels. Jimmy had brought a soft toy that smelled of Zoe and she put that in too. Mandy opened the door to the prep room, walked across and bent down to stroke Zoe’s soft fur. Despite her obvious exhaustion, Zoe reached up and licked Mandy’s ear. ‘Come on through,’ she said, speaking half to Zoe and half to Jimmy. She took the squirming puppy, carried it through and laid it in the already-warm box. Its tummy seemed to be full. Hopefully the little thing would sleep for now. Between them, they lifted Zoe onto the table. While Jimmy kept Zoe steady, Mandy slid the lead apron over her shoulders and got out the protective gloves.

  ‘If you can lie her down on her right side,’ she said. In a moment, Jimmy had done as she asked. Mandy flicked a switch and the top of the table moved. She lined Zoe’s abdomen up with the dark cross that showed where the X-ray would be centred.

  ‘What now?’ Jimmy’s face looked calm, but his voice wavered slightly as he looked down at Zoe.

  ‘I’ll hold her and take the picture,’ Mandy told him, ‘if you can wait outside. Then we’ll get it developed and we can decide what to do next.’

  He looked uneasy, but nodded as Mandy slipped into place, lying her arm over Zoe’s neck and grasping Zoe’s lower paws to stop her from getting up. He sidled out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. Ensuring that Zoe’s abdomen was still correctly lined up with the plate, Mandy hooked the floor pad towards her with a foot. With her toe hovering over the switch, she pressed once and listened for the whirr that meant the machine was ready, then pressed the pad a second time. There was a clicking noise as the picture was taken and the whirring came to a halt.

  ‘Good girl,’ Mandy whispered to Zoe, letting the still-panting animal sit up. ‘You can come back in now,’ she called to Jimmy. ‘If you can just hold her there,’ she said. Zoe could wait on the table until she was sure the picture was good enough. Jimmy did as she asked.
Mandy’s heart was racing as she pulled out the large X-ray plate and took it through to the developer.

  It was a lovely clear picture, she thought as she gazed at the computer screen a few moments later. She had lined up the image perfectly. There were four puppies, as she had seen on the ultrasound. None of them was too big. They seemed to be lying normally. She moved and clicked with the mouse, measuring the skulls and Zoe’s pelvis. Walking back into the X-ray room, she helped Jimmy lift Zoe down from the table and led him through to show him the picture.

  ‘Wow!’ Jimmy seemed impressed with the clarity of the image. ‘I hadn’t realised you would see the puppies so clearly.’

  ‘You can see they don’t look too big,’ she said, showing him the measurements she had made of the pelvis and the puppies. ‘I want to give her a tiny dose of oxytocin to help her uterus contract. Once she’s had that, it shouldn’t take too much longer.’

  Jimmy smiled, his eyes grateful. ‘I’m so glad you’re here,’ he said.

  Mandy couldn’t help but heave a small sigh of relief that she could inject Zoe, rather than rushing her into theatre. It would be better for Zoe if she could have the puppies without an operation.

  I’ll give her some calcium too, Mandy thought. She knew that lack of calcium could sometimes cause the uterus to fail to contract.

  Jimmy held Zoe still while she slipped a catheter into the vein and gave a small dose of the calcium gluconate. Then she drew up the oxytocin that would restart Zoe’s contractions. With Jimmy cuddling the tired husky, Mandy slid the needle into the muscle. It had been a very long day, she thought. Not that she resented being asked at all. She would see it through until Zoe’s whelping was finished, but she would be glad to get to bed, once all the pups were safely delivered.