The so-called friend had tried to make excuses, but Ruby had refused to listen. There was no excuse for breaking a promise. None. What was friendship or a relationship without trust? Since that day Ruby had kept to herself and kept her mouth shut.
Sometimes it had been hard, but thanks to a decent inheritance from her mother, she’d managed to finish school and move on to university. After a couple of years working at a cat rescue centre she’d decided to train to become a vet.
Today had made lots of hard work, eye-straining studying and numerous part-time retail jobs worth it.
Leaning back on the pillows, she gently eased Dog’s nose out of the bowl before he swiped a mouthful of crisps. Loving the unusual lightness in her heart, she closed her eyes and smiled.
‘Paws crossed, Dog,’ she whispered, stroking his rough, furry head, ‘that this time we get to stay for a few months...maybe even a year.’
Dog licked her hand as if to agree.
Whatever happened during her time in Dorset, Ruby had this wonderful dog to love. Together they made do. She happily confessed all her secrets, wishes and dreams to him, her best friend, knowing that he’d keep them from the world. He was her perfect confidant.
A heavy knock on the caravan door startled Ruby into spilling half the bowl of crisps over the bed.
Glancing at her watch, she saw it was after seven o’clock. Who was knocking at her door? She knew it wouldn’t be her new boss or his wife, because the man had whisked his family out through the practice door as soon as the last client had left, muttering something about a romantic evening. Perhaps it was Eloise? But Ruby didn’t see the old woman as the type to go galivanting around at night—even if it was still just about light outside—unless she was ill and needed help?
Ruby opened her mouth to ask who it was when the answer came via a familiar deep voice.
‘Miss Day? It’s Kern MacKinley.’
She growled and glared in the direction of the door. What right did he have, bothering her after work hours?
Another knock hit the door. ‘I know you’re inside. I can see a light and I recognise your car from our earlier meeting.’
With an irritated sigh, she rose from the bed, leaving Dog to feast on the spilled crisps. Slamming the bowl down on to the bedside table, she left the bedroom and headed for the door.
Lifting a hand, she hesitated before opening it. ‘What do you want, Mr MacKinley?’
‘I want you, Miss Day.’
In what way exactly did he want her?
She rubbed a hand across her brow. ‘What did you say? You’re mumbling.’
Silence hung between them for a second, before Kern replied in a much louder voice, ‘I need your help. If you’d be gracious enough to forget what happened this morning, I could use your professional advice.’
Ruby bit her bottom lip, not wanting to be gracious or anything else where this man was concerned. Just because she was staying close by, it didn’t mean she was offering twenty-four-hour animal care.
‘It’s late. Can’t it wait until tomorrow? Perhaps you’d prefer to speak to my boss—?’
‘No, I need someone this evening.’
And then he said the words she couldn’t ignore.
‘My horse needs you.’
Concerned, she opened the caravan door and looked down at the man who’d messed up her morning and seemed set on ruining her evening. ‘In that case, Mr MacKinley, I’ll come with you. But you’d better not mess me around again. The first time I could understand, but a second time will get you blacklisted at the practice.’
Kern nodded and placed his hand to his heart. ‘I won’t. I swear.’
* * *
She was pretty in the early-evening light, with her make-up smudged and faded in places. The woman’s beauty shone through because of her eyes. Large, shaped like a cat’s, and full of emotions Kern knew better than to try to decipher.
If he did, he might risk never being able to get free from the secrets that lay inside this woman’s heart. He feared she had the power to bewitch him, and he was determined never to let that happen again. Once burnt, for ever scarred.
‘It’s a lovely evening,’ Kern murmured, staring at the sky as they headed towards the river.
Anything to take his mind from the unwanted attraction he suddenly felt towards the woman walking by his side. His wife had been dead for less than a year—barely time for him to get used to being single again, let alone notice a pretty woman he’d best avoid.
Ruby nodded and shifted her medical bag from her left hand to her right. He’d offered to carry it for her, but she’d refused and gripped it tighter.
‘But there’s a storm heading for us in a few hours,’ he went on, needing the atmosphere between them to ease. The last thing he wanted was for Evie to pick up on it. The sensitive horse was skittish enough.
Ruby glanced up at the evening sky. ‘How can you tell?’
‘You can smell it in the air,’ he said, taking a deep breath through his nose before letting it out of his mouth.
She sniffed the air like a suspicious child might smell an unwrapped sweet. ‘Really? All I can smell is grass.’
‘It’s going to be a heavy one,’ he said.
‘You get all that from sniffing the air?’ she asked, intrigued.
He smiled her way. ‘Experience. I’m a country boy, remember?’
She gave the sky another doubtful look, then asked, ‘What’s wrong with your horse, Mr MacKinley?’
‘Call me Kern,’ he invited.
‘I prefer to call clients by their surnames,’ she replied primly. ‘You said earlier she wasn’t sick. Yet now you’re calling on me out of hours to see her.’
‘No, she isn’t sick. Not in a physical way. My girl’s more heart sick.’
Ruby stopped and stared at him. ‘What happened?’
Kern let out a heavy sigh. ‘Evie has recently developed an aversion to staying inside a stable. I was hoping you might have something in that case of yours that might help calm her for a few hours. Just until the storm passes and tomorrow comes.’
‘Shouldn’t she be used to staying inside?’ Ruby asked.
Kern nodded. ‘She was, but a few months ago she had a fright, and since then she hates being anywhere near a stable.’
‘How did she cope travelling in the horsebox?’
Kern rubbed his jaw ruefully at the question. ‘We stopped—a lot. But it’s not the horsebox that’s the problem—just the stable. And despite the one here not being up to much, it has a roof and walls, and smells enough like a stable for Evie to hate it.’
‘Sounds like she’s suffering from stress.’
‘She is. But none of the paddocks are secure enough to leave her there during the night, and anyway my girl deserves better than being left out in a storm.’
‘Okay. I’ll examine her and see what can be done to ease her trouble.’
‘Thank you, Ruby.’
‘No need for thanks. Payment to the practice for my visit will be enough. Just call Anne in the morning and she’ll tell you what you owe.’
He nodded. ‘Of course.’
They came to the edge of the river and stopped. For a moment Kern stared down at the water, trying to think of the best way to phrase his next suggestion. Finally, he decided straightforward bluntness was probably best.
He turned to Ruby. ‘Unless you want wet feet and legs, you’d best jump up on to my back.’
Startled, Ruby backed away. ‘I beg your pardon?’
Kern chuckled. ‘You may want to close your eyes too, because I intend to take off my jeans. I don’t want them to get soaked either. It’s what I did on the way over to you.’
She hesitated, lifting her bag in front of her like a protective barrier. ‘But—’
Kern placed his hand on his jeans button and poppe
d it. Next, he pulled down his zip. The metallic rasp of it echoed between them. Kicking his trainers off, he tied them together and handed them to her to hold.
Ruby gasped and took another step backwards. Eyes wide, she spluttered, ‘Honestly, Mr MacKinley. Must you keep doing this? If you dare lower your jeans, I swear it won’t be your horse in need of medical attention, but you. Isn’t there a bridge or something we can use?’
He almost laughed at the look on the vet’s face. God, she was sweet. A man might even believe she was as innocent as she acted. But Ruby Day exuded a fragility that suggested she’d once been deeply hurt. In a way only someone who had meant something important to her could inflict.
‘My aunt had it dismantled the day my mother married Fin. I doubt she’s had it rebuilt during the last nineteen years. Come on—for you, I will get my jeans wet.’
He fixed his trousers, turned his back and bent down, waiting for her to make a decision. He just hoped it would be the one that would benefit Evie.
A sharp, infuriated sigh signalled her agreement. ‘Just until we reach the other side. Then you put me down.’
He nodded. ‘Of course.’
The feel of her small hand on his shoulder sent a shiver of awareness and relief through his body. He bit back a deep groan when she jumped up and secured her long legs around his waist. God forgive him for the wicked thoughts going through his head, but he was only a mere man, and it had been a long time since a woman had wrapped any part of her body around his own.
Grabbing one of her legs to shift her into a more comfortable hold, he held on to the arm she’d slipped around his neck. ‘Hold on tight. The water’s not too deep here, but you don’t want to fall in. And try not to hit me with that bag.’
She chuckled low in his ear. ‘Make sure you don’t drop me, then, Mr MacKinley, otherwise I might do it accidentally.’
Kern swallowed hard and stepped down into the water. ‘Oh, I won’t do that, Ruby. I’m never careless on purpose. Just don’t fidget around and we’ll be fine.’
She snorted. ‘Make sure you’re not. Or I’ll make certain you get wetter than you did this morning. You should know I fight dirty when required, and I don’t appreciate people who play games and waste my time.’
Kern chuckled and stopped halfway across the river. Water soaked him to just above his knees. This part of the river was shallower than where he’d jumped this morning, but still enough to be uncomfortable and cold, even on a spring evening.
‘Are you threatening me, Ruby Day?’
‘Just making sure you’re the only one who gets wet tonight.’
Kern shut out the dirty thoughts her innocent words aroused and continued through the water to the other side. ‘Hold on. The bottom’s a little uneven on this side of the river.’
‘Is the water still as cold as it was this morning?’ Ruby asked, tightening her legs around his waist.
Kern groaned, forcing his footsteps on. Did she even know the effect her actions was causing? ‘Yes. It’s freezing.’
She laughed impishly. ‘Good.’
Yeah, she knew. He’d bet his last pound coin on it.
* * *
Ruby stopped just inside the stables, her focus immediately drawn to the horse standing in the centre aisle. Everything about the animal screamed sadness and pain. Not in an obvious physical way that anyone else would notice, but a deeper, emotional agony that few understood or saw.
But Ruby did. And she felt it too.
Moving farther inside she saw Enticing Evie shift, suddenly aware of their presence. Or rather Ruby’s unknown one. Her tense, fearful stance and wide eyes were clear indications that she didn’t want Ruby anywhere near her. This horse wasn’t going to be an easy patient and she would probably resent any help.
‘I’m going closer,’ Ruby said, glancing at Kern MacKinley. ‘It’s probably a good idea for you to go first, though. She knows you and it might help to settle her.’
Kern nodded and walked over to the horse. Stroking a hand down her face, he crooned, ‘Hey, girl. How are you doing?’
Ruby walked nearer, until she stood at the horse’s side. The nervous filly stepped away instinctively, half turning to Kern for protection.
‘First I’ll carry out a basic physical examination,’ Ruby said, placing her bag down on the ground, out of the way.
She opened it and retrieved her stethoscope. As she placed it around her neck she quickly looked Evie over, checking her general demeanour and alertness. From what she could see the horse seemed fine, other than mistrusting of Ruby’s unfamiliar presence.
Stepping closer, Ruby inspected the horse’s eyes, nose and mouth. Everything seemed normal and her gums were a healthy pink.
‘How’s her appetite? Any cough?’
‘Appetite’s fine and no cough,’ Kern answered.
Placing the ends of the stethoscope into her ears, Ruby listened to the sound of Evie’s heart. Next she moved on to the lungs and stomach. Thankfully, everything sounded fine.
Fetching a digital thermometer from her bag, Ruby tugged the ends of her stethoscope out of her ears and approached Evie’s rear end. This was when she expected the horse to make her displeasure clear. Many horses disliked the intimate invasion necessary for taking their temperature.
Giving the thermometer a coat of lubricant, she glanced over her shoulder towards Kern. ‘I’m going to take her temperature now. Can you hold her steady?’
Kern nodded. ‘Of course.’
Standing to Evie’s side, in case the horse decided to kick out, Ruby move her tail to one side, gently pushed the lubricated thermometer inside her rectum and held on to the end. After thirty seconds, she pulled it out again and checked it.
‘Her temperature is fine. As is her general condition.’
‘That’s good to hear.’
Ruby cleaned the thermometer and put it away, then turned back to the horse. After spending a few minutes checking her over from nose to tail, she asked, ‘Is there anything else that concerns you other than her dislike for the stable?’
‘No, not really.’
‘Can you move round to her other side?’ Ruby asked, needing him out of sight for what she planned to do next. ‘I think it will also help if you untie her and hold the rope instead.’
Waiting until Kern could no longer see her, she slowly raised her right hand. Gently touching the horse on the neck, she closed her eyes and whispered softly, ‘I’m here to help you.’
Evie immediately stepped away, tossing her head in answer to Ruby’s words.
‘What are you doing?’ Kern asked, suspicion colouring his voice.
He reminded Ruby of an over-protective parent. Would he be the same over his child or his wife? What would it be like to have someone act that way over her? Would she like it or resent it?
‘I’m just making friends,’ Ruby said. ‘Seems only right after she’s let me examine her. To have a little female getting to know each other time.’
Kern chuckled. ‘You make it sound like a date.’
She lightly placed her fingers on Evie’s neck again. ‘Perhaps it is, in a way. Would you go to a doctor and expect him to just give you medication without talking to you? Or examine you fully and then walk away without a word? I just want her to know that I’m not all bad, even if I did stick my thermometer somewhere personal.’
‘I guess you’re right...’
Ruby stroked her left hand over the horse’s face. Slow, calm movements meant to ease and relax. ‘Always, Mr MacKinley. You should remember that.’
Come on, Evie. Let me help you. Ruby closed her eyes once again and mentally repeated the words, wanting to reassure the stressed horse that she could trust her. Some horses gave their trust quickly, whereas others fought against help. It all depended on the horse and what it had been through.
Resting her fingers with the
lightest of touches, Ruby continued to talk silently to her patient, shutting out the noise of another horse softly snuffling somewhere in the stables and the birdsong outside. She cleared her mind of everything but the animal beneath her fingertips.
This time she felt some of the tension leave Evie’s body. She wasn’t fully relaxed, but it was a start.
I just want to help you, I promise.
‘Can I do anything?’
Kern’s voice penetrated Ruby’s concentration like the prick of a pin.
‘Like formally introduce you, or something?’
With a sharp sigh, Ruby opened her eyes and stopped herself from suggesting he shut up. She’d had owners like this before. People who struggled to be quiet and not interfere with the process. Worried they were somehow causing their animal harm by having her help them. Of course, Kern didn’t know that.
‘Would you mind fetching some fresh water?’
‘Of course. I’ll get some from the farm’s well. It’s clean and drinkable. It’s a fair way from here, though, so I may be gone a while.’
Perfect.
Kern grabbed a bucket and disappeared outside.
Finally alone with the horse, Ruby returned her attention to her new friend.
‘Now we can talk properly’ she said, patting Evie gently. ‘I can make you feel a little better about being in here, if you’ll let me.’
A sound came from one of the stalls and a brown head appeared over the door. ‘See—even your friend there thinks you should listen. It’s good advice.’
This time Evie appeared to consider Ruby’s offer, and within moments Ruby’s hand started to warm, radiating heat into the horse’s stiff, defensive body. Instantly, visions of red and hot pain overwhelmed Ruby’s senses. Whatever had happened to this horse had been ugly and raw. No wonder she was edgy.
‘Oh, sweet girl,’ Ruby whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek as she felt the pain envelop her. She couldn’t see pictures, or clear images, but she could feel the fear and the sadness in the horse’s heart and spirit. The intense agony.
Evie had suffered real loss and heartbreak.
Awakening His Shy Vet Page 5
