Playing by Heart: Summer Beach Vets, #3

by H. Y. Hanna

  Playing by Heart

  Summer Beach Vets #3

  By

  H.Y. Hanna

  Copyright © 2014 by H.Y. Hanna

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9941726-6-2

  www.hyhanna.com

  Dedication

  To Melanie,

  fellow cat lover and friend extraordinaire

  Books in this Series

  Summer Beach Vets: Playing for Love (Book 1)

  Summer Beach Vets: Playing to Win (Book 2)

  Summer Beach Vets: Playing by Heart (Book 3)

  Summer Beach Vets: Playing the Fool (Book 4)

  Summer Beach Vets: Playing Santa (Christmas Special – Book 2.5)

  Summer Beach Bride: Seaside Duet (Book 5)

  Author’s Note

  This book follows British English spelling, grammar and punctuation.

  There is a glossary of Australian slang at the end of the story

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  Summer Beach Vets: Playing the Fool (Book 4)

  Australian Slang Glossary

  Also by the Same Author:

  About the Author

  Acknowledgements

  CHAPTER 1

  “So what’s it like being back in Australia?”

  Pippa shut her eyes and tilted her head back, feeling the sun warm on her face. Even though it was only 9:30 a.m. in the morning, the heat was already intense and the skin on her bare arms and shoulders was hot and tingling. The sunshine Down Under was in a different league.

  “It’s great,” she said, opening her eyes and smiling at her companions. “And sort of weird in a way. I can’t believe I’ve only been away for six years—it feels much longer. So much has changed here at Summer Beach... although it’s lovely to see that some things have stayed the same.” She looked around the café they were in appreciatively.

  The Laughing Kookaburra had always been Pippa’s favourite hangout and she was delighted to see that the café—with its faded wood furniture, comfortable canvas seats, and outdoor terrace with a glorious view of the beach and the Pacific Ocean—had hardly changed from when she was living here. In fact, she wondered if these were the same tables and chairs that had been here in her teens!

  “They keep talking about completely refurbishing the café,” said Charlie, reaching forward to sip her fresh watermelon juice from a tall, frosted glass. She laughed. “But I don’t think the locals would let them! This place is an institution and everyone loves it just the way it is.”

  Pippa looked at her old friend affectionately. She’d missed Charlie. The two had been best friends all through school and had done everything together, until their different interests had forced them to head in different directions: Charlie to veterinary school and Pippa to a career in teaching ESL. She’d made some good friends while overseas, but no one like Charlie.

  “They’ve changed the menu though,” Pippa commented, looking down at the selection in front of her. “Since when did they start doing fancy things like caramelised chili corn fritters... and quinoa and fig salad?”

  “There’s a Melbourne chef running the show now.” Charlie grinned. “But I think when you taste his creations, you won’t complain. He’s really put the Laughing Kookaburra on the map. We get tourists coming especially to Summer Beach now just because they’ve read about this place on the internet.”

  “I think café food is pretty awesome in Australia in general,” said the other girl at the table, in a soft, drawling accent.

  Pippa looked at her with interest. Charlie had introduced Sara as a new friend—the pretty blonde American had recently moved to Summer Beach. There was some romantic story of a whirlwind courtship with one of the other vets at the animal hospital—Pippa hadn’t gotten all the details—and Sara had left her life in California behind and moved to the other side of the world just to be with him.

  Wow, thought Pippa silently to herself. She couldn’t imagine being so passionately in love. Oh, she’d dated a few guys on and off in the last few years, but no one had really touched her heart. She’d said goodbye to them all and come back home to Australia without a single regret.

  “Well, any food has got to be better than English food,” said Charlie, looking at Pippa teasingly.

  “Hey, I was living in London, remember?” said Pippa. “One of the gourmet capitals of Europe. But yeah, I suppose it would have been really cool to go O.S. in Italy or something—”

  “O.S.?” Sara furrowed her brow. “What’s that?”

  Charlie chuckled. “Looks like you haven’t lost the knack of speaking Strine, Pippa.” Turning to Sara, she explained, “‘O.S.’ stands for ‘overseas’. Typical Aussie habit of shortening anything. In this case, because speaking three syllabus is just so exhausting.” She rolled her eyes and laughed.

  The American girl laughed too. “I thought I was doing so well learning Aussie slang and I still seem to come across new words every day! But why do you guys need a special abbreviation for it? Is it that common?”

  “Yes, don’t young Americans go overseas for a while before they settle down?” asked Pippa.

  Sara shook her head. “Some do. If they can afford it. But it’s not common practice.”

  “It’s really common in Australia,” said Pippa. “Maybe it’s because we’re out at the edge of the world and we feel like we need to spend some time where the action is...” She grinned. “But a lot of young people try to go and work overseas for a few years before coming home and getting married and settling down to have a family. They often go to London—or sometimes countries in Asia, like Singapore and Japan. It’s usually just a couple of years though. I sort of stayed longer than I meant to.”

  “Having too much fun with the Poms,” laughed Charlie. “But now you’re back, you’re going to find yourself a nice Aussie bloke.”

  Pippa made a face at her. “I’m going to find myself a nice job first! That’s more important. I’ve got enough savings to keep me going for a bit, but I need to start working soon.”

  “You know, I still don’t understand why you Australians call British people ‘Poms’,” said Sara. “What does it stand for?”

  Charlie shrugged. “I’m not totally sure. I’ve heard that it’s a version of ‘POHM’ which stands for ‘Prisoner of Her Majesty’—because, you know, a lot of the first settlers in Australia were convicts from England... but I’ve heard other people say that ‘Pom’ is short for ‘pomegranate’ because that’s the colour that British people turn when they’re in the hot Aussie sun!” She giggled.

  A waitress arrived to take their order and they hastily turned their attention to the menu. Charlie ordered the macadamia muesli with fresh berries and yoghurt, Sara picked the buttermilk pancakes with bananas and maple syrup, and Pippa decided to go the whole hog and ordered the Big Breakfast: scrambled eggs on sourdough toast, with crispy bacon, beef sausages, grilled tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, and hash browns. I hope my eyes aren’t bigger than my stomach, thought Pippa.

  When the waitress had left, Charlie turned to Pippa and said, “I’m sorry Kylie isn’t here today—must be her day off. I really wanted you to meet her. She’s practically an institution herself!”

  “Who’s
Kylie?” asked Pippa curiously.

  “She’s a waitress here. But she’s just... it’s hard to describe. She’s a real character.” Charlie grinned as Sara nodded in vehement agreement. “You’ll see what I mean when you meet her.”

  Pippa was sorry when the brunch was over. Charlie and Sara were great company and she hadn’t enjoyed herself so much in ages. And the food, as Charlie had promised, was delicious. The other two girls were heading off on a shopping trip afterwards, but Pippa declined the invitation to join them. She still had a lot of unpacking to do and she wanted to try and get things straight this weekend. Once Monday came tomorrow and the working week started, she planned to throw herself into job-hunting.

  She waved the other two girls off in their car, then walked slowly down the street. The Laughing Kookaburra Café was situated at the end of Beach Road, perched in prime position on a promontory of rock overlooking the beach. There weren’t many houses on this dead-end street and one of the largest buildings—a few hundred yards back up the road, just beyond the entrance to the beach—was the Summer Beach Veterinary Hospital where Charlie worked. Pippa had been really lucky that one of the old fisherman’s cottages opposite the clinic had come up for rent just before her return and Charlie had seen the real estate agent’s sign. Her friend had organised everything so that Pippa had a place ready to live in as soon as she arrived back. It had been a huge help, especially as the period after New Year’s was always a busy time in the housing market in Australia, because it was the height of summer.

  Now Pippa walked slowly towards the cottage—that “big breakfast” was sitting heavily in her stomach—and let her thoughts drift. She had a load of laundry that she needed to get done—would it be safe enough to hang things outside? Pippa eyed the sky worriedly. It had looked so promising, even at the start of their breakfast, but large banks of cloud were moving across the sky now, blocking out the sun and turning the vivid blue to an ominous grey. She remembered gratefully that the cottage came with a dryer. If worst came to worst, she could always load the machine and—

  Pippa suddenly became aware of a strange noise near her. It sounded like an engine, softly thrumming. She turned. There was a car parked by the curb next to her. It probably belonged to the cottage beside hers. Had they left the engine running?

  Pippa bent and looked through the car windows. There was nobody in the driver’s seat. In fact, the car didn’t seem to be on! Puzzled, Pippa went closer, laying a hand on the car bonnet. The metal was slightly warm, as if the car had been running recently. But it was definitely not running now. So where was the engine noise coming from?

  She walked around the car to the side on the street and squatted down, trying to look under the wheels. The noise seemed to be originating from in there. Pippa scooted closer, kneeling on the hard tarmac, feeling the cement dig into the skin of her shins. She bent and wedged her head into the space below the chassis.

  “What on earth are you doing?”

  Pippa started and almost hit her head. She turned to find a tall man standing next to her, looking down at her. He had dark brown hair that fell in thick curls across his forehead, a strong nose balanced by a mobile, sensitive mouth, and the most beautiful deep brown eyes she had ever seen. He was wearing a simple grey T-shirt which moulded itself to his broad chest and showed off his tanned, muscular arms.

  Wow, he’s gorgeous, thought Pippa. Men in Australia had certainly got a lot better-looking since she went away!

  She realised that he was still waiting for her to answer his question. “I was checking out what the strange noise was.”

  “Strange noise?”

  Pippa gestured to the car’s undercarriage. “Under there. Can’t you hear it?”

  He cocked his head to listen, then a surprised smile spread over his face. “Crikey... yes!”

  “What do you think it is?” asked Pippa.

  His brown eyes twinkled with humour. “I have a theory. Let’s see if I’m right...”

  He crouched down next to her and bent to lower his head under the car. Pippa was suddenly very aware of his body next to hers—he was so close, their shoulders were almost touching, and she could see the way his dark brown hair curled at the nape of his neck. She had a sudden urge to run her fingers through his hair. Heavens, what is wrong with me? She sat back on her heels, alarmed at her own reaction.

  “I think I’ve found your answer.” He turned his head and gave her a disarming grin over his shoulder.

  Pippa felt her stomach do a backflip at that crooked smile. She hoped fervently that her previous thoughts about his hair weren’t showing on her face.

  “Here, look... come closer...” He reached for her shoulder and gently guided her closer to the car, towards the gap between the tyre and the front fender.

  Pippa bent lower and looked where he was pointing, but it was hard to concentrate. She was very conscious of his hand on her shoulder and his breath warm against her ear. She could feel her pulse jumping erratically. Something about being close to this man just did crazy things to her body.

  Then she saw a movement in the depths of the car and forgot everything else temporarily.

  “Oh! Yes, I see it!” She cried, craning her neck to get a closer look. “It’s a... a kitten?”

  He chuckled. “Yeah. Curled up in there, near the engine.”

  “But... what is it doing in there?” asked Pippa.

  “Probably attracted to the heat generated by the engine. You know how cats love warm places. This little one thinks it’s found a great hidey hole to take a cosy nap.” He grinned at Pippa’s incredulous look. “It’s more common than you think. There are lots of stories of kittens getting stuck inside car engines—although usually in the colder countries, during winter.”

  “We can’t leave it in there though!” cried Pippa. “What if it’s still sleeping in there when my neighbours decide to use their car?”

  He inclined his head in agreement. “We have to get it out. Hold on... let me see if I can grab it.”

  Before Pippa realised what he was doing, he had flipped around and lain down on the ground, easing himself underneath the car. His head and upper body disappeared, leaving only two long, jean-clad legs in view.

  “Oh yeah... I see you...” His voice came muffled from underneath the car bonnet. “Easy now... I got you, mate...”

  There was a sudden plaintive “Mew!” Pippa stood up and watched anxiously as she heard fumbling from inside the bonnet. Then one of the man’s arms came out from under the car and gripped the edges of the fender, his biceps bulging as he heaved himself back out from underneath the car.

  Slowly, he rose back to his feet and held his other hand up for Pippa to see. Curled across his palm, its eyes wide and scared, was a tiny tabby kitten.

  CHAPTER 2

  “Mew!” the kitten cried, opening its little mouth wide enough for Pippa to see the pink insides. Its fur was standing up in little tufts all over its body and its tiny claws were almost transparent.

  “Oh, it’s adorable!” Pippa exclaimed. “Is it all right?”

  The man turned the kitten over gently in his big, strong hands. He looked at it carefully. “There doesn’t seem to be any injuries, although you can’t be a hundred percent sure without doing a more thorough examination—but it looks okay. Very thin, though, and probably full of worms. I’d also be concerned about testing for feline leukaemia and FIV.” He looked at it closer. “Hmm... looks like it might be suffering from ear mites as well. Nothing that a bit of otic medication won’t cure, though.”

  Pippa stared at him in surprise. “How do you know so much about kitten health?”

  He looked up at her and smiled. “I didn’t introduce myself properly. I’m a vet. Matt Pearson. I work at the animal hospital there.” He nodded across the street.

  Pippa followed his gaze to the large building with a sign saying “SUMMER BEACH VETERINARY CLINIC” in front of the parking area. “Oh! You’re one of the vets that Charlie works with.”


  “You know Charlie?”

  Pippa nodded. “We were best friends at school. Although I haven’t seen her for a while because I’ve been overseas... but I’ve just come back and it’s great to see her again and...” She trailed off, embarrassed. “Sorry, I’m rambling on.”

  “No, go on.” He smiled. “I’m interested.”

  Pippa shrugged and said slightly self-consciously, “There’s not much else to tell. Charlie went off to vet school while I found that I really enjoyed teaching so I combined that with my interest in English and got a job in ESL. That’s English as a Second Language,” she explained. “When a work opportunity came up in the U.K., I jumped at it. I’d always wanted to go overseas for a bit anyway. Ended up staying in London the last six years. But it’s nice to be back.” She paused and added with a smile, “It’s nice to be home. I’m Pippa, by the way.”

  He seemed about to say something, then changed his mind and, instead, raised the hand holding the kitten slightly. “Well, I’d better take this little one in and give it a full health check. Want to come?”

  “Me?” Pippa stared at him stupidly.

  “Yes. I thought you might be interested. But if you’re busy, no worries.”

  “Oh, no... no... I’d love to. Um... I mean... yes, I’d be interested.” Pippa tried to contain the big grin splitting her face. Suddenly, the prospect of spending more time in Matt’s company made her very happy.

  He led the way across the street and up to the vet hospital’s front doors, taking a key from his pocket to unlock it. Pippa followed him into the darkened waiting room.

  “We’re not officially open on Sundays,” he said, switching on a few lights. “But I had some reports I needed to get done so I thought I’d pop in and finish them before the Monday morning rush started.”

  He showed her into one of the consulting rooms and gently placed the kitten on the examination table. It wobbled across the surface, mewing softly.

  “It looks really young,” said Pippa.

  Matt nodded. “Probably only around seven weeks.” He reached out and stroked the kitten, talking to it softly, until it began purring again and nuzzling his hand. When it was feeling more relaxed, he began carefully examining it—looking into its eyes, ears, and mouth with a pen torch, palpating the tiny abdomen to check the internal organs, going through its fur with a fine-tooth flea comb. Then he picked up a stethoscope from a hook by the counter and listened to its heart and lungs while Pippa watched quietly. Finally, he took its rectal temperature, which elicited another indignant “Mew!” from the kitten.