By Request Collection April-June 2016. Оливия Гейтс

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ wouldn’t invite himself to stay, not after the rules she’d made. If she wanted him to spend Christmas with her she would have to ask him. But did she want that? Or, more precisely, did she want what that would mean in the days after Christmas and beyond? Because one thing was for sure: she couldn’t play fast and loose with his heart any more. She had to be sure. And she wasn’t; she wasn’t sure. Was she?

      ‘You’d be surprised. She’s going to have kittens to feed and she’s got lost time to make up for.’

      And as though on cue the cat woke up, stretching as she opened big amber eyes and then stood up amid the folds of the blanket. When Forde lifted her out of the laundry basket she didn’t struggle but gave a small miaow. Melanie quickly warmed more milk and cut more chicken, and this time Forde set the little animal on its feet to eat. She cleared both saucers, stretched again and then walked over to her makeshift bed and jumped in, settling herself down by kneading the blanket how she wanted it. Then she looked at them.

      Melanie knelt down beside her, stroking the brindled fur beneath which she could feel every bone. ‘She’s so beautiful,’ she murmured softly, ‘and so brave. She must have been desperate, knowing her babies are going to be born and she had no shelter, no food. It’s a wonder she’s survived this long.’

      A steady, rhythmic vibration began under her fingers as the little cat began to purr; it made her want to cry. How could anyone treat this friendly little creature so cruelly? To throw her out in the winter when they must have known her chances of survival and those of the kittens was poor?

      ‘But now she’s found you,’ Forde said quietly. ‘And she knows she can trust you to look after her.’

      Flooded by emotions as turbulent as the weather outside, Melanie looked up at him. She felt as though she were standing at the brink of something profound. ‘Do you think I should keep her?’

      He didn’t prevaricate or throw the ball back in her court. ‘Yes, I do. She needs someone to love her unconditionally.’

      Melanie blinked back tears. ‘But she’s so fragile and thin. I can’t see her surviving giving birth, Forde. And what of the kittens? If their mother’s been starving, what shape will they be in when they’re born?’

      ‘Take it a moment by moment, hour by hour. She might surprise you. I think she’s a tougher little cookie than she looks. Don’t give up on her yet.’

      ‘I’m not about to give up on her,’ said Melanie, a trifle indignantly. ‘That’s the last thing I would do.’

      ‘Good.’ He smiled. ‘In that case she has a fighting chance.’

      The ringing of the doorbell ended further conversation. The vet turned out to be a big, buxom woman with rosy cheeks and large hands, but she was gentleness itself with her small patient. The cat submitted to her ministrations with surprising docility and when she had finished examining her, the vet shook her head. ‘I’d be surprised if she’s more than a year or so old. She’s little more than a kitten herself. That’s not good for a number of reasons. She might find it difficult giving birth and in her state she hasn’t got any physical strength to fall back on. Being so malnourished I don’t know if she would be able to produce a good quality of milk for the kittens, should she or them survive the birth. But—’ she looked at them both ‘—she’s a dear little cat, isn’t she?’

      ‘What can you do to help in the short term?’ Forde asked quietly. ‘We want to give her every chance.’

      ‘The main thing she needs is rest and food and food and rest. Have you got a litter tray so she doesn’t need to go outside? It’s important to keep her warm.’

      Forde shook his head. ‘But I can get one.’

      ‘Not at this time of night. Follow me back to the surgery and I’ll give you one of ours, along with a food made specially for pregnant females and feeding mothers. I’ll give her a vitamin injection now and once she’s a little stronger she’ll need various vaccinations for cat flu and other diseases. I don’t want to tax her system by doing that now, and as long as you keep her confined to the house for the time being she won’t come into contact with other felines who might be carrying diseases. I think she’s due very soon, although it’s difficult to tell in a case like this. If she does begin and you’re worried for any reason, call me. I’ll give you my mobile number.’

      She smiled. ‘Having done that we can almost guarantee she’ll start as I sit down for my Christmas lunch.’

      ‘That’s very good of you,’ said Melanie.

      ‘This is an exceptional case,’ the young woman said quietly. ‘I hate to think what she’s been through in the last weeks. Now, let her eat and drink little and often in the next twenty-four hours and try to get as much down her as she wants. But I have to warn you—’ again she glanced at them both ‘—the odds are stacked against her giving birth to live kittens. I can give you vitamin drops to put in her food but I’m afraid it might well be too little too late.’

      Melanie nodded. ‘Nevertheless, we want to try.’

      ‘Good. Fuss her, talk to her and give her plenty of TLC. You won’t read that in any veterinary journal but in my opinion it works wonders with animals that have been ill treated. They understand far more than we give them credit for.’

      The vet gave them a few more instructions and then she and Forde left, leaving Melanie with Tabitha, as she had decided to call the pretty little animal. She found she was on tenterhooks all the time Forde was gone. Forde had carried the basket into the sitting room for her before he departed, setting it on the thick rug in front of the fire, and after a little more food Tabitha had gone soundly asleep. Melanie tried to watch TV but her whole attention was fixed on the sleeping feline.

      The vet had run through the signs to look for when the cat started labour and what to expect, and Melanie found herself praying the whole time nothing would happen before Forde got back. He’d know what to do; he always did.

      The relief she felt when she heard him call to her when he let himself in with the key she’d given him was overwhelming. She flew out into the hall, her words tumbling over themselves as she said, ‘Did you get everything? Should we try and give her some of the special food right now? Where should we put the litter tray? Do you think she’ll let us know when she needs to use it?’ She stopped to draw breath.

      Forde regarded her with amused eyes. ‘Yes, yes, litter tray by the basket and maybe.’

      He looked big and dark and impossibly attractive in her tiny hall, and sexy. Incredibly sexy. Before she knew what she was saying, she blurted, ‘Will you stay here tonight, in case something happens?’

      He smiled a sweet smile. ‘I didn’t intend to leave you by yourself, Nell. Now, we’ll get our patient organised with some more food and then we’ll eat ourselves, OK? Ham and eggs, something quick and easy. Have you got a spare duvet I can use tonight and perhaps a pillow for the sofa?’

      ‘You’ll never sleep on my sofas.’ His long frame was double their length. ‘I can stay down here with her.’

      ‘You need your sleep.’ He glanced at the swell of her stomach under the soft Angora sweater-dress she was wearing. ‘And I’ll be fine. Now, let’s see how she likes this food compared to the chicken.’

      The food smelt quite disgusting when they opened the tin, the odour of fish overpowering, but Tabitha finished a saucerful without СКАЧАТЬ