A Puppy And A Christmas Proposal. Louisa George

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ

      ‘But...what about this little one?’ He held the dog towards her and looked at her almost as dolefully as the dog did.

      Steeling her heart against them both, she peered closer. Maybe she’d missed something. ‘Is he sick?’

      ‘No. He’s a handful.’

      It was just a ruse. He’d come here to dump the poor pooch on her, but she was in no position to take on a puppy. ‘Do you have a fire or central heating at your house so the two of you can be warm until you find his owner?’

      Alex’s hopeful smile faded. ‘Of course.’

      ‘Right. And you’re a grown man and a medical professional to boot. You’ll manage.’ She couldn’t hold back the sigh. ‘This is not an emergency, Alex. I am not needed here.’

      ‘Yes, this is an emergency, Beth. I don’t want a dog. I don’t know how to look after them. I don’t have the time. I need to give him back to his owner. Think of the poor little girl who is missing her puppy so close to Christmas.’

      He was standing under a swathe of the cheap tinsel they’d strung across the clinic ceiling in an effort to be festive. His eyes locked onto hers and for a minute she was thrown back to a Christmas years ago when they’d come back from their separate universities for the holidays and they’d decorated his bedroom and made love for hours. Then he’d made her a crown out of gold tinsel, kissed her hard, told her she was the queen of his heart and asked her to marry him.

      And she’d been the happiest woman on earth for a whole year, until he’d unceremoniously knocked her off that throne and broken her heart with a single phone call. Then had gone travelling...without her. In breaking up with her he’d not only cut her off from him, but from his parents and sister too...the extended family she’d always craved. Because, of course, when she’d come back home in the holidays and he wasn’t around she’d questioned them about why he’d disappeared from contact. They’d rallied behind their beloved boy. With a gentle sadness in their eyes, admittedly, but they’d rallied.

       We’re so sorry, but it’s what he wants. We’re sorry, Beth.

      For breaking her heart?

      He could deal with the dog on his own. ‘Feel free to find the owner and be the hero of the hour. Why do I need to be involved?’

      He shrugged. ‘Because I don’t know what to do next.’

      ‘Have you developed an allergy to phones or something?’ She shook her head. ‘Call the rescue centre.’

      ‘I did. No one’s reported a missing dog and they’re full so they can’t take this little one. No room at the inn, right?’

      She rolled her eyes at the very bad Christmas pun. ‘The animal pound in Kendal?’

      ‘Same. Full, no missing reports filed.’

      ‘The police? Here—’ Raising her eyebrows, she thrust the surgery’s laminated card of emergency numbers towards him. ‘Call the local station.’

      He took the card but shook his head. ‘You know, you’re not being very helpful.’

      Say what? He had a nerve. ‘Alex, I am always helpful in times of need. This is not one of them. I’m in the middle of something very important. I have to go to Meg—’

      ‘But you know about dogs.’

      ‘I know about sick ones.’ That was a little disingenuous. She knew a lot about animals in general, she just didn’t feel a need to abandon her sick dog to help Alex.

      He shrugged. ‘I don’t know anything at all. He’s not mine and he needs to go to his rightful owners. He hasn’t got a collar so it’s not just a case of picking up a phone. Maybe he has a microchip? Or what if he hasn’t? What if he hasn’t got anyone?’ He almost—almost—looked genuinely concerned. ‘What do we do then?’

      ‘We? Oh, no. That is not going to happen.’ She was not going to get embroiled in this.

      ‘Me,’ he corrected. ‘What do I do with a lost puppy? I’m working all weekend. I haven’t got time for this. Oh.’ Alex’s mouth crumpled as a stream of liquid left the dog and hit the counter, splashing Alex’s jeans en route. ‘He keeps doing that.’

      ‘At least we know his urinary system is in good nick.’ It was getting late and she needed to check the blood results and generally tend to Meg but she also had a duty of care to the puppy too. Or, at the very least, she needed to make sure it was safe and cared for, and that the person responsible for it had an inkling of how to keep a dog alive. ‘Look, if you can give me an hour or so to get Meg sorted then I’ll be able to concentrate on this little one. Why don’t you go home and bring him back later?’

      ‘I’d prefer to stay here. You have all the equipment. I have nothing suitable for a pet at home. Plus, he doesn’t like cars, he howls like I’m trying to kill him. I tried to soothe him with some classic tunes from the nineties but that didn’t work, and neither did Rihanna, which I don’t understand at all, because when Rihanna sings I’m all ears.’

      ‘Okay, okay. That’s enough.’ She didn’t want to know any more, she didn’t want to hear his voice or see his face or be subjected to his bad puns, because those were things from her past and she was working forward now, not looking back. She dug out a bowl and filled it with water, and another one with puppy food. ‘Give him something to eat and drink then go through to the staff room and make yourself a coffee.’

      And she’d make sure she stayed safely at least two doors and a corridor away from him.

      ‘Thank you.’ He breathed out slowly, relief flickering across his eyes, and then he smiled.

      God, that smile did her in every time. No. She stood tall. She was immune. She had to be.

      ‘It’s okay, I’ll just add it all to your bill, which is growing by the minute.’ She watched in amusement as Alex put the dog on the floor and then proceeded to follow it around, growling every time it started to get frisky or inquisitive. He clearly had no idea how to look after dogs.

      She closed her eyes and counted backwards from ten, wishing that seeing Alex Norton in charge of a puppy—or, rather, completely out of control with a puppy—didn’t make her knees weak and her ovaries prickle. ‘Why do I get the feeling that I’m going to regret this?’

      ‘How’s she doing?’ Alex lowered his voice to a whisper and crept into the treatment room, almost fearful of disturbing Beth as she was so completely focused on the collie. But he’d waited and waited and now he was worried the old dog had passed on and she was in here grieving and dealing with it all on her own. But no, both vet and patient were holding on. ‘I’ve brought you a cup of tea, Beth. Thought you might need one.’

      As always, the sight of her made his heart stutter. Her long honey-coloured hair had fallen over her face as she titrated the IV drip attached to Meg’s paw, but he remembered every detail of her pretty features; the dark brown eyes that were warm to everyone, but him. With good cause, he knew. The perfect nose and mouth that had a generous smile...mostly. Not tonight, obviously.

      Yes, СКАЧАТЬ