Read Online The Village Vet by Cathy Woodman - Free Book Online Page B

and a bag. When I explain, he says, as always, ‘Have fun, Princess. Make sure you’re back by midnight—’
    ‘Or else you’ll turn into a pumpkin,’ I finish for him. Smiling, I kiss him and go, meeting Katie outside the house. We stroll through town down to the river to make our way to the pub, Katie in full make-up, skimpy top and leggings while I’m in an oversized T-shirt and jeans. After Katie’s given me a dressing-down for not dressing up, I tell her about Fifi’s offer.
    ‘You aren’t going to take her up on it?’ Katie says. ‘You’d be mad to. You’ll end up a glorified kennel maid and general dogsbody. A full-time position with part-time pay: that sounds to me like someone’s taking advantage.’
    ‘Talyton Animal Rescue’s a charity.’
    ‘That’s no reason not to pay a living wage.’
    ‘There’s accommodation and use of a van.’
    ‘A van, after that gorgeous Mini that Nathan gave you.’ Katie chuckles. ‘How cool is that? Not!’
    ‘And I’d be working with animals, which I love,’ I go on, as we’re crossing the bridge that carries the traffic from Talyton St George towards the coast. Renamed the Centurion Crossing, it’s the recreation of the old stone bridge that was washed away in Talyton’s great flood of three years ago. We walk down the slope on the far side and join the path that runs along the riverbank.
    ‘I suppose there’s no harm in saying you’ll do it for a while until something better turns up,’ Katie says eventually.
    ‘Ah, there’s a hitch. Fifi wants me to sign up for a year minimum, so I can get the new centre off the ground. It isn’t all about the animals. We’ll be organising campaigns to raise money and attract volunteers too.’
    ‘You said “we” as if it’s a foregone conclusion and you’ve already made up your mind,’ Katie says, raising one eyebrow.
    ‘I’ve promised her my answer tomorrow.’
    We make our way over the open field to the old railway line and clamber over the stile into the next field, where we come across a horse grazing beside the footpath. She’s tethered to a post with a rope and chain in full sun with no shelter or shade, and has mown a circle of grass down to bare earth. As we move closer, I realise that she’s more of a pony than a horse, a piebald cob, all black and white patches, with a long mane and an unbelievably thick tail that touches the ground. When she catches sight of me and Katie, she lifts her head and peers out through her forelock.
    ‘She could do with some layers in that fringe,’ Katie observes dryly.
    ‘And a decent pedicure,’ I go on, noticing how her stripy black and white hooves are long and ragged like an old man’s fingernails. Her legs are swollen and some of the feather is coming off, and I can see her ribs and bony haunches. The lack of muscle and fat has given her a ewe neck that looks as if it’s been set on upside down. I take another step closer and she backs away, turning her bottom towards us.
    ‘I can’t see any water,’ I say.
    Katie shrugs. ‘I expect her owners come and give her a drink now and then.’
    ‘She’s a horse. She should have access to fresh water at all times.’
    ‘Well, you know best, Tessa. I can hardly tell one end of a horse from another.’
    ‘One end bites, the other one kicks,’ I say, smiling. I grow serious once more. ‘I’m going to have to report this.’
    ‘Are you sure? It isn’t really any of our business.’
    ‘I can’t leave it, can I? She looks as if she’s being neglected.’ I pull my mobile from my pocket, make an internet search for the number of the animal welfare officer, and I’m waiting for someone to answer when Katie gives me a sharp nudge. I look towards the stile where a large man, brandishing a stick, and a teenage boy in a cap are climbing over, yelling curses in our direction.
    ‘I don’t like the look of this,’ says Katie. ‘Let’s get out of here.’
    ‘It’s the Maddockses.’ I cut the call.