‘Do you want to hold her, while I have a proper look?’ he asked, lowering Daphne gently to the table. ‘I’m Brodie, by the way. Do you mind telling me your name?’
‘I’m Betsy and this is Granny.’
The grandmother gave a shaky smile. ‘Jean Blanchard,’ she said. ‘Thank you for seeing us so promptly, Brodie. I really am very grateful.’
‘Not at all.’ He checked the rabbit was being held before reaching to pick up his stethoscope. ‘We’re having a quiet morning, which is lucky.’
After examining the little girl’s pet, Brodie explained that he was going to have to keep Daphne in overnight. ‘She needs a scan to check that there’s nothing broken and I’ll give her some antibiotics and dress this wound on her foot.’
‘Will she be all right?’ Jean asked, her voice quaking anxiously.
‘We’ll do everything we can to make her well. You should be able to take her home first thing tomorrow.’
The little girl brightened considerably when he told her the good news. ‘Thank you, Brodie,’ she said. ‘Can I give her a cuddle before I go?’
‘Of course. Sit for a bit with her. She’ll be calmer after a cuddle with you.’
After they had left he saw two more patients, then had to driveto a nearby stable to check on a foal and its mother. ‘I shouldn’t be too long, Bethan,’ he said, as he was leaving.
‘No worries.’ She glanced at her computer screen. ‘You have three more appointments after lunch at the moment, so no need to rush back if you want to stop off and grab a bite to eat.’
He picked up his bag and Land Rover keys and left through the back door of the surgery.
10
LETTIE
End of May
As Lettie walked along the narrow country lane on her way to the village she breathed in the sweet country air and felt the tension in her neck go and her shoulders relax.
She wondered when she would next see Brodie. She was bound to bump into him at some point now that he was working in the village. She remembered his younger reputation as a fun-loving, friendly guy. Not that she had known him well, only having a secret crush on him back then. Apart from that solitary kiss after a school Halloween disco when they were teenagers, he hadn’t paid her any attention and she had to accept that he wasn’t interested in her. She had her pride. She might have done her best in the intervening years to keep her attraction for him a secret, embarrassed to think her kiss wasn’t exciting enough to make him want to see her again. It had stung for a long time that to know she hadn’t made enough of an impression on Brodie for him to ask her out on a date, like he had said he would do when he had taken her number that night. And now it seemed that he didn’t even remember her.
‘I’m clearly more forgettable than even I thought.’ She sighed and picked a long strand of grass growing from the granite wall she was passing. ‘I’m not here to find a boyfriend though, am I? No, Lettie Torel, you’re here to prove to your parents you have what it takes to run the farm.’
She wasn’t sure why she was talking to herself, but reminded of her ambitions, Lettie strode on breathing in the fresh air, sweet with wildflowers. It really was refreshing to be back home again and exciting to embark on a new chapter in her life.
Lettie neared the post office. She had received an email earlier asking her to collect a parcel and hoped it was the new overalls (two pairs) and wellies she had ordered for herself weeks before, ready to start work. She wasn’t sure if her sense of excitement matched her nerves, but hoped that being dressed correctly might help reassure her a little that she did have what it took do this job. The days had passed far more quickly than she had expected and it was intimidating to think that she would be starting work on the farm first thing tomorrow.
As Lettie rounded the corner to the post office, she spotted Uncle Leonard and increased her pace, hoping to catch up with him before he reached his car.
‘Uncle Leonard, wait up a sec.’
He turned and seeing her beamed. ‘You’re back then?’
‘I am.’
‘I bet your father hasn’t wasted any time getting you out working these past few weeks.’ He laughed and walked over to her, giving her one of his big bear hugs. ‘It’s good to have you here again full-time, little one.’ He wrapped his arms around her.
She was hardly little at five feet seven inches, but he was around six feet three, so she supposed to him she was still relatively small.
‘I’m a bit anxious about how much I’ve taken on,’ she admitted as his arms dropped from around her.
‘Don’t be. Your dad will still be around to help you for the next week or so until he and your mum leave for their much-needed holiday, and I’ll be here to answer any questions you might have. I’m sure you can do this, Lettie. You just need confidence in yourself. You were born and raised on that farm and whether you think so or not, you’ve probably absorbed far more about the running of it than you assume.’
‘I suppose you’re right,’ she said, praying he was. ‘I feel better for speaking to you anyway.’
‘Good, I’m glad.’
