smiled.
‘Hi. Sorry I’m late. I’ve got Melinda here—Kate said you’d look at her?’
‘Sure. Hi, Melinda,’ she said, greeting the young vet who was fast becoming a treasured part of their community. ‘I gather you’ve been bitten?’
‘Yes—stupid,’ she said, her slight Italian accent at odds with the gorgeous golden blonde of her hair. She tossed it back over her shoulder out of the way and it slid forward again, obviously irritating her. ‘It was my own fault. The dogwas injured—we found her on the road near the pub. We’d been for lunch to the Smugglers’ and we were on the way down when we saw her. She was in pain, she didn’t know me—it was just one of those things.’
‘Is she OK?’
‘She is now,’ Dragan said drily. ‘We had to follow her, of course, and catch her, and then take her to the surgery and put her in a cage to rest. I had to drag Melinda here.’
‘I could have cleaned it up myself—’
‘It’s bleeding much too fast. You need serious attention, the right antibiotics—’
‘You think I don’t have antibiotics suitable for dog bites?’ she said mildly, but she held out her left arm to Lucy, her right hand holding down a blood-soaked swab on the inside of her forearm. ‘He’s right. It is bleeding heavily. I think she’s nicked one of the vessels.’
‘Let’s go into the treatment room and have a look. Oh, by the way, sorry, Dragan Lovak, Melinda Fortesque, Ben Carter,’ she said economically, getting the introductions over and ushering her into the treatment room where they did their minor surgery. ‘Let’s have a look at it,’ she suggested. Easing off the pad of gauze, she winced at the bloody mess and pressed the pad quickly back in place over the briskly bleeding vein.
‘Ouch.’ Ben leant over her shoulder. ‘May I take a closer look in a moment?’
‘Of course,’ Melinda said.
‘Nasty bite. We need to clean it thoroughly,’ Lucy said as Ben joined her at the basin and started scrubbing.
‘That vein needs suturing,’ he murmured. ‘Are you happy to do that or do you want me to have a go? Assuming it’s something we can tackle here?’
She shrugged uncertainly. ‘Well, I can have a go,’ she said.
‘Have you got any fine suture material?’
‘I believe so. I don’t suppose, since you’re here…? We might as well take advantage of the head honcho—you’re bound to be better than me, your skills are more up to date than mine.’
He chuckled. ‘I doubt if that’s true, but if you’re happy for me to do it to save sending her to St Piran?’
‘Of course I am. It’s not my arm, of course, but I’m sure Melinda doesn’t want to go to St Piran either.’
‘No, I don’t,’ she said promptly from behind them. ‘I have to get back to the dog, and I don’t care which of you does it so long as one of you does.’
‘Right, let’s take a look at it before we make any rash promises,’ Ben said. Snapping on gloves, he settled down on a stool next to the couch and studied the wound, blotting it frequently with a gauze swab to keep the field clear of blood. ‘Looks sore.’
‘It is sore. Some local wouldn’t hurt before you go poking it.’
He chuckled and met her eyes with a smile that made Lucy feel instantly, absurdly jealous. Dragan, too, unless she was much mistaken, and she wondered what the situation was between them. Something, otherwise he would have done this himself, but what?
Lovers? Friends? Two strangers in a strange land? Dragan was Croatian, and he’d been living in England since his teens. He didn’t talk about his past, but there were shadows in his eyes, and as for Melinda, although Lucy knew little about her past there was an air of quiet dignity about her that hinted at breeding. Yet even so, she was open and friendly and down-to-earth, and anyone more lacking in airs and graces she could hardly imagine.
She looked up at Dragan to say something, and found him watching her, his brooding eyes
‘Hi. Sorry I’m late. I’ve got Melinda here—Kate said you’d look at her?’
‘Sure. Hi, Melinda,’ she said, greeting the young vet who was fast becoming a treasured part of their community. ‘I gather you’ve been bitten?’
‘Yes—stupid,’ she said, her slight Italian accent at odds with the gorgeous golden blonde of her hair. She tossed it back over her shoulder out of the way and it slid forward again, obviously irritating her. ‘It was my own fault. The dogwas injured—we found her on the road near the pub. We’d been for lunch to the Smugglers’ and we were on the way down when we saw her. She was in pain, she didn’t know me—it was just one of those things.’
‘Is she OK?’
‘She is now,’ Dragan said drily. ‘We had to follow her, of course, and catch her, and then take her to the surgery and put her in a cage to rest. I had to drag Melinda here.’
‘I could have cleaned it up myself—’
‘It’s bleeding much too fast. You need serious attention, the right antibiotics—’
‘You think I don’t have antibiotics suitable for dog bites?’ she said mildly, but she held out her left arm to Lucy, her right hand holding down a blood-soaked swab on the inside of her forearm. ‘He’s right. It is bleeding heavily. I think she’s nicked one of the vessels.’
‘Let’s go into the treatment room and have a look. Oh, by the way, sorry, Dragan Lovak, Melinda Fortesque, Ben Carter,’ she said economically, getting the introductions over and ushering her into the treatment room where they did their minor surgery. ‘Let’s have a look at it,’ she suggested. Easing off the pad of gauze, she winced at the bloody mess and pressed the pad quickly back in place over the briskly bleeding vein.
‘Ouch.’ Ben leant over her shoulder. ‘May I take a closer look in a moment?’
‘Of course,’ Melinda said.
‘Nasty bite. We need to clean it thoroughly,’ Lucy said as Ben joined her at the basin and started scrubbing.
‘That vein needs suturing,’ he murmured. ‘Are you happy to do that or do you want me to have a go? Assuming it’s something we can tackle here?’
She shrugged uncertainly. ‘Well, I can have a go,’ she said.
‘Have you got any fine suture material?’
‘I believe so. I don’t suppose, since you’re here…? We might as well take advantage of the head honcho—you’re bound to be better than me, your skills are more up to date than mine.’
He chuckled. ‘I doubt if that’s true, but if you’re happy for me to do it to save sending her to St Piran?’
‘Of course I am. It’s not my arm, of course, but I’m sure Melinda doesn’t want to go to St Piran either.’
‘No, I don’t,’ she said promptly from behind them. ‘I have to get back to the dog, and I don’t care which of you does it so long as one of you does.’
‘Right, let’s take a look at it before we make any rash promises,’ Ben said. Snapping on gloves, he settled down on a stool next to the couch and studied the wound, blotting it frequently with a gauze swab to keep the field clear of blood. ‘Looks sore.’
‘It is sore. Some local wouldn’t hurt before you go poking it.’
He chuckled and met her eyes with a smile that made Lucy feel instantly, absurdly jealous. Dragan, too, unless she was much mistaken, and she wondered what the situation was between them. Something, otherwise he would have done this himself, but what?
Lovers? Friends? Two strangers in a strange land? Dragan was Croatian, and he’d been living in England since his teens. He didn’t talk about his past, but there were shadows in his eyes, and as for Melinda, although Lucy knew little about her past there was an air of quiet dignity about her that hinted at breeding. Yet even so, she was open and friendly and down-to-earth, and anyone more lacking in airs and graces she could hardly imagine.
She looked up at Dragan to say something, and found him watching her, his brooding eyes
Similar Books
