Sweet Christmas Kisses (36 page)

He placed the little dog on the gleaming operating table, then crossed his arms in front of his chest. “The guys at the SCPA told me I should go to the veterinarian.”

“No owner claimed him?” Joanna pulled gently at Dimitri's ridiculous ears.

Dimitri gave a happy sigh.

“None.” His face was impassive. “They said he needs to be vaccinated. I also came for advice. I have no experience with dogs, as I told you.”

Joanna turned to the wall, where a metal stand held several brochures. She picked two leaflets and handed them to him. “This will give you some basic information.”

He accepted them with a scowl.

She bent over Dimitri. “He looks good.” She stroked the dog's neck. “You need to buy a brush and brush him at least once a week. He's a long-haired dog which means you'll have to make sure the coat doesn't mat. You can buy everything you need in one of the pet stores. There's one on Stonybrook Road, and another in Lake Grove.” With a smile, she gently pulled on one soft ear again. “Also, clean his ears, nose and eyes regularly with a make-up remover and warm water. Use different cotton pads for each eye and each ear to avoid spreading infection.”

Dimitri licked her hand.

“You need to give him exercise, let him explore the outdoors. Make sure you have a regular routine, so he knows what to expect. To housebreak him, take him outside early in the morning and late at night, and in between, keep an eye on him. If he looks as if he needs to potty, take him out immediately. He should learn fast, as he's got quite a bit of the Collie inside him, and they're clean dogs. Still, it's best if you buy a leash and keep it on until he has finished his business, otherwise, he'll be too excited by the many things he can discover and will forget to potty.”

“Sounds like a full-time job.” He scowled at the dog.

“You'll manage to sing a few songs in between.” Joanna caught herself in dismay.
Gosh.
She had to get a grip on herself. She schooled her face into an impassive mask and added in spite of herself. “If you don't want him, you can always give him away to the shelter.”

Dimitri cocked his head and looked at his new owner as if he understood every word. The ridiculous tufts of hair on his ears moved to and fro with every word they exchanged, and his clown face gave him a mischievous expression.

If you give away this puppy, you have a heart of stone.
Joanna examined Dimitri's paws.
Maybe it's best if I continue to talk as if the shelter doesn't exist.
“You don't need to clip his nails yet.”

“Why don't you take him?”

She lifted her head in surprise. “Me?”

“Yes, you.” His blue eyes pierced her. “You're a veterinarian; you have experience with animals; you're on the road all the time, and you can take him with you. Doesn't every veterinarian have a dog?”

The image of Spicy, panting with happiness after having chased across a field, rose in front of her inner eyes. “My dog died six months ago.” She turned her back to the man who kept shaking her out of her equilibrium.

“That doesn't mean you can't take on another one.”

“True.”
Unless you're engaged to a man who's allergic to dog hair.
Which she wasn't. Not anymore. She didn't want to think about it.

Joanna unpacked a syringe from the sterile packaging and filled it. “I'll give him a combined vaccination now that covers the most important diseases like distemper, rabies, canine parvovirus-2 and canine adenovirus-2. That's hepatitis and respiratory disease. It's mandatory that I do so as we don't know anything about his medical history.” She pinched the skin at the back of Dimitri's throat and pulled it up to insert the vaccine with a practiced move.

Dimitri only twitched a little.

“Good boy.” Joanna finished the injection, pulled back the needle and patted him. “That's it.”

Conran frowned. “Didn't he feel it?”

“He did, but not much.” Joanna threw the used material into the waste bin. “You need to pay attention to his reaction. He might be a bit tired over the next few days, but that's  normal. If he should start to vomit, however, you have to come back immediately.”

Conran looked at the puppy with a worried frown. ”I don't think I was made to be a dog owner.”

Joanna smiled. “You'll learn, and before you know it, you won't be able to imagine life without him.”
Better get him away from this topic before he leaves Dimitri with me.
She signed a form and held it out to him. “This is the vaccination certificate. Keep it in a safe place. If you have any questions, Bernice will be delighted to help you.” Her voice sounded just a bit ironic.

Conran crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I still don't see why you don't take him.”

Enough was enough. “Don't you have eyes in your head? This dog adores you. If you are fed up with people who get excited just because you're a star and couldn't care less about you as an individual, then this dog is perfect for you. He loves you for who you are.” She frowned and looked at Dimitri. “There's no accounting for tastes.”

“Yes, you said so before.”

Something in his voice made her look up sharply.

He smiled.

She was taken aback. She had never seen him smile before. It rocked her off her poise. It changed the whole man, and she could feel a magnetism she had never sensed before. She looked away.

“Will you have dinner with me tonight?”

Her mouth dropped open. She blinked and closed her mouth again with a snap. “No.” She shook her head. “I have a date with a hunk tonight.”

II

“You told him what?” Sally shrieked through the phone. “Who is that hunk?”

“Mr. Allard's bull.” Joanna grinned and looked around room two in her clinic. Had she packed everything she needed into her “on-the-road” veterinary bag?

“A bull?” Sally's voice got even louder. “You can't call a bull a hunk. I call that misleading.”

Joanna smiled. “I don't.”

“I don't believe this. You really told Conran Dark you couldn't have dinner with him because of a bull?”

“Yep. It seems he has a touch of fever, and Mr. Allard was worried.”

“Conran Dark has a fever?”

“No, silly.” Joanna grinned. “The bull has.”

“I don't believe this.” Sally sighed. “You need to get a life, Joanna.”

“I had a life, as you call it.” Joanna's voice turned bitter against her will. Her fingers played with the handle of her heavy bag. “And I can't say it did me much good.”

“Listen, Jo.” Sally's voice softened. “Just because one guy cheats on you doesn't mean they're all the same.”

Joanna snorted. “Don't tell me the ones from Hollywood are famous for their moral standards.” She still remembered the long legs of the singer she had found in Hugh's bed,  two weeks after their engagement.

“Well, no,  . . . of course Hollywood isn't a place known for happy marriages.” Sally perked up. “But it would be such a conquest. Imagine, Conran Dark! I bet Hugh would be green with jealousy.”

“I won't use him.” Joanna snatched up her bag and locked the door to the clinic behind her.

“What?”

“I said I won't use Conran Dark. Besides, it's too much of a sacrifice. That man has the most execrable manners I've ever seen, and I don't want to subject myself to a whole evening of it.”

“Maybe I should go in your place.” Sally sounded delighted at her idea.

“He may be a star, but he's not blind.” Jo threw her bag onto the back seat and jumped into her Jeep. “I think even he would notice if the woman going out with him has blond hair that's standing up in spikes as opposed to long, brown hair.”

Sally sighed. “Oh, all right. Anyway, I have an interesting date with a rubber plant tonight.”

“You have what?”

“If you have a date with a hunk who turns out to be a bull, I can have a date with a rubber plant, can't I?”

Joanna grinned. “Come on, tell me. What's behind this story?”

“Do you remember that I told you how my mother accidentally poisoned her rubber plant?”

Joanna shook her head. “No, I don't. Sounds odd. How do you accidentally poison a plant?”

“Very easy.” Sally chuckled. “Mom always uses a special liquid that she cooks up herself, to pour over the steps at her entrance. She says it's necessary to keep off the green stuff that grows if it rains too much, and we had such a rainy summer. Anyway, it's a mix of salt and other stuff I don't really want to know about.”

“Sounds dangerous.”

“It is.” Sally lowered her voice. “Some weeks ago . . . “ She stopped herself. “No, it was some time in summer. Gosh, is it really that long ago? I can't believe it. My Mom has been at me for ages to help her buy a new one because she can't carry it herself. It has to be quite big to make up for the old one and . . . “

“Sally. You were trying to tell me how the accidental poisoning happened.” Joanna started the motor and switched the phone to the hands-free device.

“Oh. Right.” Sally took a deep breath. “Well, that day, she also wanted to fertilize the rubber plant, and it seems she mixed up the two bottles.”

“Ugh.” Joanna pulled a face. “I'm glad it was only the rubber plant.”

“Only the rubber plant!” Sally's voice got higher. “Don't let my mother hear you. She has been ranting about this rubber tree for months, and I've already been to millions of tree nurseries with her, but she couldn't make up her mind to choose one. Though they had thousands, I tell you.”

“Well, it sounds as if you're in for a great evening.” Joanna put in the gear and turned backwards out of the drive.

“Ha.” Sally said. “Yours will be nicer. Enjoy your hunk and if Conran should ask you again, tell him you've got an interesting friend who would take your place willingly.”

“Will do.” Joanna grinned. “But there's little chance of that happening. I think he was aghast to get a rejection from a veterinarian in the middle of nowhere.” She accelerated as she reached a straight stretch of the road. “I have to go, Sally. A hunk is waiting for me. Have fun with the rubber tree.”

III

Mr. Allard stood in the middle of the stable, both fists deep inside his pockets. “What is the matter with him, Ms. Damanti?”

Joanna closed her bag and straightened. Her breath came out as a white cloud in the cold air. “He has a touch of the flu, but it's nothing serious. Can you keep him inside or will he take the stable apart?” The herd usually lived on a pasture, with the bull on a separate bit of land that had especially reinforced fences. They had a shelter to protect them from snow, but coming from the Highlands of Scotland, they were well prepared for rough weather so that they were only taken inside the stable whenever they were ill.

Mr. Allard frowned. He looked smaller than ever next to his bull. “I'm not sure. Fergus was a bit upset when we took him inside.”

A bit upset is the understatement of the year.
Joanna looked at the demolished door of the stable across the aisle.
Raving and lethal are the words I would have chosen.
She had given Fergus a sedative so he wouldn't attack her and everything around him while she checked his health. Now the massive bull stood quiet, his eyes half closed, but his curved horns and his immense bulk weren't any less intimidating. “I'll leave you a bit of that sedative to calm him down.” Joanna handed Mr. Allard a bottle with liquid. “Just pour it over anything he likes to eat. If you notice him getting worse, call me.”

“Thank you.” Mr. Allard looked at her underneath his bushy eyebrows. “Would you like to join us for dinner? My wife heard that you would be coming and made apple pie.”

Joanna smiled. She liked the Allards. In general, she seldom took the time to stay and chat with customers, but tonight, she felt in need of some comfort food. The niggling thought that she had been too rude to Conran made her uneasy. Besides, she did not feel like returning to her empty house, no dog, no man. Maybe Sally had been right and she needed to get a life. “I would love a slice of your wife's apple pie. It's the best pie in the whole county.”

Mr. Allard patted Fergus' neck with an awkward move of his arm and led the way out of the stable. When he opened the door, the wind jumped at them like a howling demon.

Joanna gasped and followed Mr. Allard with hunched shoulders.

“It's not as stormy as the other night.” The wind kicked the door out of Mr. Allard's hands and banged it shut with a deafening sound. He fixed the bolt with care. “But it's still unusually cold for the season.”

“You're right.” Joanna leaned against the wind and fought her way to the back door of the farmhouse. After two steps, she felt as wind-blown as if she had been hanging on a washing line for half a day.

When Mr. Allard opened the door, an enticing smell of apple pie drew them closer like a magnet. Joanna took a deep breath and smiled. “How wonderful”. She scraped her boots on the rough doormat, then went into the kitchen.

A man turned around and looked at her.

Joanna froze.

In front of her stood Conran Dark.

I look a mess.
She had on her working overalls, dark-green and plastic-coated, so any obnoxious liquid would wash off easily. Her coat was warm and thick, but had never been a fashion accessory, not even when it had been new, years ago. Her hair had been whipped up by the wind and now hung into her eyes, and her hands were rough and chapped from the wind.
I probably smell of dung, too.
She closed her eyes and opened them again, but he was still standing there, looking at her with narrowed eyes.

She swallowed. “What are you doing here?”

Mr. Allard gave her a surprised look.

Joanna colored.

“I forgot to say that my great-nephew would join us for dinner. Do you know each other?” Mr. Allard pulled at his earlobe, something he only did when he was feeling uncomfortable.

Before they could reply, Mrs. Allard came bustling into the kitchen. She was even smaller than her wiry husband, but her impetuous gestures and quick voice made sure she never faded into the background the way her quieter husband did. “My dear Ms. Damanti!” She took both Joanna's hands and pressed them. “How nice to see you. I already said to my husband, it's no night to call out the veterinarian, but he was so worried about Fergus.”