He’s very good with them. Even the shy ones go to him readily, so he clearly has a gift for putting animals at ease.
Afterward, we put them back into their cages where most of them will have a dog-nap. It’s nearly eleven, so I take him through to the Fox’s Den, where they’re having their cheese scones and butter.
“You want to come back with me after you finish your snack or stay here for a bit?” I ask him.
He looks at Ollie, who’s just got the box of LEGO out. “I might stay for a bit.”
I smile. “That’s fine. I’ll come back in a while and see how you’re doing.”
He nods, sitting at the table for his scone, and Ruby winks at me. I go out and decide to see if there are any cheese scones left in the break room as they smell amazing.
And it’s also possible that Max’s mum might be going for morning tea, too.
Chapter Four
Isla
“Wow, it’s been a crazy morning,” Hal says.
I put my hands on my hips and arch my back. It’s only just eleven, and I’ve already administered vaccines, taken blood samples, sterilized a bunch of equipment, taken two x-rays, removed three sets of stitches, and helped Hal with a pitbull who didn’t want his teeth cleaned. I’d have been nervous handling the dog on my own, but Hal, like Max, has a calming effect on animals, and the pitbull stared lovingly into his eyes while I examined his gums.
“You’ve been fantastic considering it’s your first day here,” Hal adds.
“Thank you. It’s a lovely clinic to work in. Everyone’s so friendly. It makes such a difference to the working day.”
“Absolutely. Now why don’t you go get a coffee? They’re serving cheese scones in the break room this morning.”
“Ooh.” My stomach rumbles in response. “Are you sure?”
“Yep, all our nurses have a twenty-minute break, mornings and afternoons.”
“You want me to bring you anything back?”
“Nah, it’s okay. Izzy’s coming in soon and she normally brings me a takeaway coffee.”
Izzy is his wife and another vet—he’s joked about us having similar names. They have two kids—a three-year-old boy and a five-month-old baby girl, and they sometimes tag-team childcare.
“All right, see you in a bit.” I wash my hands, then head along the corridor toward the break room.
Sure enough, as I get near I can smell the cheese scones, and my mouth waters. The door is open, and the tables insideare half full, while out in the garden half a dozen people are drinking coffee and catching up after their busy morning.
Cullen is standing by the fence, talking to Archer, and they both smile as I wave and go into the room. I buy myself a scone and order a coffee from the woman behind the counter, wait for her to make it, then take it out into the garden. Cullen watches me walk over to them.
“How’s your morning been?” he asks.
“Good, thank you.” I put my coffee on a nearby table and take a bite out of the scone. “Super busy.”
“How are you getting on with Hal?” Archer asks.
“Oh, great, he’s so good with animals.” I suddenly realize Max isn’t with Cullen and look around.
“He’s in the Fox’s Den,” Cullen says. “He spent the morning with me, but the draw of the cheese scones proved stronger even than playing with dogs.”
I blow out a relieved breath. “He’s okay?”
“He’s great. He and another kid are going to build a T-rex out of LEGO.”
“Ambitious,” Archer says.
