Ray and Niall were chewing grass straws-as though Niall was country-bred and not a London doctor, for heaven’s sake-and indulging in slow country talk and the kids were avidly waiting for Jess.

The gate was swung open before she arrived and Jess pulled up, laughing.

It was almost enough to let her forget her nervousness-to forget what the sight of Niall Mountmarche did to her.

Almost.

‘It must be a heavy gate,’ she smiled as the children all pushed the gate closed and Paige emerged from the throng of children to claim Jess as her own.

The child seemed happy in this crowd of strangers-and Jess had to remind herself that this would be what Paige was accustomed to. Strangers were familiar.

It was family that was strange to Paige. The child was learning only slowly what having her own people meant. Having a parent who was prepared to face his responsibilities…

‘We’re really worried about the horse,’ Paige told Jess importantly. ‘And I told everyone you’d know what to do.’

Jess ruffled the child’s hair in affection, carefully avoiding Niall’s eyes in the process, and turned to Ray Benn.

‘What’s the problem, Ray?’

The fisherman shook his head.

‘That’s more than I can tell you, Jess,’ he said heavily. ‘The horse seemed out of sorts this morning when we loaded her in the float. Took me fifteen minutes to get her into the box and normally she comes in like a lamb. I couldn’t figure out what was what. If Sam hadn’t been so keen to ride-he’s been practising for months-I would have given up and left her at home.

‘Didn’t do us any good, anyway. She was hopeless in the ring. Didn’t do a thing Sam wanted and they’re normally a great little pair. Then, as they finished the event, danged if Matilda didn’t just up and throw Sam off-and then kick out at anyone who came near.’ He scratched his head. ‘She’s never done such a thing before.’

‘Has anything happened to her over the last few days? Anything to give her a shock?’ A horse sometimes reacted to a fright by being extra-sensitive for a few days afterwards.

‘No. Nothing. I tell you, Jess, she’s never been like this and we’ve had her ten years. I thought she must be coming down with something and asked the doc to have a look after he’d fixed Sam’s knee.’

Jess did meet Niall’s eyes then and a smile flashed between them.

How many times had Jess been confronted with this? Because she was a vet she was expected to know general medicine. So, while she was here, could she just have a look at Tommy’s rash or Mary’s sore throat-or even, once, Grandpa’s piles! It seemed, then, that for doctors it was the same. While you’re treating Sam’s knee could you just have a quick look at our horse…

‘And can’t Dr Mountmarche diagnose the trouble?’ she asked demurely and got a wicked look from Niall for her pains.

‘The doc said we ought to ring you,’ the fisherman told her. ‘I dunno, though, Jess. It was worth asking him. You can claim a doctor’s visit on the health fund and you can’t claim for a vet.’

Jess stifled a smile and grabbed her bag from the back seat of her car. The Benns weren’t a wealthy family. Ray Benn had worked as a fisherman’s hand until he was in his thirties and it was only by scraping and saving every cent that he was able to buy his own boat and this little plot of land to raise his family.

‘Let’s have a look at her, then,’ she said and they set off-the whole entourage.

‘Feel like the Pied Piper?’ Niall laughed into her ear and Jess grinned back.

It was exactly how she did feel.

The laughter died when she saw Matilda.

Ray had put the horse in a small paddock beside the house. The old brown mare stood backed into a corner, ears stiffly upright, nostrils flared and her eyes wide with flight. She looked almost haunted.

Jess took a deep breath.

‘Can you take the children inside?’ she asked Ray. ‘She’s obviously nervous-and I prefer to examine her alone.’

A horse like this was unpredictable-even dangerous. She didn’t need an audience.

‘I dunno…’ Ray said doubtfully. ‘Do you reckon you’ll be right on your own?’ He looked at the crowd of children. ‘The missus is out with the water truck-she says it’s easier to cart water than to look after this many kids-or I’d send ‘em all in to her and help but…’

‘I’ll assist Dr Harvey,’ Niall assured him. One small boy had just been edged off his place on the fence by his big sister and the early signs of World War Three were obvious. The horse was visibly flinching at the noise.

‘I can manage…’ Jess protested-but not too hard. There was something badly wrong here and she wouldn’t mind some back-up. Even Niall…

‘I’ll stay,’ Niall said firmly. ‘If you remember, Dr Harvey, I was first medico called in. You’re just here in a consultant capacity.’

It took time to get near the frightened horse and by the time she did Jess was really worried.

This was no mere fright.

Under firm instructions, Niall stayed where he was.

‘She’s scared stiff,’ Jess told him. ‘I don’t need anyone…’

‘And if she kicks?’

‘Then I might need someone,’ Jess acknowledged with a rueful smile. ‘So stay where you are and wait. If you’re lucky you might have a case to care for as I go down to a hoof. If I’m lucky you won’t.’

‘Good luck, then,’ he smiled and his heart-stopping smile was a caress. ‘You be lucky. I hope I’m not’

Niall Mountmarche folded his arms in a gesture that Jess was beginning to know, leaned back against the fence and watched.

Jess tried to block out his presence. Tried and failed.

The fact that she found his presence reassuring was almost infuriating.

Concentrate on the horse.

‘OK, Matilda…’ She spoke gently to the mare and

watched the nostrils flare. ‘OK…’

One step at a time…

Finally she reached her. Jess gently slipped her hand into the horse’s bridle and patted the soft brown head. The horse’s fear remained.

What was wrong?

Jess examined her with care, whispering softly as she ran her hand over the brown coat. Once she raised her voice above a whisper and the horse tried to rear away in fright.

It was as if noise hurt…

The mare’s eyes were strange-different. The third eyelid was visible and the pupils seemed dilated. For a horse to compete in a gymkhana like this…

She must be growing worse. Ray would never have tried to transport her like this-or risk putting his son on her.

Jess moved the horse gently along the fence, her hand tight on the bridle.

‘Come on, girl. Gently…’

There was a stiffness there-almost arthritic-and a definite tremor to the back legs.

Something…There had to be something…

She needed help. Jess turned to Niall and signalled him with her eyes.

He wasn’t stupid. Niall had seen what happened when Jess raised her voice. Without speaking he climbed the fence with careful unhurried movements and came toward them slowly-as aware as Jess that this was a horse on the edge of panic.

As soon as he was close enough Jess took his hand and guided it to the bridle, indicating again with her eyes that she wanted the horse held.

Niall’s strong hand touched hers again as he took the bridle, signalling that he’d understood. He took control of the horse, his spare hand coming up to run down the mare’s trembling face.

Jess stood back and looked.

She ran her eyes all over the big brown body, searching for something that she didn’t want to find. Then she knelt and looked again.

It was there. Just above the hoof on the left foreleg…

A recently scarred wound. Not big. Half an inch long, maybe, but it must have been deep. The scab had almost fallen away. Three, four weeks old?

The timing was right.

Everything was right.

Or everything was wrong, depending on how you looked at it. For a vet wanting a diagnosis things were right. For Matilda things were very badly wrong.

Jess straightened from where she’d been crouching and the horse sidled, fighting against Niall’s hold. She took the bridle from Niall.

‘We need a warm, dry stable,’ she whispered to Niall. ‘One as far from the house as possible. Can you go and tell Ray to organise it and I’ll bring the horse after you?’

Niall cast her a doubtful look.

‘Problem?’

‘Tetanus,’

There was a moment’s silence.

Then, very softly, Niall swore. Without another word he went to do her bidding.

‘How long since she’s been vaccinated, Ray?’

With the horse safely installed in a stable, Jess stood in the house yard with a grey-faced Ray.

‘Oh, Geez…’ The farmer put his hand to his face. ‘I dunno…We had her done last time she foaled, I reckon, and that was four years back. There was only a visiting vet once a month then-and afterwards, well, it never seemed worth the trouble. I mean, tetanus is rare, isn’t it?’

‘Not as rare as I’d like.’ Jess sighed. She reminded farmers of the need to vaccinate annually but as she’d never been called on to treat Matilda the old horse had missed her attention.

‘Is there anything you can do?’

Jess looked at Ray. The fisherman was almost rigid with distress and her heart warmed to him. To hear Ray with the other fishermen on the wharf you’d think he was as rough as bags but he was marshmallow at heart-and he loved the little horse.

‘The treatment for tetanus is often not effective-and it’s expensive,’ she told him, doing rough calculations in her head. Even if she gave the drugs at cost and didn’t charge herself…

She told him the approximate cost and Niall’s face changed.

Ray didn’t flinch. ‘Look, we have to try.’ The big man spread his hands. ‘I’ve had Matilda longer than we’ve had most of the kids-and to think I brought this on her by not vaccinating…The wife’ll be beside herself.’