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Three long strides took him to the door. He was about to jerk it open when the significance of the soft noises from inside sank in. Forcing himself to calmness, he eased it back and looked inside. The smell of ammonia clogged his breath and he realised the floor was awash with urine.
Apparently unconcerned by the stench or the fact that her boots were getting wet, the woman was at the horse’s shoulder, talking softly. The animal’s long ears flicked in response to the soothing voice.
Without the bulky jacket enveloping her, the newcomer had a very nice figure. Matt froze, his feet rooted to the spot.
A very nice figure.
Naturally padded in all the right places.
The ribbing of her jumper accentuated a narrow waist and he could see the gentle curve of one breast.
Unaware of him, she bent, lifting the canvas rug, to look at the horse’s belly. The way the black denim stretched across her rear had him drawing in a quick gulp of air.
‘What’s happening?’ His voice sounded strained.
Two sets of eyes snapped around to look his way. The effect would have been comical except for the anxiety he could read on both faces.
‘Could you open the back of the trailer, please? She’s in labour.’
‘She’s in labour?’ he repeated, his glance bouncing from the woman to the horse and back again. The words wouldn’t form a reasonable picture in his head.
‘You know…in labour? She’s going to be a mother.’
‘I know what in labour means. I’m a damned doctor.’ He squashed a wave of dismay. So much for his hopes that the situation in the trailer had improved. ‘I’ve just never had a patient with this many legs.’
‘Isn’t that a handy coincidence, then?’ She arched a shapely, dark eyebrow at him. ‘I’m a damned vet. Most of my patients have this many legs.’
And then she smiled. It was as though the sun had come out.
Matt blinked. She’d wanted him to do something…at least he remembered that much.
What was wrong with him?
CHAPTER TWO
DESPITE the seriousness of the situation, Caitlin Butler-Brown found herself smiling. As she watched the man absorbing this new crisis, the details of his face burned into her brain. Medium gold-brown hair, tussled as though he’d run careless fingers through the short thatch. Strong cheekbones and chin, stubbled jaw, slightly crooked nose. But it was his eyes that held her. An astonishing clear green and filled, right now, with naked disbelief.
With her hand on the mare’s back, she felt as much as heard the shuddering groan, the restless shift to find a more comfortable position. Her concern switched instantly back to her patient.
‘Perhaps you could hurry. She needs to move around, find a spot for her birthing.’
‘Right.’ He pulled back and the latch snicked softly behind him. Caitlin turned to soothe the fidgety mare.
‘There, then, sweetheart. At least he’s not the sort to blather on when a girl’s got urgent business.’ She kept up a steady flow of patter as she reached for the hitching rope and untied the knot. ‘We’ll have you out of here in no time.’
A loud clunk at the back of the trailer told her that the man was doing as she’d asked.
‘Here!’ At a shout from the cab of the truck, Caitlin glanced through the grubby haze of the window. A blob moved rapidly towards the trailer and then, down the side, out of sight. ‘What’re you doing?’
‘Your master’s not best pleased, darlin’.’ She caressed the sweat-damp neck. ‘Let’s hope our intrepid doctor is up to the task of overruling him.’
Conditions were already less than ideal—without any obstructions from a belligerent owner. Caitlin tamped down the unease in her belly, knowing the mare needed her to be calm.
‘Your mare’s about to deliver, Jim.’ The second bolt clattered back. Their rescuer wasn’t allowing himself to be distracted. ‘She needs to get out of the float.’
‘But—’ The protest was cut off as the ramp lowered with a grinding squawk.
Caitlin ducked under the chest bar and moved to the back of the float. When the doctor caught her eye, she sent him a grateful smile. His answering grin made her heart skip a beat and her fingers fumbled with the chain looped behind the mare’s haunches.
She blew out a small breath. The man was far too distracting. Best to concentrate on her patient, she told herself sternly as she encouraged the mare to back slowly down the slope, step by uncertain step.
Mentally, she ran through the stages of a normal delivery. Heaven help them if there was a problem. She had her bag in the car, but any serious intervention could require more specialised equipment.
‘She can’t foal here.’ Jim reached for the lead rope. The mare’s ears flattened against her skull in clear warning and he snatched his hand back.
‘It won’t be perfect.’ Caitlin decided to act as though his concern was for his horse’s safety. Moving methodically, she unfastened the canvas rug and slid it off. She ran a professional eye over the heavily pregnant belly. The membranes of the placenta were just visible beneath the arched black tail. ‘But don’t worry. She’ll manage, Mr…?’
‘Neilson. You don’t understand.’ He waved his arms and the mare sidled away, rolling her eyes. ‘I’m taking her to stud. She’s supposed to have her foal there so she can be put to Johnny Boy.’
‘You’ve left it too late for that,’ she said keeping a tight hold on her temper. ‘She’s in stage-one parturition.’
‘What?’
Ignoring his confusion, she handed him the folded rug. ‘Would you have a longer lead, Mr Neilson?’
His shoulders sagged. ‘There’s a lunging rein. In the truck.’
Caitlin bit back a retort when he stood clutching the canvas, staring uselessly.
‘Get it for us, Jim.’ The masculine voice commanded, reaching Jim where hers had not.
‘Eh? Oh, right.’ He set off towards the truck.
Caitlin shut her eyes briefly and puffed out a small sigh. ‘Thank you.’
‘No problem.’ He gave her a lopsided smile, moving broad shoulders in a faint shrug. ‘You looked like you could’ve taken a chunk out of his hide and I figure he’s had enough free medical attention from me this morning.’
Her gaze was caught, trapped by the appeal of his smile. He had a lovely mouth, the sort to turn a girl’s head if she was foolish enough to let it. Just as well she wasn’t so daft as to be tempted by such superficial things. Her parents’ relationship had taught her the danger in that.
And yet, mesmerised, she watched the curve slowly straighten. Now that it wasn’t stretched into a smile, the bottom lip was plumper.
Kissable and—
The mouth pursed.
Oh, God. He’d caught her staring. Her heart stuttered as heat rushed into her face.
Flustered, Caitlin jerked her eyes away as long loops of rope were thrust into her hands. Relieved to have an excuse to move, she stepped forward quickly to clip the lunging rein to the halter.
This raw awareness of a man was so alien that she felt self-conscious and uncomfortable in her body. Even simple movements seemed stilted, graceless. She struggled to understand what was wrong with her. Where was the reserve that invariably scuttled her relationships? This was a fine time for it to desert her.
She couldn’t be vulnerable now. She had a mission to accomplish. No time for sightseeing or holiday flings…or to be distracted by a gorgeous face.
Caitlin loitered by the mare for a moment then reluctantly stepped back towards the men, leaving the rein loose to give the animal as much space as possible. As though sensing her limited freedom on the long rope, the mare moved restlessly, her head down as she pawed at the ground.
After a few minutes, the expectant mother folded her knees and, with a drawn-out groan, lowered herself inelegantly. Strong contractions rippled across the huge brown stomach and the membrane bulge grew larger.
‘Just give her a minute here, Mr Neilson,’ Caitlin said, stopping Jim with a hand on his arm as he started to move forward.
‘She needs pulling.’
‘Perhaps, but we should give her labour a chance to progress naturally first.’ Everything so far seemed normal but any ill-considered human interference could easily change that.
Caitlin’s senses went on high alert as the younger man moved to stand closer. The action seemed almost protective and she felt at once steadied yet even more unsettled by his presence. Impossible.
‘You’re in luck this morning, Jim.’ The deep, mellow rumble of his voice played havoc with her bouncing pulse. ‘You’ve got the services of a doctor and a veterinarian on hand.’
Caitlin forced her lips into a reassuring smile. This was not the moment to reveal that her experience was in small-animal practice.
Jim stabbed a nicotine-stained finger in the direction of the horse. ‘That’s my prize standard-bred mare. If anything goes wrong, I’ll sue.’
Caitlin watched him stomp off in the direction of the truck.
‘Jim Neilson at his worst, I’m afraid.’
‘Hmm. He’s worried.’ And perhaps not without good reason since the largest animal she’d treated in the last few years had been a lanky Great Dane.
‘I feel like I should offer a blanket apology for Australian men. We’re not all obnoxious, all the time.’
She swivelled her head to look up at him. ‘Just some of you, some of the time?’
‘Quite.’ He grinned at her, his green eyes glowing with open approval. Her heart fluttered uncomfortably. ‘You haven’t met me at my best either, have you?’
She swallowed.
‘Matt Gardiner. Local doctor.’ He held out his hand. ‘And you are the horse whisperer. Much more use than a fairy godmother.’
‘No horse whisperer, I’m afraid. Just Caitlin Butler-Brown. Itinerant veterinarian.’
Glancing down as her hand slipped into his, she was very glad she’d already introduced herself. Long fingers closed around hers, causing a warm tingle that had her utterly focused on his touch. The sensation intensified when his thumb brushed over her knuckles.
‘Even better. Glad to meet you, Caitlin Butler-Brown.’
She couldn’t have replied if her life depended on it.
A grunt of pain from the mare gave her the will to reclaim her hand…and her mind. She curled her fingers into a tight fist to quell the lingering fizz of the connection.
She forced her mind to the job at hand. ‘If I do need to scrub, is there anywhere handy I can get soap and water?’
‘I have water in the car. And I’ve got a bottle of alcohol hand sanitiser in my bag.’
‘That’ll do the job. Thanks.’
The scratch and hiss of a match announced Jim’s return. She realised he was beside her, puffing on a cigarette in agitated gasps. The smell of smoke hung, unpleasant, on the crisp morning air, but Caitlin couldn’t bring herself to complain. She was glad he was there, a defence of sorts against the man at her other shoulder.
Long minutes crawled by as they watched the mare.
‘Dad?’
Caitlin’s system jolted. Dad? She turned slightly, aware of Matt doing the same, to see a slim boy of about ten standing behind them. Except for his dark hair he was the spitting image of the man beside her. Matt had a child. He was married…or at least very committed. A surprising disappointment stabbed her square in the chest.
‘I thought I told you to wait in the car,’ said Matt.
‘But I wanted to see the horse.’ The boy stared at the groaning mare.
‘Mmm. That makes all the difference, of course.’ He ruffled the boy’s hair. ‘Caitlin, this is my son, Nicky. Nicky, this is Dr Butler-Brown. She’s a vet.’
‘Nice to meet you, Nicky.’ Despite her disturbing reactions about his father, she didn’t have to fake a smile for the boy—he was adorable. ‘You can call me Caitlin.’
‘Hi.’ Anxious green eyes lifted to meet hers. ‘What’s wrong with him? Is he sick?’
‘No, not sick.’ Caitlin glanced over at the mare and smiled again, knowing Nicky needed reassurance. ‘It’s a mare and she’s going to have a foal.’
‘Wow. A foal? Like…now?’
She chuckled softly. ‘Yes, very much like now.’
‘Can I watch?’
She looked at Matt.
He shrugged. ‘Sure.’
‘Thanks, Dad.’
Matt’s eyebrows came together sternly. ‘This doesn’t mean you’re off the hook, sport.’
‘I know.’ Nicky looked both angelic and cheeky as he grinned up at his father.
The loving affection in the look the two exchanged brought a lump to Caitlin’s throat. Instinctively, she knew Nicky would never doubt his place in Matt’s heart.
Her eyes stung as she turned away. It was like getting a glimpse into the way a family should work, one where love was given unconditionally. The kind of family she would never be a part of. The insight was stunning. Powerful. Beautiful.
The mare moved restlessly. Another contraction and the membranes ruptured with a watery rush. Caitlin’s focus sharpened. Spindly legs and a tiny narrow head were clearly visible. The delivery should proceed quickly now.
The minutes stretched and her instincts began to clamour. She drew in a deep breath and held it for several seconds. Something was wrong.
She licked dry lips then turned to Matt. ‘I’m going to need that alcohol sanitiser after all, please, Matt. I need to check the foal’s position.’
