Connor took the first break he could, just after the return of Floppy, who’d been in a fight with another rabbit, and Prickles the hedgehog, who’d been found and adopted by three of the local kids. Prickles was now on her way to the local wildlife hospital and with a clear diary, Connor volunteered to take her to the small place a couple villages over. As the named partner at the surgery and because he loved wildlife, normally it would be Andrew who would be doing this. He was the one who had the three-way partnership with the Leycombe Wildlife Rescue Centre and the RSCPA, but he suggested that Connor should connect with the centre. Connor loved the idea that it was him forging a new partnership now. More responsibility, more roots here.
“Connor Lawson.” Connor awkwardly held out a hand to shake while trying to juggle the cat carry box with Prickles inside. “Aston-Under-Wold Veterinary.”
“Garret Madigan,” the man with untamed short curly black hair in torn jeans and the Muse T-shirt said in return. They shook hands, and then Garret looked expectantly into the carry. He slipped on gloves and flipped the catch on the cage. “Little guy,” he crooned. Then he carefully lifted Prickles out.
“Prickles,” Connor said. “Or that’s what the kids called him.”
“Prickles, hey.” Garret still used that soft tone. “Can you tell me about Prickles?”
Connor tore his eyes off Garret’s expression, so concerned and focused. “Local kids building a den in Compton Woods up in Upper Fordham found him running in circles dragging his leg. I splinted it, but you’re the expert with the critters in the woods.”
Garret took Prickles straight away. Connor followed him back to a wide-open room with various size cages and watched as Prickles was given a once-over. Connor had done his best to check the little fellow out, but Garret really looked like he knew what he was doing, his gentle hands had the hedgehog uncurling in his palm and even allowing a small belly rub.
“Thank you,” Garret said as he shut the cage door. “I’ll let him settle a bit, then check him out.”
Connor looked around him, intrigued by the set-up. “This is a cool place you have here.”
“Thank you, we try. It’s nice to meet the other vet from the surgery, is Andrew okay?”
“He’s fine. He wanted me to visit and introduce myself so this was a good excuse. I’m the new partner at the surgery, or I will be in a couple weeks, so thought I’d come find out a little more about the wildlife sanctuary. What else do you have here at the moment?”
Enthusiasm lit Garret’s gentle features into something altogether different. A wide mouth curved in a gorgeous smile, and brown eyes lit up with passion. Connor spent a good hour visiting with a recovering roebuck and at least ten hedgehogs, along with a few bird. The place was deceptively small at the front, but the land spread out behind the old house that held the office and the cages, including some fenced-off areas.
“And how are you financed? Is it entirely donations?”
Garret nodded. “We have local fundraisers, but other than that, we rely on donations. The Sterling-Haynes family give us a grant each year from the estate, along with the land behind here. And of course Andrew doesn’t charge for veterinary services, so all in all, we do okay.” He looked uncertain. “Will that change? The charging I mean?”
Connor shook his head. “Not at all. Working with the community is something I would support as partner as well.”
Garret looked relieved and they moved back into the house. As they passed an information leaflet rack Garret picked out a flyer. Aston-Under-Wold 5K, it announced in bright red letters. “This is our fun run in October if you’re the sporty type.”
Connor considered his lack of experience or interest in running, but it was only 5K, he could walk it if worst came to worst. “I’ll sign myself up.”
“It’s always a good turnout.”
“I remember it last year.”
“So. Yeah…” Garret said. He’d clearly run out of things to say, and it was time for Connor to go anyway.
They shook hands and only when Connor was leaving did it hit him that he had signed up for a freaking fun run. Verbally only of course, but he wouldn’t back down now.
Maybe he could get Ash to run as well. Although that thought had a familiar worry gnawing at him. Ash was leaving at the end of the summer to go back to London and work. There was an expiry date on whatever they had going and Connor would do well to remember that.
I’ll just make the best of what we have for the next few weeks.
* * * * *
Ash was the first to arrive at Pete’s Pasties. After Connor arrived—and surrounded by the Coln Duck Mafia—they talked about the house. The conversation was easy, and halfway through chicken salad, Connor reached out and held Ash’s hand. Only for a short while and probably because Ash was telling a story about how he’d broken his leg in four places in a skiing accident when he was twelve. But still… holding hands was a good step. The grassed area down to the river was teeming with tourists today, every available space taken, and he and Connor had ended up taking a grassy seat against a tree.
They had the added company of Donald, who insisted on standing about three feet from them with a beady eye on Ash’s lunch.
“None. No. Not at all.” Ash waved at Donald. But the damn duck didn’t move. Just stared.
Connor had his veterinarian hat on and was lecturing about why it wasn’t always good to give bread to ducks.
“Bread doesn’t offer nutritional value for ducks, it’s like junk food for them. A little bit isn’t harmful, but who knows what the next family will give the duck.”
“You mean like that?” Ash gestured at a kid holding out a complete sandwich to a whole group of ducks and geese. Luckily the mother noticed and the crisis was averted.
“Yeah, we might only give Donald a crumb, but there are loads of tourists here who are also giving scraps out and that leads to things like fat ducks.”
Ash looked fondly at Donald, who hadn’t moved an inch from their side yet. “Ducks look fat to me anyway.”
“Yeah, and cute, but they get too fat and then they can’t fly and evade predators.”
“Shit.” Ash pulled back the small piece of crust he’d been about to throw. “I will not be responsible for Donald’s death.”
Connor appeared to be on a roll. “There is also the fact that more in means more out. Bird faeces harbour bacteria and can be responsible for numerous diseases.”
“Then the ducks die?” Ash hoped Connor would scoff at that idea and tell him no ducks died ever. Like that was ever going to happen.
“Avian botulism,” Connor said. “Not to mention the fact the stuff left over, if any, can attract rats, mice, insects. You name it, they’re here.”
Ash looked about himself. Abruptly the cute ducks waddling around was a far more sinister thing. He hated rats.
Connor snorted a laugh. “Your face. And you get aggressive ducks,” he added. “They lose their natural fear, I mean, look at Donald here, he’s in reach if you wanted roast duck for dinner.”
Ash hissed and pressed a hand to Connor’s mouth. “He’ll hear you,” he said in all seriousness. Then he realised what he’d done and he began to laugh.
Only when Connor joined in and they were laughing like idiots did Ash get that familiar rush of powerful emotion that felt a lot like the beginnings of love. Or rather, what he thought was love. The need to see Connor, to touch him, to make him laugh, to know more about Connor. That was love. Right?
“I went up to the animal sanctuary this morning and signed up for a fun run in October.”
“You run?”
“No.”
“Good start, fat boy.”
Connor elbowed him in the side and Ash let out an exaggerated groan of pain. “Wuss. Garret there was saying that Sterling-Haynes donated land and gave an annual allowance as well.”
Ash wasn’t surprised by the news, Ben was all about donating to the local community, felt it was their responsibility and also loved working with the people around here that he called friends. But he was surprised to hear there was an animal sanctuary around here.
“We do? Where is that?”
Connor glanced at him. “You didn’t know?”
Ash shook his head. “Sterling-Haynes is a huge—” He couldn’t think of the word at that moment and waved his hand in an approximation. “—thing.”
“A thing,” Connor teased. “You’re so eloquent.”
At that moment Ash knew for sure what was happening, because of the teasing light in Connor’s hazel-green eyes and his lips curved in a smile, Ash really was falling in love.