Page 4 of A New Family at Puddleduck Farm (Puddleduck Farm #6)

Phoebe decided to talk to Sam about Bumble. He was very grounded and sensible. But first she needed to sort out the orphaned pups. She phoned Jade that afternoon and was delighted when the younger woman recognised her voice immediately.

‘Hey, it’s lovely to hear from you. How are you? How’s everything at Puddleduck Farm?’

‘Busy as always.’ Phoebe took a deep breath and decided it was best to get straight to the point.

‘This is terribly cheeky, Jade, but I was wondering if you could help me out with something. Please say no if you can’t.

’ She kept her fingers firmly crossed behind her back as she glanced at Lily, who was supposed to be having her afternoon nap but hadn’t really settled.

‘We’ve just been landed with a litter of two-week-old puppies.

The mother died unfortunately, so they need hand-feeding every four hours and I’m not able to do it at the moment. ’

Lily began to yell in the background just as Jade was answering. ‘Don’t worry. We should be able to take them. We can have them in the cottage for a bit. Was that a baby I just heard?’

‘Um, yes. That’s Lily. She was born six weeks ago. She’s keeping us very busy at the moment.’

‘Oh, that’s amazing. Congratulations. I didn’t even know you were pregnant.’

‘It wasn’t exactly planned. But we’re delighted.

She’s an utter sweetheart. Sam’s besotted.

He’s a very hands-on daddy. Sam does a lot of the night feeds because I’m with Lily all day.

I don’t think she ever sleeps. But I can’t ask him to look after puppies as well.

Although he’d probably say yes.’ Phoebe decided not to mention that they’d had them for a few days already – it felt too much like admitting failure.

‘We’re fine to have them. What kind of pups?’

Phoebe felt relief swamp her as she answered. ‘It’s hard to say. There’s two brindle and white and one brown. Mum was a brown spaniel-type cross. Not sure about Dad.’

‘We’ll come and pick them up,’ Jade said. ‘It’s no problem at all. We can come about five if you like. I’ll lock up early.’

‘Thanks so much, Jade. I owe you one, big time.’

When Phoebe disconnected, Lily was still crying and she wasn’t far off joining her. But with tears of relief. Oh, my goodness, she hadn’t realised quite how much she’d been hoping Jade would say yes. Thank goodness for lovely people like Jade.

‘Now then, my darling.’ She picked up Lily. ‘What about this nap then?’

Lily stopped crying. She clearly wasn’t sleepy at all. Phoebe cuddled her. ‘Playtime it is then,’ she said.

* * *

Jade arrived just after five as she’d promised. As Jade and her partner, Finn, approached the glass doors of Puddleduck Vets, Phoebe went out to meet them with Lily, happy in her papoose. They both stopped to coo over the baby.

‘She’s gorgeous,’ Jade said. ‘You’re not working, surely?’

‘No, I’m on maternity leave. But I pop in now and then.

Sam and I live in the house on site anyway.

I just saw your Land Rover pulling in so I thought I’d come and say hi.

’ She blinked. ‘Thanks so much for this, Jade. Sam and I could just about manage puppy feeds as well but it’d be a struggle, and I didn’t want to ask my gran.

Maggie thinks she’s still a spring chicken but she’s the wrong side of seventy-five and she’s supposed to be stepping back from the animal side since we moved into Puddleduck Farm.

’ She grinned. ‘The puppies are in the house. Follow me.’

A few moments later, the three of them stood looking down at the tangle of brown and brindle pups who’d been asleep when they arrived but had become aware of the humans and were now waking up and mewling blindly.

Phoebe saw the look of tenderness on Jade’s face as she leaned into the pen. ‘Gorgeous little ones. Why did their mum die?’

‘Lack of nutrition from what I could see, and she wasn’t that young, bless her. The woman who brought them in didn’t hang around very long. Said they weren’t hers. We didn’t ask too many questions. What’s the point? People lie anyway, don’t they? But it was nothing infectious, I did check that.’

She exchanged glances with Jade. ‘At least she brought them in,’ Phoebe added. ‘Even though it was a bit late.’

Finn carried the box of pups out to the Land Rover and placed them gently in the animal transporter.

Jade took the rest of the bits and pieces Phoebe insisted on giving them.

‘There’s enough formula milk to last them until they’re weaned,’ she told them.

‘If you bring them back when they’re old enough I’ll do the worming and inoculations too.

I don’t want this to cost you anything. Apart from sleep,’ she murmured, suppressing a yawn. ‘Thanks so much again.’

‘It’s our pleasure,’ Jade said, and gave Phoebe an impulsive hug. ‘You look after yourself and this little one. Don’t go back to work too early.’

‘Oh, I shan’t,’ Phoebe said. ‘I can’t risk falling asleep halfway through a consultation. You will keep me posted on their progress, won’t you?’ She blew a kiss in the direction of the puppies. ‘They haven’t had the best start.’

‘They’ll be absolutely fine,’ Jade promised as she and Finn climbed back into the Land Rover. ‘We’ll take very good care of them.’

Phoebe waved them off with a deep sigh of gratitude.

‘That’s another problem solved,’ she told Lily softly. ‘All we need to do now is to sort out Bumble.’

Lily blinked sleepily at the sound of her voice.

‘One very cute little pygmy hedgehog,’ Phoebe added, smiling down at her daughter. ‘How hard can it be?’

* * *

Sam was delighted about the rehomed pups, but more reticent about the pygmy hedgehogs when they discussed it that night in the Aga warmth of their kitchen after dinner, which had been toast – same as breakfast – although with cheese this time to ring the changes.

‘I think you’ve summed up the problem there.

They’re very cute.’ He got out his phone and tapped a few buttons.

For a few moments he was silent. Then he turned his phone round to face her.

‘I just counted twenty-four adverts on Pets4Homes selling one or more very cute little pygmy hedgehogs.’

‘Oh, good grief. That’s unbelievable.’ Phoebe leaned in for a closer look. ‘How much are they selling for?’

Sam did a quick scan. ‘Anything between a hundred and three hundred. It’s obviously a lucrative hobby. They can’t all be breeders.’

‘No, they can’t. And I guess they must sell them or they wouldn’t be doing it. I’m amazed so many people want them. I’m also amazed we haven’t had more in. Although Seth did say Bumble wasn’t the first.’

‘Yes, but if you think about it, they’re not as expensive as getting a getting a dog or a cat. Well, they’re not if you don’t include the vivarium, and vivariums aren’t that expensive, especially if you don’t realise they’ve got to be heated all the time.’

‘No, you’re right. And that’s part of the problem. People just don’t realise what they’re taking on.’

‘What did Seth say about it?’

‘He thinks it’s a matter of education. If people knew all the ins and outs they might not be so keen to rush out and buy one, but the problem with that is that we don’t tend to find out in advance that a client’s going to buy one. We only get called for advice when they’re ill.’

‘Yes, good point.’ Sam paused for thought, his eyes serious. ‘Well, maybe the situation’s not as bad as you think. It doesn’t sound like Seth’s seen that many. What did Natasha say? I’m assuming none have come into the rescue?’

‘I haven’t had a chance to catch up with her yet. But no, I don’t think so or she’d have said. I’ll speak to her tomorrow about Bumble. Maybe he could go on our monthly rehome newsletter.’

‘Good idea. If it’s any consolation, I’ve never even heard of anyone getting one. I’ll ask Ma about it tomorrow. She’s never mentioned them either.’

Phoebe nodded. Hendrie’s Post Office and Stores was the hub of Bridgeford and a hotbed for all the local gossip. Sam chatted to customers all day long in the shop, it was part of his job, so it was definitely the kind of thing he would have heard.

‘How is your ma?’

‘She’s fine. She was asking after Lily. She wanted to know if you needed any help with anything. She said she’d love to see her.’

‘Does she fancy doing a couple of night shifts?’ Phoebe quipped, before adding quickly, ‘I’m joking about the night shifts. But tell her she can visit any time, of course she can. My mum and dad keep offering their help too. And Maggie does.’

‘Maybe we should let them help,’ Sam said softly. ‘Instead of saying no all the time. Now she’s in more of a routine.’

‘I’m not sure she is in a routine, really.

Unless you count random sleeping and wanting to play a routine.

’ Phoebe glanced across at Lily, who’d actually been asleep for half an hour in her Moses basket and was now snoring softly.

The picture of a happy baby. Phoebe knew she should wake her up or she’d be wide awake by bedtime, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

She felt her eyes fill with tears. ‘I’ve been useless at the whole routine thing.’

‘Honey, no, you haven’t. You feed her at the same times every day, that’s a routine.’

‘Yes, but half the time she doesn’t want to feed. She just arches her little back and cries.’

‘That’s not your fault.’ Sam leaned across and gently wiped a tear from her face. ‘The health visitor told you that.’

‘Did she? I don’t remember. I was thinking I should speak to her again soon and ask if I can change her onto formula milk. I don’t think I’m cut out to be a breastfeeding earth mother.’

‘Surely that’s our decision, not the health visitor’s. We can change her over any time. It would be easier too if I could feed her. I could do the nights then without waking you. You’ve got her all day, after all.’

‘Yes, but you work all day, Sam, it doesn’t seem fair. We agreed I’d do the nights.’