Page 44 of Christmas at the Home Farm Vets (Hartfell Village #2)

Oli was on call on Boxing Day and he had to leave when he took a call from stricken owners about a cat they suspected had been run over.

She made him a coffee while he dressed, and she’d already offered to join him at the practice if he wanted assistance.

He suggested she stay home for now and he’d let her know when he understood more about the cat’s condition.

She followed him to the door and kissed him quickly, smiling as he sprinted to his car.

The snow was beginning to thaw, and the lane was sludgy with slush.

He messaged later to say that X-rays had revealed a fracture in a hind leg and he’d be operating once the cat was stable.

That meant he’d be gone for hours, so she tidied the cottage after she’d fed Marnie and changed her litter tray.

She also checked in with her mum, and Heather replied to say they were all fine but tired after a wonderful day and it had been worth every minute of the journey.

With Oli busy in surgery for some time, Erin kept an eye on calls as well, but she was thankful not to be needed.

When he returned late in the afternoon, they settled on the sofa with Marnie between them and Elf on the television.

After a while he stopped laughing, leaning against her, and she saw that he was asleep.

They were both tired after a manic few days and tomorrow the practice would open again as usual.

Suddenly she couldn’t wait for her week off in January, daydreaming about where she might spend it and if Oli would join her.

She hadn’t had a proper holiday for ages and the thought of her own short getaway was very appealing.

The practice was busy as ever when they returned in the morning.

Everyone was either full of cheese or trifle, and they barely even knew what day of the week it actually was.

There were no farm calls and Oli took the routine companion animal consultations, most of which had been booked in before Christmas.

A couple of last-minute emergencies cropped up, so Erin saw those, dispensing antibiotics for a dog with a suspected bacterial infection and a cat which had had an allergic reaction to a change of food.

She also popped into the stables to check on the ponies and sent a couple of pictures to Harriet.

Flo was steadily gaining weight as well as confidence and even Posy appeared to be thawing towards her, allowing Flo to graze nearby without pulling faces.

May and bright spring weather, when the foal would be born, seemed a very long way from these cold and grey days.

At work Erin and Oli were very careful not to reveal the alteration in their relationship and he deferred to Erin’s decisions every time.

But she liked to discuss them with him first, and listen to his own advice and experience before making up her mind.

Gil had also messaged to check in and she assured him they were fine, and the practice was running well.

The out-of-hours locums were on call in the evenings and although she felt braced for an emergency at any time, she also found it wonderfully relaxing to come home to Oli, sharing meals and playing with Marnie, watching old movies, and going up to bed together.

His St Christopher sat in its box on his side of the bed and occasionally it seemed like a metaphor for his leaving, the plans he would eventually make to take him away.

But not yet. For now, they still had time together in Hartfell, and New Year’s Eve in the pub with Jess and Noah to look forward to first.

‘You look amazing.’ Oli paused buttoning his shirt as Erin picked up her dress.

Falling to mid-thigh, it was silver and long-sleeved, gathered at the waist with a thin belt.

She’d bought it for a party with Carys ages ago and had only worn it the once, with the same choice of metallic ankle boots.

Getting ready in here with Oli was a squeeze even with his clothes still hanging on the rail in his room.

‘I’m not dressed yet.’

‘Exactly.’ He drew her towards him for a kiss and the silver dress fell onto the bed when she wound her arms around his neck. ‘You look perfect just as you are.’ His fingers were on the clasp of her bra, and she felt it come loose.

‘Five minutes,’ she told him sternly, belying the playfulness in her gaze. ‘Or we’ll be late.’

‘Five minutes?’ He added his own pretend outrage to that statement. ‘It’ll take me longer than that just to kiss you.’

In the end they were ten minutes late to the pub, and Erin hated that Oli freed his hand from hers as they entered.

She sent him a grateful smile nonetheless, appreciating that he was trying to make this evening with their colleague as easy as possible for her.

She checked her phone before sliding it into her bag as she hung up her coat, surprised to see that Jason had sent her a happy new year message.

She replied with a brief one of her own wishing him all the best, wondering if he’d sent his by mistake.

This evening was ticket-only and the Pilkington Arms was packed with locals and guests sitting down to a five-course tasting menu and paired wines.

Erin and Oli went for the non-alcoholic version as she was on call tomorrow, and she didn’t want to wake with a hangover.

All these altered nights out, when she couldn’t quite party like everyone else, weren’t something she’d factored into her career at the start.

But she wouldn’t swap it, not for the world, and having Oli beside her felt magical.

They were laughing at a funny story of Noah’s from work, leaning together, shoulders touching, and Erin was sure Jess suspected she and Oli were now more than just friends and colleagues.

But on this final night of the year, she was full of hope and happiness, certain that she and Oli would find a way around work if he decided to stay on once Gil came home and her role returned to normal.

A few minutes before midnight everyone hurried outside to watch silent fireworks lighting up the sky with showers of colour.

A piper stood nearby to play ‘Auld Lang Syne’, and they joined hands to sing along, laughing through the cold.

Erin didn’t want to let go of Oli’s hand when it was over and he was the first person she kissed once the year had turned, even if it was only on his cheek.

Then they rushed home to make sure Marnie was okay before tumbling into bed.

They managed a lie-in in the morning and once he’d fed Marnie, he cooked breakfast, and they ate it in bed.

The other day she’d discovered Marnie curled up on Oli’s chest as he dozed on the sofa after an early start, and the sight had made her heart clench with joy.

Just a few weeks ago she’d had neither of these loves in her life, and she realised just how rich they made it.

The practice was quiet over the next couple of days.

Erin knew Gil and Pippa had returned when she bumped into Harriet and Alfie in the stables, straight off the flight and keen to see all the animals.

Lola and Maud were ecstatic to have their family home, and the dogs were leaping around in excitement as Posy nuzzled up to Harriet in search of the treats she always carried.

Erin thought Harriet looked lovely, her brunette hair shot through with lighter streaks from an Australian summer.

They’d had a fabulous time, she told Erin as they led the ponies along the drive to the paddock, but having so many of her family under one roof had been an enlightening experience.

Apparently even Pippa was ready for their own space and a Yorkshire winter once the new year was over.

Jonny was perfectly settled, and he and Vanessa were planning to stay for a few years at least.

Gil arrived at the practice on Monday morning soon after Erin, and once he’d greeted the staff and filled them in on his trip, and thanked them for all their hard work, he asked Erin if she’d join him once morning consultations were over.

He also looked well, suntanned and fit, his blond hair even lighter.

She had a dental on Dorothy’s lurcher arranged for the afternoon and Oli was castrating some ferrets – she’d teased him about who had the better job, and it wasn’t him.

Catching them first to anaesthetise them without being bitten would be the trickiest part, and she hoped he would get on okay when she sat down with Gil in the office later.

‘We had a fantastic time, and it was so great to meet everyone properly.’ He was cradling a coffee and had already made tea for Erin.

‘Jonny was excellent company and my boys fitted right in. Pippa adored having everyone together and Jonny wouldn’t let her do a thing.

We managed to squeeze in a visit to Joel’s vineyard too, and he’s coming over in the summer. ’

‘It sounds amazing,’ Erin replied wistfully.

She was starting with a cold, and she knew her mum worried that she’d got run down over the holidays.

It often happened when she was really busy so she couldn’t deny she was relieved to have Gil back, even though a part of her was going to miss the pressure of being senior vet.

‘I want to thank you for all you’ve done, Erin.

’ He leaned forward, one hand clasped around his coffee.

‘Gabi and Elaine are full of praise for how brilliantly you’ve coped, and I really appreciated you not having to call me.

It was so good to get away and have a proper holiday together.

’ He glanced out of the window towards the cobbled farmyard, the last of the snow still evident in slushy grey puddles.

‘Coming back to this weather is going to take a bit of getting used to after an Aussie summer.’