Too late for both the leg and for Harry, Jessie thought grimly as she worked. He would have been dead from starvation and infection.

Not now…Please…If they gave him maximum dose antibiotic and intravenous fluid to rehydrate the body…

Niall Mountmarche had given the dog a chance at life. She had to be grateful.

Niall…

Even though her whole concentration was needed for the job in hand, Jessie couldn’t help being aware of the man working silently by her side. He was watching everything she did, she knew, and the thought, instead of making her feel nervous, in fact steadied her.

What on earth was such a man doing in a place like this? Growing wine? The thought seemed ridiculous and yet only hours ago the thought of him being a doctor had seemed ridiculous. And what was wrong with the little girl?

Such questions had to be put aside until later…Much later.

Finally, she’d done all she could. Carefully she dressed the wound and moved to help Niall reverse the anaesthetic.

Now…

Now it was up to Harry.

Jess smiled as she finally stepped back from the table and stripped off her gloves. ‘Thank you, Dr Mountmarche,’ she said simply. Her face was showing more exhaustion than she knew.

‘It’s the least I can do,’ Niall Mountmarche told her brusquely. He’d adjusted the antibiotic through the intravenous drip and was now looking at Jess as if he couldn’t really believe what he was seeing. ‘That was a fine piece of work, Dr Harvey. I’m sorry I doubted your qualifications.’

Jessie stared. An apology from the Ogre of Barega. What next?

‘You don’t make such a bad vet yourself,’ she smiled at him. ‘For a human doctor.’

For a human doctor…

All of a sudden he was. Immensely human.

And immensely male.

He smiled then, his smile reflecting her relief, and Jess felt her heart give an unexpected jolt. What a smile…