‘Well, I think I did.’ She fumbled with the door-handle and he reached across and stopped her.
‘Are you forgetting what happened last time you set foot on the ice?’
She didn’t smile. ‘I saw something, Mac, I know I did.’
He sighed and reached into the glove compartment for a torch before hitting his hazard warning lights. ‘All right. Let’s take a look.’
She opened the car door and flinched as snow swirled into her face, obscuring her vision. She slithered her way back down the road and then grabbed Mac’s arm. ‘There. Shine the torch there.’
He swung the beam in an arc. ‘Nothing.’
She grabbed the torch from him and shone it slowly over the ditch. ‘Mac! There! Something’s alive.’ She flung the torch at him and scrambled down into the ditch without thinking.
‘Louisa wait.’ Mac’s tone was harsh and he caught her arm. ‘You’re going to hurt yourself!’
‘But it’s an animal.’ She jerked her arm away and slid down into the ditch, gasping with shock as her feet slid through the ice and into a foot of freezing water. Floundering, she reached forward and grabbed the bundle, astonished by the weight. It was bigger than she’d thought. ‘Mac, it’s a dog. And it’s injured. Can you take it from me?’
‘Do I have a choice?’ But he leaned forward and gently took the shivering dog from her arms, allowing her to scramble out of the ditch.
The snow was falling thickly now and she brushed the flakes away from her face with her sleeve. ‘Quick, we need to get it back to your car so that we can see what’s going on.’
‘You’re planning to put this soaked, muddy, wriggling wreck in my car?’
Frantic with worry, Louisa slipped off her coat and covered the dog. ‘Oh, the poor little thing! Do something, Mac.’
‘Are you always this impulsive? I’m a doctor, not a vet, and you’re going to freeze without a coat. For goodness’ sake, Louisa! Put it back on!’
She ignored the exasperation in his tone. ‘He needs it more than me. All right, where’s the nearest vet?’
Mac sighed. ‘Back the way we just came. But I think that might be too far for this dog.’ His tone gentled. ‘He’s on his last legs.’
Her eyes were huge. ‘Then we’d better move quickly. We can’t let him die. He must have been hit by a car and abandoned. Some child must be out there, pining for her missing pet.’
His eyes met hers. ‘I hate to shatter your illusions but this dog doesn’t look like anyone’s much-loved pet,’ he said gruffly. ‘You have a vivid imagination.’
She sensed him weakening. ‘But you’ll take him to the vet...’
He rolled his eyes. ‘Yes. But if he makes a mess of my car, you’re cleaning it.’
* * *
‘He’s half-starved and bruised but it could be worse.’ The vet finished his examination and reached for a syringe. ‘I’m going to give him some antibiotics for that infection in his ear but apart from that all he needs is love and attention. And a bath.’
‘Great.’ Mac raked long fingers through his damp hair and wondered what was happening to his life. ‘Is there a collar? Any clue as to an owner?’
‘None. If you ask me, this dog’s a stray,’ the vet said firmly, dropping the syringe back on the tray. ‘Probably bought as an early Christmas present and proved to be a handful. That’s what usually happens. We’ll send him to the local animal shelter and see if they can find him a home, but don’t hold out too much hope. At this time of year there’s a surplus of unwanted dogs.’
Louisa looked horrified. ‘We’re not taking him to the shelter,’ she breathed, and Mac closed his eyes briefly, sensing what was coming.
‘Louisa—’
‘You can’t let him go there,’ she pleaded, her dark eyes huge as she looked at him. ‘It’s Christmas.’
‘Louisa, it’s a dog.’
‘It’s been abandoned.’ There was a choke in her voice and a shine in her eyes that he struggled valiantly to ignore. ‘He’s homeless. Unloved.’
The vet grinned at Mac who gritted his teeth. ‘There’s no room in my life for a dog. I am not running a home for waifs and strays.’