A country affair - Rebecca Shaw

Kate arrives at Barleybridge Veterinary Practice on her first day as the new receptionist. The hills rise almost immediately from the edge of the car park, dotted all over the slopes are sheep grazing. Turning round she can see the town which has now crept up the foothills making the practice the last bit of civilisation before the hills. The setting is idyllic. Kate quickly gets to know the other staff and becomes engrossed in the work and drawn into their lives and those of the animals and their owners. She knows to have a bucket of water at the ready when Adolf the Rottweiller has an appointment and to have soap and spare clothes waiting when her boss Scott is called out to the Parsons's filthy farm. But Kate has a big decision to make. Should she give up her faithful boyfriend Adam and train as a vet or should she be content to work in the practice as a receptionist? She confides in Scott because, although he is a bit of a womaniser, it is obvious that he is completely devoted to the animals and his work.
Tender, funny and full of the warmth that has made the Turnham Malpas novels into bestsellers, this first Barleybridge novel is a sure winner.