Читать книгу Rescuing Christmas: Holiday Haven / Home for Christmas / A Puppy for Will - Catherine Mann, Kathie DeNosky - Страница 10

“I LIKE BEN. HE’S CUTE.” Cindy held Brutus in the crook of her arm as she carefully got to her feet. The little cat worked his way up to nestle against her shoulder but didn’t try to squirm away.

“I suppose.” Tansy congratulated herself on that neutral response when two minutes ago she’d been on the verge of flinging herself into Ben’s arms. Cindy had been an excellent chaperone, for which Tansy was grateful. Mostly.

She took off her parka and hung it on a hook beside the door before walking over to check the towels in the dryer. Ben was not immune to the charms of animals. She’d known that from the way he’d cradled Ewok against his chest on Monday morning, and today he’d voluntarily made overtures to both Max and Brutus. Ben was a real puzzle, one she desperately wanted to solve.

“I think he likes you.”

Tansy ducked her head and began pulling towels out of the dryer because she didn’t want Cindy to see her blush. “He’s just a friendly person doing his job.”

“Maybe so, but when he looks at you, there’s more than friendship going on. You may have missed it because you haven’t been dating recently. I have, and I know that look.”

Tansy folded towels as if her life depended on it. “Have you been talking to Rose, by any chance?”

“As a matter of fact, she called me last night.”

Tansy stopped folding and turned to stare at the teenager. “About Ben?”

“Yep. We both agree you need a love life, and she wanted me to check this guy out and see what I thought of him. I think he’s pretty cool.”

Tansy shouldn’t be surprised that the two were in cahoots on this. Of all the shelter volunteers, she was closest to Rose and Cindy. “Are you supposed to report back to Rose?”

“Of course. She’d promised that gentleman friend of hers, Mr. Hobson, that she’d help with his Christmas shopping or she would have found an excuse to drop by this morning. She’s dying of curiosity.”

Tansy picked up the stack of warm towels and hugged them to her chest. “Then tell Rose that we have a potential glitch.”

“He’s in a relationship?”

“I’m not sure. If he is, that would be a deal killer. I don’t poach.”

“If he’s in a relationship, then he has no business looking at you the way he did. I say he’s not. So what’s the potential glitch?”

“When he first arrived this morning, he told me point-blank that he’s not interested in having animals in his life.”

Cindy’s mouth dropped open. “Really? After the way he was loving on Brutus?”

“I can’t explain that. Or the fact that I caught him scratching Max’s head.”

“You’re making that up. Max never lets us pet him.”

“I know, but he hopped up on the counter and started purring while Ben and I were in the office looking around. That was surprising enough, but then I went to get my coat, and when I turned back, there was Ben, scratching behind Max’s ears.”

“So why doesn’t he want animals? Maybe he lives with somebody who’s allergic. Not a girlfriend, but somebody else. I know what that’s like.”

Tansy considered the possibility and rejected it. “He would have said so. I mean, take you, for example. You tell everybody that’s why you don’t have animals at home.”

“Yeah, I do. Wow, it makes no sense.”

“It doesn’t.”

“I’ll stick around while he’s filming. Maybe I can figure out what his problem is.”

“That’s an excellent idea.” Tansy opened a cupboard above the counter and laid the clean towels inside. “You can supervise while I go back to the office. I need to post an update on our Facebook page and talk to Faye about a few things.”

“Wait. I didn’t mean for you to leave.”

“I know.” She grabbed her parka and put it on. “The truth is that I am attracted to the guy.”

“Aha!”

“But if he’s really closed to the idea of having animals around, then it’s better if I don’t spend too much time with him.”

“I guess. If I find out anything, I’ll—” She stopped speaking when the door opened a crack, letting in a swirl of cold air.

“All clear?”

Tansy wished hearing his voice didn’t make her flush with pleasure. She glanced at Cindy. “Got a tight grip on Brutus?”

“He’s secure.” She clutched Brutus against her shoulder.

“Come on in, Ben.” Tansy’s heart thumped as she zipped her jacket. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had such a strong physical reaction to a man. Ben made her feel as if she were Cindy’s age again and had developed a major crush on the captain of the football team.

The intensity of her feelings for someone she’d only just met wasn’t all that unusual for her. She’d always had good instincts, both for people and animals, and she sensed Ben was a kind person. But there was some issue keeping him from opening his heart. And until she figured out what that was, letting Cindy help with the photography session was the smart thing to do.

Ben came through the door with a digital camera on a strap around his neck and a camcorder in his hand. He looked puzzled when he saw Tansy with her coat on. “Aren’t you staying?”

“I have a ton of work to do in the office,” she said. “I’m leaving Cindy in charge. You’ll be in good hands with her.”

“I’m sure I will, but I thought…” His expression went from confusion to resignation. “No worries. I’m sure Cindy can take me over to the dog area when I finish up here.”

Tansy nodded. “Absolutely. She’s one of our most capable volunteers.”

“Do you want to preview what I’ve done before I go, or should I just head on to the station when I have plenty of shots?” His tone was conversational, as if he didn’t care one way or the other.

She didn’t believe for a minute that he wanted to leave without showing her the pictures, nor did she want him to. “I’d love to see what you come up with.” She might be able to distance herself from the photography session, but she couldn’t bear missing the results. He was, after all, filming her babies.

“Okay. I’ll drop by the office when I have something to show you.” His smile was tinged with sadness, as if he understood perfectly well why she was pulling back. He recognized that they had a sticking point.

Except he knew why and she didn’t. “I’ll see you later, then.” She left, and disappointment sat like a cold lump in her chest.

This was stupid. Why couldn’t he just tell her what his problem was? The answer was obvious, though, when she gave herself time to think about it. His uneasiness about having animals around must involve something personal, and he didn’t know her well enough to explain. Cindy was good at pulling things out of people, but chances were he wouldn’t confide in her, either.

Tansy sighed. If nothing else, she’d get some decent pictures of her furry friends out of the deal. If the station would allow it, she’d like to use some of them on The Haven’s Facebook page. Her shots, to use Cindy’s term, were lame.

She knew Ben’s would be wonderful, and not only because he was a professional. He cared about animals, and that would show in the pictures he took today, as it had in the footage he’d shot on Monday morning.

Her gut feeling about him wasn’t wrong. But she didn’t have all the facts and might never learn them. Swearing softly under her breath, she walked up the pathway to the administration building.

TWO HOURS LATER, BEN whistled as he walked toward the back door of the yellow-and-white Victorian. He couldn’t remember when he’d had so much fun with a camera. With some coaxing from Cindy, the cats had performed like trained acrobats, but he had some sweet and touching shots, too.

Most of the dogs had been hams as well, and he could hardly wait to show Tansy the pictures. Getting good ones had been a breeze, and with the tiniest bit of instruction and a better camera, she would be able to take shots that were just as great. In fact, one of his spare cameras would do if she didn’t want to invest money in equipment.

But she might not be willing to have him teach her photography techniques and loan her cameras. Judging from her quick retreat this morning, she’d decided against spending time with a guy who was so obviously wrong for her. Smart move on her part.

He would take his cue from her, show her the pictures and head on out of this place. But the image of those cats frolicking together in an open play area would stay with him for a long time. And the memory of Tansy’s bright eyes would stay even longer, though he’d do well to erase it.

As he opened the back door and started down the hallway toward what had been a deserted reception area early this morning, the hum of voices and an occasional dog bark drifted toward him. He walked in on a much different scene than the one he’d left.

On the far side of the counter, two dogs, one a black Lab and the other a cocker spaniel, tugged at their leashes. Because each dog had at least one kid fussing over it, Ben decided these were new adoptions, not animals being surrendered to the shelter.

A plump red-haired woman worked behind the counter, dealing with forms and answering questions. Tansy was helping her, bestowing warm smiles on the adults signing the forms and pulling out their checkbooks. The adults and kids all seemed to know each other, so Ben decided two families had come in together to adopt.

He waded into the confusion, introduced himself and asked if he could film the happy families and their new canine friends. Everyone seemed pleased about the idea, so he got some more footage. Maybe the station could use it and maybe not, but the excitement of the moment was contagious and he thought capturing it might be useful for…something.

Apparently he’d come in on the tail end of the procedure, because within fifteen minutes, the families had driven off with their dogs and the reception area grew quiet again.

Tansy beckoned him over to the counter. “Ben Rhodes, this is Faye Barnard, who presides over the front desk and creates order from chaos.”

Ben shook her hand. “I could tell that this was a red-letter day for those two families.”

“It was.” Faye’s cheeks dimpled and her green eyes glowed with satisfaction. “This is what it’s all about, settling previously unwanted animals with families who are crazy about them. It’s so rewarding.”

“And thank you for capturing it,” Tansy said. “Do you think KFOR would run something like that?”

“I don’t know. I saw an opportunity and grabbed it, but I’m not in charge of what gets shown and what doesn’t. I’d love to see that air, though. It would inspire more people to adopt.”

“Yes, it would.” Tansy’s gaze met his, and the question was there, the same question that had always been there. Had it inspired him? Was he ready to take in a homeless dog or cat?

She didn’t say that out loud, though, which meant he could pretend he hadn’t picked up on her unspoken plea. “Do you have a minute to look at what I have here?”

Tansy glanced at Faye. “Can you handle the phone for a little while?”

“Be happy to.”

“Then come on back to my desk, Ben.” Tansy motioned him around the end of the counter. “Nobody’s scheduled to come in for at least another thirty minutes, but you never know. Anything can happen around here, and usually does.”

“I’ve got it under control,” Faye said. “Go preview those pictures. I know you’re dying to see them.”

“I am.”

“I think I got some you’ll like.” Ben followed Tansy to a desk in the far right-hand corner. Her computer was on and several folders were stacked beside the monitor. A rigid plastic chair sat next to her desk, and he commandeered it, bringing it over so it was close to her chair.

“Was Cindy helpful?” She sat down and swiveled to face him.

“She was great.” Setting both the digital camera and the camcorder on the desk, he shrugged out of his coat and hung it on the back of the chair. Then he took off his hat and looked for a place to put it.

“Let me have it,” Tansy said.” He handed her the hat and she set it down on top of the folders. “I’m glad Cindy was there. She’s so good with the animals.”

“She is. She played with both the cats and the dogs so I got some terrific action shots.” Settling onto the chair, he picked up the digital camera and clicked the preview button so the first one appeared in the small screen. “Can you see that? Here, take the camera and use that button to jump to the next one.” He leaned toward her and did his best to concentrate on the images.

But he’d like to see the man who could do that and ignore the flowery scent of her skin and the tickle of her warm breath on his cheek. If he made a half turn, his lips would meet hers. But kissing her at all would be inappropriate, not to mention kissing her in a public office space under the watchful eye of her receptionist.

He reminded himself that he enjoyed his job and would not care to lose it because he’d behaved unprofessionally while on assignment.

She wasn’t helping, though, with her little gasps of delight as she scrolled through the pictures. The noises she made sounded way too much like a woman responding to a lover. Knowing how joyfully she embraced life, he imagined she’d be equally joyful when she made love.

“Oh, Ben, these are great!” She clicked to the next frame and sucked in a breath. “Look at those blue eyes. All Siamese are stunning, but Hyacinth has the most amazing eyes.”

So do you, Tansy. But he couldn’t say that now, and probably not ever.

Eventually she got to the dog section. At one point she actually moaned with happiness. “Wonderful. Just wonderful. You have such a talent.”

He’d been told he had talents in other areas, too, but he’d bet money that kind of expertise wasn’t Tansy’s top priority. Openness would be important to her, and he wasn’t a tell-all kind of guy.

So he fought his natural response to being achingly close to her. Anyone would think he hadn’t been with a woman in quite a while. And anyone would be right.

Yes, he’d been out of the dating scene for a few months, but that wasn’t the problem. He wasn’t some sex-starved adolescent who couldn’t go without it. His current need was specifically for Tansy.

He wanted to kiss her until they were both senseless with desire. They had obvious chemistry, so that part of their relationship would go just fine. It was the pillow talk that scared the devil out of him.

As he battled his demons, he was startled by the orange tabby, Max. The cat appeared from nowhere and jumped into his lap. Ben spoke without thinking, giving an automatic response ingrained years ago. “Get down, Mickey.” He realized his mistake immediately. “I mean, Max.”

Tansy’s head whipped around and her eyes grew wide. “He’s on your lap.”

“So it seems.” He started to remove the cat.

“Ben, you don’t understand. I’ve never seen him get onto someone’s lap. Could you…could you let him stay there for a little while? I want to encourage that behavior.”

“I guess.” So instead of lifting the cat down to the floor, he began stroking him. Max purred and kneaded his claws into the denim of Ben’s jeans.

“That’s amazing. He’s acting like a regular cat.”

Using both hands, Ben caressed Max in a remembered pattern, beginning at his chin and working his way to the base of his tail. “He probably was a regular cat before something happened to make him unfriendly.”

“I’m sure you’re right.” She regarded him silently for a few seconds. “What did you call him when he first jumped up?”

“Oh.” He threw the explanation out in an offhanded way. “I used to have a cat who looked a lot like Max. His name was Mickey. I was concentrating on the pictures and had a memory lapse.”

“What happened to Mickey?”

“Got hit by a car. The vet tried to save him, but he was hurt too bad.” Twelve years later, and he still hated thinking about that day. So he didn’t until forced to, like now.

“I’m sorry.”

Fortifying himself against the sympathy he knew he’d find there, he looked into her blue eyes. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago, and he was ten. That’s not so bad for a cat.”

“But not so good for the person who loved him.”

“I got over it.”

She gazed at him for a moment longer before glancing away. “Yes, I’m sure you did.”

She didn’t believe him. And that meant more questions would follow. Damn it.