Rescuing Christmas Read online

  A light snow the night before had turned to slush, but someone had shoveled the lighted walkway that led from the back of the house to a couple of octagonal buildings. A signpost pointed left to the larger one, christened the Doggie Digs, and to the right for the smaller octagon named the Kitty Condo. Beyond that stood a boxy portable building that must be where the cats from the hoarder were being kept.

  The signs designating the cat and dog areas were cute but unnecessary. A chorus of barks from the larger octagon would have clued him in.

  “It’s feeding time.” Tansy paused and glanced toward the Doggie Digs. “One of the high points of their day, obviously.”

  “I’m partial to a good meal, myself.”

  She graced him with one of her million-dollar smiles. “Me, too.”

  And here he was, once again gazing at her expressive face and wishing...what? That he could figure out some stupid reason to spend more time with her? So he could become dependent on that smile for his happiness? No way.

  “I should buy you lunch sometime, to thank you for doing this,” she said.

  “That’s a generous offer.” Was she asking him out? If she was as interested in him as he was in her, it would be hard to keep her at arm’s length. “But I hope you don’t think I volunteered my time for this. The station’s paying me.”

  “Well, sure, I thought they probably were, since they insisted on sending someone out to get better shots. But even so, you’re giving up your Saturday morning.”

  “I don’t mind.” And that was the crux of his dilemma. He’d looked forward to coming out here. Professional pride had something to do with it, because he liked the idea of improving on the photos she’d provided. But he’d also just wanted to see her.

  Maybe he’d hoped that she wouldn’t be as appealing today as she had been on Monday. Wrong. She fascinated him more than ever. He couldn’t figure out how she maintained her bright optimism given the realities of her job. How could she love these animals with all she had when she knew that loving them would also bring pain?

  “Sorry.” She gave him an apologetic glance. “I’m wasting time gabbing about lunch instead of giving you the tour I promised. Do you have any questions so far?”

  He had a million of them, all about her and how she had come to be the person she was. But that would invite questions about himself, and she would want him to reveal things he’d kept hidden for years. “No questions,” he said. Then he decided that sounded abrupt. “I take that back. What about the shape of these buildings? I’ve never seen an octagon used for an animal shelter before.”

  She brightened. “Aren’t they amazing? We built the Doggie Digs first. We borrowed the octagon concept from a no-kill shelter in Utah called Best Friends Animal Society. I spent a week there and was so inspired. The design allows us to have a central area for organizing food and meds. The pie-shaped enclosures branch out from the center.”

  Ben nodded. “Looks efficient.”

  “It is. Once we saw how well it worked, we used the same design, slightly modified, for our Kitty Condo.” She walked toward the door leading into the cat building. A sign warned Caution, Loose Cats. She opened it a crack and warm air spilled out. “All clear?”

  “All clear,” called a female voice from the other side of the door. “I’m cuddling Brutus, and he’s the only one out here right now.”

  Tansy opened the door wider and stepped inside. “Good. I’ve brought the cameraman from KFOR.”

  Ben followed her through the door and closed it again. The octagonal room was about the size of an average kitchen and resembled one, too, with its countertops, cabinets, refrigerator, washer and dryer. There was no stove, but he noticed a microwave and a toaster oven. Both the washer and dryer were running.

  “Ben Rhodes, meet Cindy Stanton, one of our valuable weekend volunteers. Cindy’s a senior in high school, so her weekdays are full, but she comes over every Saturday and Sunday morning to help feed the cats and scoop the litter boxes, even when it’s cold and dark outside.”

  “I want to be here, no matter what the weather is.” Cindy, a lanky teenager with a blond ponytail, was wearing a practical outfit of jeans and a long-sleeved rock band T-shirt. She sat on the floor cradling a small black cat with white tuxedo markings. She glanced up at Ben with interest. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Rhodes. Is it okay if I don’t move? Brutus finally settled down, and I—”

  “Please don’t get up.” Ben crouched down, reached over and gently stroked a finger down Brutus’s soft fur. “He’s young.”

  “He’s young and he’s a maniac. I’m working to socialize him so he won’t bite and scratch people.”

  Ben looked closer and noticed small red welts on the backs of Cindy’s hands. “That’s dedication.”

  “That’s love. I adore this little guy. My whole family’s allergic except me, or I’d take him home in a second.” She grinned. “Actually, I’d take a bunch of them home. When I get my own place, I’m so going to have lots of cats, and maybe foster, too.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that,” Tansy said, a smile in her voice.

  “No worries. I can hardly wait.” She glanced at Ben, who was still stroking the cat. “I’m so glad KFOR is helping us with this campaign and that they sent you to take some pictures. Nothing against you, Miss Dexter, but you really need better ones for the promo spots. What they used this week? Kinda lame.”

  Tansy laughed as if she wasn’t the least bit insulted. “I know.”

  Cindy returned her attention to Ben. “So where’s your camera?”

  “I left it in the van. I wanted to get my bearings before I started shooting.”

  She nodded. “Makes sense, but you might as well go back and get it before you head into one of the cat rooms.”

  “Oh?” Ben continued to run a finger along Brutus’s silky fur. He’d forgotten the pleasure of such a simple caress. “Why is that?”

  “Have you ever been in a roomful of cats, cats with toys and branches to climb on, not to mention tunnels, and shelves and all that stuff?”

  “Can’t say that I have.” He was intrigued by the concept. “Don’t they fight?”

  Cindy gave a shrug. “Not so much.”

  “But they do fight sometimes,” Tansy said. “We watch for that and only allow the aggressive ones in for short visits until they settle down.”

  “Even if they fight a little,” Cindy said, “it’s still so much better than cages.”

  Ben levered himself to his feet. “Then I’d better go get my camera.”

  “Good.” Cindy seemed pleased with that decision. “If you don’t, you’re gonna kick yourself, because you’ll get in there, and one of the cats, like Moppet or Nifty, will be doing something adorable, because they are constantly doing funny stuff, and you’ll miss it.”

  Tansy unzipped her parka as if she meant to stay here while he retrieved his equipment. “I didn’t think to ask,” she said. “Are you going to take video or stills?”

  “Both, but if I get something with the video camera, I’ll use a single frame, not a sequence. We’re only putting one shot up on the screen at a time.”

  “Which is why they have to be really fantastic shots,” Cindy said.

  “Yeah, yeah, I get it.” Tansy shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket and smiled at him. “We need someone with a magic touch.”

  Ben’s heart lurched. Unless his instincts were wrong, she was flirting with him. The invitation in her eyes was subtle, but his response wasn’t. He wanted to accept the invitation. Good thing Cindy was there, because he had no business accepting anything from Tansy.

  But that didn’t stop his traitorous mind from imagining what it would be like to step closer and cradle her face in both hands. And then he’d kiss her, very gently, taking it slow at first. After that—

  “
Ben, do you want me to go with you? I think you can find your way easy enough. There’s a sidewalk that leads around the house to the parking lot.”

  He snapped out of his dangerous daydream. “Not if you have something to do here.”

  “There’s always something to do here. There are path lights, but if you want me to show you I’ll be happy to go along.”

  “I’m sure I can find my way. It’s getting lighter every minute. I’ll get my equipment and be right back.” He slipped out the door, cursing himself for being a fool. Kissing Tansy would be a huge mistake, both personally and professionally.

  He was a cameraman on a job, and that did not include getting cozy with the subject. He could get fired for that, and rightly so. But even without considering his job security, he couldn’t afford to get carried away.

  Kissing her would open him up to God-knows-what. Yes, he was drawn to her and wanted to find out what made her tick. But then she would demand to know what made him tick, and he wasn’t about to let her or anyone get that close. If she tempted him, he’d just have to get over it.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “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.