Tail of Two Hearts

“I know, sweetie. You want some dinner, don’t you?”

In the kitchen, Vivian poured some dry food into the cat dish, placed it on the floor for Essie and returned to the living room. Plopping down on the couch, she kicked off her shoes and picked up the mail.

An ad for a pizza place on Highway 135. A solicitation from some charity she’d never heard of. And a—

The envelope—bearing the return address of one of several adoption agencies she had contacted about adopting a baby—trembled in her hand.

She swallowed hard and licked her lips.

Please, please let it be good news.

Carefully she opened the envelope and removed the single sheet of stationery.

Dear Miss Duncan, Vivian read. We appreciate your interest in adopting a child from our agency. However—

Her eyes began to blur the words: single woman...limited income...not financially equipped to support a child.

She covered her mouth with her hand. It’s only one agency turning me down, she told herself. She’d applied to several others. Somewhere there was a baby waiting for a mommy. Waiting for her to hold and love him.

She straightened her shoulders.

Tomorrow was another day. She was confident her dream would come true. She swallowed her tears and lifted her chin.

All in God’s time.

Chapter Two

As was his custom, Chase woke early the next morning. He let Boyo out the back door to a fenced area where he could do his business. The dog sniffed the perimeter of his domain. Boyo relaxed only after he was convinced that there had been no intruders since his last visit.

Before long Boyo was back in the shop and racing up the stairs for his breakfast. His brownish coat was a typical shade for a basset hound but his curly hair was very much that of a poodle.

Chase trotted up the stairs behind him.

The fact that he owned a pet shop still amazed him. His life had definitely turned around the day some anonymous benefactor had decided to revitalize downtown Bygones and had offered matching funds for six new businesses to start up in the refurbished stores on Main Street.

The minute he’d heard about the opportunity, he’d sent in his application. Until then, owning a pet store had only been a fanciful dream born of a few happy months as a youngster volunteering at an animal shelter outside of Wichita, plus a whole menagerie of strays he’d brought home over the years.

By the time he was a teenager, his reality had been working grueling, mostly boring, hours, first as a worker and then as foreman, in a warehouse near Wichita.

He had hated the drudgery of the job; he had ever since starting to work there as a teenager. But the wages had been enough that his mother had been able to cut back on the hours she had worked.

In the small upstairs kitchen he fixed Boyo and Fluff their breakfasts. While they ate, he stood at the counter eating a bowl of cereal and drinking his morning coffee.

As soon as he fed the puppies and kittens downstairs, and cleaned their pens, he would keep his eye out for Vivian’s car. He’d been thinking about her a lot. Eager to see her again. Although he wasn’t sure that was a good idea, he couldn’t seem to help himself.

An hour later, just as he was finishing with Pepper’s cage, Chase spotted Vivian’s little red car go by.

“What’s up? What’s up?” Pepper squawked.

“I’m going to call on a very pretty lady. That’s what’s up.”

“Pretty birdie. Pretty birdie,” Pepper announced in his shrill vocalization.

“Yes, Pepper, I know.” Chase held out his hand so Pepper could hop off his shoulder, onto his hand and return to his clean cage with fresh newspapers on the bottom. A fine use for the local Bygones Gazette, he was sure.

The parrot reached his perch and gave his feathers a shake. “Good birdie. Good birdie.”

“You’re an excellent birdie, Pepper. I’m hoping one day soon you’ll find a new home.” Although he had to admit he was growing fond of the silly bird, he’d be more than happy to sell Pepper to a parrot lover. Business was business, right?

The middle-aged man who had brought in the bird had told Chase that Pepper had belonged to his mother, now deceased. His wife hated the bird. So he had to get rid of Pepper.

It was hard on long-lived creatures like large parrots. When their owner passed on, the birds experienced grief much like humans did. But after a few weeks here in the pet store, Pepper seemed to be adjusting to his temporary home and clearly enjoyed greeting customers.

Sometimes not too politely, Chase thought with a frown.

“I’ll find you a permanent home soon, ol’ codger,” he promised. Unfortunately he hadn’t had a single response to his advertisement so far.

Chase washed his hands and tried to tame the lock of hair that kept falling down over his forehead, to no avail.

Outside, another sunny but cool morning greeted him. The school day had already started, and none of the shops had opened yet, so there was little traffic on the street.

Despite the Closed sign on Happy Endings’s door, Chase knocked on the glass window. He peered inside until he saw movement in the shop. Then he stepped back and cleared his throat. Absently, he rubbed his damp palms on his pants and shuffled his feet. She wasn’t expecting to see him today, and he wasn’t sure how she’d react to his idea for Saturday.

Vivian lifted the sign and saw him. Her pretty blue eyes widened, and he heard her unlock the door. Her expression was both surprised and wary as she greeted him.

“Sorry to come by so early, but I wanted to talk with you,” Chase said.

“Sure.” She opened the door wider. “Is it about our Doggie Daze event?”

“Yeah, sort of.” He stepped inside. As she closed the door behind him, Chase caught the fresh scent of citrus—Viv’s perfume or shampoo, he suspected. It mixed pleasantly with the unique smell of books and printer’s ink. He glanced around the shop—the walls painted in blue, green and tan—and its dozens of bookcases with their shelves filled with books. He noted that Allison apparently hadn’t arrived for work yet.

“I wondered if you’d like to go with me to the Happy Havens shelter tomorrow?” he asked. “You could check out the dogs, decide which ones you’d like to bring in for your Doggie Daze affair.”

“I’d love to! I’m sure Allison would let me come in a little late. She’s very excited about the event.”

Her eager response, and the way her eyes crinkled at the corners when she smiled, delighted Chase. He was already looking forward to spending a little time with Viv. Getting to know her better. Just as friends, he reminded himself. He wasn’t looking for a romantic relationship. He had broken up with a woman in Wichita only a few months ago. No need to get involved again too quickly.

They made plans to meet at his shop in the morning, and he’d drive them to the shelter.

“Say, I put on a pot of coffee about five minutes ago. Would you like a cup?” Viv asked.

He glanced at his watch. “How ’bout a half cup? It’s almost time to open the shop.”

“Perfect.”

He followed her into a back room, noting the way her auburn hair shifted gently across her shoulders, the tips just brushing the collar of her green blouse.

In addition to a couple of unopened cartons of books, the room contained a sink and a microwave on the counter with a coffeemaker next to it.

“How do you take your coffee?” she asked.

“Black’s fine.”

She poured coffee into a mug and handed it to him. Their eyes met for a moment in silent communication before she turned to pour coffee for herself. A ripple of awareness warned Chase that more than friendship might evolve between him and Vivian. A prospect he hadn’t anticipated. Although maybe he should have.

Her hands wrapped around the mug, she leaned back against the counter. “You’re a businessman. Can I ask you for some advice?” she said.

“Sure. Anything about dogs and cats and hamsters I can handle. World peace is above my pay grade.”

Her laughter rang a happy note that resonated somewhere in Chase’s chest.

“I promise it’s nothing that earthshaking.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Since the town had to cut back on its support of the library, and I lost my job there, my income has dropped considerably. I’ve been trying to think of a way to supplement what Allison pays me. So far I’ve come up empty.”

“Hmm, let’s see.” He admired a woman who didn’t sit around waiting for someone else to bail her out of trouble or take care of her. Thinking about her question, he sipped his coffee, which was rich and hot. “Maybe I could hire you to come in early to clean up the puppy pen.”

She wrinkled her pert little nose. “That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

“What were you thinking?”

“I’m not sure.” She seemed pensive, as if she’d been considering the problem for some time. “If I could do something at home, then I’d be able to work around my schedule here.”

“That sounds like a great idea—if you can figure it out.”

“Yeah, that’s a big if.”

“It’s not easy to find that kind of job.” Leaning against the doorjamb, he drank some more coffee. “Telemarketing?”

Her smooth forehead furrowed. “I don’t think so.”

“Doing opinion polls?”

“I’m not sure I want to spend that much time on the telephone.”

“Understandable.” He drank another sip of coffee. “Nothing else comes immediately to mind, so let me think about it awhile.”

“Sure. Maybe between us, we’ll come up with something that would work.”

“I’ll do my best.” He set his mug down on the counter. “I’d better get going.”

They said their goodbyes, and Chase headed back to the pet shop, his spirits high, his footsteps light. Odd how planning an ordinary trip to an animal shelter could make him look forward to a very special day.

Because of Vivian.

* * *

When Allison arrived at the bookshop, Vivian was busily making copies of the flyer for Doggie Daze to distribute around town.

Allison picked up one of them. “This is wonderful. You’re so talented. Cute dog.”

“I used free clip art from the internet.” Heat warmed her cheeks. “I thought this dog looked a lot like Boyo, Chase’s dog.”

“Oh, he does. A little bit shaggy but so cute.” Allison eyed Vivian with evident curiosity. “You sure there isn’t something I should know?”

“Huh? Oh, no, not really.” Trying to cover the fact that she’d been so pleased to see Chase earlier, she stacked the flyers on the counter. “Chase came by early this morning. He invited me to go with him to the animal shelter tomorrow morning. If that’s okay with you,” she hastily added.

“Of course it’s fine with me. I think it’s nice we might have another romance going on here in town.”

Vivian laughed self-consciously and shook her head. “I wouldn’t count on that.” In fact, she had to be careful not to read too much into his invitation. Chase worked closely with the shelter to help them place dogs and cats in good homes. Since Happy Endings was having the doggie event, and he no doubt had business to discuss at the shelter, it was natural that they should go together.

“I thought as long as we aren’t busy, I’d deliver these flyers around town this morning,” Vivian said. “And I’ll drop off a few at the school and the library.”

“Good idea.” Allison rolled up her sleeves, ready to go to work. “Meanwhile I’ll check to see what books I should order for Saturday. Maybe a couple more copies of picture books for the little ones.”

“Something on training would be good,” Vivian suggested. “Chase will be talking about that. And breeds of dogs.”

“I’m on it.” She walked into the back room, her skirt swaying at her ankles.

Since Allison’s engagement to Sam, she seemed to float on air. It must be a wonderful feeling, Vivian mused, to be so in love.

A few minutes later, Vivian went out the door with an armful of flyers. She stopped at Love in Bloom first, since the flower shop was right next door.

Sherie Taylor, who worked part-time at the flower shop, came out of the back room with a vase full of yellow and purple chrysanthemums to greet her.

“Hi, Sherie. Guess you’re in charge while Lily is on her honeymoon in Canada.” A slightly plump divorced mother of twins, Sherie had the kind of smile that made everyone her friend.

“I am. I’m still thrilled that she and Tate found each other.”

“I think we all are.” Vivian handed her a flyer, explaining what they were up to at Happy Endings and asking her to post it in the window.

Sherie agreed, putting it up as they spoke. Vivian thanked her and then went next door to Sweet Dreams Bakery.

The moment she opened the door, Vivian was met with the smell of bread baking, along with the scent of cinnamon, apples and chocolate. The aromas washed over her, and her mouth watered.

Melissa Sweeney, the owner, stood behind the counter.

“Do you know, every time I step inside here, I gain two pounds just from the sweet smell of the place?” Vivian said with a laugh. “I can feel my thighs growing by the inch.”

Melissa returned her laughter in a full-throated voice. “I’d probably be a lot thinner if I’d opened a toy store instead of a bakery. I do way too much taste testing.”

“Hmm, but think what we’d all miss out on right here in Bygones if you hadn’t.” Vivian handed Melissa a flyer, asking her if she would post it in the window. They chatted for a few minutes. Then, proud of herself for not buying one of Melissa’s delicious peanut butter with chocolate drops cookies, Vivian retraced her steps, heading first to The Fixer-Upper, the new hardware store in town. After a quick visit with the very charming and recently engaged Patrick Fogerty, she was on her way again.

She’d saved Fluff & Stuff for last.

Boyo, tail wagging, met her at the door of the pet shop.

“Hi, fella. Are you keeping guard over the cash register today?” She knelt to pet him. His light brownish coat felt so silky to her; she loved to run her fingers through it.

“What’s up? What’s up?” the parrot announced.

“I guess guarding the cash register is Pepper’s job, huh? You’re just looking for some loving.” As she stood, Chase arrived up front, giving her a sudden case of shyness. “Hi there.”

“Hi back at ya.” He grinned as his gaze swept over her simple blouse and skirt with approval. “Hope you haven’t come by to cancel our trip to the animal shelter.”

“Uh, no.” A sharp stab of disappointment at the thought of canceling caught her off guard before she realized he was teasing. “I came by with the flyers for Doggie Daze, hoping you’d post one in your window.”

“Sure will.” His smile broadened like he was keeping some wonderful secret. “And I’d like some for my counter, if you have enough. I can probably talk my puppy fan club into taking some home to their parents.”

“Good idea!” She gave him a handful. “If you run out, let me know. I can always print more.”

Their hands brushed as he took the flyers. They stood gazing at each other for a moment. Boyo rubbing up against Chase’s leg. Pepper squawking. Vivian’s heart doing its pitter-patter thing in a rapid beat.

“I’ve got to deliver some of these to the school,” she finally said, her mouth unusually dry.

“Okay, then, Viv. I’ll see you in the morning.”

She nodded and fled out the door, feeling like a teenager who had just been invited to the prom by the cutest boy in school.

Vivian’s next delivery took her a few short blocks to the combined grammar and high school. She found Coraline Connolly, the school principal, in her office. Vivian stuck her head in the door.

“Are you busy, Mrs. Connolly?”

The older woman looked up from the stack of papers on her desk. “Not too busy to see you, Vivian. What brings you to my part of the world? Not trouble at the bookshop, I hope.”

“No, not at all.” In addition to being a frequent patron of the library when Vivian had worked there, Mrs. Connolly was also the heart and soul of the Save Our Streets committee, which was overseeing the revitalization of Bygones’s Main Street and the new shops that had recently opened. “Allison and I have come up with an event for this Saturday. Chase of Fluff & Stuff is helping out with the idea so it can be a promotion for both of the businesses.”

Taking the flyer from Vivian, Mrs. Connolly read it over. “What a good idea,” she said, looking up. “I’m sure the town’s benefactor would be pleased to know there is so much cooperation between our new entrepreneurs.”

“Has anyone figured out yet who he, or she, is?

Mrs. Connolly lifted one shoulder in a halfhearted shrug. “Not that I’m aware of.”

“Everyone is certainly curious.”

“I’m sure that’s true. I know I am. In any event, it’s excellent that you and Allison and Chase are all working together. Chase seems to be such a nice man, and he does love his animals.”

“Yes, he does.” A silly flush warmed her cheeks, a problem she’d had since childhood, which she blamed on her redheaded complexion. “We’re both hoping Doggie Daze not only encourages people to buy books about dogs but also helps out the Happy Havens Animal Shelter. Evidently, the shelter is strapped for both room and money with so many animals being turned over to them by families who are leaving town.”

“Oh, dear, it seems like the factory closing has caused so many problems for our little town. Not the least of which is the possible closing of our school, which would force our children to be bussed to another town. Some of our teachers have already signed contracts with other districts for next semester. It’s so hard to see our town suffering so.” She held up the flyer and smiled, although the smile seemed a little forced. “I’ll post several of these on bulletin boards around the school and hope for a good showing at Doggie Daze.”

“Thanks so much.” Vivian started to back out the door.

“Do give Chase my regards. It’s nice to know two animal lovers will be working together for our shelter.” The principal’s eyes gleamed with a hint of matchmaking on her mind.

“Yes, ma’am.” Flustered by the way the school principal had so easily linked her and Chase together, Vivian hurried down the hallway.

She quickly chided herself. Mrs. Connolly was only referring to their mutual concern about the shelter. She wasn’t suggesting there was anything romantic going on between Vivian and Chase.

Because there wasn’t.

As she walked back to Happy Endings, she passed Fluff & Stuff. Unable to help herself, she glanced inside.

Chase, who was standing by the cash register, spotted her and waved, then mouthed the words, See you tomorrow.

Feeling a tremble of excitement in her tummy, she waved back and gave him a thumbs-up.

What if it was possible? She and Chase? A couple?

Based on her recent experiences with men, she believed that seemed unlikely.

But what if it could be? she thought, futilely trying to still the excitement of her romantic heart.

Chapter Three

The following morning, Vivian tried on a few different outfits before settling on a shirt, with three-quarter-length sleeves, patterned in colorful fall leaves and her rust-colored skirt. She paired that with comfortable shoes for walking around the shelter, then tossed a light jacket over her arm and headed out the door.

“You be good, Essie,” she called to her cat. “And leave Roger alone.”

Trying to temper her eagerness as she drove into town, she still couldn’t help but look forward to spending time with Chase. And, of course, visiting the shelter.

She parked on the street. By the time she reached Fluff & Stuff, Chase had already opened the door. Ready to go, he wore chinos and a tan windbreaker snug at his waist, which made his legs look extra long.

Boyo peered up at her from behind Chase’s legs, his tail wagging.

“Don’t you look like a bright autumn day,” Chase said, ushering her inside with one of his patented grins. “Makes me think of raking leaves as a boy and jumping into the pile and then having to rake them up all over again.”

“We used to do that, too. It would take us all day to finish the job. Drove our mother crazy. And then the next morning there’d be more leaves on the ground, and we’d have to do it all over again.”

“My car’s in back.” Placing his hand at the small of her back, he guided her to the rear of the store. The heat of his palm seeped through her light jacket. “Sounds like you come from a big family,” he said.

Telling Boyo to stay, Chase let Vivian out the back door and then locked it behind them.

“Mom had six kids. Three girls and three boys. We were kind of a rowdy bunch at times.”

“I can imagine. Six children sounds like quite a crowd.” His voice held a note of dismay. “I was an only child, which was about all my mother could handle.”

“Don’t tell me you misbehaved as a boy?” she asked in a teasing voice.

“Not all that much. But all kids find a way to get into trouble once in a while.”

“And that was times six for my mom.” Her mother had been awesome, the most patient person Vivian knew. At least most days that was true.

When she climbed into his SUV, she caught the faint scent of puppy chow and spotted a few doggie hairs on the seat.

He went around to the driver’s side and climbed behind the wheel. He seemed far more subdued than when he’d greeted her, and she couldn’t imagine why. Everybody’s family was different. Six children had always seemed ideal to Vivian. In fact, she’d like to have that many herself, if she could find a way.

“Is your mother still living in Wichita?” she asked quietly.

“No. She died a couple of years ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shrugged as though it didn’t matter to him, but Vivian suspected he cared more about the loss of his mother than he wanted to admit. With just the two of them, they had to have been close. From Vivian’s perspective, she couldn’t imagine being an only child—she would have been too lonely way out on the farm. Though she admitted her younger siblings were often pests as they grew up, and she’d been expected to watch out for them when her mother was otherwise occupied.

Since their conversation had dampened Chase’s mood, she decided to change the subject.

“So what kind of dogs do you think I ought to pick out for Doggie Daze?”

“We’ll have to see who’s available, but they should be well behaved.”

“And housebroken,” Vivian added. “I think Allison would appreciate that the most.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled when he laughed. “I imagine so.” He turned onto Bronson Street for the short drive to the shelter, which was less than a mile north of town.

Once past the center of town, houses on one-or two-acre lots replaced commercial buildings. Some families had a horse or two. Others had chicken coops and a kitchen garden, or a couple of cows grazing behind sturdy fences.

“Look at those sunflowers growing alongside the road,” she said. “Aren’t they beautiful?” Apparently seeds had been blown or tossed onto the right-of-way between the road and the wheat field beyond. Several hundred feet of the shoulder was ablaze with bright orange sunflowers, the Kansas state flower. Their heads on four-foot-tall stalks were all aligned, aimed directly at the sun as though they were sending cheery wishes into outer space.

“Looks like somebody decided to beautify the roadside around here.”

In the distance, the silver tower of a grain elevator rose above the flat landscape, a crucial part of life for wheat farmers like Vivian’s father.

“You might want to think about a bigger dog, like a golden retriever,” Chase said, returning to the topic of dogs for Doggie Daze. “They’re usually good with kids. And match him with something smaller, maybe a border collie mix.”

“We could use a border collie to round up people off the streets to come to Doggie Daze.”

He shot her an amused look. “That’s one way to gain an audience. Or you could ask Police Chief Sheridan to arrest jaywalkers and hold them at the bookshop during the event.”